Rockabye

Chapter Three

Tallahassee

Her palms tingle as her eyes scan her surroundings. She needs to touch something to calm the itch, so she readjusts her black framed glasses that she only wears on these rare occasions. She takes a deep breath and triple checks her desired piece. Her grip tightens around her tool as her heart races at a speed she hopes her feet can keep up with.

She glances over to her left and barely sees him hidden in the dark shadows. She sighs in relief, his presence kick starts her feet toward the black Audi. She doesn't bother glancing around any longer, her eyes must stay strained to the prize.

She approaches the car and slips the long metal between the glass and the door frame. With practiced ease she pops the lock and opens the driver's door. She drops to her knees and begins removing the paneling that's keeping all the wires hidden beneath the steering wheel.

She finds her necessary cords and twists them together, hot wiring the expensive car she desired. The engine roars loudly, forcing an aching heartbeat rapidly against her chest. Her palms become slick with anticipation and the fear of getting caught, despite how many times she has accomplished this undetected.

She jumps into the black leather seat and softly closes the door behind her. Her gloved hand wraps around the cold wood and she slams the stick into first gear while her feet move in sync with her actions. The car takes off down the ghostly alley as green orbs flick toward the rear view mirror. Two round glowing headlights come into focus, provoking the smirk across her lips.

She skids off onto a ramp and shifts into second, climbing the gears as she drifts along the ramp. With ease she slides between two semi trucks and slams the stick into third gear. Her heart races with adrenaline, matching the race coasting down the interstate.

Green orbs flick toward the rear view mirror once again to find those bright round headlights trailing behind at a safe distance. Her eyes dart back to the road to follow the semi trucks into the far left lane as her foot slams into the clutch and she drops the car into fourth gear.

Her heart flutters as so many old memories come flooding back to her. There's nothing more that she craves in this moment than to kick this Audi into fifth gear and tear up this interstate, but she refrains. She knows what that could cost her and she is better than that.

She checks the mirror one last time for those old familiar headlights and smiles when she sees them following behind. She reaches for the radio and leaves whatever station the owner was previous playing. An over obnoxious beat pumps into the speaker causing her to cringe but the music will do for now. Besides, it will be a great distraction to keep her awake for her four hour trip to Atlanta, Georgia.

~~~~~~~~

She softly closes the door and glances around the dark alley, making sure no disturbances were made.

"Emma," he whisper shouts out the window, demanding her attention from her whereabouts. "Let's move baby!" He squeals in excitement.

Emma's Converse connect with the pavement below as she jogs toward the little yellow bug. She climbs into the front seat and shuts the door behind her. Her smile is as broad as her cheeks will allow, forcing her boyfriend to mimic the giddy grin. The most adorable squeal rips from her throat as her long fingers slide against his scruffy cheeks. She pulls him in with determination, connecting their lips into a searing kiss from the pending high she is riding through. Her body is buzzing with too much adrenaline from stealing that car that she needs some type of physical connection to calm her anxious nerves.

"Are you happy now?" He mumbles into her mouth as she continues kissing him with every ounce of electrifying energy.

Emma pulls away and shivers from the exhilarating trip. "Fuck yeah I'm happy," she breathes out her words and falls back into her seat. "We haven't done that in a long time, Neal."