Page 3 of Flash (Iron Thunder MC 2)
I was afraid I would have to make a run for it at a moment’s notice, always looking over my shoulder. I needed to make sure my car was good to go.
I picked up a protein bar—pretty much the only thing I could afford—and eyed a bottle of water, but decided I wasn’t too thirsty. I could wait till I got to the bar later in the evening.
The woman at the counter looked me up and down.
“Just this?” she asked when I plonked the protein bar down.
“Uh-huh.” I tried to smile while rummaging in my pocket for the change, but she stared at me with a bored expression, like she couldn’t forgive me for disturbing her peace for one measly protein bar.
I thanked her and left, clutching the bar tightly in the pocket of my jacket then going to sit in my car while my stomach rumbled.
I ripped the packaging open and took a small bite. It was too sweet, too sticky in my mouth. A few months ago, I would have thrown this away in disgust. What, a protein bar for breakfast? I was usually pretty healthy in my eating habits and would have advocated a piece of fruit or scrambled eggs instead. But right now, I didn’t have the luxury of either of those choices.
I ate the bar and scrunched up the packaging and threw it in the backseat. I didn’t even care about the cleanliness of my car anymore. It was all about survival. Just keeping on going on till I was sure I had run far away enough.
I sat in my seat, staring out at the emptiness of the road. The loneliness of the gas station. My life had looked a lot different a months ago, but at least now—at least now, I was my own person, in charge of my own life.I was aware of what people saw when they looked at me.
A young, attractive woman who could have the world in the palm of her hands. What they didn’t know was how I had secrets just like the rest of them. I had them in bucket-loads, and they hung around me and followed me around like a dark cloud.
When I was a teenager, flirting with boys and breaking hearts in high school, I’d never thought I’d end up on the run. I never thought I would be in this position where my life was constantly in danger.
But I hadn’t met Billy yet.
He came into my life and everything changed. I thought I’d found my man, thought I was lucky and living some kind of fairytale. I was naive.
Now, I was sitting in the front seat of my car, listening to the cackling voices on the radio. It was cold in here. I rubbed my arms, the car still parked on the side of the road across from a deserted building.
I had some time to kill. Actually, a lot of time.
Luckily enough, I’d managed to score a job in this town, one I’d never been to before. The bartender at this place, Hank, who hired me, was old and nice, the kind of man who took one look at me and decided he was going to give me a job because he couldn’t turn me away.
I knew I wouldn’t stay here long, knew I’d be spooked very soon and go on the run again, but I needed this job. The tips each night would help me get to the next town.
And now I was waiting in my car, waiting for time to tick by till I could go to the bar for my shift. I looked forward to it, closed my eyes and pictured it in my head. Low lights, warm, an abundance of water and bar snacks to nibble on. Hank’s friendly smile, making jokes behind the counter with the regulars.
It was the prospect of going to the bar that kept me going. I knew if I could just get through today, then maybe tomorrow I could leave. Maybe in a few days. I didn’t know where I would go, but I’d go somewhere, anywhere from here. I couldn’t remain in one place too long.
I kept my eyes closed and tried to imagine the life I’d left behind. The life that had been mine many months ago—almost a year? I’d stopped counting the days a long time back. Most times, I didn’t even know what day of the week it was.
It wasn’t a bad life. It was comfortable. I was happy, or at least, I thought I was. Back then, I didn’t even know how lucky I was to have a roof over my head, to have friends and job, and three meals a day. A closet full of clothes and shoes and makeup.
Maybe I’d taken it all for granted. Maybe it was my own vanity that was at fault. All my life, I’d been told repeatedly how beautiful I was, aware of the special attention I always attracted. The guys who fought over me in the background. The way other girls looked at me, like my looks were reasons to hate me.
