Connor put How It’s Made on Netflix before he attempted to make up the pull-out.

M watched him with hooded eyes, silent and observant. It made Connor’s skin crawl, having those eyes on him, judging him.

He fluffed up the two pillows and straightened up the blankets.

“Do you want to lay down?” he asked, blushing a little with embarrassment. He felt weird and he didn’t like it. M wasn’t helping much. He shrugged and looked around uncomfortably.

“I should be on the outside,” he said. “In case I get sick.”

“You’re still throwing up?” Connor asked blankly.

“Sometimes.” M picked at the hem of his t-shirt. “Are you going to get upset with me?”

Connor froze for a moment, a little confused about the question, but then he shook his head. “No.” He sat on the edge of the pull-out. “You can have the outside.”

M sat beside him. He folded his hands in his lap and stared down at them as the guy on Netflix talked about how toothpicks were made.

“I’m terrified,” M said after a long pause. “I think the agent will hurt the baby if he gets the chance.”

Connor slowly raised his arm and looped it around M’s shoulders. The little blond leaned into his side immediately and pressed his face against his chest.

Connor smiled a little. He felt powerful holding the tiny alien in his arms. It felt right… he suddenly wished he hadn’t been acting like an asshole for the past few weeks. He wished he’d been holding M close this whole time…

“We have to stop him,” M said determinedly. “He won’t leave us alone. We have to make him, Connor!”

“I agree. Do you have any ideas?”

“Besides bashing him over the head again with a bat?” M gasped. “No!”

Connor snorted against M’s soft hair. “I don’t even know how you managed to hit him. That one night I faced him in the streets, back in Florida, he beat me every time. He was faster, he was stronger…” He growled at the upsetting memory. “I don’t think I can take him on my own.”

“I’m stronger than you know,” M said and he sat back to smile up into Connor’s questioning gaze. “I could lift you up with a single hand.”

Connor frowned. “Fuck you.”

“I’m fast too… When I want to be—”

“Liar, you suck as a runner.”

“When I say fast, I’m mainly referring to my reflexes. I’m not necessarily referring to speed.”

Connor laughed. “Whatever.”

M shrugged. “I’m just saying… we’ve had to leave home and run too many times now. We’ve been in hiding way too long.” M firmed his jaw. “I want to figure out a way to take him out. I’m sure we can do it.”

Connor sighed and let his arms fall from around the blond. He laid down on the cushions and met M’s excited gaze solemnly. “If it was that easy, why haven’t we already done something?” he asked.

“Because it wasn’t worth the risk before,” M said. “We need to do something now… so we can protect the baby.”

Connor rolled his eyes. He didn’t like the implication that the baby was more important than him and his livelihood, but he didn’t see any point in complaining. Everything he had was already gone and in shambles… What did he have to gain by bitching up a storm?

“Yeah,” he said simply.

“I love him already and I don’t even know what his name’s going to be yet,” M said with a laugh. He touched his belly and Connor looked closely… He swore he could see a little bump.

“Mmm, yeah,” he muttered.

“I can’t wait to be a mommy,” M said and Connor snorted. “What? It’s going to be great! I just hope he has blue eyes like yours… They’re so pretty.”

Connor huffed. “Nothing about me is pretty.”

“Your eyes are,” M said boldly and he laid down, keeping his back to Connor’s front.

Connor licked his lips. The blond was fully dressed, but his legs were exposed in the shorts he wore. His t-shirt rode up a bit as he got comfortable and Connor spotted a pale strip of skin around his middle. His stomach and hip were partially in view. The skin glowed in the half light coming from the computer monitor.

“I bet our baby is going to be cute,” M continued. “Hannah said he’d probably start out with blond hair, so if he gets your blue eyes, he’ll look like both of us.”

Connor slanted his hips imperceptibly closer to M’s rounded little ass. He rested his hand on his own hip, wanting desperately to feel the smooth, white skin M had on display. He didn’t though… he just looked.

“What if the baby has dark eyes?” Connor asked.

“He won’t,” M said dismissively.

“Depending on your genes, he could come out looking a hundred different ways,” Connor said.

“Jeans?” M sounded highly confused. “But I usually wear shorts, I don’t like jeans very much.”

Connor laughed and he gave in a little bit. He curved his hand around M’s narrow hip and shook him, trying to be humorous. “Not these jeans, dork. Genes like DNA and stuff.”

“What’s denay?”

“I’ll give you a science lesson later, it’s not important,” Connor said.

“But why would our baby have dark eyes?” M pressed. “We both have light eyes.”

Connor grunted. His fingers were splayed across M’s silky abdomen. He stroked the blond’s stomach while he held his hip firmly in his hand.

M accepted the touching without comment. He shivered a little, Connor could see it through his shoulders and stiff neck.

“Connor?”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t want to have sex,” M said quietly. “I’m not in the mood.”

Connor sneered. “I can get you in the mood, I’ll bet.” He angled his hardening cock into the cleft of M’s ass. He pressed their bodies together and hissed at the warmth that washed through him.

M squirmed in his embrace. It helped stimulate Connor’s erection so he appreciated the discomforted move. He clutched M closer and touched his lips to the nape of his neck.

“Connor, no,” M moaned.

“But I want to,” Connor said in a deep voice. “I want to fuck you, M.”

They struggled against each other for a few seconds. Connor wrapped both his arms around M’s middle and he drilled his cock into the swell of his butt.

M bucked his hips and fought to roll out of Connor’s arms. He wasn’t having much success.

Feeling victorious, Connor sank his teeth into the curve of M’s throat. He sucked the skin into his mouth and tasted the sweetness on his tongue…

Suddenly, M’s hand closed around Connor’s balls. He’d somehow managed to worm the appendage between their bodies during the struggle and he gripped the tender little morsels in an iron fist.

