AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m Iris. I…” She swallows. “I ran away from my wedding because I caught my fiancé cheating on me. I didn’t want to face him or my family. It was an impulsive decision, but I can’t go back now. If you call the cops on me, they’ll bring me back.”
I clench my hands into fists. Cheating is never okay. I get that relationships don’t always go how people want them to go, but a real man would have the balls to end things before diving into bed with someone else. What kind of asshole would cheat on a woman like Iris? She’s the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. Only a fool would turn his back on someone like Iris. I’m glad she found out. He doesn’t deserve her.
“I get that you never want to see your fiancé again, but shouldn’t you go back and talk to your parents? They’re probably worried sick.”
She shakes her head. “Knowing my family, they’ll try to convince me to marry him, anyway.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter. “Are you sure? Why?”
A tear runs down her cheek, and she angrily wipes it away. “Because reputation and status are all they care about. No need to look so shocked. It’s how I grew up. I should’ve known this wedding was too good to be true. Can you help me? Please?”
“With what?” I ask, unsure how to improve this situation for her.
“Run away. Further away. It’s only a matter of time before Daddy finds me. Well, not him personally, but he has friends in high places. I bet the local cops are already out looking for me. I turned off my phone so they couldn’t track me, but that won’t stop them, only delay them a bit.”
I frown. “You want to become a fugitive? And you want me to be your accomplice?”
“All I need is a few days to clear my head and sort things out. Could you please let me sleep in your shed?”
I shake my head. “No fucking way.”
Her face falters. “Oh. I see.”
“The shed is no place to spend the night. You’ll be cold and lonely. I’m taking you up the mountain with me. I was heading out there anyway for a hike.”
“Really? Thank you,” she says.
The relief on her face makes me weak in the knees. I didn’t know she existed half an hour ago, but now I can’t think of a better way to spend the next few days than with her.
“Do you have any other clothes with you?”
“Not really. Just some clean underwear.”
I open the shed's lock and tell her to follow me inside. “There’s a lost-and-found box on the shelf in the corner there. Why don’t you pick something out while I grab a tent and other supplies?”
“Thank you….” She gives me an expectant look.
“Falcon,” I say.
She smiles and walks over to the lost-and-found box, her dress rustling as it touches the concrete floor.
I grab a lightweight tent, a set of cooking pots, two mugs, and a few ropes. The rest of the gear is in my truck. Except… Shit. I only have one sleeping bag. How are we going to camp without an extra one? I shake my head. I guess those are worries for later. If we don’t get a move on, the cops might find Iris. I grab two extra blankets and throw them in the back of my truck. We’ll figure the rest out later.
I fire off a quick message to my brothers in our private RidgeRoam Adventure Tours messaging app to tell them I might be gone longer than a couple of days. They won’t find it suspicious since I do these kinds of hikes all the time, but they do need to know I’m out there in case something happens. Rule number one of mountain life is always telling someone your whereabouts.
I pocket my phone, and Iris joins me outside with a pile of clothes in her hands. “Should I put these on now?”
“Let’s not waste any precious time. We should just go.”
“You’re right.”
I lock the shed and turn to her. “Ready?”
She nods. “You have no idea.”
“Let’s go then.”
I hop behind the wheel and gun it out of there with screeching tires before anyone has the chance to track us down.
