He had imprinted himself into my mind, and I couldn’t ignore the way he made my skin come alive in his presence.
Whenever we were apart, a magnetic pull drew me to him. When I was in his vicinity, the ever-present current running between us strengthened, crackling and snapping and buzzing through my veins.
Fuckingzapwas right. Kissing him caused an electric spark that sent my heart out of rhythm like I’d been struck by lightning.
His nervousness and shyness brought out a protective urge that seemed entirely out of place considering I barely knew him, but it was there, nonetheless. Hot and alive. I liked listening to him talk about photography, but I liked it even more when I pulled a timid smile from him.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. There wasn’t room in my fucked-up life for relationships.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text reminding me why.
We made it to the motel by ten. Lex and Noah had come in Black Bug. Elliott had to work and wouldn’t arrive until later that afternoon.
As I parked, Vern squinted from the windshield. “Is that Charles?”
“What? Where?”
I tore my gaze from the neon green Jeep parked a few rows away and looked where Vern pointed. Charles, three other people I didn’t recognize, and the Wind Riders were gathered outside the motel’s administration office.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” I asked.
“Ruining our lives. Olivia’s crew is here, too.”
“I see that.”
“Are we late?”
“No. Check-in isn’t until eleven. It’s only five past ten.”
“Glad the big studio splurged on us. This place looks like a fucking dump.”
The motel was the kind with exterior room entrances. They ran in a U-shaped pattern with the main administration office in the middle. Covered walkways protected the doors from the weather. Each room had a window air-conditioning unit. They stuck out like rusted teeth along the walkways.
We approached the gathered group. A charcoal sky with ominous clouds promising future storms hung above us. The air was unnaturally warm and heavy, but the cold front moving through threatened a drastic drop in temperature later that day. Hence the storm front.
I instantly picked Gale out of the crowd, but couldn’t catch his eye. He stood apart from Olivia’s Wind Riders, leaning against a metal railing that separated us from a row of rooms. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, shoulders near his ears. He wore plain jeans and a baby-blue hoodie that felt like overkill when the thermometer tipped eighty.
Was he purposefully avoiding my gaze? It felt intentional. His lips looked as abused as mine. How long until someone put two and two together?
“There you are. Finally,” Charles announced when Vern and I were within earshot. “Gather around.”
“I thought you said eleven.”
“I said nothing of the sort.” Charles scanned the group, his lips moving as he silently counted. “We’re missing someone.”
“Elliott will be here later.” Lex didn’t elaborate. We’d decided there was no need to get Charles’s nose out of joint before we had to. Elliott’s job and family came first, but Charles wouldn’t see it that way.
“Fine, fine.” Charles rubbed his hands together. “Here’s what’s happening. You’ll remember Becca and Arty from your initial interviews? Joining them is Hugh.” He motioned to the one guy I didn’t recognize. “They’re going to set you up with some extra cameras.”
“Extra cameras?” Olivia met my gaze as though curious if I knew anything about this.
I didn’t and frowned.
“Yes, ma’am. Ones that will continuously stream and record everything that’s happening via the studio. They’ll be installed inside each chase vehicle and in room nineteen B”—he motioned to an end unit—“which will be your base of operations while you’re in the area.”
“What are you talking about?” Lex asked. “We already have a camera set up in the bug.”
“Sure you do, but we want to install one that you can’t decide to shut off or edit at your pleasure.”
