Here's the next chapter of Runaway.
I really appreciate the feedback, so keep the reviews coming.
Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I hope you like it.
I own Marianne in this chapter.
The following day, Heath drove himself and Marianne out into the countryside in preparation for her truck-driving lesson. He told her that taking some quiet back roads meant that there was less chance of her running into anything. The New York native was nervous enough, without him telling her that she might hit something. Pulling the truck to a halt, the redhead sat for a moment and tried to read Marianne's expression, before turning off the engine and turning his torso so that he could face her.
"You wanna do this? He asked her.
"What do I do?" she asked as she nodded her head in reply.
"Well, we need to switch seats." Heath pointed out.
For a moment Marianne considered whether to get out of the car and walk round to the driver's side, but she opted to climb over the redhead's lap, seeing as he made no attempt to move from his position. Besides, there was plenty of room in the front of the truck. Heath settled into the passenger seat and gave an amused smile, before turning his attention back to the overwhelmed New York native. She was anxiously eyeing the controls of the truck and trying to get a comfortable hold on the truck's large steering wheel.
"Calm down. When you're ready, turn the engine on." He told her, pointing out the relevant controls.
A shocked gasp escaped Marianne's lips as the truck roared into life.
"Now press the gas lightly and remove the clutch very slowly." Heath instructed her.
The New York native let out a frustrated sigh as the truck spluttered and stalled. She took a deep breath and repeated what Heath had showed her, letting out a high-pitched squeal as the truck began to slowly roll down the road.
"I'm driving!" she exclaimed, grabbing the steering wheel for dear life.
"You are!" Heath chuckled as he watched her ecstatic expression.
Back in New York, Phillip Brooks was overseeing some more business with Joe and Husky in the warehouse. This time nobody had managed to get hurt, or killed, while they were moving the crates of illegal goods. The guy that Phillip had killed was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had a wife and children too, but Phillip couldn't risk his business being uncovered by anyone, least of all his fiancée. He would never want to hurt Marianne, especially as he had never laid a finger on a woman in his life.
Men were a different story. In a fight with another male, Phillip saw it as no holds barred, and he would not rest until he emerged victorious. Few people had the guts to mention it to his face, but he had on occasion been told that he had a bad temper. The one thing that the Chicago native hated more than anything was for anyone to question his logic or leadership. Questioning his leadership skills was more than likely to result in a beating.
"Mr. Brooks, there's a man here to see you." Husky told him.
"Luke!" Phillip smirked as he spotted the balding man in the background.
"I come with some information for you." Luke Gallows nodded.
"Let's step into the office." Phillip suggested, turning and walking towards the back of the warehouse.
Closing the office door behind him, the taller man glanced around, before rubbing his chin with a gloved hand, looking for the words to explain what he had discovered. Phillip took a seat in a high-backed office chair and drummed his fingers against the wooden desk impatiently.
"Marianne Addison is not in St. Louis." Luke informed him.
"I suspected that." Phillip nodded, looking annoyed at the confirmation of his suspicions.
"How do you want to continue? I can put out a reward for her return." Luke explained.
"No, I don't want outsiders involved." Phillip replied.
"I need some more time to determine her exact whereabouts. Would you like me to interrogate the father?" he asked.
"No thank you. I'd rather have the pleasure myself." Phillip replied with an unsettling smile.
"So, how did I do?" Marianne asked Heath as they drove home after her driving lesson.
"Good, real good." The redhead replied.
"I didn't hit a thing." She pointed out.
"No, you didn't." Heath shook his head.
"Stop!" Marianne exclaimed, spotting something of interest.
"What?" Heath frowned as he braked.
"Is that a lake?" the New York native asked him, pointing towards a distant stretch of water.
"That's the watering hole." Heath replied.
"Looks lovely today. Shame I didn't pack a swimming costume." The brunette frowned.
"Who says you need a costume?" Heath raised a brow.
"What are you suggesting?" Marianne eyed him curiously.
"You're wearing underwear, right?" the redhead asked her.
"Yes, but why…" she broke off as she realised what he was getting at.
"That's what we all do." Heath shrugged.
"I couldn't possibly do that!" Marianne exclaimed.
"Unless you're chicken." He smirked.
"I am not!" the brunette protested.
"Prove it then. Come swim with me." Heath shrugged, getting out of the truck.
"I will!" she replied, climbing out of the passenger side.
The redhead walked towards the water, shedding his shirt and pants, as well as his footwear. Marianne hung behind a little, waiting to see if he would actually go into the water. When he was stripped down to his underwear, Heath walked over to the highest part of the bank and di8ved into the water, emerging a few seconds later and tucking his wet hair behind his ears. " Come on then!" he yelled to the New York native.
"Don't look at me." She ordered him as she unbuttoned her dress and allowed it to fall to the ground.
"Not chicken are you?" the redhead asked her.
"It's cold." she replied, dipping her foot into the water.
"Just get in!" Heath sighed.
Opting not to dive in, the brunette lowered herself into the water, gradually relaxing as the initial coldness faded.
"Finally!" Heath chuckled and pretended to applaud her.
"Hey! I'm in here, in the cold, in my underwear!" Marianne frowned.
"Something just touched my leg…" the redhead's eyes widened.
"If you're trying to scare me…" Marianne began.
"It's got my leg!" Heath yelled as he disappeared underwater.
"Heath? Heath!" Marianne froze to the spot.
The surface was still, with no sign of life. Suddenly she felt something touch her own leg. A second later something grabbed her and pulled her down into the water. Screaming as loud as she could, the New York native kicked her legs and began to hit whatever was emerging from the cold water. It took her about ten seconds to realise that it was Heath, chuckling to himself as he tried to shield himself from her flailing limbs. Marianne realised that he had been the one who grabbed her leg and 'attacked' her.
"That wasn't funny!" she exclaimed.
"You were so scared!" the redhead smirked.
"Not funny!" Marianne began to beat her fists against his bare chest as he continued to laugh.
"Ok, ok, it's not funny!" Heath sighed as he grabbed her wrists to stop the blows.
"Stop laughing then." Marianne frowned.
The redhead's laughter subsided, but he failed to release Marianne's wrists from his grip. The brunette felt her cheeks blush crimson as his brown eyes met her green ones. Her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest as Heath finally let go of her wrists, only to move his hands to her cheeks, brushing away some wet strands of hair. Letting her better judgement escape her, Marianne placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward, resting their foreheads together. In one swift movement, Heath connected their lips…
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