"I should get you back home, sweetheart. Before you're late." He steps back from me and takes me by the hips so he can help me down from the table. There isn't a trace of his accent. I take a moment to steady myself, bracing my hands against his biceps before I back away too. The man and woman aren't even paying attention to us now. Both of them are too busy loading a dryer with clothes. They don't look up when we slip out and I wonder how many times things have happened right under my nose and I had no idea what was going on, just like the couple in the laundry room.
Ivan takes us through the basement and out into a parking garage that is attached to the building. I follow him without saying anything else. I would be upset that he used me to appear normal, that my body is nothing more than a prop to him, but I can't bring myself to be too bothered by it. He seems to know what he is doing. Clearly, he's done things like this before, so why be all pissy about it.
He goes to a car and pops the trunk grabbing another bag and unzipping it. When I see what is inside I can't stop myself from gasping. There's row after row of money bundled and cell phones and what looks to be passports. What the hell have I gotten myself involved in? I look around us but no one's around and Ivan acts like this is perfectly natural. Sure, everyone has a bag in their trunk that contains more money than most make in three years, burner phones- at least I highly suspect that is what all the phones are- and random passports and identification.
When he's done transferring some of the stuff to his bag he slams the trunk back down and takes my hand again.
"Aren't we getting in the car?" he shakes his head no. "What are we doing? Walking?"
He leads me out of the garage without saying a word to me taking me down the street until we come to another parking garage. This one isn't attached to any other building. Once inside he walks us to a motorcycle.
"Wait a minute, what? Why are we not taking the car?"
"Bikes can go places cars can't and it's faster to take a bike. Now get on."
"Um, Ivan, I've never been on a bike before." God, I sound like the biggest nerd in the world. Sexy guy telling you to get on his bike and what do I do? Remind him of how uncool I am. Way to go, Kat. Yeah, I used his nickname for me. Everyone else calls me Kate or Katie but Ivan just has to be different. And the voice inside my head that mocks me or tells me I'm being silly about something has taken on a distinctly Russian accent so why not use his nickname for me.
"It's a good thing you aren't going to be driving it then, huh." Smartass. "All you have to do is hold on. Think you can manage that?"
I give him a look that I hope he reads as part 'go to hell' and part 'really'. He helps me fasten the helmet on my head. By the time we pull out of the parking garage, I have a firm grip on Ivan. I wish I could say I have a grip on anything else in my life but I don't. My life as I know it is getting farther and farther away and everything I thought I knew is falling apart around me. What more can I do but do exactly like Ivan said and hold on as tight as I can and hope that in the end, some part of me makes it out of all of this mess unscathed. The thought of leaving behind an apartment I might never see again makes me wrap myself around him even tighter. He is the only thing I have to hold on to and hopefully it won't be a mistake to latch onto him with both hands and not let go.
8
____________
Kat
We drive for hours. By the time we stop at a hotel the sun is just starting to peek over the tops of trees and I have no idea where we are. I stopped reading the signs some time ago. In fact, I stopped doing much of anything but feeling the cold air rushing over me for what seems like hours. Ivan told me I had one job and that was to hold on but as tired as I was I'm not sure how much longer I can do what he wants me to do. I've already loosened my hold on him.
When we started I was squeezed up tight to his back. My arms were wrapped around him tight and I even used my thighs thinking it couldn't hurt to be plastered up against him. It also didn't hurt that he was the warmest thing around me. But slowly over time, I had to loosen up. No one can stay that wound up for as long as we've been on the road.
I'm seriously considering asking him to pull over for longer than a gas stop when he veers off the road and pulls into a dingy motel. The place doesn't look like the worst ones we have passed but it definitely isn't going to host any conferences or business meetings in the lobby either - if it even has a lobby.
Ivan goes to check us in but he doesn't let me get too far from him. My plan was to stay by the bike until he got everything straightened out but he takes my hand and half pulls me with him to the front entrance. The guy behind the counter automatically freaks me out. He looks at me a little too long for me to be comfortable and he's got a slimy feel to him.
He got a greasy vibe about him and the fact that his eyes are lingering on me does nothing to help make the feeling go away. Thank God I have Ivan's jacket over the shirt I 'borrowed' from Jenny. I'm not wearing anything underneath and you could see everything in high definition if I took the jacket off, which I have no intention of doing with Mr. Creeper here ogling me up and down.
"Eyes on me." Ivan barks out. I notice his accent is missing again. He sounds like any other American. "We need a room. A clean one."
The man looks Ivan over and finally turns to take a key off the wall and hands it over to him once Ivan pays for the room. The man looks at me again and licks his lips and I shrink into the coat trying to make myself as small as I can. No wonder Ivan didn't want to leave me alone outside, I wouldn't leave anything outside that I wanted to keep either.
Ivan grabs my hand and I turn my attention back to him. "Go buy us something to snack on out of the machine right over there." I take the money he's holding up for me and go to the vending machines. I don't really know what he would like to eat but when I turn around to ask him he looks like he is in a serious conversation with the guy behind the desk. At least that is what it looks like from here. Or Ivan is threatening his life. I can't be sure. Ivan has the guy by the collar of the shirt talking to him rapidly while the sleazy guy seems to be listening to what Ivan has to say. I turn back to the machines and just get one of everything.
"Ready?" Ivan's voice behind me makes me jump but I give him a nod and turn to follow him out. He doesn't move though instead he puts his arm around me and steers me towards the door with him behind me. I can only guess at why but probably has something to do with sleaze-o checking out my ass when I turn around.
Once we're inside the room it's a lot cleaner than it looks from the outside. The bed is nicely made and the bathroom has lots of towels that look white and clean. The fact that there is only one bed makes me look up at him.
"I don't plan to go to sleep until we are where we are going so don't think I plan to seduce you. Besides, in a place like this you should be thankful I don't sleep."