The fluttering in my chest is way too much to analyze right now, so I focus on the burrito in front of me. My stomach growls, reminding me I’m hungry after all.
If Tucker were here, he’d have probably given me a gentle reminder not to “overindulge,” but fuck him. I finish every bite.
By the time we leave, everyone’s in love with Milo, which only makes the funny feelings in my chest intensify. Everyone’s slapping him on the back and saying they’ll see him next time.
Which they won’t. Because hopefully we’ll be able to work out that someone being after me is nothing but a big misunderstanding, and then Milo will be gone.
Which is fine. It’s good, even. I’ve been single for all of four months. I don’t need a relationship right now. What I need is to get to know myself. Go see my family. Maybe go back to school like I always wanted.
Despite my insistence to the contrary, I spend the drive back to the bed and breakfast wallowing in my feelings about how things might be different if I could’ve met Milo at another time.
It’s too bad, that’s all. The sex is so good. But I kind of swore off love after Tucker. And, well, Milo kills people.
All this to say, I’m not really paying attention to what else is going on around us. Not until Milo hits the brakes and makes a sudden turn.
“What’s wrong?”
He doesn’t answer, but something is. He’s got his jaw set and a grim expression.
“Milo?”
“I thought someone was following us. Took a turn to see. Give me a second. I don’t see them now.”
Oh. Fuck. I turn to look behind us, but it’s not like I’d see anything out of the ordinary. I haven’t been paying attention. My heart races and my stomach twists, but: “I don’t see anything.”
Milo shakes his head. “I don’t see them now.” He gets back on the road to the bed and breakfast, giving me a reassuring smile. “Might be nothing. Paranoia’s a hazard of the job.”
“It’s okay. We’re both on edge.” This morning I almost shot into the air when Adam knocked on our door to remind us about brunch. Right now, anyone would be jumping at shadows.
Just when I’ve turned back around, there’s a crunch, and a thud as someone hits us from behind.
“Dammit.” Milo shakes his head. “Guess I spoke too soon.”
I turn to try to see who’s behind us.
“Eyes forward.” Milo says tightly, “Seat belts don’t work as well when you’re not sitting properly. Don’t worry; I’ve got this. This guy’s a fucking amateur.”
“How do you know that?”
“Trying to run us off the road? Dumb as hell. Watch this…”
He doesn’t finish, and when I’m about to ask, he hits the gas. Hard. Behind us, the other car speeds up too. Yeah, I look. Of course I do.
Milo speeds up hard for a few seconds before throwing his arm across my chest like it’s a bar on a roller coaster. Then he hits the brakes and jerks the wheel.
Oh God. I wrap my arms around my waist as if I have the power to hold the contents of my stomach in.
We wind up thumping and bumping through a field, rolling to a haphazard stop. Meanwhile, the car that rear-ended us is frantically making a U-turn in the middle of the road.
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t we keep going?”
Milo shakes his head, and before I can ask more questions, he throws the door open and jumps out. Where the hell did the gun come from? I have no reason to be surprised. He seems to have a lot of them.
“I wanted to disorient them,” Milo calls. “But he’ll keep coming if he doesn’t die.”
He’ll keep coming if he doesn’t die. How is this my life right now? When I was eight I saw my cousin steal a toy in a store and didn’t say anything. Is this my karma?
“Milo!” The car is barreling toward us right now. Right fucking toward us.
