Brightest As We Fall by Cleo Peitsche

Author:Cleo Peitsche [Peitsche, Cleo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pouch Productions
Published: 2020-02-21T18:30:00+00:00

“I called someone,” Jason said after they’d been on the highway a couple of hours.

DeeAnn had been messing with her phone, probably watching webcam footage of endangered species or studying bed-making tips, but she now dropped her hand into her lap. “Oh?”

“Didn’t get an answer.”

“Am I forgetting a conversation we had?”

“No. I just thought you’d like to know.” He cleared his throat. He was ambivalent about reaching out to Shot, and he didn’t need a lecture about it. What he wanted was reassurance that he’d done the right thing. The odds of getting that from DeeAnn? Slim. She wouldn’t pretend.

Jason admired that about her.

“Do you mind starting from the beginning? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Right.” Jason changed lanes to pass a lumbering eighteen-wheeler. “A few years ago—”

“You should use your turn signal.” DeeAnn twisted in her seat to scrutinize the mostly empty road behind them. “We don’t want to get pulled over.”

“Who’s gonna pull me over? I’ve got a clear view of the road ahead and behind.”

“I’m just nervous.”

In that case, he could only guess what she was going to say when she found out about his plan. But he’d mulled over the options all night. After Cindy’s call this morning, the decision was clear. The solution he’d devised was the fastest, safest way to get them both set up with their new lives.

“Being nervous is understandable,” Jason said. “You could complain less, though.”

“Sorry.” Her voice was small, and he felt bad. He offered her a stick of gum. She accepted, and moments later the sharp smell of cinnamon filled the car.

Jason knew she wasn’t trying to set a record for the world’s biggest pain in the ass. He wondered if she knew that when she wasn’t stressed out, she was actually a lot of fun.

But he probably wasn’t much fun when he was stressed out, either. Being on top of each other nonstop didn’t help things.

Except for when they were literally on top of each other. That was fun.

Jason leaned his left elbow on the door and turned his head so that DeeAnn wouldn’t see his smile. All things considered, they were getting along better than he’d ever have expected. She wasn’t the worst person to be on the run with.

“You were telling me about the phone call,” DeeAnn said a few miles later.

“Right. My buddy Shot moved to Wisconsin a few years ago.”

DeeAnn sat ramrod straight in her seat. “You can’t trust him. Or anyone. People back home are gonna know you might go there. What did you tell him?”

“Calm down. He didn’t answer, and I didn’t leave a message.”

DeeAnn relaxed. “Good. You said yourself that we have to break all ties with our former lives.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Jason felt defensive. DeeAnn was right, but he wasn’t exactly overrun with good options. “Shot never worked directly for AJ, and he damned sure had nothing to do with the Jack Rebels.”

“Because he’s not a criminal?”

“I didn’t say that. He’s less of a distributor and more of an… entrepreneur.

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