“You can do it, rabbit,” he says as he moves his fingers from my chin to brush the hair off my face, wiping cold sweat from my cheeks. His words make me swell with a strength I didn’t have moments before. With his encouragement, I feel like I can do anything.
Including lying to the law.
When I hear the heavy footfalls outside the window, I lower it. The officer leans down to look at me, shining a blinding light in my face. The plastic expression I’ve used to cover for Bryce paints my face once more. “Good evening, officer,” I say, trying to control the tremble in my fingers by gripping the steering wheel.
“Nearly morning, miss,” he says as he leans closer to look beyond me. Lex is slumped over, as if he’s sleeping.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” I smile and gesture to Lex. “I got the crappy shift,” I whisper.
The officer tightens his lips. “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“Not a clue,” I tell him, envisioning his sweet features blown off by a bullet if I fuck this up. The thought keeps me calm. I refuse to let this man die tonight because of me.
“You were hitting the lines on the shoulder pretty frequently. Have you had anything to drink tonight?”
I chuckle. “God no. I’m just really tired, and there’s not another rest stop for a little ways.”
The officer leans in and gets uncomfortably close to my mouth. Satisfied that he doesn’t smell any alcohol on my breath, he looks over at Lex. “Can he drive instead?”
“I’m sure he could,” I say, but when the officer just keeps staring at me, I prod Lex’s arm. “Honey,” I whisper, and it feels so weird to call him that. I hope the officer doesn’t notice. “Hey?” I say louder, prodding harder.
Lex lifts his head, making a show of a dramatic yawn. “What’s going on?” he asks, a believable confused look on his face.
“She was driving a bit reckless. Says she’s drowsy. Can you drive the vehicle? I’d prefer to not have it towed.”
“Oh, yeah, I can drive. I’ve been sleeping for...” He glances at the clock. “Jesus, like, four hours. Why’d you let me sleep that long, baby?” he asks. Him calling mebabyfeels even weirder than me calling him honey. Of all the things he calls me, baby isnotone of them.
“Can I have your licenses? Insurance?”
My breath cuts off at my diaphragm, as if it’s all sucked out of me with just those few words. I don’t know if the insurance is current, and I curse myself for not checking sooner. Bryce didn’t want me driving this SUV because it’s older, and it wasn’t as easy for him to keep tabs on me without all the new gadgets you get in cars these days. I don’t knowwhyhe’d have kept the insurance up to date.
Lex is acutely aware of my panic, and he smiles as he leans forward to pull out the proof of insurance. He puts it in my lap, and I see the end date is current. I hide my relieved breath, exhaling into the empty pockets of my wallet as I rifle through it to find my license. My eyes meet Lex as I reach out and wait for him to produce his fake fucking ID. He remains calm and collected as he pulls it out and hands it over.
The officer cocks his head. “Ben Gurgen Hoffe? That’s a unique name.”
Lex’s calm demeanor breaks as he lets out a small laugh that I see more than I hear. “It’s a family name. It’s actually pronounced JER-gen.” He tightens his lips and sobers. “Here, babe, switch spots. Your turn to nap.” He climbs out of the car. Hearing him call mebabeis even weirder than baby. I hated that he called me rabbit and bunny at first, but now I can’t imagine him calling me anything else.
The glint of his pistol winks at me as his shirt rides up, and I can only hope the officer doesn’t notice it as well. I undo my seatbelt and open the door, stepping onto the pavement with legs that feel like they’ll give out on me. After I sit in the passenger seat, I fasten my seatbelt. I can hardly hear over the whoosh of the blood in my ears. I wipe my sweat-coated palms onto my shirt.
“Krause? Is that of German origin, too?” Lex asks as he leans closer to the officer’s nameplate.
The officer looks up at him and smiles. “Yeah, actually. No one notices that.”
“Have you visited Germany yet?” Lex leans against the door, looking suave as fuck. Even I forget he’s a felon for the moment.
“No, though I always intended to. My remaining grandparents live near Munich.”
Lex shakes his head. “Yeah, you need to go. First off, life’s too short, and second, it’s a beautiful city. You have to go during Oktoberfest if you want to get the full experience. Maybe don’t bring grandma, though.” A genuine smile crosses Lex’s face, and I almost believe he went to Germany.
The officer laughs. “She’d probably outdrink them all.” He taps the IDs against his open palm. “You know what? I don’t think we need to make this more than it is. As long as someone who is more awake can drive, I’m fine with it.” He glances at me with a scolding look. “Here you go, Mr. Gurgen Hoffe. Please drive safe.” He returns Lex’s ID.
Lex opens the door to get in the car once the officer steps away.
“Hey,” the officer calls back as Lex closes the car door.
Lex leans out the window, his hand moving to his hip and wrapping around the pistol’s grip.
“Maybe I’ll see you at the next Oktoberfest!” the officer calls out with a final nod of his head.