Connor whimpered as M tightened his grip.

“Let me go, Connor,” M said sharply.

Connor whined and released the blond instantly. He scooted back into the couch and separated his groin from M’s cute ass.

M rolled off the pull-out and landed on his knees. The carpet took most of the impact, but he winced and glared at Connor in anger.

“Why didn’t you stop?” he asked.

“Because I didn’t think you were serious,” Connor said, almost as angry as M was. He sat up, rubbing his sore nuts. “You act like I was going to rape you or something.”

“You’re a jerk,” M said bitterly. He stood up unsteadily. “I’m going to sleep in Hannah’s room.”

Connor flushed. He watched as M left the room, shutting the door behind him with finality.

Connor knew he shouldn’t have rushed things. He knew he should have treated M with an utmost respect and gentleness. He shouldn’t have touched him…

Connor sighed and fell back onto the cushions. His erection was long gone by this point…

A couple hours passed. Connor fell into an uncomfortable slumber sometime before the computer timed out. It was pitch black outside and silent in the house… Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at Connor’s door. He sat up straight, blinking groggily into the night.

“Hannah’s awake,” Bradley said through the door and Connor dragged himself off the couch to answer her.

Bradley was dressed down to a white undershirt and her jeans. She’d turned the hall light on, too, and Connor peered stupidly at her through slanted eyes. He was blinded by the light. He couldn’t help it.

“Wake up, man,” Bradley said. “Hannah’s waiting for you guys downstairs. I filled her in best I could.”

Connor grunted. “I’m coming,” he said. “Fuck, I must have slept two hours tops. I feel like shit.”

“You look it too,” Bradley said pleasantly. She turned to go back downstairs, but caught sight of something in the dark bedroom across the hall. “M?”

The door was wide open… Of course, M wouldn’t close Hannah’s door for privacy. Connor followed Bradley’s line of sight to see M sitting up in Hannah’s bed, his hair ruffled sweetly.

“Hannah’s awake,” Bradley repeated. She shot a questioning look at Connor, but didn’t ask any prying questions, at least. Connor ducked back into his room to put something fresh on and to hide from his own embarrassment.

M would probably tell everyone later what a jerk he was being… there was no need for him to humiliate himself even further.

Connor threw on a different shirt and shoved his feet into his tennis shoes. He wanted to hurry and beat M downstairs…

He rushed out into the hall and flew towards the stairs. The light was on in the bathroom and Connor glanced inside automatically.

M stood in front of the toilet with his cock out…

Connor wrenched his eyes away from the blond’s naked penis and hit the stairs. He took them two at a time, gripping the banister tight. He skidded to a halt on the bottom landing.

Bradley looked up from her spot on the couch. Her eyes widened slightly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said.

Connor wrapped his arms around his chest. “I’m fine.”

Bradley furrowed her brow. “Good to hear.” She got up, passing Hannah as she wandered into the kitchen. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Sure.”

Connor stared at the back of Hannah’s head as Bradley clattered around in the kitchen. She was bent over her mug of coffee, her eyes closed as if in prayer.

He walked around the couch and sat next to the silent girl. “Hannah?”

She opened her eyes slowly, and looked at him dully.

“Are you awake?” Connor asked.

“Yes,” Hannah said.

Connor gripped his knees, digging his nails into his jeans. “Well… how do you feel?”

“Tired,” she said slowly. “But I think I’ll be ok. Just as soon as I finish this coffee.”

Connor stared at her in awe.

“She’s still really out of it, but she knows what’s going on,” Bradley said. She stood in the doorway with another cup of coffee. She set it on the table and Connor dragged it closer to him. It was black. Perfect.

Soft footsteps started down the stairs. Connor didn’t have to look. He knew it was M.

“Hey,” Bradley said. She was still standing next to the coffee table, her thumbs tucked into her pockets. “Do you want a coffee too?”

M came to stand on the opposite side of the couch, closest to Connor. He shook his head and sank into the couch. There was only a little space between them and Connor looked over nervously at the boy, wondering if he hadn’t noticed or something, but M looked like he was a thousand miles away. His eyes were vacant and he looked deeply unhappy.

Connor bit his lip and looked away.

“Alright, well, what do we do next guys? This is your thing, you two should have a clue,” Bradley said. “How do we get away from the agent?”

Connor frowned. “We haven’t escaped this bastard yet,” he said. “We drove straight from here to Florida the first time we tried to run from him and got teleported the second time! It doesn’t matter, he always finds us!”

“But how?” Bradley asked. “We can try to avoid detection if we—”

Connor snapped. “It was your researching that got us caught this time,” he sneered. “Isn’t it obvious? You set off a bunch of red flags pulling up files and shit.”

Bradley scoffed, but Connor flipped her off.

“The agent put a tracker in my head. I had to get it surgically removed in a fucking spaceship!” he said. “That’s how he was keeping tabs on us before… this time, it was as easy as watching the police records!”

Bradley huffed. “I was just trying to help,” she said. “All I know how to do is investigate—”

“You mean, poke your nose in where it doesn’t belong?” Connor asked sweetly.

Bradley flipped him off now, and Connor laughed.

“Well, I think staying here would be stupid,” Connor said briskly. “So, step one, we have to get out of here.”

Bradley gave him a long, measured look and then turned to M. “What do you think?”

Connor rolled his eyes as M sat up and met Bradley’s insistent gaze.

“I don’t want to stay,” he said softly. “I don’t know what the agent has planned, but we can’t afford to wait around and find out.” He laid a possessive hand over his little baby bump and lifted his chin with determination. “If we stay moving, maybe we can come up with a plan to get rid of him for good.”

Bradley nodded. “That sounds smart.”

“Smart?” Connor grunted. “M? What about your Mothership, where is she? Why isn’t she helping us right now?”

