Chasing Allie (Breaking Away Series #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

told him plenty of times. He smiles, “Marissa, I mean. Yeah, I’ve been to L.A. a few times. Gotta show Allie the ocean. Nice to make someone’s dream come true, you know.” 
    “Oh,” Marissa says with emotion. “That’s so sweet of you. I can’t wait to meet the guy who’s making my sister so happy.”
    “Can’t wait to meet you in a few hours, Marissa,” he says back, giving me a silly look. 
    A few hours. In a few hours I’ll see the ocean. Kiss Chase at sunset on the beach. Hang out with my sister.
    Ignore the fact that a Mexican drug lord expects me to be delivered by my stepdad to use me as a sex toy and take my virginity however he wants. 
    Wow. That thought comes out of nowhere . I mean, not literally nowhere, because it’s true. But does the truth have to be so, well... true ? 
    “Allie? Allie? You there?” Marissa’s voice sounds far away, like her question echoes down a long, metal tube. Chase’s hand gently closes over mine and he puts the phone to my ear.
    “Yeah,” I mumble. “I’m just kind of tired, you know?”
    She laughs. “You can’t exactly sleep on the back of a motorcycle, can you?”
    I perk up. The tiredness comes from feeling overwhelmed. I know it well. Out here, I don’t have to feel like the world is sinking in around me. On the road, I have Chase.
    “True,” I answer. “I just need some coffee and I’ll be back to normal.” As the word “coffee” comes out of my mouth, Chase lets go of my hand and walks with purpose back into the gas station. A car rumbles up, more rust than paint, and pulls in front of a gas pump. As the owner turns off the engine it rattles and bangs, like it’s not quite sure it’s ready to stop. 
    I look down at my arm. There’s an ugly dark bruise.
    I feel like that car.
    “You be safe,” she adds, and we get off the phone. I eat my protein bar and finish my drink, throwing the trash in a garbage can. The sun is lower in the sky and I’m exhausted but impatient. Amped up inside and ready to get back on the road. I need motion. I need speed. 
    “Here,” Chase says, coming toward me with a paper coffee cup.
    “What’s this?” I marvel. He’s smiling.
    “I got you a coffee. I wasn’t sure how you take it, so...” He bends down, puts his own cup on the ground, stands up and reaches into his front pocket. A bunch of cream containers and sugar packets fall out of his hands onto the seat of his bike.
    “And the fake stuff, too, if you like that,” he adds, tossing down a packet of artificial sweetener. By the way he crinkles his nose, I’m guessing he’s not a fan.
    “I like coffee with just cream,” I say softly, reaching for the little plastic containers. “Lots of it.” 
    He gets his own cup and peels back the lid, showing beige coffee. “Me, too! How about that? No sugar and no fake stuff. Those chemicals will kill you. Rot your gut.” 
    Fate, right? I laugh. “We’re meant to be together,” I chirp as I dump five creamers into my drink and take a sip. As I lift the rim of my cup again to my lips, his eyes lock on mine.
    “Funny,” Chase says, stepping toward me with determination. “I was thinking exactly the same thing.”
    Police sirens pierce the air. I jump at being startled by the sudden sound, and then two cop cars shoot right past us, the wind from their speed pulling my hair around my neck. My hand holding the coffee begins to tremble. My eyes see nothing but the residual blue and red flashes from their lights. 
    As the sirens fade, Chase watches the cars until they’re eaten by the horizon.
    He turns to me and nods at my cup. “Drink more. You can carry it on the bike if you need to.”
    With my hands still trembling, I take a big sip. It’s cooling off now.
    “You can do that? How will I hold on?” 
    He laughs. “Hell if I know. The old ladies in the clubs figured it out. You will, too.” A warm feeling shoots through me, glowing and bright. It’s not the hot coffee. Chase’s words