Dropping the car into first gear, Mark pulled away from the curb.  Picking up speed as he went through the gears and was up to speed before he replied.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffff">“I pulled over and said that I’d give you a ride and offered you a job.  I didn’t say it would be on your back or even against the law.  Some of it may be against the law but is widely accepted in most places.<br/>
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“It could get dangerous and the longer you ride with me the more you will find out about me and what I do for work.  We have a couple more hours until we stop for the night.  That should put over a hundred miles between you and what you’re running from.  We will have dinner and find a pool hall or poker game so that I can pay for the gas, the room and something for dinner.”</span><br/><br/>The next move would be hers.  She could accept what he was offering or she could find a new ride.  He had more than enough money but sitting around a hotel or going to the movies wasn’t what kept him going.  Hustling some guys at pool or winning some money at a card game was where he was in his element.  He lost occasionally but not very often.<br/><br/>Some of the guys got upset and wanted to fight or take it back by some other kind of force but Mark could fight and didn’t let the winning get out of hand.  To be safe, he normally moved on to the next town or further depending on how much he won and how upset the people seemed to be that they lost.  He rarely took the same roots and when he did, he stopped in different towns.<br/><br/>As he crossed the country, back and forth, the small towns looked, felt and acted the same.  With a little knowledge and the right questions, finding what he was looking for didn’t take too much effort.  The radio was playing low in the background as he let the situation cool with Kandy to see how she would respond.