Blood Diamond by R. J. Blain Read Free Book Online Page A

ma’am.”
    Jogging without any sign of exertion, Evelyn took the lead, picking game trails and footpaths cutting through the forest. By the time we reached one of the roads skirting the park, I was soaked in sweat and my feet throbbed.
    According to my phone, it had taken us two hours to reach the run-down gas station. It doubled as a mechanic’s shop, and a graveyard of rusted cars unfit for scrap littered its gravel parking lot. The shed in the back proved the newest of the structures, its metal siding partially stained with rust.
    She headed for the shed and entered the code for the combination lock before shoving the door open.
    Evelyn, apparently, had a very liberal definition of ‘car.’ I stumbled to a halt, staring down at the motorcycle. It was so new its dealership sticker was still on the tinted windshield. The red and black paint job gleamed in the overhead lighting. Chrome accented its sleek lines. Two red and silver helmets waited on the seat.
    “Nice car,” I said, whistling. BMW made some good motorcycles, though I hadn’t seriously considered buying one for myself, as I preferred vintage cars and trucks suffering from testosterone poisoning.
    “It’s a BMW R 1200 GS,” she announced with pride, skipping into the shed to a row of safes lining the back wall. “Isn’t it cute?”
    Cute wasn’t a word I’d use, so I shrugged. “Looks like a fun ride.”
    “I haven’t taken it for a spin yet. Don’t have the license, and I’m afraid of crashing it. You… you do know how to drive it, don’t you?”
    I had a hard time imagining a Fenerec being afraid of something like a crash, but I decided it was in my better interest not to say a word. “I think I can manage.” All of my fake IDs included a motorcycle license, and I had even ridden them a time or two. “This will definitely simplify things.”
    Hiding a motorcycle was much, much easier than hiding a car—or returning a rental. Worst-case scenario, I’d dump it in the ocean if I needed to make it disappear in a hurry.
    Replacing her bike would be the easiest part of our escape if it came to that.
    “This is—well, was—my pack’s stash. Mine, really. We all kept some stuff at each other’s stashes.” She pulled out a gym bag from a safe, and without warning, she slipped out of my jacket and tossed it to me. I caught it before spinning on a heel to give her privacy.
    The windshield reflected her image at me. I averted my eyes to the floor, but not before getting a good glimpse of her from head to toe.
    She looked even better than I had thought she would. A blush burned my face. I considered apologizing, but couldn’t bring myself to say a word.
    When she tapped my shoulder to get my attention, she had changed into a pair of form-fitting black leather pants and a red blouse that hugged her chest. She held a black and red leather jacket over an arm. “I’m ready when you are.”
    “Let’s get out of here before anyone finds us,” I said, grabbing one of the helmets and shoving it over my head. She stowed a small purse in the box behind the seat before putting on her helmet.
    While the motorcycle was a bit on the small size, it fit both of us. The engine purred to life, and the BMW didn’t seem fazed by our combined weight. I set the built-in navigation system to take us to Miami and tore away from the gas station, kicking up gravel in our wake.

    ~~*~~

    Under normal circumstances, I could have made the drive to Miami in twelve hours. I made it to the Florida state line before exhaustion caught up with me, resulting in a stay at a cheap motel outside of a town I wasn’t sure had a name. I would’ve been happy making the final leg of the drive without stopping, but Evelyn had other ideas—and an insatiable appetite. She consumed twice as much as I did, and I had the feeling she would’ve had thirds if I hadn’t been in a hurry to find a place to hole up until we could get a cruise northbound to Canada.
    Once we were out of