Too Big Taboo Bundle(18)

"I'm driving," Eli said.



"No time to switch," I said. "Get in and buckle up!"



Eli and the other inmate turned back and saw the fast-approaching  headlights. Then we heard the sirens. The men jumped in, and I mashed on  the gas pedal.



I tore down the blacktop road, skidding at turns, trying desperately to  put some distance between our car and whoever was following us. Then I  rounded a corner too quickly, lost control, and we flipped.



We went rolling down a steep hill, not stopping until we reached the  valley below. Somehow, our car landed upright. My neck was aching from  whiplash, and some broken glass from the windows had cut my shoulder.  But it was a miracle I was not more badly hurt. I turned to the  passenger seat and saw Eli grinning at me.



"Well, that's one way to stick a landing," he said.



"You were wearing your seatbelt?" I asked, feeling incredulous and relieved. "See, it pays to do what I say."



"Mostly it pays to not trust your driving."



We heard a groan and looked at the backseat. The other man had been  thrown to the floorboard. It was the first time I was able to get a good  look at him. Just like Eli's clothing, the man's orange jumpsuit was in  tatters. He had greasy hair, a full beard, and a hollow look in his  eyes that sent shivers down my spine. The tattoo on his forehead did  nothing to improve his looks.



"Burke," my stepdad said. "Are you okay?"



"I'll live," he muttered.



Eli chuckled.



"Let's get you out of there. We need to get a move on. It won't take  long for the guards to find the skid marks where we took our little  plunge down the hill."



Eli turned and grinned at me again, then tousled my hair. For a moment  it seemed like old times, and I was still my daddy's little girl.



"Hot damn. I'm a free man thanks to you, Avery," he said. "God, it feels good to say that."





4.



Eli was slightly less thrilled only seconds later, when we realized the  car trunk was so smashed and crumpled we were unable to pop it open. The  trunk was filled with our getaway supplies-changes of clothing and  shoes, guns and ammo, and a whole lot of peanut-butter snack crackers. I  had carefully packed them all, along with a first-aid kit and other  necessities.



Eli looked around, trying to think of a way to open the trunk. Just then  from the road we heard cars slamming on their brakes, then men's voices  filling the night air. We ran into the woods. We ran and ran, until we  were beyond exhausted, with no thoughts but our own survival.



Hours passed. I was so tired, I couldn't tell you anything about them.



The next thing I knew, I was stirring from a fitful sleep. The air was  cold, and the ground was hard. I could hear the slow drip of water, and I  felt that my head was resting in Eli's lap. I opened my eyes, and  reality set in. To my surprise, this wasn't a dream. We were hiding in a  cave we had stumbled upon in the middle of the night. I looked up at  Eli, and he smiled at me while caressing my hair. His jumpsuit was torn  down the middle, exposing the hard planes of his chest.                       
       
           


///
       



"How'd you sleep?" he asked.



"Like a girl in a cave," I replied. "How about you?"



"Wasn't tired. Gimme a couple hours, though, and I might grab a little  shut eye. We'll hole up here till after dark, when it's safer to leave."



Burke spoke from the other side the cave. His gruff voice startled me. I had forgotten about his unwanted presence.



"I say we take off now," he said. "Put some distance between us and them."



Eli's eyes narrowed.



"No one's forcing you to stay here, Burke. You can go on your own way at any time you please."



Burke grunted irritably but averted his eyes. He wasn't going anywhere. I  watched in disgust as he picked his nose. The man examined his finger,  studying the extracted contents of his nasal cavity. Then his tongue  darted from his mouth, like a frog, and he licked his finger clean.



My stomach turned. What an ugly man. Burke glanced at me and caught me  looking at him. He gave me an evil sneer as his eyes raked down my body,  gazing at my tits. I immediately crossed my arms to shield them from  view. Burke clucked his tongue and looked away, staring blankly at the  sky beyond the mouth of the cave.



We hid there for a long time in the shadows, watching the sun on its  journey through the sky. Despite the unwanted presence of Burke, it felt  good to be with Eli again. I had missed him. I had missed us.



Eli was a brave and stoic man, but I could tell he was trying not to let  on that he was in a good deal of pain. One of Eli's sleeves was so  badly torn I went ahead and ripped it all the way off, then pressed the  fabric against his more troubling cuts until they stopped bleeding.  There were a few tiny pieces of lead that had gotten lodged in Eli's leg  when the prison guards were firing at us, but I didn't have any way to  dig them out.



"It's fine," Eli assured me. "I already forgot about 'em."



In the morning we heard the long-distance hum of helicopters overhead,  and the occasional siren in the distance. I held my breath each time,  hoping for the noise to pass and praying we would not be discovered. By  the afternoon, we had waited through hours of silence. At dusk Eli was  feeling antsy.



"Let's have a look around, Burke," he said.



"I want to come," I protested.



Eli gave me a serious look.



"You're staying right here."



It wasn't fair, not at all, but I did as Eli instructed. Eli peered out  of the cave, looking right and left, then silently eased outside. Burke  followed closely behind.



The cave was on the side of a steep hill. I heard the faint crunch of  the men's feet on the loose rocks and gravel, but soon there was no  sound other than birds chirping and the slow drip of spring water oozing  from the cave ceiling.



It was nearly nightfall, and dark shadows were spreading across the  cave. I heard a couple of pebbles cascading down the hill. I froze. Then  I saw Burke at the entrance. An evil grin spread across his face. He  was missing a couple of teeth, and the others were rotten.



"All alone, little girl?"



"Fuck you," I said, trying to sound tough. "One step closer and I'll scream."



Burke pretended to pout, as though my threat had hurt his feelings.



"You don't want to make no loud noises, girl. These hills are crawling  with the law. You want them to find us? Find your old man? Shit, they'll  lock him up faster than you can say boo. Next time there will be no  escape."



Burke shook his head sadly.



"That would just be awful for good old Eli. Here, let me sit down for a second. You and I need to talk about something."



Burke took a step to enter the cave. I instinctively pulled back, my body pressed against the damp cave wall.



"There, there," Burke said. Both his hands were in front of him, like he  was trying to calm a frightened animal. "We're gonna have ourselves a  nice little chat is all."



He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him, clamping a hand over my  mouth to muffle my scream. I struggled to break free, but he was too  strong.



"You realize the last time I got a piece of ass?" Burke muttered.  "Wasn't nowhere near as pretty as you are. Quiet down. You're making  this harder than it's got to be."



He placed his hand over my mouth, and I sank my teeth into the tender  meat of his palm. He yanked his hand away, and I belted out half of a  scream before his knuckles crashed into my cheek.



"Shut the fuck up," he growled, pawing at my T-shirt.



"My daddy will kill you," I said between ragged sobs.                       
       
           


///
       



"Naw," Burke replied. "We got just enough time to have us a little fun. A real quick fuck is all I want."



The man tugged at the button and zipper of my blue jeans. I tried to  push away his hands, but it was no use. He pulled down my jeans and  panties in one swift motion, exposing my sex to him.



"No!" I cried, trying to roll away. "Stop!"



Burke pinned my back to the rocky floor as he fumbled with the zipper of  his jumpsuit. His rubbery cock flopped out. It was discolored and  rimmed by a wiry nest of pubic hair. He was licking his lips and staring  at the crevice between my legs. Then he squeezed one of my breasts as  he stroked himself to hardness.



I couldn't stop crying. I was terrified, and I just wanted it to be over.



Out of nowhere, I saw Eli's face. He was standing right behind Burke's shoulder. He lifted a huge rock above his head.