I quickly cleared my head as I stood out in the sharp, cold mountain air. The memory of Piper’s lips around my cock still lingered, but I had to get my shit together.

Randy was tearing ass up the road. There was no way this was just about those supplies, otherwise he wouldn’t be driving so damn fast. I held my gun loosely but ready at my side as he slammed on his brakes, skidding over the gravel.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself into stillness. I had been trained to control myself, to drop into a near-meditative state during combat. That way, I could react faster and there was nothing distracting me from what I had to do.

Randy jumped from his truck and walked toward me. “Who you hidin’ from?” he asked me. He looked angry.

“Not your concern,” I said.

“It’s my concern now, damn it,” he said.

“What happened?”

“Proximity alarms tripped early this morning.”

I nodded. That made fucking sense. Of course he had proximity alarms. That was how he knew we were here.

“And then what?” I asked.

“Some big guys, mean lookin’ bastards, were drivin’ around in some fancy black truck. They stopped and started questionin’ me, wanted to know if I saw a girl and a big guy around here. I said no and the one guy held a gun at my fuckin’ face.”

“Did you tell them?”

“No,” he growled. “I didn’t. Barely got out of there alive, though. Those bastards are still drivin’ around down there, but they’re comin’, that’s for sure.”

“How’d you beat them up here?”

“They don’t know the way like I do.”

“Thanks, Randy,” I said, turning away.

“Wait,” he called out. “You hold on now. We ain’t done here.”

I turned back to him and he was holding an old pistol pointed directly at my chest. I cursed softly. I hadn’t realized he was packing, since he showed up so damn fast. Another stupid mistake.

“Drop your piece, son,” Randy said.

I nodded and slowly placed the gun on the ground. I stood back up, hands in the air.

“What do you want?” I asked him. “We need to leave before those men get here.”

“Money. Everything you have.”

“No,” I said. “We can’t do that.”

“You don’t have a choice, son. Money or you die.” He walked up toward me, getting closer and closer. I waited patiently, letting him get within range.

“We need that money to get away from these men. If you rob us, you’re killing us.”

“Not my problem, kid,” he said. “You’ll figure it out. Your daddy was a bastard but he sure was resourceful. I’m sure you’re the same.”

Fucking asshole. My father was a piece of shit, but that didn’t give Randy the right to talk shit.

Randy got closer and closer and I could see the fear in his eyes. He’d never held up a man before and probably never shot one. His grip was too tight and I could see the sweat on his brow.

It was now or never. I struck fast, slapping the gun with the outside of my right hand. He pulled the trigger and the gun went off, but the bullet flew harmlessly into the air.

I followed that move by stepping forward and turning slightly. I grabbed the wrist of his right hand and pivoted my body, shoving my left hip into his gut. I tossed him over, throwing him to the ground. I held onto his wrist, twisting as he hit, causing him to scream in pain. I put on a little more pressure and made sure it broke. He dropped the gun instantly.

“What’s happening?” Piper said, terror in her voice.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Randy here was just trying to rob us.”

“You broke my damn hand,” he yelled. “Oh you bastard, you broke it!”

“You tried to kill me. What did you expect?”

He groaned. “Let me go, you son of a bitch.”

I squeezed tighter then kicked him in the gut before releasing him. I quickly patted him down, making sure he had no other weapons, but he was harmless.

“Asshole,” he groaned as he rolled over.

“Come on,” I said to Piper. “Get your stuff. We have to run.”

“Run? Why?”

“Randy here said that some tough guys in a nice truck came around looking for us.”

“They’re here,” she said and the fear intensified.

“They must be checking anywhere that my family has any connections to. I don’t think they actually know we’re here.”

“Okay. Okay. Let me get my stuff.” She ran inside.

Randy rolled off the porch and onto the gravel. He was slowly crawling away and I just watched him. That piece of shit. I would have paid him something if he hadn’t pulled that gun, but he had to be an asshole.

I went back inside and gathered what little I had. I got a bag from a closet and threw some supplies in there. Some food, some water, some survival gear. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I wanted to be prepared. Five minutes later, we were out front and ready to go.

Randy was sitting behind the wheel of his truck, breathing deeply and trying not to look over at us. I smirked at him but didn’t push it. I knew there wasn’t much honor in beating up an old man, even one that had a fucking gun pointed at my face.

