Page 181 of Crucible
Khalil glances at me over his shoulder as we enter the house. “Six Forks, Nevada.”
“Hmm…never heard of it.”
THORIN
“Iwant to drive,” Aurelia announces when we finish topping off the snowmobiles with the gas cans.
She’s bundled from head to toe in gear to protect her from the cold and hide her identity. Thanks to the balaclava, there isn’t so much as a single golden curl visible, but it doesn’t help untwist the knot in my stomach. The only part of her visible to us is her brown eyes, but even Aurelia has been careful to keep her thoughts guarded. She knows we’re watching and waiting to see if she’s playing us.
God, what the hell are we doing?
We knew she was working Seth, but maybe she’s working us too. One look at the devastation on her face this morning, and I knew I’d give whatever to make sure I never saw it there again.
We’re at the base of our mountain, preparing for the fifty-mile journey to the small town of Hearth, and it’s all I can do not to drag her ass back to our cabin and tie her to my bed. I don’t care what happens to me if we get caught, but Aurelia being taken away from us…I’ll die before I let that happen.
Khalil crooks his finger since his ride is the only one equipped for two passengers, and Aurelia walks over to stand next to him.
“Do you know how to drive one of these?”
“No.” She chews on her bottom lip while we wait for her to confess whatever she obviously doesn’t want us to know. “I don’t know how to drive anything. I don’t even have my license.”
Khalil is the only one of us who grew up in a stable, loving home, so his brows shoot up in surprise. “Your uncle never taught you how to drive?”
“That would be a no.”
Clenching my teeth to keep my thoughts to myself, I silently watch Khalil give her a quick tutorial. “Throttle. Brake. Never press them both at the same time. When turning, shift your body in the direction you want the bike to go. Keep your feet on the running boards at all times. In the event you fall off, this clip will disable the ignition,” he says as he fastens the cord and clip attached to the key to her belt loop.
As I’ve been doing regularly since she dressed in a pair of my Ski Bibs for the trip to town, my gaze travels to Aurelia’s plump ass while her back is turned to me, and I feel most of my anger melting away as I imagine making her ride me in reverse later.
“That’s it?” she asks.
“Pretty much. Hop on.” Khalil slides a yellow helmet over her head since she isn’t wearing the mask right now before sliding a red one over his own. He then scoots back into the second seat, and Aurelia takes the driver’s seat. I watch her gloved hands nervously curl around the handles, and then our eyes meet through the open visor of her helmet.
“Stay behind and don’t stray.”
Once she nods, I look to my right at Seth, who is already straddling his Ski-Doo and wearing his green helmet. Our gazes meet, and he jerks his chin, silently acknowledging my unspoken order.
Only then do I slide my blue helmet on with a heavy exhale.
This isn’t just a huge mistake. It’s a necessary one on all counts. We get to show Aurelia that we’re willing to trust her. And she gets to prove to us that we can.
I turn the key in the ignition and take off without warning. If I don’t now, I never will. I’ve realized it’s much easier to keep Aurelia prisoner and deal with her hate than make her want to stay and hope we’ll be enough.
One makes me a coward, and the other…
I’m not sure what the other makes me, but I’m not so selfish that I can completely disregard a possible future in which Aurelia is happy, too.
One glance over my shoulder shows her keeping up. Seth is hot on her tail, and while I can’t see Aurelia’s face, instinctively, I know she’s smiling.
We’re halfway through the valley when I decide she’s got the hang of it, so I pick up a little speed. Moments later, I hear her voice through the speakers.
“Whooooo! This is amazing!”
“That’s okay,” Seth deadpans. I can hear the smile in his voice. “I didn’t need eardrums.”
“Oh, shit!” Aurelia screeches even louder, making the three of us groan. “You can hear me?”
“Bluetooth, baby. We can all hear you,” Khalil answers.
