Free One Night by Oliver Clarke Page B

alley.
    Joel was getting his breath back, regaining his strength. He put his arms around her and pulled her body against his own. “I think you just saved my life,” he said. Then he kissed her.
    Eve had wanted it for hours but it still took her by surprise. She yielded to him, loving the feel of his strong arms around her and the pleasure of his lips on hers. She kissed him back, her heart rising as it was filled with a hungry passion that overwhelmed her. His taut body was pressed against hers and she could feel the masculine energy in it. That and his growing erection.
    Joel broke off, breathless.
    "We need to go," he said. He grabbed up the bag and reached for her hand.
    “Wait,” said Eve. She grabbed the bins she’d been standing by and overturned them, spilling their stinking contents onto the path. “That might slow them down a little.”
    She took Joel’s hand and led the way.
    As they ran down the alleyway the engine of the van grew louder again. Joel looked back and saw the driver sitting upright, starting to reverse the vehicle away.
    “We need to hurry,” said Joel. “They won’t be long.”
    “Do you know who they are?”
    "Not who. But I know why they're after me. I’m sorry, Eve. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”
    She looked back at him as they ran. “Stop bloody saying sorry.”
    He laughed. “Okay, okay. So how are you enjoying the date?”
    “It is a date then?"
    "Definitely. Just wait till you see what I've got planned for later."
    “I look forward to it.”
    From behind them came the hollow metallic sound of the bins being kicked out of the way. The other end of the alley was in sight now though and Eve was sure they would make it, clear this alley and cross the road ahead into the next one. The further they got away from the men, whoever they were, the better chance they had of escaping them for good. Who were they though? And what the hell was Joel caught up in? Did she have him wrong, she wondered? Until now she’d been attracted to the air of danger he had about him, it felt risky, exciting. Should it have scared her instead? Was she so bored with the routine of her life that she’d misinterpreted something that should have frightened her as something desirable?
    It didn’t matter though did it? Because no matter what happened he’d be gone after tonight. She imagined waking up in the morning and knowing she would never see him again. Just the thought of it made her feel sick. How the hell had he gotten so far under her skin so quickly? He was like a drug she felt she couldn’t give up. Even this chase was exciting somehow, because she was doing it with him. Running down an alleyway at night being followed by men with sticks. Jesus, what had she gotten herself into?
    She could tell that Joel was falling behind again when they reached the end of the alleyway. Glancing back she could see that he was struggling under the weight of the bag. As she stepped out onto the pavement he was about six feet behind her. The masked men were twenty and closing.
    An elderly couple walking down the road looked at her as she ran out of the alley. She ignored them and stepped out into the road, she didn’t bother looking, just trusted the lack of traffic noise in her ears to tell her that the road was clear. It was a game she’d played with her friends as a child, when her dad had died and she’d started taking risks because they made her feel more alive. She supposed it was her way of being in control.
    There were three of them who played it, her and Claire and Rachel. They called it rabbits. The rabbit would be blindfolded and had to cross the road safely. The other two girls would stand on either side of the road and guide them. Partly it was a trust thing but Eve always paid as much attention to the road noises she could hear as she did their voices. Looking back she supposed it was a miracle that none of them had ever been hurt.
    There was no-one to guide her now. Just her ears and