Page 51 of Maximus
Val smiled brilliantly at him. “You say the sweetest things!”
The car slowed to a crawl and then stopped. She looked outside but couldn’t see much. “This is a safe house?”
Smith smiled. “This is where we park the vehicle. If they find the vehicle, they won’t be able to find us or track where we’ve gone. It’s best to be invisible. We’ll wait for Max up the hill through the forest a bit.”
Elena glanced down at her stiletto heels. “I wish I’d known that when I picked out these shoes.”
Val chuckled. “I stashed our clothes yesterday. The guys will turn their backs, and we’ll change to make the climb.”
Elena let out a breath of air in relief. “Thank goodness. These are two-hour shoes.”
Val’s eyes widened. “You rate your shoes by the time you can wear them, too?”
“I do. I have all-day shoes, evening out shoes, and then for these events, how long I can last without wanting to tear them off and throw them away.”
Val clapped her hands. “You’re going to fit right in.”
“With who?” Elena asked as she followed Val out of the car.
“All of us. Max’s people.” She grabbed Elena’s hand. “Come with me. Boys, find something interesting that way to look at.” She pulled out a large black backpack and started handing Elena clothes. “I only met you once when you were hurt that night, but I guessed your size. I’m usually pretty good, but I erred on the side of larger for your hiking boots and brought two pairs of socks so if they were too big, you could manage until we got back to civilization.”
Elena was grateful for the denim and long-sleeved shirt. She looked in amazement as Val pulled two sports bras out of the backpack. Val waved her off. “Girl, I’ve never been in a gown where I’ve worn an actual bra. I figured you’d need one, too.”
She took the bra and laughed. “Thank you.”
“No worries. Here, unzip me, and then I’ll unzip you. Reaper and Smith won’t look.”
“Reaper?” she squeaked as she reached for Val’s zipper. “Is that a real name?”
Val chuckled. “No, his name is Roman. We call him all kinds of different names depending on his mood.”
“I heard that!” the man she assumed was Reaper shouted from the other side of the car.
“Stop eavesdropping!” Val yelled back. “Turn around.”
Elena did, and as soon as the zipper was down, she put on the sports bra. “Stand on your dress so your feet don’t get dirty. There's nothing like having a stone in your boots. It sucks, especially going uphill.”
“Are you speaking from experience?” Elena asked as she shimmied into a pair of jeans that were tight but notuncomfortably so. She had only one pair of denim she rarely wore because they were a status symbol in Russia—as were western trainers … um … tennis shoes. Why Americans called them tennis shoes instead of trainers she had no idea. She put on her shirt and pulled her hair out from the collar. She sat on her dress, put on her socks, and then the boots Val had brought. She stood up and tested the fit. “Perfect.”
“Thank God. I was so worried I’d screwed it up. Smith would have had to carry you up, and I’d get jealous, but it would be my fault.”
“Do you know you ramble?” the man on the other side of the car asked.
“Dude, are you still listening to us? I thought I told you to stop that.” Val snorted and tightened the laces on her hiking boots.
“The crickets are boring. They don’t tell any secrets,” Reaper replied.
“Neither do I, asshat.” Val stood up and stomped her jeans down. “You ready?”
Elena nodded. “Yes, what’s an asshat?”
Val laughed. “Roman is an asshat. Grab your gown and shoes. We’ll stuff them in here.”
Elena winced at the way the material was shoved into the backpack. Her gown was expensive, but Val’s had to be priceless.
“Okay, guys, let’s go. I want a drink,” Val called to the men.
The man she assumed was Reaper walked up to her and extended his hand. “I’m Roman, I’m not an asshat, contrary to Val’s belief, and I told Max I’d make sure you got up the mountain safely.”