Undisclosed by Jon Mills Page B

heading that way anyway,” she said.
    “I said I’d walk.”
    “Suit yourself, but know this—we’re not that much different than you.”
    Travis took a few more steps and then stopped. He contemplated her words and then replied over his shoulder, “I didn’t imagine Mason would let me near his baby again.” He turned back to her.
    She gave a crooked half-grin. “We’re not taking the Mustang.”
    They circled around the side of the store where she led him to an overhanging rusty corrugated carport. Jayde lifted a thick green tarp to reveal a slick Ducati motorcycle.
    “Black Streetfighter S. That’s sick!” he said, stepping back to take it in. “Yours?”
    “What? You think guys are the only ones into bikes?”
    Travis smiled tightly as he ran his fingers along its shiny frame. He slid onto it, admiring the handiwork, wrapping his hands around the rubber grips. He shot a look at Jayde and put his hand out, gesturing for the keys.
    “Uh, maybe another time. After the way you banged up the Shelby, I think I’ll do the driving,” she said with a smirk, handing him a helmet. He returned the smile, shook his head and made room for her.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Like most small American towns, the place seemed almost deserted as they drove back through the winding streets in the early hours of the morning.
    For Travis, eight a.m. on a weekend was early. He really wasn’t much of an early riser and if he had his way he would sleep in ’til noon, but that was a habit or a luxury his mother made sure he didn’t get too familiar with. There was just too much to get done to be sleeping the day away, his mother would say. Too much of what? he would reply, thinking about how there was nothing for kids to do in the sleepy town except movies, drink, party or get in trouble with the law. And he had all but used up his “get out of jail free” cards.
    At this time in the morning there were just a handful of people returning from shifts, a few early-morning runners and a couple of dog walkers. On the back of the bike with his arms wrapped loosely around her waist, he could feel the warmth of Jayde’s body against his own. As the wind hit the ends of her dark hair it brushed lightly against his face, and he couldn’t but help inhale its clean and intoxicating sweet scent. For the first time since he had met her, Travis recognized how unusually comfortable it felt to be with her. Despite all her obvious differences, strangely it was as if he had known her forever. She was different and yet there was something he liked about that.
    Approaching his house in the distance, Travis could see a police car pulling away. He knew that the incident at the hospital would have drawn a lot of attention and they were either looking for him or informing his mother that he was missing. There was no doubt of that in his mind. He only wondered now, though, what he was going to tell his mother. How was he going to shovel his way out of this? There wasn’t much that he could get past his mother. Even in her low state she still had a keen eye for knowing when he was lying or trying to cover up something.
    He had Jayde pull up a few houses down and on the other side of the street, just in case his mother was looking out the window. Travis slid off the bike and gave Jayde the helmet.
    He shifted back on his leg awkwardly. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
    “Not unless I see you first,” she said, taking off her sunglasses and dangling them by her side.
    Travis had to pull himself away from staring at her eyes; she really was quite breathtaking to look at.
    “Oh—Travis.” She took an object out of her pocket. “Jack asked me to give you this. He said it may come in handy.”
    He turned back to her and took the short, flat ruler-like object from her. Embedded in the center of the twisted leather and metal was an eye-shaped turquoise stone. It glimmered and for a second looked alive, moving like liquid mercury back and forth as he