Hidden Flames Read Online Free PDF Page A

herself. “Shit, just what I need…for him to criticize and judge where I live. Fuck me all to hell.”
    Prue led Owen down some side streets and within five minutes was able to pull up to a rundown apartment building that housed roughly two hundred people. She pulled into the first slot available among the massive collection of old beat-to-shit vehicles that had seen much better days, leaving Owen to figure out where he was going to park his Road King. She could already imagine the thoughts going through his head—the first being would his bike still even be there by the time they returned. She felt a jolt of satisfaction run through her at his discomfort before guilt settled in. She really should be a nicer person, but she hadn’t wanted him here anyway. She removed her helmet and then collected her old utility cover from the saddlebag.
    To Owen’s credit, he didn’t say a word when he fell into step beside her as she walked up the cracked and crumbling sidewalk where weeds were growing in between the uneven slabs. Prue had her helmet in hand and she noticed that he did the same. She came to the first door, not needing to walk up the rusted steps to the second floor where a couple of small kids were running up and down the outside hallway. Her apartment was on the first level with easy access. As for the children, she’d given up on figuring out whom they belonged to, not wanting to know anything about her neighbors anyway. They didn’t bother her and she ignored them completely…the same non-spoken agreement she had with all her fellow tenants.
    Prue slide the first key into the slot, turning the deadbolt and then did the same with two others. Just because she lived in a somewhat crime riddled neighborhood didn’t mean that she didn’t know how to protect her belongings with a quality deadbolt. She turned the knob and shoved her shoulder against the door, knowing it became stuck as the day wore on due to the combination of the sweltering humidity, a poorly constructed door, and a cheap pine frame. It wasn’t bad this time of year, but it still registered upward of seventy percent by mid-day.
    She left him standing in the doorway as she walked into her small one bedroom apartment, setting her helmet on the small coffee table that she’d gotten at a thrift store a few blocks away. He took a couple of steps inside and then closed the door behind him. Wasn’t he supposed to be putting in the filter for her? It didn’t matter. She would have checked the installation anyway, so he might as well let her do both bikes while they were at his place. She certainly didn’t need to go inside his house and see all the material items he possessed.
    “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready,” Prue called over her shoulder as she walked into the bedroom.
    She hadn’t bothered to make the bed and she resisted the urge to do so. She didn’t need to impress him. She took off her cap and tossed it onto the bundle of sheets before sliding open the closet door. She grabbed a duffle bag and threw in what clothes she’d need for the trip along with a sleeping bag, leaving room for essential items they would grab from the gas station. Water, protein bars, and the like would be mandatory. She’d also purchase travel-sized products, such as shampoo, while they were there to minimize space.
    Prue couldn’t help but let her gaze swing to the door, wondering what Owen was doing in her living room. He hadn’t said a word since they’d entered her place and she mentally steeled herself against any opinions he may have formed. Setting aside her unmade bed, her place was relatively clean. There weren’t any dishes in the sink and she did a dusting of the living room a couple of days ago. It was presentable and a hell of a lot cleaner than the garage.
    Prue hoisted her duffel bag off of the bed and left the bedroom to find that Owen was still at the front door. He’d reopened it and was watching the kids run around the parking