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I. You want some company?
A hundred miles outside the Twitty Twister, the car ran out of gas. In the passenger’s seat, Kate rubbed her forehead. Maybe it was a mistake coming with Seth. Maybe she should have taken the keys to the RV and found her own way home. Maybe—
“Fuck. Shit. Shit. Fuck.” Outside, Seth kicked the dirt, shouting his obscenities. He rested his hands on his waist and shook his head. His chest rose and fell as he took in a deep breath. Then, he exhaled calmly, like he wasn’t just throwing a temper tantrum five seconds ago.
He stalked over to her side of the car and pulled open the door. “Get out.” He gestured for her to exit. “We’re walking.”
She jumped out, wrapping her arms around herself. “Where are we going?”
“Don’t matter, don’t care.” He grabbed his suit jacket and started walking away from the useless car, but Kate didn’t move. He turned back to her. “Did you hear what I said? Come on.”
“What are we doing, Seth?” she asked.
He tilted his head.
“What the hell are we doing?” She dropped her arms. They felt heavy at her sides. Her entire body felt heavy.
He breathed in deep again and moved back to her. Gently, he draped his jacket over her shoulders. “I wish I knew, princess.” He locked eyes with her. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. I go that way.” He pointed to his right; she looked. “You go that way.” He pointed left; she turned. “What’s it gonna be?”
Go back or go forth was what Seth was really asking her. She kept her gaze on the direction they had traveled from. It felt a lot more than a hundred miles.
Her arms slid into the large sleeves of his jacket; the black garment fell almost to her knees. It made her feel safe.
“Lead the way,” she told Seth.
II. Let’s get ramblin.
It took them about thirty minutes before they stepped foot into a town. Kate licked her dry lips and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The locals did a double-take when they saw her with Seth. Not because she was a pale girl with green eyes, but because Seth walked with rigid shoulders, a mean glint in his dark eyes, and his hands curled into fists. Why would a girl like her be walking with a man like him?
She only had to wrap her arms around the jacket she wore to remember.
Kate followed Seth into a parking lot outside a market. He found a pick-up truck that had its windows down and told her to keep a lookout while he hotwired the vehicle. It surprised her how quickly she listened. Ten minutes later, the engine purred.
She hopped into the passenger’s side and the tires squealed as Seth sped out of the parking lot. They were on the road again heading in no particular direction.
Seth asked, “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
He pulled over when they saw a diner. “Wait here.” She listened again, didn’t ask how he was going to pay for the food, just waited.
When he was gone, she rummaged through the truck’s glove compartment. A map of Mexico, a faded photograph of a dark-haired woman, some old receipts, and a box of bullets. She was still staring at the ammunition when Seth returned. He wasn’t carrying food. Instead, he tossed a leather wallet on to the dashboard.
“Look at what I got,” he said with a cocky grin.
“Look at what I got.” She held up the bullets.
Seth’s eyes widened. He searched under his seat and Kate did the same. Cool metal pressed against her fingers. She removed the handgun from its hiding place.
“Well, shit,” Seth said. “Looks like our luck might be turning around.”
III. Remember what I told you. You do what I tell you, when I tell you, and you’ll get out of this without any bumps or scrapes, okay?
Seth didn’t waste any time using the gun to get more cash. He held up two liquor stores. It was enough to pay for food and water, new clothes, and a motel room. It was also enough to pay for tequila and pills, but she didn’t say anything. Sometimes she was grateful when he fell into bed, too drunk or medicated to hurt himself or others.
Week three on the road with Seth, Kate asked for her own gun. He laughed at her, then stopped when she didn’t join in.
“Okay, but that means you have to use it every once and awhile,” he said.
She nodded. “I will.”
The next day, Seth returned to the motel room with tacos, rice, beans, and a .45.
“All yours, princess,” He stood over the table, where she was sitting, and slid the gun over to her. “Be careful, it’s loaded.”
As he helped himself to a taco, Kate picked up the gun and was actually happy to find how perfectly it fit in her hand. Again, she didn’t ask any questions. Only accepted the fact that Seth had honored her request.
“You think you’re ready to use that thing?” Seth asked, licking the hot sauce from his fingers.
