Free Luke's Dream by Melissa Haag

stick
sometimes. I’ll have the maintenance guy look at it when he comes
in later today.”
    I nodded my thanks and turned to leave. I’d
found it was easier to avoid charges when admitting to breaking
something obvious than it was to try to pretend it didn’t
happen.
    Outside, Bethi stood behind the bike. The
jacket hung low on her hips and made her look even more childlike.
She had her hands buried deep in the pockets and bounced a little
in place to stay warm. We needed to find her more clothes.
    She moved aside as I got on the bike then
quickly mounted behind me. I motioned to the bag already draped
across my body. She sighed heavily but lifted the bag over her
head. She’d already proved ten hours of sleep wasn’t enough to keep
her awake. I wasn’t about to let her fall off the bike.
    Once she had the strap around her, I
tightened it. She pressed to me and, just like yesterday, laid her
cheek on my back. The cool feel of her skin worried me. She grew
too cold too fast.
    I pulled away from the motel, heading
northwest toward the Compound. Behind me, Bethi lifted her head and
moved around a bit. Nothing dangerous, but unusual. I glanced in
the side mirror and saw her eyes closed as the wind beat her face.
She was also biting her lip.
    “What are you doing?” I asked, turning my
head so she would hear me.
    “Trying to stay awake.”
    Hurting herself to avoid sleep seemed a bit
drastic to me, but I kept that opinion to myself and focused on
driving. She continued to wiggle behind me as the miles flew past.
I tried not to notice. I tried to separate myself from the moment
by thinking of all the things I needed to do to prepare for a life
with a Mate. A job. Money. A home. She was young so I had plenty of
time. But I wanted to stay close to her. That thought just brought
me back to the closeness we shared at the present and how her chest
felt pressed against my back. I shifted in my seat, trying to ease
some of the pain that had started.
    When she finally stopped wiggling and slumped
against me, I knew she’d given into sleep. Exhaling, I tried to
relax. If she was next to me, hopefully she would sleep easy.
    Her hand fell loosely between my legs. I
flinched. The bike swerved, and I swore.
    The chill of her fingers penetrated my pants.
How could it feel so good and so terrible at the same time?
    I signaled and pulled over to the shoulder.
Standing slightly, I dislodged her hand and dug the phone out of my
pocket.
    We would never make it to the Compound like
this.
    My hand shook as I dialed a number I’d
memorized and waited for the call to ring through.
    “Hello, Luke,” Joshua said. “How can I help
you today?”
    “I’m in a bit of a bind and need a car.”
    “A car?”
    “Yeah. I’m in…” I looked around, trying to
remember the state. “I think I’m in Iowa. I found a girl like
Gabby, and she’s not doing well on the motorcycle I borrowed from
the Compound.”
    “A girl like Gabby? Of course I’ll help,” he
said.
    And that was what I liked about Joshua. He
didn’t ask pointless questions like how I’d managed to find Bethi
or why I didn’t immediately report her to the Elders. His
discretion meant that I didn’t need to snitch on Gabby or reveal my
way around some of the commands the Elders had given.
    By the time I ended the call, he’d arranged
to have someone who also wouldn’t ask questions to meet us in the
next town.
    I put my phone away and loosened the strap
holding Bethi to my back, then pulled her onto my lap. The wind had
tangled her hair and chapped her cheeks. I pressed my cheek to
hers, worried that she was cold. Warmth met my skin, and I pulled
back to place a kiss on her forehead.
    “Hang in there, luv,” I said, leaning back
and tapping her face.
    It took a few tries before her eyes fluttered
open.
    “We need help. A car. This isn’t working,” I
said.
    “No, this is fine,” she slurred. She looked
around and tugged at the strap that was still binding us