Page 4 of Flash (Iron Thunder MC 2)
I didn’t want to be vain, tried not to use my looks to my advantage. I had a lot of insecurities myself, tried to make friends and be nice to people as best I could. It was everyone else who treated me differently. Like they were all just lying in wait, waiting for me to mess my life up somehow.
And then Billy had come along and made me feel special. He was so confident in himself. Unlike the other guys I’d grown up around in my town, Billy wasn’t afraid to talk to me, wasn’t intimidated by the way I looked.
I was taken by that. I liked the feeling of not being treated like I was made of porcelain. Our arguments started from the very beginning of our relationship. We were passionate, our relationship electrically charged. But I’d been foolish enough to think that was exciting. Finally, I was living!
I had no idea that Billy, the man I thought I’d end up marrying, would be the man I’d spend the rest of my life running from.
As I sat in the car, my eyes flew open, darting around quickly to make sure nobody was watching me. I’d been lost in thought of my old life, Billy, the house we were going to make our home.
I felt sick to my stomach, like I was going to throw up that protein bar I’d just eaten. I clutched the steering wheel tight and allowed the feeling to wash over me like a wave. Just a few moments, then it passed.
It had been nearly a year that I was on the run from my secrets. Nearly a year that I was living in my car with nothing more than a small bag with exactly three sets of changes of clothes. Nothing more to my name.
As that overwhelming feeling passed, I felt hot tears pricking the backs of my eyelids. How much longer would I have to do this? What was the point in even living like this? Maybe it was time I faced up to that dark cloud hanging over me.
Maybe…
No. I wasn’t ready yet. Would I ever be?I was relieved when it was nearly time for my shift to begin. I drove up to the bar and parked where I could always keep an eye on my car as I worked behind the counter.
In the rearview mirror, I quickly brushed my hair and put on some dark lipstick in order to make myself look presentable. What I could really do with was a shower.
Sometimes, after my shift, I’d ask Hank if I could use the special bathroom upstairs to take a quick one. Hank didn’t know much about me and thankfully didn’t ask me questions.
A shower was something he didn’t deny me when I asked.
I got out of the car and gently shut the door, seeing the bikes and a few cars parked around me—the regulars were here already.
I’d only been in this town, working at this bar for fifteen days, but I knew the regulars. They tipped well, they were all really nice to me. I’d already decided I would try and stay in this town for as long as possible. I liked it here.
I clutched my bag tightly to my side as I walked toward the bar and suddenly, heard footsteps behind me. Maybe I shouldn’t have thought anything of them, but I stopped in my tracks, my blood frozen cold. There was something about the way the gravel crunched under the shoes of this person—it sounded familiar. Sounded dangerous.
The sound stopped when I stopped walking. For a second, I thought I was crazy. That I was imagining things.
But there were goosebumps on my arms.
Slowly, I turned around to see. I had flashes of images of finding Billy there, standing behind me with a wide toothy grin. His teeth had always been so white and perfectly aligned, almost like they were artificial. Maybe they were. There was a lot about Billy I had no clue about, even though we were living together.
But there was nobody there behind me. Just the darkness.
I gulped, feeling a little crazy. Had I really imagined those footsteps in the dark? I licked my lips. The last thing I needed right now was to be hallucinating. I needed to keep it together and stay sane.
In the distance, behind a truck parked in the corner, I heard a sort of rustle, then gasped and took a few steps back. There was definitely someone there, scurrying away now. Maybe an animal? Leaves?
In that moment, someone turned the music up louder in the bar. It startled me out of my thoughts and I whipped around to look at it.
Was he here? Was Billy here now? Had he found me?
Was he following me?
I couldn’t shake off that cold feeling of being watched.
I walked up quickly to the door, slipping in; at least for now, for the next few hours while I worked here, I was safe from him.