She thought about the chainsaw she had used to slice open the culebra, the wooden stake she had plunged into her daddy’s chest...this gun was child’s play.
“I’m ready,” she said, placing it back on the table.
“Good.” Seth finished his taco and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Because we got some business to take care of tomorrow.”
“What kind of business?” She looked up at him, waiting for his instructions.
He reached under his suit jacket and removed his handgun. He set it next to hers. Now she knew why he picked the .45. It complimented his pistol. “You know who Bonnie and Clyde are, don’t you?”
IV. Preacher’s daughter strikes again.
Their first bank heist was a success. Luckily, Kate didn’t have to use her gun, although her finger coiled around the trigger more than once. On the other hand, Seth was more than happy to slam his gun into the guard’s face and knock him out. When they were back in the motel room, safely counting the money, Seth called her a natural. She beamed as though Seth just gave her a gold star.
Another week passed.
Now instead of a gun, Kate wanted a tattoo. Seth cracked a smile. They were sitting inside a diner; two red glasses filled with Coke in between them.
“You sure about that, princess?” he said. “Tattoos are forever. There ain’t no room for regrets. I mean, you don’t want to ruin that pretty skin of yours, do you?” He reached up to touch her cheek and his fingers sent a warm jolt through her body, making her toes curl inside her shoes.
She gestured to his right arm. “Do you regret yours?”
“Hell, no. It’s one of the few things I don’t regret doing in my life.” He rolled up the sleeve to reveal the black ink. She wanted to trace the flames. “You gotta make sure you pick the right thing though. Something that’s always gonna be a part of you.”
“Did it hurt?” she asked.
His brows knitted as though he wasn’t sure what she was referring to. What memory had he conjured up?
So, she said again, “The tattoo, did it hurt?”
He blinked and the glassy look on his face vanished. “I’ve felt worst.” He rolled down his sleeve. “I think you can handle it.”
She felt worse pain before too.
Three days later, Kate walked out of the tattoo shop with Seth. She admired the permanent tiny black crown on her right wrist. It wasn’t a cross or a Bible verse, but it was still a part of her.
“Fit for a princess,” Seth said.
V. Because we’re better together. Alone, we’re lost.
More money meant more cash to spend on booze and pills. When Seth wasn’t hugging the toilet, he was passed out in bed. On those days, Kate spent as much time as possible outside the motel room. She found a park and watched the kids play soccer. It made her think about Scott and she wondered how her brother was doing. Was he as lost as her?
Once the sun set, she headed back to the room. Seth was nowhere to be found. His bed was empty and unmade. There was so sign of him in the bathroom. No note either. The keys to the stolen van sat on the dresser.
Maybe he went to get food. Maybe he walked down to the bar.
But when she searched under his mattress and found his gun, she began to worry. Seth wouldn’t leave the room without protection.
She decided to wait up for him, but fell asleep around midnight, still expecting him to stumble in reeking of tequila and cigarettes.
When she woke up the next morning, Seth’s bed was still empty. For a brief second, she thought he had left her behind, but she knew that wasn’t true. He was the one who gave her to the option to leave him that day on the side of the road.
If he didn’t leave her, that only meant—
A sour taste filled her mouth. No, she refused to believe he was dead.
Kate put on some clothes, tucked her handgun in waistband of her jeans, and slipped on Seth’s jacket. She needed to feel safe.
She checked the neighborhood diner to see if he was grabbing breakfast or nursing a hangover with a coffee. Nothing. She even walked by the park, but he wasn’t occupying any of the benches. When she finally headed to the bar, she only found dark windows and a locked door.
“Shit.” She kicked the door out of frustration.
She wanted to laugh. With her swearing and temper, decked out in a black blazer and gun, it was so obvious how much Seth had rubbed off on her.
With no luck on finding her partner, she returned to the motel—and found Seth lying on his back in bed. His shoes off. His right arm covering his eyes, causing his black shirt to ride up and show off a patch of skin.
She wanted to jump on him, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to punch or hug him.
“I hope you have some food, princess,” he said without moving his arm.
She wanted to punch him.
