Chapter 645 Chapter 645
Journee looked over at him again. He hadn’t said much since they’d left the motel. She still couldn’t believe he’d made her hot chocolate. It had been good. She glanced down at her orange-stained fingers. The cheezies had been too. She had tried so many new foods and things since they started this trip, yet her favorite childhood snack had tasted the best.
She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. She still got butterflies when she thought of sitting on the bed when he’d kissed her. Were the feelings he stirred because she’d never been kissed and gone through that normal phase when she was an adolescent, or was it because it was him?
Setting the laptop on the console, she turned and looked out the window. She couldn’t look at any more pictures right now. She was tired of staring at faces and hoping for some sort of recognition. She was glad in a way that none of the ones that were sent separately had been anyone she had seen before. It was good that the captives had just been victims and not anyone that helped that evil man, but at the same time, it told her they weren’t close to stopping what had been happening so long.
Moving closer to the window, she looked around. The snow was gone. When had they gone from the snowy area to none? “There’s no snow.”
“Yeah, I’d say that’s a good sign we’re going in the right direction.”
She nodded. “Yes. How much longer until we’re at the location that man identified?”
“Hard to tell. We have to go through a few high-traffic areas I can’t avoid, so it will depend on that.”
She looked over to see him looking out the windshield. Had she done something wrong? “Are you upset with me?”
He finally turned his head and gave her a startled look. “No. Why would you think that?”
“You haven’t really spoken to me since we left the motel.”
His gaze moved over her face for a moment, and then he looked back at where he was driving. “I’m just in my head a lot right now.” He put his window down a few inches. “If I’m upset with anyone, it’s myself, not you.”
“Why?” He gave her a quick questioning glance.
She watched him squeeze the steering wheel and twist his hands on it. “It’s—I’m failing at what I told you I was going to do.”
Journee stared at him for a second, not sure what he was talking about. “Keeping me safe on this trip?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Letting you live life unencumbered. I have to remind myself to keep my distance constantly.”
She frowned. “Oh.” Taking a deep breath, she blew it out slowly. “What if I don’t want you to?”
“Want me to?” He jerked his head to look at her and then away again before she could blink.
“Keep your distance.” She bit her lip, shocked that she’d managed to say it out loud.
“Uh, well, if I…”
The phone rang, and both of them jumped. Asher answered it quickly. “Yeah?”
“Asher, it’s Illias. I need you to pull over and get out the map.”
Journee stiffened. The man’s voice wasn’t as easygoing as it normally was.
“Okay, just give me a sec.” He was sitting straight now. “Can you grab the map out of my pack?” He glanced at her, and she saw him pointing to the leather bag he wore in his animal form.
She quickly did it as she looked at the phone constantly.
“What’s going on, Ilias?” Asher pulled over, so they were beside a big sign on the road.
“The area you’re in is suddenly buzzing with movement.” Journee’s eyes went wide. “It may have nothing to do with you, but until Uri finds a reason for it, we want you to sit tight somewhere.”
Asher took the map from her hand and opened it.
Journee turned in her seat and looked out the back window. Every muscle in her body was tight with fear now.
“Give me your location. We have a few off-the-grid spots in that region, and I want to get you to the closest one.”
She hugged her waist. If they had to hide, how was she going to find the island? She looked out the window again as Asher read some numbers; she didn’t understand to Illias.
“Okay, got it.” There was a pause. “Yeah, you’re like maybe an hour from this one spot.” A voice in the background said. “No one knows about it but Calum, Gage, and Devin, so we know it’s safe.”
Asher nodded, reached over, and tugged on her elbow until she uncrossed her arms. When she did, he took her hand and held it. She almost sighed in relief from the contact. “Were there ops in this area planned? Have those been burned?”
“No, that’s one of the reasons we’re being over-cautious.” There were more voices. “One of the transport companies is near you, so we think they may be moving some in or out right now. Whatever the reason, we want you two tucked out of the way until it settles down.”
Journee watched Asher nod as he ran his hand over the map resting on his leg.
“Give me the cords, and you can text me the address.”
Illias chuckled. “More like landmarks, I don’t think this place will have an address.”
Asher glanced at her, an amused look on his face. “Sounds perfect so far.”
Journee held his hand tight and looked out the back window again while Illias told Asher some numbers.
“Okay, I see it. Text me the landmarks, or however we’re going to find it.” He squeezed her hand again as he ran his finger over the map.
She didn’t know how he understood all those lines and colors, it looked very jumbled and busy to her. A car was coming up behind them, and she jerked his hand to get his attention.
He turned in his seat to look where she motioned. “Hang on.” Releasing her hand, he turned and watched them in the mirror outside his window.
Journee held her breath until the car slowed, went around them, and then kept going.
“We need to get moving, Illias.”
“Yup. Get headed that way, and I’ll message you in a few when these guys agree on what landmarks you need to be looking for.” He sounded amused now.
“Okay. Keep me in the know, Illias, I’m out of the loop right now.” Asher folded up the map and set it on top of the laptop.
“The loop is more like a maze right now.”
He put the car back into gear and pulled out onto the road. “Any word from Dobry and his brother?”
Journee checked once more behind them. She didn’t know who Dobry was or what the importance of his question was about.
“Not yet. I won’t panic for another day, at least about that.”
“Okay. I’ll let you go. Send me the details.”
“Will do. Check-in when you’re there.”
“Yeah.” Asher tapped the phone.
“Who is Dobry?”
He glanced at her. “His brother and him are looking for Shepard Addison.”
She hugged her waist. “I hope they find him soon.”
“I wouldn’t want to be the ones found with him.” He grinned, but it wasn’t in a friendly sort of way. “This, uh,” he motioned to the windshield, “is just a precaution until they know what’s going on in this area.”
Journee nodded. She hoped it was, although with how tense she was feeling right now, she’d be okay for a bit of time out of the car. “Do you think it will be safe to go for a run when we get there?”
He chuckled. “If it’s as off-grid as Illias says, we should be able to.”
She nodded and stared out the windshield. Between the trip, looking for people that were traitors in their world, and trying to find an island, she was almost exhausted. She looked at him to see he was wholly focused on driving again. Trying to figure out what was going on with him wasn’t helping either. What he said and did weren’t the same, and she didn’t know how to figure out what he really meant.
“I’ll probably need you to help look for turns and things.” His phone buzzed. He tapped the screen and looked at it while he was driving. She didn’t know how he did that without driving off the road. “Oh yeah. This is going to be an adventure.”
Journee nodded. She’d been on an adventure for the last eighteen years, so why would this be any different?