that wasn't an option yet. "Would it be too much trouble to ask you to take me back to the cabin now?" I asked. "Or is there a car service like Uber that I can call?"
There was a long beat of silence and then Gideon said, "The only car service out here is Old Man Mitchum's and trust me, you don't want to call him."
"How come?" I asked.
"Because the man is ninety-seven years old and doesn't own a car."
I found myself smiling as I envisioned an old man showing up at the door to offer me a ride in his nonexistent car. I absently wondered if Gideon was smiling too. But there was simply no way to know and when he didn't say anything, the awkwardness between us grew and the familiar discomfort came back.
“So would you be able to give me a ride?” I repeated. I waited for him to respond to my question, but he remained silent. My sense of helplessness grew and grew and the anxiety that I'd been feeling earlier in the day came back with a vengeance. I told myself to stand my ground and just wait for him to make the next move, but when he didn't, I felt my breathing start to increase. Brewer whined and pressed his nose into my hand.
"Lex," Gideon began, but I cut him off.
"Are you doing it on purpose?" I asked. I hated how shaky my voice sounded, but I was just so damn frustrated.
"Doing what?" Gideon asked.
The fact that he didn't even seem to realize what he was doing only served to upset me even more. He was either being extremely manipulative or completely clueless. I couldn't make sense of either behavior considering how sensitive he'd been earlier in the day. "Never mind," I choked out. I took a step forward, then another. Thankfully, Brewer stayed with me. The dog gave me the confidence I needed to keep moving.
"Where are you going?"
"Home," I snapped in response to Gideon's question.
"It's not safe there for you yet," he said.
"I'll take my chances," I responded bitterly.
"So what's your plan? Try to find your way home in the dark with no clothes on?" Gideon asked, his voice dry.
"Fuck you, Gideon," was all I said in response. I quickened my pace because I needed to get away from the man before I completely let loose on him. I needed to get back to my cabin so I could get my bearings and figure out what to do next. I'd rather return to the city than deal with the asshole who seemed to be enjoying toying with me.
"Hey," I heard Gideon call behind me. Brewer began to whine anxiously, but I didn't slow my pace even a little when the dog moved away from me. "Lex, wait," Gideon said. His voice was louder now and I could hear his heavy footsteps on the wood floor, so I knew he wasn't that far behind me. That instinct to get to someplace safe where I could protect myself kicked in and I began moving even faster.
Which made me careless.
My hip hit something hard and it was all I could do to stifle a cry of pain. But I kept moving.
"Lex, stop, the floor is uneven—" I heard Gideon say, but the rest of his words were drowned out as I tripped over something. I threw out my hands to try to catch myself, but it was wholly unnecessary because strong fingers closed around my upper arms and yanked me backwards. I slammed into something hard and only realized it was Gideon's chest when his fingers bit into the biceps of both arms.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gideon snapped. "It's like you have no sense of self-preservation!"
His words served only to piss me off and I found myself turning and shoving hard at his chest. He seemed surprised and actually released me. "You're what's wrong with me," I yelled. "One second you're helping me and the next you're mocking me."
"Mocking you?" Gideon asked.
"I can't fucking see you, Gideon!" I shouted. I knew my anger was over the top, but suddenly Gideon had become the target of all my rage and anger. "Do you have any idea what it's like to stand in the middle of a room you don't know and not be able to even figure out which direction the goddamn bathroom is in?" I asked. "Every step you take is a risk. And then you've got this guy who won't fucking talk