abruptly and the cold, hard
look in his eyes killed the words in her throat. Oh, she'd gotten to him all
right, and now she wished she'd never opened her mouth. He bent down over her,
huge and imposing, and she bent back as far as she was able. Even then, she
felt his breath against her cheek.
"Shut up," he whispered with
deceptive softness, his eyes pinning her into place. "I know what I'm
doing, Maggie. Don't ever think I don't know it's wrong. Don't ever think I
don't have regrets. But I'm ready to live with them and you're just along for
the ride. Got it?"
Weakly, she nodded her head, still unable to
breathe. Her stomach was suddenly tight. Her limbs quivered with an emotion she
didn't completely understand. He seemed fierce enough to tear up the world and
strong enough to do it.
He straightened abruptly, looking suddenly
uncomfortable. Then with another scowl, he turned back to the trucks. Very
slowly, she drew in a ragged breath.
He popped open the door of a little blue Toyota
truck. "Ladies first."
He turned back toward her. His eyes no longer
glowed with a feral gleam. Now they were perfectly expressionless, merely
waiting. "Come on, Maggie," he said and she caught the edge of warning
in his voice.
She stepped forward without another word and
slid into the vehicle.
With the gun tucked into the waistband of his
jeans, Cain lowered his head beneath the dash and got on with the business of
hot-wiring a car. The car roared to life in under sixty seconds. The man was
amazing. She couldn't even program her VCR and he made stealing a car look as
simple as turning on a flashlight.
"Here we go," he announced grimly and
swung the truck back onto the road.
The orange Caterpillar froze. The men glanced
over, then one of them did a double take. Maggie didn't have to roll down her
window to hear the man cry, "Hey, that's my truck!"
Cain said nothing, but his face was grim. He
floored the gas pedal and they zipped away. She glanced back at the poor
construction crew, the men waving their arms frantically for the vehicle to
stop. The men quickly disappeared, lost in the distance. In addition to
hot-wiring cars, Cain seemed to have a penchant for driving them fast. Where did men learn that kind of thing, anyway?
She looked at him with open reproach. "Do
you think this vehicle is insured?"
"I don't know." His voice was
clipped.
"I hope it was insured. I don't think that
man has much money."
Cain's grip tightened on the wheel.
"It must be very hard, working like that
to support your family," she continued relentlessly, "and then
through no fault of your own, having your truck stolen. What do you think he'll
tell his wife?"
"You don't even know if he has a
wife."
"He looks like he has a wife. Probably two
kids, too. Cute little kids who used to like to ride in the back of the truck
with the sun on their cheeks."
"All right!" Cain threw up his hands
and cracked as thoroughly as any suspect under intense interrogation.
"He'll get it back!" he exclaimed harshly. "We won't hurt the
vehicle, we won't take it far. End of day, he can still drive his truck home to
his wife and two kids and one hound dog. My God, you are like the Betty Crocker
version of the Gestapo!"
Maggie finally relaxed. "Yes, but it's
expensive to replace an automobile."
Cain appeared to grind his teeth, his gaze
locked on the road with almost grim determination. "You know," he
said abruptly. "I'm not as big a cad as you think, Maggie." He
glanced at her briefly. His tone was stiff. "I've gone hungry. Where I
grew up, dinner was what you could shoot or pick off a bush."
She looked at him expectantly but he didn't say
anything more on the subject. His attention focused one hundred percent on the
road.
"Look for a map," he ordered curtly.
But then it became unnecessary. Like a miracle,
a road appeared on his left, forking out. He didn't ask, he didn't debate. He
seized it as a gift from God and picked up the pace. That road led to another,
then another.
look in his eyes killed the words in her throat. Oh, she'd gotten to him all
right, and now she wished she'd never opened her mouth. He bent down over her,
huge and imposing, and she bent back as far as she was able. Even then, she
felt his breath against her cheek.
"Shut up," he whispered with
deceptive softness, his eyes pinning her into place. "I know what I'm
doing, Maggie. Don't ever think I don't know it's wrong. Don't ever think I
don't have regrets. But I'm ready to live with them and you're just along for
the ride. Got it?"
Weakly, she nodded her head, still unable to
breathe. Her stomach was suddenly tight. Her limbs quivered with an emotion she
didn't completely understand. He seemed fierce enough to tear up the world and
strong enough to do it.
He straightened abruptly, looking suddenly
uncomfortable. Then with another scowl, he turned back to the trucks. Very
slowly, she drew in a ragged breath.
He popped open the door of a little blue Toyota
truck. "Ladies first."
He turned back toward her. His eyes no longer
glowed with a feral gleam. Now they were perfectly expressionless, merely
waiting. "Come on, Maggie," he said and she caught the edge of warning
in his voice.
She stepped forward without another word and
slid into the vehicle.
With the gun tucked into the waistband of his
jeans, Cain lowered his head beneath the dash and got on with the business of
hot-wiring a car. The car roared to life in under sixty seconds. The man was
amazing. She couldn't even program her VCR and he made stealing a car look as
simple as turning on a flashlight.
"Here we go," he announced grimly and
swung the truck back onto the road.
The orange Caterpillar froze. The men glanced
over, then one of them did a double take. Maggie didn't have to roll down her
window to hear the man cry, "Hey, that's my truck!"
Cain said nothing, but his face was grim. He
floored the gas pedal and they zipped away. She glanced back at the poor
construction crew, the men waving their arms frantically for the vehicle to
stop. The men quickly disappeared, lost in the distance. In addition to
hot-wiring cars, Cain seemed to have a penchant for driving them fast. Where did men learn that kind of thing, anyway?
She looked at him with open reproach. "Do
you think this vehicle is insured?"
"I don't know." His voice was
clipped.
"I hope it was insured. I don't think that
man has much money."
Cain's grip tightened on the wheel.
"It must be very hard, working like that
to support your family," she continued relentlessly, "and then
through no fault of your own, having your truck stolen. What do you think he'll
tell his wife?"
"You don't even know if he has a
wife."
"He looks like he has a wife. Probably two
kids, too. Cute little kids who used to like to ride in the back of the truck
with the sun on their cheeks."
"All right!" Cain threw up his hands
and cracked as thoroughly as any suspect under intense interrogation.
"He'll get it back!" he exclaimed harshly. "We won't hurt the
vehicle, we won't take it far. End of day, he can still drive his truck home to
his wife and two kids and one hound dog. My God, you are like the Betty Crocker
version of the Gestapo!"
Maggie finally relaxed. "Yes, but it's
expensive to replace an automobile."
Cain appeared to grind his teeth, his gaze
locked on the road with almost grim determination. "You know," he
said abruptly. "I'm not as big a cad as you think, Maggie." He
glanced at her briefly. His tone was stiff. "I've gone hungry. Where I
grew up, dinner was what you could shoot or pick off a bush."
She looked at him expectantly but he didn't say
anything more on the subject. His attention focused one hundred percent on the
road.
"Look for a map," he ordered curtly.
But then it became unnecessary. Like a miracle,
a road appeared on his left, forking out. He didn't ask, he didn't debate. He
seized it as a gift from God and picked up the pace. That road led to another,
then another.
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