Chapter 11
1538 Words
We get inside the motel room and lock the door behind us. We both see the double bed in front of the TV and scramble in different directions. Our cat and mouse chase starts. He goes to the window and I go to the bathroom.
He opens up a sliver and looks through the window, he can see the parking lot. It’s still pouring rain outside. The streets are quiet.
“That ran is still beating down.” He says. “We’re right at the edge of the edge of Aldin Town. Your map came in handy.”
He reaches for the remote in front of the TV, flips through the channels and gets out of the muddy clothes and wraps himself in a towel.
The warm water from the shower is pouring on my skin as I hear him from the other room flipping through the channels.
I’m cleaning myself and going through the events of the day. It’s been a wild ride.
I still can’t believe I saw Marco… My Marco… but it’s not the same with him anymore.
I don’t know if I can go back to what we were after so long.
I want to give Owen a chance… I don’t want to go back into that life. But Owen might also be dangerous.
He infiltrated Marsus’ crew and he found me here. I don’t know if any of this is real. While I was trying to move on, I fell for someone who was on a mission to… learn me? I can’t trust anyone anymore.
I finish showering and when I open the door, Owen is standing in nothing but a towel. His body is sculpted with precision. He’s got strong muscles and a wide chest. I want to run my loving hand over his wounds and soothe his body with a warm towel but the hurt of his betrayal still stings me.
“The hot water is out. A cold shower would be good for your cuts.”
“Okay… Let me do that.”
His look lingers on my body that’s only covered by a towel. He likes what he sees. He gets in the shower and opens the water up. It’s still a bit warm but he runs the warm water out until he’s standing in the cold shower as I get dressed.
I get to the book bag and pull the zipper, but it’s already open.
Could I have left the bag unzipped?
When I see my novel, I flip through the pages to find my bookmark. I can’t find it. It’s not there! What happened to it?
Owens steps out the bathroom with a smile and the towel wrapped around him.
“That was great.’
He sees that I’m freaking out. He steps toward me and touches me.
“What’s the matter?”
“I know that you're still lying to me.” I say. “I saw you standing right here and now I can't find my stuff.”
He raises his hands as if to calm a ferocious animal that is gathering anger. I throw the camera on his chest and step to the window.
‘Just calm down.” He says taking a step closer.
“Did you do it?” I say, “Did you open my bag? Where is my bookmark?”
I feel defeated when he nods. He admits to the betrayal and steps close to me. I’m frozen and stunned.
“Yeah I opened it… I just wanted to see the map.” he says.
“I didn’t see a bookmark. I didn’t take anything from you. I’m done with the lies.” He says.
I look around and see the yellow bookmark between the bedstand and the leg of the bed. I pick it up.
“Is that it? I must’ve dropped it when I got the map… Is it important to you?”
I see his curiosity heighten. My freakout about the bookmark may have given away my secret.
I think he wants to take a closer look at the bookmark.
I put it in a novel and shove it along with the stacks of money and place it on the bed as my pillow.
He moves close to me and his body towers over me.
He watches me.
I rest my head, hoping to never talk about the bookmark ever again.
“That bookmark… is it… what I think it is?” He says, “Does it have the hash key?”
“What hash key?” I say…I look at the book bag and pull out the novel. I take out the yellow bookmark and wield it in the air. “This is what they’re looking for. I don’t know what it is… I just know it’s important and I’ve been keeping it for a long time.”
“That’s a key to trillions of dollars.” He says. “You’ve had it this whole time, on a bookmark?”
“What is it?” I say, “I don’t know what any of this means.”
He says, “ These numbers are a combination lock to the world’s largest treasure chest.”
“I don’t get it, a treasure chest?” I ask, “How did Marcus get it? I don’t know if he still remembers giving it to me. It was almost like in his hands and when he touched me, I felt what he was holding. I don’t know if he actually meant to give it to me… or if he remembers giving it to me…”
“The point is you’ve got it.” he says, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“I just know it was something that got him killed. I wanted nothing to do with it but I never really thought I should let go of it… I knew they’d come for me and I thought it would be the only thing I could bargain with.” I say looking at the mysterious numbers that have haunted me for so long.
“How did you know they’d come to find you? Didn’t you believe he was dead?” He asks. “I thought you were ready to move on?”
“That’s the thing with guys from the pool hall, they don’t stop.” I say. “I knew they’d come after me.”
“We need to verify the code… I need to get a working computer… we have to travel to a city near here.”
“I thought we were going to disappear for good this time?” I say. “We have money, we can buy a new laptop and get out of here.”
“It’s not that simple. If I could find you, anyone can. We need to do it the right way…” He add, "We might have to give them what they want."
“Give what to who? The Tassonis or your clients?” I say, suspicious of his intentions.
“We can’t disappear if we have this… and we can’t just dump it on the side of the road.”
“There’s nothing stopping us from disappearing.” I say. “We can buy anything if what you’re saying is real.”
“So what do you want us to do?” He says completely surrendering to my will. He wants me to know that I can trust him. Is he doing it to act and appease me or does he really mean it?
“I’m not going to keep on running. Okay, we will do your idea and find out what’s really in this treasure chest and after that, we will find a way to get out of here… the right way.” I say.
“You’ll be playing a very dangerous game. Are you sure you want to make yourself the bait?” He says.
“I’m not afraid of them. They are the ones who have the most to lose. I don’t care if there’s nothing or everything in this treasure chest. I just need to find a way for them to leave me alone.
“I just want to keep you safe from now on. In my work," he says. "I never get to really be myself. You’re the first time that I tried.”
I look at him and say, “When will I get to know the real you, Owen? Will I ever get the honor?”
He smiles, slightly nervous and vulnerable from how I make him feel. I disarm him with my openness and honesty.
His hand moves over my body and onto my towel. I let him touch me as the rain falls outside.
I knew I would want his hands on me at some point in the evening. His body is so fresh and clean.
He moves his hand to my waist and drops his towel on the ground. We’re face-to-face and hungry for each other. It’s just the two of us, naked and facing each other… our hearts beating for each other.
“You can get to know me all you want right now…” he says with his breath on my body.
The rush of the moment engulfs me.
- Writer
