Inferno.
I can make out the title just barely, but the author’s name has been lost to time.
It's a cool ass cover. I'm so engrossed in the book that Hensley touching my shoulder makes me jump. "What are you reading?" she sighs sleepily.
"Probably the most fucked up book I have ever seen." I throw her a bottle of water. "I'm serious, this book is off the wall."
I’m rewarded with a smile from her. That has made my entire day. "Let me go to the bathroom and we can go."
We walk outside a few minutes later. It’s a hot sunny day, and it feels like it’s going to accelerate higher than the nineties. Hensley stops me, putting her hand on my arm. "Tieran?"
I glance at her.
I already know.
Our bike is gone.
CHAPTER14
HENSLEY
“Goddammit!”Tieran hollers in tone ripe with anger.
I look at him and shake my head as I sit down on the pavement where the bike once sat.
Getting angry isn’t going to make it magically appear again but telling him that is only going to make it worse. As I prop up my knees and drop my elbows onto them, I glance at our surroundings.
Why are things starting to look so damn familiar?
“Tieran?”
“I can’t fucking believe someone stole our bike!” he bellows as he kicks at the pavement.
“Um, Tieran?”
“We’re gonna have to walk now,” he growls angrily as he readjusts the scarf around his nose and mouth. Walking over to me, Tieran reaches down and grips me by an elbow, trying to pull me to my feet. “Come on, Hens. We gotta get going.”
“Will you stop for just a second?” I bark at him as I jerk my arm out of his hand. He blinks rapidly a couple of times, eyes still hazed with rage, but slowly simmering to a cool.
“I’m sorry, Hens,” he says sheepishly after a moment. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you. I should have known better.”
“It’s fine,” I reply curtly as I get to my feet and pull the hair tie free from my ponytail. As I quickly smooth my hair back and then retie a tighter ponytail, I blow out a breath then glance around again.
“Does any of this look familiar to you?” I ask him, feeling slightly nervous.
Tieran gives me a curious look before he surveys the area. Suddenly, his hands fly out, pull me against his now trembling body, and he holds me close to him.
“Yeah,” he admits in a quiet tone. “Isn’t this the town we’d run away to hide in before we went back home?”
“Looks like we’re closer than we thought,” I state in a soft tone.
“Looks like it,” he echoes as he holds me a little closer and a hell of a lot tighter.
Fuck.
___
Tieran hasn’t given me an inch of space since taking me into his arms. He’s afraid but he won’t admit it, and somehow, he still manages to be worried aboutme.