M bowed his head and Connor almost snapped at him. He thought the blond wasn’t listening to him! But M spoke after a moment.

“I tried contacting her… For hours last night,” he said to the floor. “I don’t understand. I couldn’t reach her… She said we were on our own, but she said if I really needed her, she would find a way to come to me.”

Connor glared at the little alien. “And?”

“And she didn’t answer me!” M cried. “I need her and she isn’t here!”

“Christ.” Connor face-palmed.

M cried into his hands. “We have to run, because I don’t know what else to do and I can’t talk to Mother…”

“Who’s Mother again?” Bradley asked in a state-whisper.

“The artificial intelligence inside the spaceship he used to live on,” Connor said casually.

Bradley’s eyebrows darted up to her forehead and Connor laughed at her expression.

“We could just go by ourselves,” he said suddenly. “We don’t need to drag these two with us; the agent isn’t interested in them.” He gestured to the student teacher sipping her coffee with a dazed expression and the scowling ex-cop. “Don’t give me that look, Bradley, you don’t want to go down this road. Being on the run sucks.”

“Well, how do you know the agent isn’t after me now? He got me fired apparently. And I’m being investigated by agencies I don’t even know about… What if you two leave us behind and we end up needing your help.”

Connor shook his head. “I don’t care what you think. The agent has zero interest in you. It’s M he wants… he only fucks with me because me and M are attached at the hip now. I obviously can’t ever leave him.” He was mostly being sarcastic, but he flinched a little when M suddenly fell into his lap, his arms going around his waist. M pressed his wet face into Connor’s stomach and he cried in his arms.

Connor rubbed his back awkwardly. He stared down at the boy in amazement…

“We’re coming with you,” Bradley said. Her face had softened and she watched M’s and Connor’s embrace with approval. “Hannah has the money and I know a lot of people. You need us,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, we’re involved now,” Hannah said and everyone turned to look at her. “Don’t try to push us away.”

Connor studied his friend’s face. She smiled brilliantly, her perfect white teeth gleaming.

“We need to borrow your mom’s car. Do you think that’s possible?” Connor asked her.

“We can ask,” she said.

Connor nodded slowly. “So, once we’ve got some wheels, where can we go? How much money do we have?”

Hannah pondered for a moment, scratching her chin. “My mom probably won’t give me more than my monthly allowance…” she said. “I’ve got maybe $400 in the bank.”

“I’ve got $200,” Bradley said sheepishly. “I just paid bills… we can use my Visa card—”

“No,” Connor said. “No cards. We need to take money out of the bank before we go.”

“You can’t take $400 out at the ATM,” Hannah said.

“We’ll take as much as we can,” Connor said. “Now, how are we getting to your mom’s house?”

They ended up getting an Uber for four. Bradley left her motorcycle at Hannah’s parked on the curb.

It was 2 in the morning and Connor, M, Hannah and Bradley were crammed into the back of a minivan while a chatty middle-aged guy drove them out of the city.

“We should withdraw your money before we get out to the boonies,” Connor said.

Hannah snorted, but she called up to the driver: “Can we stop at that gas station up there? I need to get some money out of the ATM.”

“Ugh,” Connor cringed. “The withdrawal fees.”

Hannah snorted. “It doesn’t matter.”

“He’s right. This is going to suck,” Bradley said. “And I’m always so careful about avoiding bank fees,” she muttered.

They pulled up to the gas station and Hannah hopped out with her wallet. Bradley grabbed a bank clip from her bag in the back and joined her. They’d all piled their bags into the backseat. They weren’t planning on going back Hannah’s after this.

“Are you kids going on a road trip?” the Uber driver asked from up front.

Connor looked into the rear view mirror. He could see the guy’s face in the reflection.

“Something like that,” he said distractedly. He craned his neck around to see into the store. Hannah and Bradley had disappeared somewhere into the back.

“Anywhere interesting?” the driver continued.

Connor grit his teeth. “Nope.”

“Must be a family thing,” he muttered. “Is it a family thing?”

“It’s an emergency,” M said quickly. “I’m pregnant and we’re running from a stalker.”

The driver turned in his seat to get a better look at M while Connor glared at him.

“Shut. Up.” He mouthed at the clueless boy.

M blinked at Connor stupidly. He had no idea what a huge mistake he’d just made.

Suddenly, the side door flew open and Hannah tumbled into the van. She climbed into her seat beside Connor and buckled up.

“Alright,” she signed, smoothing her hair down fussily “They let me take out $300.”

“Cool,” Connor said. He glared at the driver from the corner of his eye. The guy was practically ogling them.

Hannah followed Connor’s line of sight. She clicked her tongue. “My friend is using the restroom. She’ll be out in a minute” she said and luckily, the guy turned around quickly to grip the wheel. He didn’t ask any awkward questions, thank god.

“Bradley could only take out a $100,” Hannah continued as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “She was afraid to take out more. She said she’d get charged for going below a certain cash amount.”

Connor’s shrugged uncomfortably. He really didn’t want to talk about other people’s finances. It wasn’t his business.

“Relax,” Hannah said. She patted Connor’s leg in a comforting rhythm. He fought the urge to pull away. “My mom can help us. Just let me do the talking.”

Bradley returns momentarily, pocketing her full money clip. She buckled up as the van turned onto the road again and gradually picked up some speed. The driver turned the radio on and Britney Spears’ voice filled the silence.

As they drove across town, M looked boredly out the window and Hannah messed with her phone. Bradley shut her eyes and attempted to nap. Connor sat in the middle, wishing he had something to distract himself with.

He ended up watching the driver in the mirror. His mouth was moving along with the lame pop songs on the radio. Connor didn’t think very much of him.

The ride to Beth’s house took just over an hour. Connor squirmed with discomfort, he felt claustrophobic wedged into the seat between M and Hannah. He couldn’t move his arms without touching them. He wanted to shake them off and get a breath of fresh air.

