Page 97 of Thug

“My legs are numb,” I said.

He chuckled. “Welcome to my world.” He unstrapped the leather bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Any bugs get in your mouth?”

I rubbed the tip of my finger against my teeth. “Not that I know of.”

“It’ll happen,” he said. “Sooner or later.”

A mouthful of bugs wasn’t a bad trade for something as rewarding as a motorcycle ride with Price.

We were surrounded by mountains. He faced the range behind him, a tree-covered line of green peaks. They were drastically different than Marana’s massive stone formations, which lacked any foliage whatsoever. He gestured toward them. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but in that direction there’s a damned good place to sit down and relax.”

“You’ve been here before?” I asked. “Right here?”

“Haven’t been out here in years,” he said. “I used to come out here quite a bit.”

“Oh.”

He held out his hand. “C’mon.”

I didn’t care where we were going. Being with Price was all that mattered. For the moment, I was living the dream. Having grown up in a dysfunctional family, I yearned to one day have a family of my own. One that was normal. Silent promises of “I’ll never do such-and-such when I grow up” were an everyday occurrence.

I realized my relationship with Price didn’t constitute a family, but it was a step in the right direction. At least I was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t going to physically and psychologically abuse me. Avoiding such men was one of my first promises to myself. Finding that man and starting a family was the second.

I took his hand and followed him along the gravel trail. Focusing on the beautiful scenery and commenting on creations that caught our eyes, we continued until we reached the end of the path.

“Right over here.” He gestured toward a rock cliff a mountain goat wouldn’t attempt to scale. “On the edge of the cliff.”

The trail ended for a reason. There was nothing left to walk on. I looked down. A rock ledge plummeted to a valley a mile below. The river at the mountain’s base was so far down it looked like a strand of errant thread.

“Make sure your shoes are tied well,” he said. “You don’t want to slip and fall.”

He adjusted the laces on his boots and tied them tight. I did the same.

“I’ll follow you,” I said.

I followed Price’s exact footsteps around the edge of the cliff, making it a point not to look down. At one point he stepped onto a rock the size of a soup can, using it as a steppingstone to the next available ledge, which was the size of my kitchen sink.

I paused momentarily, asking myself if the risk was worth the reward.

Price’s confidence is what initially attracted me to him. He scaled the edge of the cliff as if he were walking down one of Marana’s many sidewalks. I was petrified. Nevertheless, I placed my trust in Price and took the step. If I was going to die, at least I was going to die with properly tied shoes.

Several sphincter puckering steps while hugging the side of the rock ledge followed. Then, I saw it. A flat rock that jutted out of the edge of the sheer cliff like an extended hand. Suspended directly over a stone ledge a thousand feet beneath us, it was big enough for the two of us to sit on comfortably and have a little room to spare.

Price leaped onto it and extended his outstretched hand. I reached for it, praying his last memory of me wasn’t going to be seeing me plummet to my death.

“Holy shit,” I gasped as soon as my feet were planted firmly on the surface. “I hope this was worth it.”

“Turn around,” he said.

We scaled the cliff with our eyes fixed on the mountain’s stone face. Still somewhat petrified, I had yet to turn around. I faced the valley. In every direction I looked there were breathtakingly beautiful mountains, many of which were topped with green trees.

“This is insane,” I said. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.” I looked at Price. “Even in pictures.”

“I’m sure someone else has been here.” He removed a bottle of water from the leather bag and handed it to me. “But I like to think this is my spot.”

I took a drink and blindly handed it back to him. The view, regardless of which direction I looked, was nothing short of awe inspiring. “I think I could sit here forever,” I said. “How did you find this place?”

“I needed a serene place to think. I spent an entire weekend riding around this part of the country looking. This is what I came up with.”