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Anyone following them wouldn’t knohich bike to watch for Even Mac’s Harley was similar to hundreds of other bikes at the rally He turned off a side road and doubled back the way they came This time Lily did turn around and watch behind them She didn’t see anyone there

Other than a stop to use the bathroorab a quick bite to eat at a convenience store, they keptThey rode the entire day It was dark by the time they met up in a park with ten other bikes Jessie’s was one of them and Mac’s bike was there

"Anyone follow?" Mac asked as they switched bikes and he reclaimed his It was then that Lily noticed they’d even swapped license plates A couple of the guys were putting Mac’s license plate back on his bike Wow These guys had thought of everything

Jessie shook her head and grinned "No one We’re clear"

Mac shook everyone’s hand "I owe you all"

"Hey, nice day for a ride," one of the guys said "My pleasure"

"Anytime," another said "You know that, Mac"

She climbed onto the back of Mac’s bike and waved to Jessie as they rode off As soon as the sun went down it wasShe wrapped her arrateful for the leather jacket and chaps that kept the cutting wind off her body

She kept expecting Mac to pull off and stop so Until she couldn’t feel her toes anyloves she wore Eventually she shoved her hands in Mac’s coat pockets

She shivered against hi to ride because he felt a threat, so she was just going to have to buck it up She thought about war out in the baking sun until she was drenched in sweat

Or rolling around naked with Mac until they were both so hot they couldn’t breathe Oooh, that orking She felt warainst hi they were in a roo that kept them apart

She’d really like that She wanted this invisible wall of distrust to disappear She would have loved to run into him by accident in a coffee shop, to renehat they once had without the theft, the virus, the what ifs having co to happen He ho he was

And so was she She couldn’t pretend to be soainst hi, at least, they were on the sa it Because it wasn’t the authorities They would have marched into the es That meant it was someone who had nefarious intent And Mac either didn’t knoho it was, or he did know and wouldn’t tell her The good thing was, he had at least revealed his plan to her, had ad the virus, and that was a step in the right direction, a signal that he believed in her That made her feel a little better And while they weren’t exactly working the saave her hope A tiny spark of hope she desperately needed

Maybe things were starting to turn around

Now if they could just get off this freakin’ bike and get inside so So hway and onto a tiny road, she prayed they’d be stopping soon He pulled up in front of large iron gates and pushed a button This was private property, obviously, but at least they were soet off and rest for a while

She was so grateful she almost cried She had no idea where they were or how far they’d come, and she didn’t care She wanted off this damn bike But she did take the ti identifying where they

They waited a few seconds while a caates opened and Mac rode through Lily turned around and watched the gates close securely behind the driveas very well lit No chance of anyone so their way up to the front door without being seen

The house itself was aMac pulled past the house and along a covered driveway and into the back of the house It was too dark to see beyond the lit screened in porch, but after Mac shut down the bike’s engine Lily heard the sound of water

"Where are we?" she asked

"Lake of the Ozarks A friend of mine lives here Come on"

They cli onto the back porch

"Shouldn’t we knock?" she asked

"Nah He knoe’re here" He pushed the door open and walked inside, holding it open for her

They stepped into a cozy kitchen Neat and tidy, everything put away Nothing ant

Definitely a summer type home with older appliances and furniture, curtains on the s and vinyl flooring in a yellow checked pattern

It felt warrandmother’s house Lily instantly felt co what, or whom, to expect

When a tall htly lit kitchen, Mac stepped up to hilad you stopped by"

He looked to be in his late forties or so, well built with short cropped dark hair that was graying at the te eyes that see and friendly

"And who did you bring with you?" Toh school"

While Mac went to retrieve their things fro both his hands over hers "I’lad to o who still liked hiine"

"Good to know Coht to be riding, isn’t it?"

Understate roo recliners sitting on a polished hardwood floor Stacks of books were piled on a couple end tables as well as scattered across the coffee table

Very si fancy She liked the place

"Do you live here by yourself?" she asked

"Yeah I like the quiet and I love to fish, so this place is perfect forher palm over the worn material on the chair arm It was so real in here