He got his wish soon enough. They pulled in Beth’s long driveway, the van kicking up gravel behind it. The driver parked close to the front of the house and turned around to watch them collect their bags.

“Thanks for choosing Uber,” he said.

M and Hannah were the last ones climbing out of the van. Bradley kicked their bags into a pile as they joined Connor on the front walk. The Uber van immediately started to back down the driveway and Connor watched it go with relief.” That guy was stupid,” he said. “Really fucking stupid.”

“That’s not nice,” Hannah said vaguely, but Bradley’s unrestrained reaction caught her attention more.

Bradley whistled loudly, looking up at the large brick house, it’s many windows adorned with electric candles. It looked gorgeous in the night. The manicured lawn was lit by moonlight and stretched smoothly in every direction. The trees in the distance looked like dark brushstrokes in a master landscape.

“You weren’t kidding,” she said with amusement. “Your mom’s loaded.”

“Stop…” Connor couldn’t tell for sure, but he thought Hannah might have been blushing.

“I don’t have to stop,” Bradley said with a wolfish grin. She stepped closer to Hannah and the smaller girl had to tilt her head back to keep eye contact with the taller woman. There was no doubt about it, now. Connor could see Hannah’s cheeks darkening with embarrassment. “Your mom’s rich. What are you going to do about it?” Bradley teased.

“N-nothing,” Hannah said.

Bradley peered at Hannah carefully. “I thought you looked like a rich girl. Now I can see it for sure.”

Hannah backed away from Bradley as the ex-cop burst into laughter. Connor wasn’t sure what that was all supposed to mean, but he’d had enough lesbian flirting for one night.

“Alright,” he said sternly. “Let’s get this show on the road. Does your mom know we’re here?”

“No,” Hannah said. “I tried messaging her, but she’s pretty strict about her bedtime. 11pm is lights out.”

Connor looked up at the mansion. Besides the decorative candles, the house was dark.

“Well, let’s wake her up then,” Connor said and he headed for the front door.

Hannah hurried after him, but she didn’t hold him back. They either rang the doorbell or they waited out on the lawn until morning… the last option wasn’t really viable though and Connor stepped up to the front door and sharply jabbed the bell.

They waited as the sound of ringing chimes echoed through the house. Bradley shuffled backwards on the paved walkway. She pointed upstairs. “There’s a light on.”

“That’s my mom’s room,” Hannah covered her face with a hand. “I can’t believe we’re doing this. My mom’s going to have a heart attack before she answers the door.”

Bradley chuckled. “Want me to be a police officer?”

“Please. No. Don’t make this any more dramatic than it already is,” Hannah groaned.

They waited in the dark for several minutes. Connor rang the doorbell again, huffing impatiently.

“Just call her cell!” he cried. “Fuck.”

Hannah fumbled her phone out of her bag and played with the screen for a minute. She pressed it to her ear. “Mom? It’s me. I’m outside.”

The door opened quickly after that. Beth stood on the threshold, her silver hair in a tight ponytail and a bathrobe draped around her shoulders. “Hannah?”

“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Hannah said and then she pushed her way inside. Connor followed her and M and Bradley trailed after them.

The small group filled the front hall. Bradley’s eyes went straight for the childhood pictures of Hannah along the back wall and Connor shoved her out of the way to make more room.

“Move,” he hissed.

“Watch it, asshole,” Bradley hissed back. She elbowed Connor, but he dodged her and elbowed her back. Right in the ribs.

Beth peered around Hannah at Bradley’s grunt. She was crowded against the staircase with her daughter in her face. The girl was talking quickly, in a low voice, but Beth spotted Connor over her shoulder and her eyes narrowed.

“What’s he doing here?” Beth asked blankly. “I thought you two broke up?”

Hannah looked around at Connor, her mouth still hanging open. “We did,” she said vaguely.

“Then what’s he doing here?” Beth snapped. She brushed a few errant strands of hair behind her ear and pulled her robe tighter around her body. “What’s this about Hannah?”

“I’m trying to explain,” Hannah said, but Beth’s gaze landed on M next and she smiled wearily.

“M,” she said in greeting.

The blond smiled hugely. “Hi Beth.”

“Mom,” Hannah said. “We need your car.”

Beth shook her head. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

“We’re not in trouble,” Hannah said with a fake laugh. Connor rolled his eyes. She was being totally unconvincing. “We’re having a lot of car problems though. An Uber dropped us off.”

Beth sighed. “I’m going to make some coffee. Excuse me, dear. I have to get into the kitchen.”

Hannah shuffled out of the way and Beth swept into the kitchen.

“Great job, Hannah,” Connor mocked.

“You ask her then. If it’s so easy,” Hannah said, her face flushing red with embarrassment.

“You said you’d do the talking,” Connor said easily.

Hannah huffed. She threw her hands up in frustration and turned to follow her mom into the other room.

“Do you ever come out of dick mode?” Bradley asked. Connor flipped her off, but she ignored him and followed Hannah into the kitchen.

“Fucking dyke,” Connor muttered and then he followed the girls into the back.

Beth was filling a coffee pot with water. She took it carefully to the coffee maker stationed on the island and poured it through the filter.

“Cmon, Mom, please,” Hannah begged. She leaned over the counter on the opposite side of the island, watching her mom with desperate eyes. “I need to borrow the car for awhile. I promise I’ll get it back to you in one piece and I promise I’m not in trouble.”

“I need it tomorrow morning ,” Beth said primly, pushing buttons on the coffee maker. It gurgled into action. “I have an appointment in town.”

“Take an Uber,” Hannah said.

“You take an Uber. I want to take my car,” Beth said firmly.

Hannah pouted as her mother ignored her.

