VOLITION (Perception Trilogy, book 2) Read Online Free Page A

beat after
seeing my grandfather’s image again.
    I hated him. And I feared him.
    I almost told Noah to stop.
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
     
    Noah left again to get us food for lunch, and I paced the room
like a caged animal. I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots and
let out a frustrated groan. I’d willingly ran away with Noah to be free from
Grandpa V and everything he stood for, but I felt more trapped and disempowered
than ever.
    At least Noah didn’t lag this time, and returned in short order
with a couple of greasy hamburgers.
    “The weather’s improving,” he said when he finished eating. “I
should go deal with the battery now.”
    “I’m coming with you,” I said firmly. I held his gaze daring
him to challenge me. “I’m not staying in this room alone again.”
    “It’s a long way there and back, and it’s cold.”
    “I’m okay with it being cold, and I’m in good shape. I can
handle the distance.
    Noah let out a defeated breath. “Fine. It’s getting dark a
little earlier anyway. Just keep your head down.”
    I brushed my teeth and put on a couple layers of clothing. I had
a jacket, but it was light, not really warm enough for this cool snap. I
strapped my bag over my shoulder and tucked my handgun in the back of my jeans
for good measure.
    I didn’t feel safe going out, but I didn’t feel safe staying
behind alone either. I just had to get used to being scared all the time.
    We walked quickly, sticking to the shadows, and I kept my head
down as promised. We passed the convenience store where Noah had bought my wig,
but after that I didn’t recognized anything. I was glad Noah knew where we were
going. Soon we left the streetlights of the suburbs into the darker stretch of
the road leading to the abandoned fuel station.
    The dampness of the long grass soaked my shoes and the bottom
half of my jeans. I pulled my hands deeper into my sleeves to fight the chill,
unable to hold back the shivering.
    Noah sprung the hood of the car up, messed around for a minute
and then shut the lid. The lunch-kit-sized battery hung from his hand.
    “That’s it?” I asked.
    “Yup.”
    There was a charging station on the edge of town so thankfully
the walk back wasn’t as far. I waited outside near the window while Noah talked
to the attendant. He had his cap pulled low and a shadow of a beard covered his
chin and half his cheeks. I hoped it was enough of a disguise.
    We walked back to the car in silence. Would we ever have
anything to talk about again besides what a freak my grandfather was?
    Noah had the car up and running in no time. I helped him push
it out of the bush and then I got in. It felt weird being back in the car
again.
    “Now what?” I asked.
    Noah kept his eyes on the road. “Back to our room, get our
things and check out.”
    “It’s getting late,” I said. “Maybe we should stay the night
and leave early in the morning. Unless you have a destination in mind?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know where to go. I just don’t like
staying in one place for too long.”
    “We’ve only been here one night.”
    He hmm’d . “I suppose we could stay until morning.”
    We drove into the parking lot of our motel, our eyes
automatically darting to our room window.
    My heart stopped. I swore I saw someone move the curtain. “Did
you see that?”
    “Damn!” Noah slapped the steering wheel, giving me my answer.
    He didn’t slow. He drove back onto the main road, leaving our
stuff behind, including our newly acquired laptop.
    “Grandpa must’ve seen your blog,” I said.
    “Yeah. He’s better than I gave him credit for.”
    Noah’s eyes searched the rearview mirror. I swallowed, and
turned to stare out the back window. It didn’t look like anyone was following
us, but it was hard to be sure.
    “What now?” I asked.
    “We have to get off the grid.”
    Farther off than we already were? “And how do we do that?”
    “I did some research,” Noah said, running a hand