The Recovery Read Online Free Page B

bleed out. And when he was done, James didn’t bring it up. Instead he stopped at a fast-food drive-through and ordered six apple pies.
    They arrived at the Sunset Grove Motel, a spectacularly sketchy place on the outskirts of town. The plan was to leave early in the morning and head deeper into California. The next stop was a small town near Sacramento, but Realm was spent. He needed to regroup, accept his guilt, and move on. Easier imagined than done.
    Both guys got out of the SUV and glanced around, unimpressed, at the two-story building. Iron railings lined the outdoor walkway of the second floor, and the building’s sky-blue paint was peeling off in chunks. The sign itself was bright orange, the only likeness to a sunsetin the place.
    “Charming,” James said, taking out his wallet. “I’ll grab the room, you get the bags,” he said. Realm nodded and James started toward the office lobby.
    Realm stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck to the left and then the right. He walked to the back of the Escalade and opened the trunk. He slid on James’s backpack and then looped his duffel bag straps onto his forearm before grabbing the messenger bag. He slammed the trunk shut, and when he turned, he noticed a girl two cars down leaning against the hood of a Honda, texting on her phone.
    She was out of place at the motel just as much as he and James were. She was pretty, with long legs and jet-black hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had a flannel tied around her waist, one boot up on the bumper of the car. The girl turned to him as if she could feel him staring and Realm nearly dropped his bags, trying to hide the fact that he was. He circled to the front of his SUV, wishing James would hurry. He kept his eyes trained straight ahead, avoiding the urge to look the girl’s way. Of course, the moments dragged on. What the hell was James doing?
    “The computers are down,” the girl called, startling Realm. He turned to her, lifting his eyebrows as if surprised to see her there.
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    “Cash only because the computers are down. I had to call a friend to bring me money; the dick in there wouldn’t take my card. Guess that’s what I get for staying at a place with negative stars on Yelp.”
    Realm smiled, setting down his bags now that he knew he’d be there for a bit. James had money, but Realm couldn’t imagine him giving it up without an argument. The girl went back to her phone, and Realm studied her until she looked over. He smiled.
    “I’m Michael Realm,” he said. “But most people just call me Realm.”
    “Thanks for oversharing.” Her thumbs moved over her the letters on her phone again.
    Realm ran his hand through his hair, completely shut down, but not surprised. Another few minutes passed, and he heard the girl exhale loudly.
    “Are you an asshole, Michael?” she asked.
    He laughed. “What?”
    “An asshole. Because you look like a really nice guy, and I’ve found they make the biggest closet assholes.”
    Realm thought for a moment, and then shrugged. “Yeah, actually. I guess I kind of am.”
    “Totally called it,” she said. But she smiled, and Realm guessed she was mostly joking—the sort of joking used to avoid getting to know people. A tactic he’d seen with patients in The Program.
    Thumping bass from a car stereo filtered into the air just as a yellow Mustang came into view on the road. When it pulled into the lot, the girl cast a backward glance at Realm, and then approached the driver’s side of the car. The guy behind the wheel was talking, his face pulled into a sneer.
    Just then, to Realm’s relief, James came out of the office, looking annoyed. He motioned toward the stairs and Realm picked up the bags to follow. He met him on the landing, and saw James check him over and then look at the girl.
    “Making friends?” he asked with a smirk.
    “You know me,” Realm said. “Always looking for another bad decision to