“Mom!”

Beth turned to grab a mug for the cupboard over the sink.

Hannah glanced desperately across the room at Connor, but to be honest, he didn’t know what to do either. He didn’t think Hannah would appreciate if he grabbed that stupid bread knife out of the block on the counter and threatened to stab Beth if she didn’t hand over the keys…

He clenched his hands into fists and stood his ground. He wasn’t going to assault an old lady. No matter how much he may have dislked her. .

Beth bustled around her kitchen, getting out some sugar and a container of cream. Bradley cleared her throat. Connor and Hannah turned at the same time to watch her, both of them sensing the ex-cop had something up her sleeve.

“Hannah didn’t introduce us, ma’am, but I’m a good friend of your daughter’s. I’m Lee Bradley.” She stepped farther into the beautiful, spotless kitchen. It was like a picture from a magazine. Connor was getting itchy the longer he stood here, on the marble. Bradley and Beth shook hands and Beth told the younger woman to call her by her given name. She glanced at Connor as she did so and he figured it was supposed to be some sort of slight. He didn’t care. He wanted to leave.

“Beth… I apologize for waking you up in the middle of the night. We went through every other option we could think of before we came here,” Bradley said earnestly. She looked remorseful and Connor nearly choked on a sudden bark of laughter. Beth was eating this up!

“I don’t understand,” she said levelly. She took a slender spoon out of the sugar bowl and dumped two scoops into the bottom of her mug. “Why are you here? And why for God’s name is he here?”

Connor scowled at the old bitch. “Me and Hannah are still friends. I don’t see why it’s any of your business but—”

“Not my business?” Beth had been about to pour some steaming hot coffee into her cup. She set the pot down suddenly and glared daggers in Connor’s direction. “It was my business when my little girl was sobbing in her old bedroom for over a week, trying to get over you,” she said heatedly.

Connor rolled his eyes.

“Oooh!” Beth slammed her palms against the countertop, her face screwed up in disgust. “I don’t care what kind of relationship you have with my daughter, but it’s undeserved,” she snapped. “You’re… you’re a little shit that’s what you are!”

Connor had a million different things he could say in rebuttal, but before he could, he felt M press a hand to the small of his back. He caught sight of the blond in the corner of his eye… M was shaking his head…

Connor averted his eyes, feeling like he was being chastised like a little child. Across the room though, Bradley’s mouth was shaped into a neat little ‘O’ of disbelief. She reached out slowly and touched Beth’s shoulder.

The old woman flinched and turned back to the ex-cop with a hand on her chest. “The four of you are going to give me a heart attack!” she cried. “It’s nice to meet you Lee, but I need you all to just spit it out and tell me what’s going on or you all can step outside and I’ll call you a cab back home. This is not the time for visiting.”

Bradley nodded shortly. “I don’t know the whole story with Connor, but I was just telling him what an asshole he is,” she said, grinning at her own humor. Beth smiled back, but she seemed confused. Bradley kept talking. “I’m having a little emergency back home and Hannah was nice enough to offer me a ride out of town,” she said. “We’re co-workers at the school. We got to know each other very well between classes.” She met Hannah’s eyes across the room and Hannah looked away quickly, her cheeks reddening. “Hannah ended up having some car trouble tonight and she called Connor to help out. We’d barely even let town when the next thing we know, Connor’s having car problems. We broke down and we’ve been stranded most of the night, trying to figure out where we’re going next.”

“But why on earth would you call him?” Beth scoffed. She started to pour herself some coffee again, but her hand was shaking. Bradley stepped in smoothly and took the pot from the old woman. She poured Beth a mug.

“You wanted to add cream, right?” she asked, leaving about an inch of unfilled mug.

“Thank you,” Beth said. She pulled the cup closer and added her cream. She stirred the liquid briskly.

“Connor owes me a favor,” Hannah spoke up suddenly. All eyes turned to her and her face got redder than ever. “T-that’s why I called him.”

“Oh god, don’t tell me your trying to get back together with him,” Beth said.

“No, Mom,” Hannah huffed. “I promised Brad— I mean, Lee, that I’d drive her down to her parents tonight. I just wanted to look cool,” she said. “Connor has a car and he owes me one.”

“I thought he was missing,” Beth said, her eyes narrowing. “I thought the police were looking for him.”

“Ah…” Hannah glanced at Bradley, but it was Connor who answered.

“That was a bunch of bullshit,” he said. “It was a work issue.”

Beth snorted. “Does Papa John’s send the police after their employees a lot?”

“I worked for Pizza Hut,” Connor snapped. “And no, they don’t normally call the cops on drivers. But again, this isn’t any of your business.”

Beth’s lips thinned. She sipped her hot coffee and glared bitterly out the window.

“Please, Mom, we just need to borrow your car for a few days—”

“Hannah, no,” Beth said firmly. “I don’t know what you and your friends are into, but I want no part in this.”

“Mom—”

“We can talk about this tomorrow if you want,” Beth said quickly. “But I’m not giving you my car.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor spotted Bradley ghosting along the countertop. There was a little desk along the back wall with a desktop computer. Books and papers were scattered haphazardly around it.

“Don’t you trust me?” Hannah whined. “I don’t understand why you can’t help us!”

Connor and Bradley met eyes from across the room. There was a set of keys on the edge of the desk and Bradley’s hand closed around them silently.

“It’s because he’s involved,” Beth said angrily, and Connor looked away from Bradley’s thriving ass. Beth was pointing at him, glaring at him… Connor sneered at her. There was no reason to be nice anymore. Bradley… fucking Bradley… had saved the day.

“Hannah,” Connor said loudly.

“What!” She whirled on Connor, her face flushed unpleasantly, he hair flying out of control around her wild-eyed face.

“Let’s go,” Connor said.

