“Livvie?” he whispered.

I forced myself up on my elbow and stroked his face with my other hand. “Yes,” I said. My tears made him blurry, but I could tell he was back now, from wherever he had been.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?!” He sounded frantic.

“I’m fine, Caleb. I’m fine. I’m more worried about you,” I said. I bent down and kissed his lips. When I pulled back, my heart ached to see him turn his face away from me.

“Don’t look at me, Livvie,” he whispered.

“Caleb, no.” I tried to make him look at me, but all at once he sat up and put my head on his shoulder where I couldn’t see him. I could feel him sliding out of me, his come aiding in the effort.

“I can’t deal with it, okay? I –” his words sounded stuck in his throat.

“Okay,” I whispered and held him in my arms for just a few more seconds.

“We have to go,” he said.

Slowly, we reclaimed our bodies from one another. Tears stung the backs of my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them free. Caleb needed me strong and I was determined to give him everything he needed.

Silently, we went about prioritizing. Caleb pulled up his pants with a grimace and started barricading the door. I made myself useful by finding a bag and tossing in anything I thought we might need: the gun, clothes, a first-aid kit I found in the bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Caleb walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I didn’t think we had time for it, but I knew better than to ask questions. With shaking hands, he removed his pants and stepped beneath the water. Blood and dirt quickly coated everything.

I thought about stepping in, but one look at Caleb and I knew he needed time alone. The water was steaming hot, clouding the bathroom. I turned on the fan, but remained an otherwise unobtrusive presence. At one point, I heard him sob, but I remained on the floor, keeping silent vigil.

He’d been in the shower less than ten minutes before he turned the temperature down and stepped out. He silently grabbed a towel and walked out into the bedroom. My shower didn’t last nearly as long, but by the time I stepped into the room, Caleb was more like himself.

“Time to go, Livvie,” he said and gave me a smile. It was feigned, but I appreciated the effort. I tried to make my smile more convincing.

The house felt empty, eerily empty. No Felipe. No Celia. No Rafiq. Caleb offered no answers and I asked no questions.

It was hot outside, even early in the morning. I realized it had been a long time since I’d walked outside, beneath a glaring sun. I was wearing clothes. I was…free. My steps faltered as the realization hit me. FREE!

“The truck isn’t far, keep moving,” Caleb said numbly.

I could feel myself getting choked up, excited laughter bubbled out of me, “Where are we going?” I said with joyful tears in my eyes.

“Please don’t ask. Just come with me.”

I looked at him, the pain on his face palpable. This was not the time to argue with him. Whatever he was doing, it was a very big deal. It would change everything between us, but he’d asked me to come with him, and when the man you love asks you to go with him – you go.

We walked for less than a mile, but I marveled at the sheer size of Felipe’s estate. Whatever he was into, it was certainly profitable. Finally, we found the old truck we had arrived in. I was surprised it started right up.

Caleb hadn’t said much and though he seemed in much better control of himself, I knew whatever had happened still weighed heavily on him. I reached for his hand across the seat and to my surprise, he not only held my hand, but squeezed it. As we left Felipe’s house, I stared at the gravel road in the side view mirror. It was really happening. We were leaving – together. I wiped tears from my eyes for nearly twenty minutes.

We traveled for several hours before I forced Caleb to break his silence. “I’m hungry, Caleb.” I looked at him and rubbed my stomach.

“We can get some food and water when we stop for gas. I want to keep moving for now,” he said. His eyes never left the road, but his thumb moved back and forth over my hand.

“Okay,” I said. “Will we…be driving long? You know, before we get wherever we’re going?”

Caleb squeezed my hand and closed his eyes for a second, “We’ll be on the road for about sixteen hours, maybe less. We can stop for the night once we’re close.”

I didn’t like his tone. It was too…sad and distant. “Where are we –?”

“Kitten!” he admonished. He shook his head, “I mean…Livvie. Please. Stop.”

Anxiety churned in my stomach. I didn’t like this at all. I squeezed his hand, “You don’t have to call me Livvie if you don’t want to, Caleb. To be honest, it’s kinda scaring me. You’re scaring me.”

Caleb’s face seemed to crack for a second and I caught a glimpse of his sadness before he relaxed his features. “Don’t be scared, Kitten. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. You won’t ever have to be scared of me again.”

“What do you mean, Caleb?” I whispered.

“It means I’ll take care of you,” he said.

“We’ll take care of each other. I’m stronger now, Caleb. Whatever happens…whatever happened, we can handle it together. Okay?”

He was quiet for a long time before he replied. “Okay.”

“I love you,” I said.

Silence.

We didn’t make any unnecessary stops. We went to the bathroom and picked up food whenever we needed gas. Getting Caleb to talk was a bit of a chore, but he seemed very interested in my life before we met. I avoided talking about my family – my brothers and sisters, my mom. I knew I’d never see any of them again and thinking about it hurt too much to talk about. I had Caleb now and he needed me.

I talked about my favorite books and movies. I mentioned my dream of writing a book I would later adapt into a screenplay and direct myself. I was going to be a triple threat. Caleb smiled and said he’d love to read anything I wrote. I suddenly felt a lot more optimistic about mine and Caleb’s future, but I kept seeing signs for Laredo, Texas.

“What’s in Texas?” I asked.

“Besides cowboys?” Caleb said. I glared at him. “I have business there, Kitten. Okay?” He was suddenly very serious again.

“Okay,” I relented.

We’d been driving for close to ten hours when fatigue finally caught up with Caleb. He could barely keep his eyes open and I convinced him we needed to stop because I didn’t know how to drive. Caleb laughed at me, but pulled into a motel for the night. The place wasn’t much to look at, and quite honestly, the people in the parking lot were scary. This was definitely not a tourist destination.

“They’re probably going to steal the truck. You know that, right?” I said.

Caleb shrugged, “I’ll steal another one in the morning.” I laughed; Caleb didn’t.

I wanted to make love, but Caleb had fallen asleep while I was in the shower. I didn’t have the heart to wake him. In the middle of the night, he reached for me. I barely knew what was happening before I felt his mouth on my sore pussy. I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him lick me until I came on his tongue.

By the time he entered me, I had forgotten about how sore I was. I was too full of Caleb’s cock to care. I moaned my pleasure to the rafters, uncaring if anyone heard me. Caleb didn’t seem to care either as he came inside me with a yell. There was a fleeting thought about protection, but then all I thought about was Caleb and the tiny thrusts he was making into my pussy as he rode out the aftershocks of his pleasure.

After we managed to clean up, we slept with the windows open. I slept in his arms, safe, secure, and content beyond belief. I didn’t care where we were going, as long as he was with me.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Day 1

I had just finished buttoning my shirt when it happened. There was a loud bang and something hit me in the face. I reached up to touch my cheek. My breath left me in the span of a heartbeat. Caleb was on top of me, shouting, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I couldn’t seem to hear anything.