Never Forever

Chapter. 16 Give me this Dance?

Tracker stopped talking, still not meeting my eye. I processed the information in silence. I had already guessed that what he was doing was ilegal. But didn't Kyle say that Tracker had told him that he would stop but didn't? And if what Tracker said was true about him being forced into it, then why did he go back to it? Did he begin to like it? Or worse-crave it? Was he beginning to follow his grandfather, Hunter? Except that Hunter hadn't been hired to kill anyone, though he carried a gun. He was hired to, well, hunt down escapees and bring them back, unharmed.
"And your father talked you into it...?" I asked. A pause, then:
"Yes." He responds quietly.
"Do you have a choice now?" I ask next. There was silence for a full minute. My heart was in my throat, dreading the answer. I really wanted him to say no. That he had no choice but to follow orders and that he wasn't doing it on free will.
Instead, he just turned his head to look out his window. I was not sure where to go with that. Then I knew. He was guilty. I forcefully relax in my seat and glance over at him. I could tell he was upset with himself. A thought popped in my head that I haven't thought of for a long time.
"A hug solves everything." My mother used to say. I don't think a hug in the car would be very comfortable so I did the next best thing. I reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder. He momentarily froze before looking around at me with those heart stopping green eyes.
Heart-stopping? I think I'm losing it.
"I actually thought I was doing the right thing after a while. I honestly did." He whispers. I smile slightly, believing him completely.
Hey, I'm not naive.
"It happens." I say finally. "We'll fix it."
"We?" He sits up straighter, already grinning. Great. What did I say?
"Um, yeah... I've had my fair share of... uh illegal doings." I realized I still had my hand on his shoulder and draw it back.
"Like what?" He asks.
"Well, you know..." Dawdling, I wipe a lock of his black hair away from his face. He tenses at my touch. "I was once captured and sold into a sex trade."
"Really?" He gapes. I chuckle.
"Yeah. Long time ago."
"How long ago? Must have been only a few years ago. How can you get over something like that so quickly?" I go to pull my hand away when he grabs it in his and looks at it. I stare at his big hand enclosed around my smaller feminine one. I wondered if I should answer or not, but it seems as if he completely forgot about his questions as he studied my hand then back out at the rain.
"Come on!" He suddenly opens his door and jumps out, dragging me with him. I screech like a barn owl as I slide out head first but he grabs and rights me with a grin on his face before continuing to drag me further from the warm shelter of the car. We stop in the middle of the empty parking lot. He tips his already soaked head back and opens his mouth to the sky. I stand there like a wet cat and watch. But his rain enthusiasm soon rubs off on me and soon I'm spreading my arms out and smiling. A hand closes around mine and I jerk my head around to see Tracker watching me with a soft expression.
"Give me this dance?" He asks gently.
"But... there's no music to dance to." I point out too quickly. Tracker just laughs.
"You don't need music to dance to."
"Yes, I do." I cross my arms. "It looks weird to dance to nothing."
"Wait one moment." He holds up a finger and runs back to his car. He better not get in and lock the doors. I think as I watch him. But, instead of doing that, he just shuffled around inside for a minute before I hear soft music coming from inside. He turns it up then comes back to me.
"How bout that?" He asks. I smile.
"It will do."
"Good." He takes one of my hands and settles a another on my waist. I couldn't help but tense slightly at the contact. He notices and drops his hand.
"No. It's okay." I say quickly.
"Are you sure?" He tentatively puts it back.
"I'm sure." I take his hand and settle my hand on his shoulder. He grins.
"Well, in that case, try to keep up with me, Jackie."
(Listen to the song at the top of this page)
He had no idea I have been taking dance classes for years. Did I mention that earlier? Sorry if I didn't.
He was a surprisingly good dancer as well as he spun me through the shallow puddles. As we twirled through the rain, I couldn't help but feel on top of the world. That nothing bad could ever happen to us. Tracker was just confused for a little while, but he sees the real thing now.
As the song ended, I took a step back from him and smiled.
"I should... get back home. Kinda... left abruptly. Haha." I back away awkwardly. He frowns but I don't wait for his reply. I turn and practically run from him and onto my bike. I don't even look back as I roar away.
Tears blended with the pouring rain as I shot down the pitch black highway. My emotions were conflicting like two lions fighting. One said no. Love is dangerous and can hurt more than torture. The other said yes. Love is what people live for. What they need to keep moving when times get rough. The other part said No, that would be food. I had to agree with that. Besides, I've been able to survive without love for a couple hundred years, now. Why would I fall for it now?
Uh, well, maybe you're just a shell walking through life with no purpose. Craving love.
I shuddered in the darkness.
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