“But—”

“Now,” Connor said forcefully and Bradley hurried past Hannah and came to stand at Connor’s side.

“I’m sorry we bothered you,” Bradley said. She nodded politely in Beth’s direction. The old woman clutched her robe tighter about her narrow frame and nodded stiffly in return.

“Whatever!” Hannah cried. She was shaking with frustration. She rounded the island and stormed out of the kitchen in a show of brattiness Connor had never seen in her before.

Bradley followed Hannah in an instant, leaving M and Connor alone with Beth.

M waved naively at the angry old lady, but Beth turned away. She went to stand over the sink so she could look out the window, at the moonlit grass in her backyard.

“C’mon,” Connor took M’s bicep and gently pulled him out of the room.

The boy let Connor drag him away. When they got to the foyer though, M dug his heels into the carpet and refused to be moved.

Connor released him. “We’re leaving,” he said, as if in warning. Then he turned and exited the house. He didn’t look back, he followed Bradley and Hannah out the front door and across the sprawling drive, towards the detached garage to the right of the mansion.

Connor wasn’t terribly surprised when M fell into step beside him. They veered off to the side of the building and met up with the two girls as they shoved a key into a door entering the garage.

“My mom is going to kill me,” Hannah moaned.

“You’ll be fine,” Bradley said neutrally. She sprang the lock on the door at last and pushed it open,

Hannah whined, but she followed Bradley into the garage pretty fast.

Connor hurried in behind them. “I’m driving,” he said, snatching the stolen keys from Bradley’s slender hand.

She shrugged and slid into the backseat of Beth’s car. A shiny black Chrysler 300.

“Get in the front seat,” Connor said to M and the boy snapped to attention. He rounded the sleek, black luxury vehicle’s hood as he angled for the passenger door.

Connor turned to watch Hannah for a moment… The girl was scanning the dark walls of the garage.

“C’mon Hannah,” Connor said.

“I’m looking for door opener,” she said over her shoulder.

“There’s a remote one on the dashboard,” Bradley called from the backseat of the car. “Come sit with me, Hannah.”

Hannah’s shoulders drooped a bit and then she turned to face them again. Her face was full of determination and her hair was still a wild mess.

Connor grinned at her. “Ready for an adventure?”

“I guess,” she said.

They walked to the Chrysler and climbed inside. Connor started the engine and mavelved at how quiet it ran.

“There’s the door opener,” Bradley said from the back. She jabbed her finger over Connor’s shoulder and he hit the button fast to get her arm out of the way.

“Where are our bags?”

“Same place we left them, in front of the house,” Bradley said.

Connor tapped the gas and they coasted across the gravel at a snail’s pace.

“Throw everything in the trunk,” Connor said as he pulled up beside their small bundle of luggage. He braked, mashed the trunk release and Bradley hopped out to toss their things in the back. She was back in her seat in under a minute and Connor gunned the engine and they tore through off through the rocks and towards the road.

“Where are we going first?” Hannah asked from the back.

Connor shrugged. He flipped through the radio stations, stopping on some old Tim McGraw song.

Hannah sighed. “I hope mom doesn’t call her car in stolen. I hope we don’t end up with grand theft auto on our records.”

Bradley chuckled. “Blame it all on me and Connor—”

“Me? What the fuck did I do?” Connor snorted. “You’re the one who swiped Beth’s keys. I didn’t tell you to do that. You came up with that genius idea all on your own.”

“You were all my distraction,” Bradley said snidely. “Didn’t we go over this?”

Connor glared at the twisted ex-cop in the rear view mirror. “No, fucker, we didn’t,” be said. “So, Bradley the Klepto Cop?”

Bradley frowned, Connor could see it in the rear view mirror. “I haven’t stolen anything in years,” she said. “And I’m not a cop anymore.”

Connor snorted. “Are you a criminal turned cop? That’s pretty noble of you.”

“No,” Bradley said and her voice dropped in pitch. “The only thing I ever stole was food and money to buy food… Nobody ever caught me.”

M caught Connor’s eye. He seemed to be begging him to lay off… To give up the teasing and Connor bit his tongue before his mouth took over for him.

“You didn’t mention anything about that,” Hannah said slowly into the sudden and awkward silence.

Bradley laughed. “C’mon Hannah. Why would I have? You hardly give a crap about me.”

“What?”

Bradley shook her head. “This isn’t the right time or place for a conversation about our relationship,” she said.

Hannah’s eyes bugged out of her head, but Bradley fell silent and turned to look out her window.

Connor looked back at the road in front of them and tried to ignore the tension brewing in the backseat. He drove them towards the highway and headed east.

He wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but he was thinking about his mom’s place in Florida… He wondered how unwise it would be to stop by for a visit… Maybe they could grab some supplies, some money and maybe even change vehicles.

Connor drove aimlessly for a couple hours. Bradley and M fell asleep after the first one had passed and Hannah was looking pretty sleepy in the back after the second.

Near the third hour, there was a dinging sound coming from the dash. Connor checked the alert on the information panel… They had 50 miles to E.

Connor checked if Hannah was still awake… She was. Barely.

He turned the radio down. “We’re running low on gas,” he said.

Hannah sat up a little. She huffed. “This is ridiculous, Connor. Where are we even going. Do you have any plans at all?”

“Besides running blindly? No!” Connor snapped.

Hannah sighed. “You’d better find a gas station then.” She looked out the window. Dawn was just touching the horizon. “Where are we even at?”

“Iowa. We just crossed the state line.”

“Iowa?” Hannah gazed out at the dark landscape. “I’ve been here once. I don’t even remember what for.”

Connor pulled off at the next exit. He’d spotted a Sunoco from the highway and he pulled into the dimly lit parking lot and stopped next to a pump.

“I’ll run in and pay,” Hannah said. “I want to grab some snacks and I have to use the bathroom.”