“Where the hell were you last night?” She stripped out of his jacket and removed the gun. “I was out looking for you all morning.”
He dropped his arm. His lip was busted, probably from some stupid bar fight. “Why? Were you worried about me?”
“Yes! I mean...” She lowered her gaze, didn’t want to reveal too much. Like how she thought he had left her behind or worse, he was dead in some ditch somewhere.
Seth sat up and groaned. “Ugh, too fast.” He rubbed his face and motioned for her. “Come here.”
Even though she was pissed as hell, she easily complied. She sat next to him with their shoulders touching.
“What do you want me to say?” he said. “That I’m sorry? You know I’m a sad sack of shit. Never heard you complain before.”
“Well, that’s because you never disappeared for twenty four hours.”
“True.” He squeezed her knee and left his hand there. “Tell me what to say and I’ll say it.”
But would he mean it?
She sighed. “Just promise me...”
He flinched at her request and put his hands up in protest. “Uh-uh. I don’t do promises, princess.”
“Listen.” She grabbed his hands and held them, afraid he would take off again. “Just promise me...” She chose her next words carefully. “...we always do everything together.”
He cleared his throat and lowered his chin like he was struggling with his response. Maybe he couldn’t give her that promise. But his head snapped back up and his dark eyes connected with hers. He tightened his grip on their conjoined hands.
“Always,” he said.
She knew he meant it.
VI. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
Kate was walking back to the motel, carrying a paper bag filled with groceries, when she felt a heavy gaze on her back. It only took her a few seconds to drop the bag and grab the gun tucked into her waistband. When she spun around to confront her stalker, she was caught off guard, even if she was holding a loaded weapon.
“Hello, Kate.” It was Richie, but it was not. His long hair was slicked back from his hardened face that was missing his glasses. He still looked like a Bible salesman with his black three-piece suit and shiny shoes. In the moonlight, there was a silver aura around him. The gun didn’t seem to faze Richie as he hovered over her, smelling her.
“What are you doing here?” She tried to keep her voice even.
“Put the gun away and I’ll tell you.”
She thought about Seth waiting back at the motel room for her.
“Okay.” She slipped the gun back into her waistband, but didn’t dare drop her gaze from him. Just in case.
“How’s my brother doing?” Richie asked.
She narrowed her eyes. Why would he care? He was the one who left Seth, after all.
“That bad, huh?” Richie frowned. “I mean, he is shacking up with a teenager.”
“I’m eighteen,” she said with a clenched jaw.
“Didn’t stop you from kissing older men before, did it?” He winked at her.
She crossed her arms. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here or what?”
He leaned back, smiling slightly. “Look at you being a badass mini-Seth Gecko. I’m impressed.”
She lifted an unamused brow.
“I have a message from your brother,” Richie said.
As soon as he mentioned Scott, she dropped her arms as every emotion inside her bubbled to the top. “You’ve seen Scott? Is he okay?”
Richie lifted his hand to silence her. “He’s fine, but he needs help, Kate. He’s with a very dangerous person. If you thought Carlos was bad, well, this Lord Malvado is even worse.”
She tried to process what Richie was telling her, but her head clouded with more questions. Where did she even begin?
“You need to find the ranger,” Richie continued. “Only he can help you save your brother.”
“But Seth—”
“Can never know I was here,” he said. “You understand?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She nodded instead.
“Take care of my brother, will you?” He stepped back, hands in his pockets. “By the way, nice tattoo, princess.” He spit out Seth’s nickname for her and turned around.
“Why are you helping me?” The question burst out of her before she even realized it.
He looked back and his eyes flashed yellow. “Is that what you think I’m doing?” With that, he returned to the shadows.
When Kate finally collected herself, she made one more stop before she returned to the motel room. Seth was watching an old Clint Eastwood western dubbed in Spanish.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
His handsome face was now alert, shaven, and clean. Since making his promise of always, Seth hadn’t touched a pill or a drop of alcohol. If she told him about Richie, she wasn’t sure how he would react. So, because she was selfish and scared, she pulled out a tequila bottle from a paper bag.
“I stopped to pick up this.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What for?”
