He had suggested that we take the rest of the day easy, and postpone our trip into town until tomorrow. I insisted on doing it today. More than anything, I needed to get my mind off of everything I had learned. Besides, after getting some answers from him, I was greedy for more. Surely, the Kala had learned something by now.
Not that I was in a hurry to leave the cabin. Not now. It had grown on me and, even if he was intolerable most of the time, so had Nathan. Times like now, when he wasn’t an unbearable jackass, I even enjoyed his company.
He sure was easy to mess with, too.
“Hey, Sensei?”
We were stopped at the gas station to fill up the tank on the motorcycle. His eyes rolled to mine. “Stop calling me that.”
I ignored him and extended my hand, palm up. “I’ll go inside to pay for the gas if you buy me a candy bar.”
He handed over his hat and a wad of cash. “Get two.”
I slipped the hat on with a smile and backed away. “As you wish, Sensei.” I didn’t stick around long enough to hear him complain about the nickname. I liked it; it was a keeper.
I circled the candy aisle a few times before I settled on a variety of king-sized chocolate bars. By the time I got to the counter, Nathan had finished pumping, and I paid for the gas and candy all at once. I had taken awhile deciding on the snacks, and was surprised Nathan hadn’t already stormed inside to look for me. Once the chocolate was safely bagged, I hurried out the door.
Nathan had parked the motorcycle next to the entrance. He was straddling it, staring intently across the street, and paying no attention to me. I probably could have spent all day in the store and he wouldn’t have noticed.
“What’s up?” I asked as I glided up beside him, and followed his gaze.
Across the street was Dee’s—I assumed our next destination, and where I hoped we would grab lunch. But then, there was something about the look on Nathan’s face that told me that wasn’t going to happen. I had seen that look before.
“Nathan? What is it?”
He didn’t move. “See those guys over there?”
I reexamined Dee’s parking lot. It was full. I assumed that was because it was a Sunday, and Dee’s was a perfect after-church kind of place. I watched a family of five exit the restaurant, and the young kids squealed as they raced to their minivan. A middle-aged man sat on a bench by the front door, reading a newspaper. A young man paced beside a black truck as he talked on his cellphone. Nothing looked amiss to me.
“They’re waiting for us,” Nathan said quietly.
A goose bump producing shiver whipped down my spine at the iciness of his voice. I zeroed in on the guy on his phone. He seemed the most likely suspect. “How do you know?”
Nathan tossed me the helmet. “They found us. We have to go.”
My hands trembled as I put Nathan’s hat and the candy bars into the backpack. I slung it over my shoulder, and strapped the helmet on with forced poise. Nathan waited until I was securely seated behind him before he started the engine.
We shot out of the parking lot and onto the road, angling away from Dee’s. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw the man still on his phone as he paced beside the truck. No one followed us.
As we sped out of town, I realized that Nathan had gone slowly the other times. Now, he pushed the bike so fast I half expected it to sprout wings and fly. I molded myself to his back, held on tight, and tried to lean into the turns with him.
We leaned into one turn so far, I swore my helmet was inches from scrapping blacktop. I squeezed tighter, closed my eyes, and didn’t open them again until we came to a stop in front of the shed. I jumped off the bike, unscathed but shaking. Nathan’s urgency, on top of the hellish ride, had turned me into a wobbly bundle of nerves.
“Put a few changes of clothes for both of us and some food in the bag.” He walked backwards toward the shed as he talked, and waved his hand at me dismissively. “Pack whatever you think we might need for a few days and meet me back here.”
He ran to the shed, and I hurried to the cabin.
I was terrified, but managed to keep my fear under control long enough to concentrate on what I needed to do. I packed the clothes first, then darted to the kitchen and threw a few rations of food in. I paused to survey the cabin, looking for anything else we might need. Confident I hadn’t missed anything, I turned for the door.
Nathan was already there, waiting for me.
“I think I got everything,” I told him as I tossed the bag over my shoulder.
I had expected to have to run to keep up with him as he sprinted for the motorcycle. Instead, he stepped farther into the cabin, and crossed the short distance between us in a few strides.
I stood, frozen by the odd sensation that something wasn’t right. What exactly that was, I couldn’t put a finger on.
Until Nathan’s hands reached out and enclosed around my neck.