“Alright.”

Hannah jumped out of the car. She ran halfway to the little store before she stopped, spun around and ran back. Connor rolled down M’s window so he could talk to the frazzled girl.

“I stuck my wallet in my bag,” she said. “It’s in the trunk.”

Connor popped the trunk and Hannah retrieved her book bag. It was stuffed full of clothes and toiletries and probably a few books as well… Hannah slammed the trunk shut and hurried back to the store with her bag slung over her shoulder.

When she reached the store, she tried the glass door on the front of the building… she tugged on it, utterly perplexed when it didn’t fly open.

Connor checked the time. It was just after 5 in the morning. He knew a lot of gas stations kept their doors locked until closer to sunrise and did business with a microphone and accepted payment through a little slot in the wall.

He glanced at the blond boy, slumped unconscious in the seat beside him, and into the back at Bradley who was totally dead to the world, her left cheek pressed against the window as she napped.

He got out, thinking he’d have to show Hannah where to talk to the cashier, when a sleepy gas station attendant shuffled to the door and let her inside.

Connor sighed and figured he’d wait for the money to show up on the pump. He went around to the other side of the car and idly opened the tank.

As he stood waiting, a gale of laughter came from around the corner. Connor’s head came up and he looked around nervously for the source, but he didn’t see anyone, and besides their car, parked in front of the pump, there was only one other car. A dark green Pontiac was parked in the back by a dumpster. It looked like it probably belonged to the employee cashing Hannah out now.

Hannah came out of the gas station with a bag of stuff and a key on a pink lanyard.

“I put $30 dollars on your pump,” she called. “And I’ll be right back; I’m going to pee!”

Connor cringed a little, but he went about getting the car fueled just fine. He leaned against the side of the Chrysler and watched the gallons add up.

Suddenly, a pair of teenage boys in black shirts and baggy jeans ran out from behind the store.

One of them started whooping and the other joined him merrily. The careened around the pumps and looped around the edge of the lot. They hopped the little concrete wall separating the parking area from the exit ramp off the highway just beyond it and disappeared from view

The hair on the back of Connor’s neck stood up. He had a uneasy feeling about the boys… he hadn’t actually seen where Hannah had gone, but he figured the bathrooms were probably at the rear of the building, which is where the teens had been hiding apparently…

Connor glanced into the car, worried about leaving its two sleeping occupants unattended and vulnerable.

“Connor!”

He froze. That was Hannah’s voice and she sounded desperate.

He turned away from the car and slid between the two pumps. He ran across the short stretch of asphalt, around the corner of the building and skidded to a halt as he caught sight of Hannah sprawled in the gravel. Her bag was torn open and clothes and bottles and tubes of makeup and lotion littered the ground. Hannah sat with her hand over he mouth amongst her girly bullshit. She moved her hand just the slightest bit and Connor saw she was bleeding.

“What the fuck happened?” Connor fell to his knees and clasped the girl’s face in his hands. Hannah’s hand fell away and Connor winced as a thin trail of blood leaked from her split bottom lip. “What happened?!”

“I got robbed,” Hannah sobbed. She was trembling and Connor held onto her even as he burned to chase after the little bastards he’d seen jump the wall.

“They hit you?”

“They shoved me down,” Hannah said. “I fell on my face.”

“I saw them come running around the building,” Connor said quickly. “They were cheering.”

“I heard them,” Hannah said. “I was eating dirt after they shoved me though.”

Connor winced and helped her up. “They took your money?”

Hannah nodded. “I took my money out in the store and the guy behind the counter was looking at it and being awkward so when he gave me change back, I didn’t stay to put it away. I came outside, talked to you and then shoved all the money in my wallet. I came around the corner with my head down, putting everything back in my bag when some boy tells me to ‘Watch out.’ I look up and get shoved hard from behind.” Hannah looped her arm around Connor’s shoulders and whined pathetically.”I dropped everything. They grabbed all my money and my phone.”

Connor helped Hannah put her stuff back in her bag, then he guided her around the building and towards the Chrysler parked by the pumps.

The fat, teenaged boy who’d unlocked the door for Hannah was standing at the wall of glass. His eyes took in Hannah’s distress and the situation but he didn’t lift a finger to see if we were OK.

Connor scowled at him, but Hannah suddenly felt like a million pounds. She started crying dramatically as the got closer to the car and Connor had to concentrate on steering her dead weight.

He kicked the side of the door once he got within reach and luckily, Bradley sat up in an instant, alert and ready to fight.

She saw Connor and Hannah struggling beside the door and she jumped and lunged to open it. “What happened?” she asked in a rush. “God, Hannah. You’re bleeding.”

M started to stir in the front seat. He sat up groggily and peered out his window at Hannah and Connor as they stood draped around each other. He frowned faintly.

“Connor?” he said. His window was still cracked open a few inches and his voice floated through the space.

“Some boys shoved Hannah on the ground and took her wallet,” Connor said through his teeth.

M gasped and Bradley got out of the car to look wildly around.

“Where did they go?”

“They jumped over that wall.” Connor nodded towards the concrete barrier at the edge of the lot and Bradley hurried off to investigate. He sighed. “She’s not going to catch them,” he said to no one.

“Maybe she will,” Hannah muttered. “I can’t believe this! They got my phone too, Connor!”

“You shouldn’t have it anyway,” M said through the window and Hannah blubbered at him senselessly “The agent can track us using cellphones…” he said. “There’s no point in running if we keep them with us.”

Hannah whined something about “Not fair,” and she climbed into the back and buried her face in Bradley’s discarded leather jacket. She cried pitifully, her back shaking in her sorrow. M reached over his seat and patted her on the back and strangely, that seemed to make her cry harder.

