Rose

Chapter Thirteen: Don't Trust All Cops

The next day, the two drove back. Rose was in much better spirits about their deal, especially considering the fact that he got the opportunity to pull the cigarette from Alec's mouth, handing him a pack of gum instead.

"You know what?" Alec asked rhetorically, shoving the piece of fruit-flavored gum to replace it. "I don't even care. You wanna know why?"

"Because you get to see me half-naked on a regular basis?"

"Exact- Wait, no. You're not half-naked, you're fully clothed. But, I mean, I wouldn't mind the former-"

Rose laughed, pushing him away. Alec smiled, beating the steering wheel with his palms. "When we get back, I'm going to drop you off at work. Then, we're telling Ruth. She'll probably be the most supportive, so I figure it'll be a good start."

Rose smiled. "Maybe, this year, on your birthday, we can-"

"Ah, shit. Hold that thought, baby."

Rose's ears picked up the sound of sirens, flashing blue-and-red lights flickering in the rearview mirror. Rose chortled as Alec reached over to dig through his glove box, his ID already in hand. Soon enough, a police officer, a generic white guy with eyes hidden behind metallic sunglasses, came to his window, wrapping his knuckles on the glass for Alec's attention. Alec rolled it down.

"Is there a problem, officer?" he asked politely, trimming down his harsh, loud southern drawl to be respectful. Rose, as he did usually in the presence of law enforcement, kept his head to the ground. He doubted that they'd still waste the money arresting him for the Russian incident, but it was hard to say. So, he averted eye contact whenever he saw a badge.

"License and registration, please," he asked, his hand outstretched through the window. Alec put it in his hand, watching the police officer show off a particularly malicious grin, even for a cop. "Step out of the car, please," he instructed, opening Alec's door for him. 

Finally, Rose looked up, finding it curious. He then reached over, slammed the door shut, and screamed at Alec to, "DRIVE! DRIVE, DRIVE, DRIVE, DRIVE!"

Alec, oblivious but trusting, slammed his foot on the gas pedal. Rose turned around to find the man, donned in a fake cop outfit, behind the wheel of a stolen car, chasing after them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"MAKE AN EXIT, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!"

"WHO IS THAT?!"

"THAT'S MY FATHER, ALEC!"

Alec fell silent, his eyes widened. Rose watched, guiltily, as Alec went paler than he was. He knew what Geoffrey did to people who associated with his son. Rose had gone into tear-jerking detail on their first date, warning Alec to hit the road while he still could. But Alec, lost in his puppy dog love, hadn't taken his advice. And still didn't want to.

"Let me out at this gas station up here. Make sure he sees me leave your car so he won't go after you. Then...I'll...well, I'll see how fast I am."

"What?! Are you kidding?!"

"No. I'll figure it out, Alec, I've figured it out every time thus far. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it to that bus station a few miles away, steal a bike or something. Make it to the airport. Shit, I don't have my-"

"Wait, you're leaving again?"

"I don't have a choice! He found me!"

Alec looked between Rose and his rearview mirror. He closed his eyes, swallowed, said a silent prayer,

And hit his breaks as hard as he could.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching for the shotgun in the backseat, the one he kept in his truck only for emergencies like this. "Since we met, I've been figuring out every worst case scenario, from him killing me to him taking me. Neither of them could compare to losing you." Alec kissed his cheek and threw himself from the front seat, collapsing slightly on the asphalt.