The Intuition - Debra Kayn Page 0,9

your toothbrush and hair stuff I found in the glove box."

"Oh." She held her pack tighter and looked up into his eyes. "That was very nice of you. Thank you."

"The wrecking yard also wanted me to give you this." He held out a small piece of paper.

She took it from him and, after reading, frowned. "What's this for?"

"Your car is totaled. That's what they paid you in exchange for hauling it away. The guy mentioned they'll wait up to sixty days for your insurance company to contact them. After that, they'll strip the car of any usable parts before they crush it."

Three hundred dollars? Surely the car was worth more than that, at least before she'd wrecked.

Whisked away from the accident, she never had a chance to investigate the damage done to her car.

"Most people visiting Avery Falls stay in campers or tents, but there's an RV down at the river that Hank rents out to those who visit and want to stay but don't have accommodations." Speeder cupped his chin and stroked his whiskered jaw. "I'll take you over there, and you can get settled."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

She looked around the room, trying to form some sort of plan to stay with him. It was comfortable in his house. His daughter was pleasant.

Speeder wanted to send her away to an area unfamiliar to her. What was she supposed to do?

"Cell phone reception is touch and go in the mountains. I've informed Hank to let you use his landline at the park to call your insurance company and whoever you need to contact to help you." He stepped over to the door. "It's not far, about a mile."

Trying to grasp all the information he was throwing at her, she stared. It bothered her that he hadn't asked how she was feeling or what she wanted to do. There was no comfort coming from him.

He was a bulldozer. Unemotional and impossible to talk to. He only wanted to push her around.

Having everything she owned in her arms, she had no other option but to carry her backpack out the front door and follow Speeder.

Halfway down the driveway, he stopped beside his motorcycle. "There's nothing to riding. Just hop on behind me and hold on."

He lifted his leg and sat on the seat. She stood back, realizing he was serious, and expected her to get on.

"Use this." He flipped a foot peg down and then repeated it on the other side of the bike. "Go ahead. Put your pack on and squeeze between me and the garbage bag."

She hesitated. He pointed at her left leg.

Putting her arms through the backpack's straps, she stepped forward and put her foot on the peg, and got on behind him. The slope of the seat tilted her toward his back. She grabbed the sides of his vest, and he rearranged her arms by moving her hands until she grabbed his flat stomach. He was too broad for her to latch her fingers together.

The motorcycle started beneath her. She gasped, tightening her hold on Speeder.

The bike tilted and moved without any warning. Dizzy if she looked forward, she made the mistake of looking down. As a result, the asphalt below her blurred in her vision.

She pressed her cheek between his shoulder blades and closed her eyes.

If she was going to die, she rather not see her death coming.

Speeder slowed. The motorcycle tilted. She glued herself to his back, pressing any space between them away.

She bounced on the seat. Then, peeking to see where he'd taken her, she finally caught her breath. Speeder went slow enough that if she walked beside his motorcycle, she could keep up with him.

Lifting her head, she gazed around. A dozen or so travel trailers and motorhomes parked side by side. Each one was hooked to a small post with an electrical cord.

Speeder stopped and toed the kickstand, shutting off the engine. "You can slide off."

Pushing away from him, she leaned to the side until the tip of her shoe touched the gravel. With an extra hop to get her leg off the seat, she finally had both feet on the ground.

Speeder pointed behind her. "The door is open. Hank will be around after a while to introduce himself."

She looked over her shoulder. The white and blue travel trailer seemed cold despite the warm day.

Nothing about the place enticed her to go inside.

Someone had left the door open, but the screen blocked her view of her new accommodations. Instead, she glanced around the area. There were