“Ready?” I asked Piper.

“Ready.”

We stepped off the porch.

Just then, the sound of gravel churning up came echoing up the road.

I looked at her and we walked faster. Randy climbed out of his truck and peered down the hill.

“That’s them,” he said.

“Fuck,” I answered. “Is there another way out?”

He shrugged. “Might be.”

“Listen to me, you motherfucking cunt. You’re going to drive us out of here, and now.”

“No,” he said. “Don’t think I am.”

The truck was gaining, coming faster and faster. They could see us as well as we could see them, and the truck was flying now.

“Listen to me,” I said, pulling my gun. “How about I just kill you right here?”

“Then you’re really stuck.”

“Gates,” Piper warned.

“Fuck.” I wanted to break this bastard’s teeth in through his skull. “Fifty dollars.”

He smiled. “Two hundred.”

“I’ll do one hundred, and I won’t fucking break your knees when we’re done.”

“Fine. Get in.”

I nodded at Piper and we jumped around the front of the truck. She threw open the door and climbed inside.

But it was too late. The mafia truck pulled up, not too far away. Randy started the engine and it roared to life as I took aim at the mafia’s car. I squeezed off some shots, hitting their front windshield and cracking it.

One of the doors in the back flung open and a man jumped out. He took aim and fired as I dove back behind Randy’s truck. Piper screamed.

“Get down,” I yelled. I fired back, winging the guy, forcing him back. He yelled in anger and pain. I squeezed off a few more shots and hit one of the tires of their car as I climbed into Randy’s truck.

“Go!” I yelled. “Go, motherfucker!”

Randy hit the gas and we lurched forward. I leaned out the window and squeezed off more shots, pinning them back, as Randy’s truck flew off the gravel path and down a thin dirt track.

The mafia truck receded into the distance as Randy drove. I climbed back inside. “Everyone okay?”

“Yeah,” Randy said.

“Shut up, Randy.” I looked at Piper. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m okay.”

“Good.”

She hugged me, pressing herself against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

That was too fucking close. If Randy had been a bigger piece of shit, or if those mafia guys had been a little more competent, we’d be caught. Hell, if Randy hadn’t come to warn us and rob us, we’d be fucked.

We drove like that for a while. Randy eventually turned back onto a gravel path, and I could tell we were winding our way down toward town. It took another forty minutes before we saw signs of civilization, and another ten before we finally pulled into the parking lot of a Wal-Mart.

We climbed out of the truck.

“Here’s where I leave you,” Randy said, holding his hand out.

“Actually,” I said, “this is where we leave you.”

He looked at me. “Oh, fuck no.”

“Sorry, Randy,” I said. I stepped toward him and pressed the gun against his gut. “Keys,” I said.

He dropped them in my hand. “Son of a bitch. Just like your daddy.”

I smiled at him then reached into my pocket. I took out the hundred dollars that I had counted out earlier and shoved them into his hand. “Payment, just like we agreed.”

“Asshole.”

“Good luck, Randy. If I ever see you again, I’ll break your knees.”

“Fuck off.”

I smiled and waved, then climbed back into the truck. Piper got in beside me. I rolled the windows up and pulled away.

“Did you have to steal this truck?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “It was the only way we’d get a ride. Safest way, at least.”

“I feel bad.”

“I gave him money. Plus, he tried to fucking kill me.”

“Good point.”

“Those mafia guys aren’t after him. Randy will be fine. And if he’s not, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”

Piper sighed and leaned back, shaking her head. “I can’t believe they found us so fast.”

“I know. I underestimated them.”

“How, though?”

“That cabin is in my father’s name. I’m guessing they’re going around checking records all over the place, making calls, trying to find any hole I might crawl into.”

“Nowhere is safe,” she said softly.

“That’s not true.”

“Where can we go? We’ll run out of cash eventually. We can’t use our cards. We’re screwed.”

“I know somewhere safe.”

“Where?” she asked, breathless.

“The safest place on the planet, actually. The United Stated Military.”

She looked at me as I grinned back at her and she started laughing. I hit the gas harder and let the truck lurch forward as we headed down the highway.

I had a plan, but I didn’t know if it was a good one. It was a long shot, but at this point, any shot was better than nothing.

I just hoped that my old commander was in a good mood.