Hidden Away

Chapter 2: The Girl From the Picture

All the scenery was beginning to look the same. Evergreen trees, dusty roads, run down cafes, gas stations, and makeshift shopping centers.

Devin pulled into a field next to a large, aged yellow house relatively out of sight, somewhere in the sticks of Spokane.

He shut the ignition off.

"How did you know?" I spoke up finally.

"Know what?"

"That I killed someone."

"I told you already."

"No, I don't think you're being honest with me," I accused. "There's more to the story. There has to be."

His brown eyes penetrated mine. "Just trust me."

"You want me to trust you?"

He let out a scoff that closer resembled a puff of air. A sarcastic smile slid up his face. "Yes, I want you to trust me. Besides, I know you wouldn't have called me after that long if it wasn't serious. I know you better than that."

I climbed out of the car and slammed the door harder than I intended to. "Knew me," I corrected. "You don't know me anymore."

"Well, you're still caught up in the business, so that's a point for me. Funny how that worked out, huh?"

I couldn't do this right now. "So this is it, then? You're just going to pretend like everything's normal?"

He leaned against the hood of the car and stared into the distance so casually, hands shoved into his jean pockets. "You're safe. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm safe, but at what price? I feel like you're playing me."

"Fine. If you don't want to stay here, you don't have to." He pushed himself away from the hood and planted himself right in front of me. " I can let you back out onto the street or report you to the police."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about." I slanted my eyes at him.

He looked at me with the same piercing gaze.

It was like a wild west showdown.

I so badly wanted to shout everything that was on my mind. I wanted to shout at him. To shout to anyone who would listen. There were so many things he needed to hear and I needed to get off my chest.

Yet for some reason, I couldn't say any of them.

He finally broke eye contact. "We need to get going. If Rocky and Sinead see us out here fighting, they're going to be suspicious."

I blinked. "I'm sorry, who?" He didn't mention anything about other people being involved in my mess. I didn't want anyone else knowing about this. I couldn't trust anyone, clearly.

"My friends. We found this house about a month ago."

"Now you have a gang to protect you?" I shifted my weight to my other foot.

"Let me be clear about one thing;" He leaned in closer, his face just a few inches away from mine. "I don't need protecting."

"Just like you said you didn't need me." I let those words roll off my tongue slowly.

In a sudden fit of frustration, he spun around and kicked his foot against the tire. "Cas, I can't do this right now."

"Then why did you come and help me?" I just so desperately wanted the truth.

He slammed his hand on the hood. "Because I said if you ever needed me, I'd be there," he snapped. "Didn't I?" Something in him softened, and he couldn't look me in the eye. "Didn't I?"