M glanced at Connor and Connor shrugged. M slowly withdrew his hand…

“I didn’t see anyone,” Bradley called as she jogged back to the pumps. “Did they get in a car or escape on foot.”

“On foot… I think,” Connor said and when Bradley gave him an impatient look, he snapped: “I don’t fucking know! They could have ran down the ramp and got picked up by friends! I wouldn’t know. I saw them hop the wall and then I ran to check on Hannah.”

“Fine,” Bradley said stiffly. “Then let’s go.”

“No, wait, we can talk to that kid in the gas station… I think he had something to do with it.” Connor looked towards the store, but the boy wasn’t in sight anymore.

“Forget it. We don’t have time,” Bradley said. She slid into the car and pulled Hannah into her lap with ease. The bleached blond released Bradley’s coat and wrapped her arms around the lesbian’s chest instead.

“How do you know how much time we have?” Connor glowered. He was the only one outside the Chrysler at this point. The road leading to town was empty and quiet, as was the rest of the gas station. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “That guy inside knows something… Those idiot robbers were probably his friends. Let’s—”

“What? Drag him outside and beat answers out of him?” Bradley shook her head. “The only thing we can do is make a police report and I’d rather avoid the cops if we can.”

Connor started to protest, but one look at their flashy luxury car changed his mind. He sighed. “Then we’re down to $100,” he said bitterly. “And you need to toss your cell phone before we roll out of here; M says the agent can track us through it.”

Bradley tore her free hand through her short black locks of hair, grimacing unpleasantly. Then she pushed Hannah out of the way and arched her hips to rifle through her back pocket for her phone. She ripped the back off, removed the battery and the SIM card and handed them to Connor.

“That should be good enough,” she said.

Connor tossed the items in the bin next to their pump and nodded. “Good enough,” he said.

He went around the car and jumped in. He started the engine and pulled out onto the road. He went back to the highway; he was afraid he’d get lost if he didn’t.

“What are we going to do now, Connor?” Hannah blurted into the silence after they’d gone a couple miles. “We don’t have any money and I’m pretty sure my mom will turn us in soon enough. She’ll get tired of waiting to hear from me.” She started sobbing. “We’re done for!”

“Shh, calm down,” Bradley hushed the girl. “We can’t lose our heads. We have to think and stay calm.”

M curled up in his seat, tucking his feet under his butt. “I wish I could talk to Mother. I feel so lost…”

Connor rolled his eyes. They were lost. None of them had any clue what they were doing!

He took Bradley’s advice though and he stayed calm. He took a few deep breaths before he spoke to next. “I already know it’s probably a bad idea, but we should head back to Florida. My mom can give us more money. And… I don’t know! Jamie’s smart. If we involve her in this stupid mess, maybe she can figure out how we can get out.”

“I’m smart too,” Hannah snapped. “And I’m confused as hell.”

Connor smirked. He couldn’t help it.

“The more of us, the better,” M said, and Connor sobered instantly.

“So, we go to Florida?”

M sighed. “We have figure something out… Soon. This is going to make us sitting ducks. The agent will probably be waiting in Florida with his arms open.”

Connor nodded. “We’ve all been warned… Right?”

Hannah sighed. “Yeah.”

Bradley folded her arms across her small chest. “I don’t know what we were warned about. What is the agent anyway? What kind of threat is he, besides your conviction that he’s the bringer of bad-things-happening-at-random?”

Connor chewed on his tongue. “The threat is he wants to make M a science project,” he said in an even tone. “I won’t let that happen. Whether or not M is carrying my… my baby, I feel responsible for his safety. I promised M I’d keep him safe.”

The little alien reached across the seat and laid his hand on Connor’s thigh. Connor gently stroked M’s silky skin… He weaved their fingers together and gripped the boy tight.

Bradley sat back in her seat. Silent. Resigned. Hannah looked unhappy, but she wiped her tears away and made a conscious effort to fix her hair.

“I got snacks for everyone,” she said. “Those little brats didn’t take my bag of food,” she said and the sound of plastic rustling came from the backseat. Hannah handed a bag of sour cream chips over the armrest.

“Thanks.” Connor was suddenly starving and he tore into the chips immediately.

He wondered how they were going to make $100 stretch for a couple thousand miles worth of gas and food for four.

But he didn’t worry about it yet. He took the next interchange and they started heading south. He didn’t know what they were going to do, but he had a bag of chips and he had M’s hand on his thigh.

He felt strangely content… M was always able to forgive him so easily, it was a blessing. He was beautiful and gentle and sweet…

Connor wondered when he’d get a moment alone with the blond… M had a gorgeous glow about him and try as he might, Connor grew more and more aroused as the car ride continued and M’s hand flexed on his thigh as he fell into unconsciousness.

It was probably for the best they couldn’t be alone. M had been so negative about Connor’s sexual feelings last time… he was kind of nervous even just thinking about initiating anything besides a simple hug and maybe… maybe… a kiss.

Traffic picked up as the clock crept nearer to 8 am… Morning rush hour shit… Connor wished he could sleep through it like the rest of the car was. Bradley and Hannah were leaning against each other in the back, snoozing peacefully in a little bubble of serenity.

M was curled up in the passenger seat and he too was fast asleep. His face was buried in his raised knees and he had an arm wrapped around his bare legs in a show of vulnerability.

They were stopped in a huge lineup of cars. There was some clusterfuck happening on the exit ramp ahead.

Connor used the brief pause to touch M’s soft hair… He carded his fingers through the silky locks in the dead silence of the car, enjoying the boy’s innocence and his beautiful pregnancy glow…

BEEP, BEEP!

Connor cursed and yanked the wheel to the left. He was blocking some assholes exit, apparently. He didn’t see how, but fuck it. He forced his way over to the far left lane and fought through rush hour in a shitty mood, now.

After this shit was over, he never wanted to drive again…