The relentless hum of the RV had become the soundtrack to Remy's life, a constant, comforting drone as the Oregon coast faded into the rearview mirror. Days had blurred into a rhythm of driving, eating Theo's surprisingly good espresso, exploring quirky roadside attractions, and falling deeper into the silent, complicated orbit of the man beside her. They were now pushing east, leaving the misty coastal forests behind for the vast, arid expanse that stretched towards Nevada. It was still May, and the landscape shimmered under the western sun.
Remy sat in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the horizon, watching the distant mountains rise like jagged teeth against the sky. She felt Theo's presence beside her, a constant, weighty warmth that filled the RV. He drove, as always, his jaw tight, his dark eyes perpetually scanning. She knew his world was still dangerous, a shadow stretching behind them, but the fear had dulled, replaced by a strange, fierce loyalty. She trusted him, implicitly. She had learned to read the subtle shifts in his demeanor, the almost imperceptible tensing of his shoulders, the sharpening of his gaze.
Her own world, meanwhile, was equally complicated. Her phone, tucked away in her bag, continued its relentless buzzing. "Unknown Number." Every few hours, like clockwork. She knew who it was. The hospital. The doctors. Trying to get her to come back in, trying to give her more bad news, more medical jargon she didn't want to hear. She just wanted to live. Really live. And Theo, ironically, was helping her do just that.
She thought of her list. Number 88: See the largest collection of vintage pinball machines. Number 92: Eat a truly authentic New Orleans beignet. They were getting closer to the places she'd dreamed of, ticking off experiences with a furious, joyful energy. But now, each fulfilled item was tinged with a bittersweet ache. The more she lived, the more she wanted to live. And the more she wanted to live, the more she wanted it to be with Theo.
Her gaze drifted to him. He was a paradox, a man of brutal efficiency and surprising tenderness. He'd brought her a new, absurdly soft blanket from a tourist trap last week, just because she'd shivered slightly one morning. He watched her eat her experimental creations with a carefully neutral expression, but she'd caught the faint, private smirks. And that almost-kiss… The memory of it was a current beneath her skin, a constant reminder of the raw, electric desire that thrumming between them. Sometimes, late at night, when Theo was asleep, she'd lie awake, staring at the ceiling of the RV, tracing the outlines of a future she hadn't dared to imagine before him. A future that, due to her diagnosis, she didn't believe she had.
"Theo," she said, her voice soft, breaking the comfortable silence. "What's the plan when we get to... wherever we're going?" She hadn't pressed him for details, respecting his need for discretion, but now, with the desert stretching out, the question felt urgent.
He exhaled slowly, a heavy sound. "My family is handling the situation. Neutralizing the threat." He glanced at her, his dark eyes holding hers for a beat longer than usual, a subtle warmth in their depths. "Once they're done, we're clear. To keep going." He didn't say where they'd keep going, but the implication was clear: the trip, their time together, didn't have to end.
A surge of relief, so potent it almost made her dizzy, washed over Remy. He wasn't planning on disappearing alone. He was planning on them continuing. The silence stretched, now filled with a thrilling, terrifying hope.
Her phone buzzed again, vibrating against the console. "Unknown Number." She reached for it, her hand trembling slightly. This one felt different. More insistent. A cold dread settled in her stomach. She stared at the screen, imagining the stern faces of the doctors, the grim news she was avoiding. She couldn't. Not now. Not when she was finally, truly living. She hit 'ignore,' slamming the phone down with a little more force than intended. "Seriously," she muttered, forcing a laugh. "They're relentless with these car warranty scams. Don't they know when to give up?"
Theo's gaze, intense and analytical, settled on the phone. He said nothing, but Remy felt his silent concern, his piercing observation. He was still trying to unravel her, trying to understand the distress those calls caused. She hated that she couldn't tell him, couldn't burden him with her reality, not when he had so much on his own shoulders.
The RV continued its journey, the landscape becoming starker, more dramatic. As the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in a fiery blaze, a new kind of light began to appear in the distance. Not the gentle glow of small towns, but the harsh, insistent shimmer of a city. Las Vegas. Their destination.
Theo's phone, the burner, suddenly buzzed with a fierce urgency. He snatched it, his expression hardening as he listened. His voice, when he finally spoke, was low, clipped, and devoid of emotion, though a spark of grim satisfaction entered his eyes. "It's done. Valenti's high-level assets in Vegas have been neutralized. The area is clear." He ended the call, his hand clenching the phone.
He looked at Remy, his dark eyes blazing with a familiar, dangerous intensity, but now overlaid with a profound relief. "The threat has been removed," he stated, the words a cold, hard stone in the quiet RV, a declaration of triumph. "For now, we're safe. The path is open."
Remy felt a shiver run down her spine, not from fear, but from the sudden, stark reality of his world and the profound impact of his words. The calm before the storm was over, and the storm had been cleared. The journey had been leading them here all along. To a choice. She met his gaze, a fierce determination rising within her. Whatever came next, she would face it by his side. Because the path was open, and she intended to walk every step of it with him.