Page 15 of Rough Trip

Mia turned around after grabbing her bag so she could ask Sage where the room was when she was almost knocked over by him because he was standing so close to her. She didn’t see it coming.

He was so close Mia could smell the whiskey he had during dinner coming off his breath.

He leaned in closer and just when Mia thought he was about to kiss her again, just when she began to think her plan had worked, he handed her a room key.

“Here is your room key,” he said with yet another wink. And just like that, he had started heading toward his own room.

The bastard had got separate rooms this time.

He had won this time but he had no chance, overall; Mia wouldn’t stop until he was hers.

As morning came they headed out early again. Sage wanted to get there as soon as possible as the trip with Mia had started becoming almost unbearable. He knew what she had tried to do the day before, constantly pressing her body against his unnecessarily. The way she stretched was almost spell bounding, the way she would rotate her hips as she bent forward and sighed when she got the perfect stretch was almost intoxicating. Sage had tried not to watch. Always looking out of the corner of his eye, Mia hadn’t noticed. She seemed to have gotten more irritated as the day went on.

The physical tension between the two of them had been growing for a rather long time and Sage knew he could not and would not let himself get carried away, especially now since they had to open the new branch. He had to be professional around Mia even when she made it almost impossible.

Sage had not been with anyone since Laura and he knew that it would be a huge step for him to take regardless of who he took that step with. He had never gotten to say goodbye to her and so he felt like in some way they were still connected; he’d feel as if he were in a way cheating on her. He knew he was stupid to think that way. She wasn’t even alive but he had loved her and that had been the hardest trauma for him to get over.

Mia had had enough of being on the bike. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Her body had begun to scream at her in pain. She had to try her hardest to keep herself distracted. She tried counting yellows cars but that didn’t work because there weren’t many yellow cars. She then tried to count the trees as they flew past them but Sage was a fast driver so most of the trees were a blur and she never knew if it was a tree, a bush or maybe even a person on the side of the road.

Resting during the night didn’t help because her body just needed to get off the damn bike. She would’ve much preferred doing the trip in a car. At least then she would’ve been able to stretch herself out more often in the back seat. She really hoped that this would be the final day of riding.

She was so relieved when they arrived that she almost kissed the ground. If she ever had to get back onto a bike, it would be too soon. And especially with Sage, having to wrap her body around his and feel his chest under her hands for so long had almost begun to feel like torture throughout the trip.

The Screaming Demons in Florida were expecting them; Fiona had already told them about her and Sage. The plans had already begun. The operations had been led by Adam, a Screaming Demon who wanted full control over the situation but bowed down to Mia and Sage when they arrived. Adam was an old friend of Fiona’s, always seeking more power and a higher rank within the Screaming Demons.

“You must be Mia and Sage,” he said as they got off the parked bike in the parking lot of the Screaming Demons bar.

Fiona had arranged a meeting with Adam for the two of them upon arrival so he could tell them what had happened so far. He knew all the ins and outs of the bar and how things were being run while the Omens were still in Florida.

“Hi, I’m Mia and this is Sage,” Mia said as she extended her hand for a quick handshake. Instead, Adam proceeded to shake only Sage’s hand. He clearly does not want me here, Mia thought. She, however, brushed it off. It was her operation now and everyone in town should accept it. She could so easily get him out of a job, and he had to know that because there could be no other reason as to why he’d acted like he was superior to her.

Adam was a guy of medium build, with green eyes and dark brown hair.

“So what can you tell us?” she asked, taking note of his attitude toward her. Something will need to be done about that, she thought to herself.

“Well, so far the Omens that remain in town have started to back off. They heard about what happened to Tyler and no one wants to be next.”

“That’s good. They should be scared,” Mia said. After everything she had seen, she knew what the Screaming Demons were capable of. And if she were in anyone else’s shoes, specifically the Omens, she would’ve been terrified.

“Where are the Omens situated?” Sage asked.

“They have a few bars further into the city,” Adam said as he turned his head to look in the city’s direction.

“So you don’t know if any attacks are being planned to fight back against the Screaming Demons?” Sage asked.

“None that I’ve heard of and I hear a lot,” he said to Sage.

“That’s brilliant,” Mia said. She knew Grier and Fiona would be happy about that.

“It definitely is. But we should always be prepared; anything can happen when it comes to the Omens,” Adam said.

Both Sage and Mia nodded, they both knew very well that the Omens were very unexpected sometimes but they both hoped that because of what had happened to Tyler, no one was out there planning anything.

“Let me make a phone call to Fiona to let her know that we have arrived and to pass on the information. I think she’ll be pleased,” Mia said.

She walked away and let Adam and Sage talk some more.

Mia dialed Fiona’s number and on the third ring she picked up.