She shrugged. “One drink isn’t going to hurt, right?”
He didn’t move. Kate could tell he wanted to take the bottle, but he also wasn’t sure if this was a trick.
She set down the groceries and screwed open the bottle. Before she could change her mind, she took a drink. It was too much. The liquor burned all the way down her throat and stomach. After she swallowed it all, she covered her mouth, coughing.
Seth laughed. “Hold on, princess.” He relaxed and took the bottle from her. “Let me show you how it’s done.” When Seth drank, his face was like stone. He smacked his lips when he was done. “Damn, that tastes good.”
Kate was still coughing.
“Here, you need some practice.” He passed the bottle back to her.
The plan to distract him had worked. Seth had stopped asking questions, and if he was going to get shitfaced, at least he was doing it with her.
She took the bottle from him with a defiant smile and drank again. This time, like Seth. Like a pro. What had Richie called her? A badass mini-Seth Gecko?
When she handed the bottle back, he stared at her in awe, like the time she put the target over her head at the Twister, like the time she stood side by side with him as they robbed a bank, like the time the tattoo needle punctured her skin and she didn’t shed a single tear.
He shook his head, muttering, "Goddammit, Kate," and brought the bottle back to his lips.
She beamed bright again, just like a shooting star.
VII. Sounds like paradise. I don’t believe in paradise.
The Clint Eastwood movie ended hours ago and the tequila bottle was now empty. Kate and Seth sat on the carpeted floor in between their twin beds. Moonlight streamed in through the open window. Despite the cool breeze blowing in, the temperature seemed to linger at eighty degrees.
Kate twirled a strand of hair in between her fingers. “You know, when I was little, I wanted to be scientist.”
Seth leaned his head back against the bed frame. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” The tequila threatened to rise in her throat, but she pushed it back down. “I thought if I was a scientist, I would have all the answers.”
Seth chuckled. “You already think you do.”
She slapped his leg. “Shut up.”
A quiet moment passed. She sighed, content with the silence.
“Wanna know what I wanted to be when I was a kid?” Seth asked.
“What?”
He lowered his head so he was looking at her. “A cop.”
She stared at him, trying to figure out if he was messing with her or not. Slowly, a grin formed on his face and he was laughing.
She hit him again. “You asshole.”
He howled with laughter, clutching his stomach.
“You’re hilarious,” she said, rolling her eyes.
As he caught his breath, he stopped laughing, but his smile was still there. “Thank you, Kate.”
“For what?”
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever felt like a happy drunk.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Imagine that. I’m drunk and I’m happy. I’m a happy drunk.” His eyes glazed over, and she knew he was time traveling, visiting some far off memory.
“Hey.” When she touched him again, it was a gentle pat to his knee. “Where did you go?”
“Richie.” His voice cracked when he said his brother’s name.
Her heart clenched as she remembered her secret. Maybe her plan to get drunk hadn’t worked; Richie was still on both of their minds. She moved over to sit beside Seth. “What about him?”
“I always thought I was taking care of him, but really, he was taking care of me.” He sniffed like he was trying not to cry. “I didn’t want to be a cop, Kate. I just wanted to make sure I saw another day. Our dad loved using me and Richie as his own personal punching bags, especially me. Told me I had a mouth and I had to be taught a lesson each time I talked back.” He chuckled. “Now you know why I’m such a dick. I can run my mouth as much as I want now.”
“Seth...”
But he didn’t stop the history spilling from his lips. “Richie killed our dad. I didn’t know until that night at the Twister. He took care of that bastard and what do I do? I let him leave with that snake bitch!” He slammed his fist against the side of the bed.
Kate recoiled, but she stayed at his side.
He breathed in. “Sorry, princess, I guess I spoke too soon. I ain’t a happy drunk at all.”
She looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. She wanted to tell him about Richie, to let him know her brother did care about him in his own demented way, but she wanted Seth with her more.
“Be honest with me, Kate.” His fingertips brushed against her forehead. “Am I taking care of you, or are you taking care of me?”
She thought about the question for a moment before lifting her head. His wide dark eyes were curious, like he was afraid to hear her answer.
