Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I am a hostage.”
“‘Involuntary guest’ sounds better. I grabbed the jacket and helmet you borrowed from Emily to ride to your house. If you’re up for it, that is.”
I nod. “So long as I’m not going to get in trouble. I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to seduce you into breaking me out.”
“Pretty sure I can catch you if you try to run. Maybe you should try. I like the idea of getting on top of you and pinning you down,” he says with a laugh. “And no, I cleared it ahead of time.”
“You’d never catch me,” I tease, but I slip on the jacket and take the helmet from him. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere special. The beauty of a motorcycle is that riding can be the whole point. It’s not like a car where you’re locked in a moving box. On the bike, we’re still part of everything.”
“Okay, show me.”
It’s a nice day for a ride. Warm, but not too warm. A few clouds, but mostly clear blue sky. I’d never tell the others, but I think Riptide’s bike is my favorite of the three. It’s a rich ocean blue with frothy waves painted on the sides. It’s easy to miss, but on the right side, there’s a little guy in the water with his arms up, and a little speech bubble where he yells, “Help!” I dare anyone to tell him that it’s silly.
Riptide throws his leg over the bike, then pats the seat behind him. “Make sure you cling real tight, okay? I like being between your legs.”
“I’m sure you do.” I wrap my arms around his broad chest and scootch up as close as I can, but there’s only so much room to maneuver on the back of a motorcycle anyway. Still, just like he likes being between my legs, I like him being there. It works out well.
He salutes the two guys watching the gate as we ride by, and I risk doing the same before I quickly have my arms around him again. It’s not my first rodeo, but I’m not confident enough of a passenger to let go for long either.
As soon as we’re clear of the gate, he cuts hard to the right and then we’re zooming through the neighborhood. It seems fast to me, but I trust he knows what he’s doing and where he’s going.
Just like he said, we don’t go far, but the worn down neighborhoods near the compound—Southside, if I understood Emily correctly—give way to newer buildings and offices that look more modern. A wide river blocks our progress until we cross a lifting bridge that starts to ding almost as soon as we’re on the other side.
I tap Riptide on the shoulder to get him to stop.
He pulls over right away. “You okay, babe?”
“Yeah, I just want to watch. I’ve never seen one for real.” I look eagerly over my shoulder to watch it rise behind us.
“Hang on, I’ll get you a better view.” He starts up again, pulling into a parking lot next to the river and then taking us all the way to the edge where there’s a little triangular park by the water. It seems really out of place, like they built the bridge and the parking lot, but didn’t know what to do with the little patch of grass, so they put up a sign and named it.
We climb off the bike and he pulls me with him down to a bench behind a couple of trees that give us shade. I can see everything from here.
After the two halves of the bridge pull away from each other with a squeaky grind, a tall-masted sailboat comes through, followed by a couple of smaller ones. Rich people toys, I guess. Lake City does in fact have a lake, but out where I grew up, it’s mostly dirt and scrub.
“All that you hoped for?” Riptide asks in a teasing tone, but he’s not being mean.
“Just… new. Different. Are all the bridges like this one?”
He shakes his head. “Most of the bridges are built high enough so that the sailboats can pass underneath and traffic isn’t interrupted, but this is one of the oldest bridges in the city. It was built before there were so many cars. It’s got a bit of old-timey charm, though.”
The inside of the helmet is getting warm when we’re not moving, so I unbuckle it and pull it off. “You know a lot about this.”
“Anyone who lives around here knows this bridge. You’re not a real local until you get caught waiting both ways in one day. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, but it’s cool. I like the water, always have.” He shrugs it off.
“Yeah? Did your family have a boat like that?” I point at the sailboat drifting through.