As soon as Jason was done peeing, just as he was zipping up, I whispered, "Those pills you gave me were incredible."

His head snapped around. His eyes met mine, startled.

I said, "If you reach for your gun, you know I'll shoot you."

But now he smiled coolly.

"Well, well, well. There you are," he said. "Ashley, if you shoot me, my whole squad'll be on you in seconds flat. But I won't draw. Not just yet. I like you." He turned and approached the window, stepping confidently toward my gun's barrel. He planted his hands on the sill. "You liked those pills? They were good, weren't they. And now you want more."

"You got any?"

"Not on me right now." He laughed softly. "Jesus. What makes you think I'd give any more to you, anyway? You're a wanted fugitive. I have the go-ahead to shoot you on sight. Did you know that? Your husband's ready to skin your hide. He wouldn't touch you with a rubber on a ten-foot pole."

"And what about you?" I asked. "How do you feel about this whole situation? You haven't shot me yet."

"No," he said, smiling. "No I haven't. Have I?" He spoke softly, bringing his face closer to mine. "I don't like to be rash. After all, there's such a thing as protection. Besides, you came to say hello to me. Didn't you? That was a very friendly thing to do. You must like me after all."

"Well," I said, forcing myself to smile coyly while keeping my gun raised. "You're the sergeant," I leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Out of all these privates, I hear you have the biggest gun. And you like to party. What's not to like?"

"I knew you liked to party!" Jason slapped his hand on the window sill like he'd just won the lottery, "I knew it. I saw you that night at the fair, and I knew you liked to get wasted. Why you been holding out on me, Ashley?"

I pouted. "Well, my marriage isn't exactly working out, is it?" I tried not to ham it up too much. I was pretty sure I had him, and I didn't want to ruin it now. "It's just getting kind of boring out here on the run," I said carefully. "And I'm getting lonely. How soon can you get some more of those pills? I thought maybe we could hook up later on tonight. They give you time off, don't they?"

"Ashley. I'm the sergeant." Jason's tone was brimming with smug confidence. "I can take time off whenever I want."

"And you can get more of those pills whenever you want too?"

"I can get them. You bet I can get them. I'll get you some that are even better than those last ones." He smiled. "As long as you share."

I smiled back at him. "If you can get them," I whispered, "oh, I'll share all right. I'll be at your house at eleven tonight then? You'll be there? You better be there."

"Whoa, whoa, Ash," Jason said. "No. Not there. If you want me to keep all this on the down low and not arrest or shoot your tight little ass, you can't be anywhere near my house. If anyone found out about this, I'd be screwed. Got that? If I'm doing you a favor by not turning you in and hooking you up, then we gotta do this how I say."

"Where then?" I braced myself. I thought I'd had him, but now I wasn't so sure.

What was I getting myself into?

"That bend in the highway," he said, gesturing out beyond the barn. "Just past this place. Do you know where I mean? Where that little gully is? You just hang tight there tonight, and I'll pick you up. Got it?"

I knew the place he meant. I also knew that getting into any kind of vehicle with Jason was a bad idea. I'd imagined dropping in on his crappy little house and finding him already halfway wasted by the time I got there. I'd even planned on asking Ian to hide outside in the dark in case anything went wrong. Driving around alone with Jason was completely different. He could take me anywhere he wanted, and nobody would be there to back me up.

But what else could I do? It was this or nothing.

I grabbed his collar and whispered seductively, "I'll be there at eleven. Don't be late."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please VOTE 🌟 before continuing! Thanks! ;) xxBailey