But, Kate wasn’t afraid. She gave him a soft kiss and kept her eyes open as she watched Seth’s flutter and close. A peaceful expression flooded his face. With their noses still touching, she curled her fingers under his chin and said in a whisper, just as soft as her kiss: “We’re taking care of each other.”
VIII. Now, you. Confess.
Kate woke up in their next city, in their next motel room, wrapped in Seth’s arms. Her back was pressed against his chest and each time he exhaled, his warm breath hit the nape of her neck, tickling her. Sometimes she wished his hands would squeeze a little tighter, that his mouth would taste hers, that she could feel more of his skin on her skin. They hadn’t done anything since she kissed him, but lay in bed fully clothed, holding each other. She wondered if he even remembered the kiss had even happened.
For the past few days, she thought about Richie’s message. Scott needed her help. He was asking her to come find him, to not give up. It sparked something inside her—instead of wandering lost in the Mexican desert with Seth, she now had a mission. But it was a score she wasn’t sure Seth wanted any part of.
She turned to face him. His eyes were closed, but she could tell by his breathing he was awake. Funny how she understood details like that about him now.
“Seth.” She studied the small scar on the side of his neck where Richie’s fangs had bit down. Maybe she was going to make a terrible mistake, but after Seth had shared his secrets with her, now it was time for her to do the same.
“Hmm...” His eyes remained shut.
“I need to tell you something.” She swallowed hard as the words struggled to come out. “I saw Richie last week.”
His eyes flew open, and she knew she was wading into a dark storm.
“What are you talking about?” he said.
“He told me Scott needs my help,” she said. “That I need to bring Freddie and go after Scott and Carlos.”
He pulled away, leaving her clutching air. This was what terrified her; this was why she had kept her word to Richie instead of immediately telling Seth the truth.
“Seth, please...”
His shoulders sagged as he moved to the other side of the bed. “How do you know he’s even telling you the truth, Kate? How do you know he’s not playing some game?”
“He’s definitely playing a game.” She wanted to reach out, to show him she still needed him, but she kept her hands to herself. “But it’s my brother, Seth.”
He turned to her, smiling bitterly. “It’s my brother too.”
IX. Honestly, I have no idea where I’m going, but I think after tonight, I’m gonna be fine.
Kate spent the morning at an Internet cafe. It took her a few keystrokes to find the contact information for the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Rangers division. She jotted down the phone number, but before she stepped away from the computer, she typed in “Lord Malvado.”
She found artwork of a man with reptile skin and sharp fangs jutting out of a crooked, bloody mouth, and myths and legends about a soulless creature intent with controlling his own special brand of chaos. If Scott was with him, she needed to find her brother as fast as possible.
Kate packed up and headed back to the motel. She wasn’t sure what she was going to find or not find when she returned. When she had left, Seth was still in a daze, barely saying five words to her, only telling her he needed some time to think.
But it was simple: Either he went that way and she went the other, and that was that, or they stuck with “always.”
Still, when she discovered their van was missing from the parking lot, her heart sank. And sure enough, when she walked into the room, Seth was gone. She found a bag filled with some cash from the bank heist and extra bullets for her gun.
There was no note indicating a good bye or even a good luck. Seth had disappeared again.
As she collected her few belongings, her chest knotted. She wanted to cry, but she refused to let the tears fall. She touched the tattoo inside her wrist. Seth had warned her about regrets. Did she have any now? She didn’t think so. Not with the bank robbery, not the guns, not the tattoo, not telling Seth about Richie, not kissing Seth, and certainly not making that decision to get in that car with him at the Twister, where all this had been set into motion.
Before she left the room, she glanced at the unmade bed and remembered how she woke up in Seth’s arms this morning. The memory finally unraveled the knot inside her chest, causing her tears to spill.
She stepped outside, locking the door behind her, and when she looked up to face her new journey, there was Seth, leaning against the hood of the van. When he saw her, he pushed himself off and made his way toward her.
Smiling through her tears, she met him halfway.
X. But, goddammit, we got love for each other, don’t we?
“You want some company?” Seth asked.
There was no hesitation from Kate as she told him, “Yeah.”
THE END