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seat.
    “Where—” She tried to sit up, but he stopped her.
    “Stay still.”
    “I’m okay,” Lucy insisted, pushing away the cover.
    Johnny had his hand on her shoulder, pressing her down. “That’s not entirely true. You have a concussion.”
    Lucy touched her forehead. “Why is it so dark?” She felt his warm face against her cheek.
    “It could be because you told me to hide, and I took that literally.”
    He smelled good, a mixture of faded aftershave and sweat. “Where are we?” She touched the back of her head. Johnny’s hand held an ice pack underneath her hair.
    “I took the closest exit. We’re parked behind a vacant 7-Eleven.”
    Lucy stiffened. “How long have I been unconscious?” A moment later his watch lit up, illuminating the interior of the pickup with the tiny dial.
    “Ten minutes.”
    “Oh,” Lucy moaned. “I’ve never been out that long before.” The truck went dark again, but only momentarily. He opened the glove box and let the small bulb give them subdued lighting. She could clearly see the worry in the shadows of his face.
    “What are you saying? I thought you said you’ve never fainted.” He lifted her chin and used a penlight from his shirt pocket to examine her eyes. “Lucy, have you told me the truth about anything since we’ve met?”
    She hesitated. Her memory dulled at what conversations they’d had over the past few hours they’d been together, where one or the other hadn’t been asleep or otherwise unconscious. “I … I can’t remember.” His hand slid around her neck, propping up the ice pack.
    “I need to take you to a hospital—”
    “No,” Lucy said quickly. “I can’t. It’s too dangerous for me.”
    “Well, we can’t hide behind this building all night. At some point an observant cop is going to ask us why we’re here.”
    “Take me home. I’m not really hungry anymore,” Lucy said with a sigh.
    Johnny flipped the glove box closed before he moved over and started the truck, stopping only long enough to check his phone when it beeped. Lucy noticed that he didn’t answer it again. She relaxed into the seat, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, and closed her eyes.
    “Keep your eyes open.”
    It might’ve been early evening, but she felt exhaustion envelop her like a heavy fog. “I’m tired. Why can’t I sleep until you get me back to my hotel?”
    “If you fall asleep, I’ll drive you straight to the emergency room.”
    “That’s a threat,” Lucy said as she sat up straighter.
    “Yes, it is,” Johnny said with his voice very low. “You have a head injury. I need you to stay awake and talk to me. I need to hear your voice to make sure you aren’t slurring your words and that you make sense. I need to make sure you aren’t bleeding into your brain.”
    Lucy groaned. “For how long?”
    Johnny sighed. “Three hours, at least.”
    Lucy groaned again.
    “Are you in worse pain?” Johnny asked as he clicked on the interior light. He glanced at her as he drove through city traffic. “Or are you just complaining?”
    The ice pack slid down onto her neck. “I think I’m allowed. You promised me a smooth ride. Instead I got clobbered.”
    “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was paying too much attention to you and not enough to the traffic in front of me. I had to swerve to avoid hitting a car.” Johnny reached over and touched her leg. “I’m just glad you didn’t fall out the window.”
    “You pulled me in.”
    “Yeah.”
    Lucy grasped his strong hand. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.”
    “I don’t think that at all.” Johnny wove his fingers in with hers. “I think you’re hurt, but I hope you’re well enough to explain …”
    Lucy waited for him to finish, but he let his voice drift away. Their dinner would have been the backdrop of a serious conversation. Now he would have to ingest the hotel’s crappy food while she tried to tell him something so implausible sometimes she didn’t believe