Page 19 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
I finally came to the exit I saw them take and I hunkered down behind a massive tree. I watched for a while as no one came or went, and I didn’t hear the sounds of squealing tires or a revving engine. I didn’t know what to do next. I saw a diner just off the exit ramp that probably had people in it. But for all I knew, Skeleton and—Rocker?—whoever the hell he was with were camped out and waiting for me to do just that.
So, I ignored the growling of my stomach and kept walking.
After rushing across the exit ramp, I found myself underneath a bridge. I forced myself to keep walking up the highway, and I had to have walked for at least a mile before headlights surrounded my body. I whipped around, scared that Skeleton had found me again. Only, instead of the car screaming up next to me, it pulled up with ease.
Before a window rolled down and an elderly woman looked up at me.
“Are you okay, dear?”
Tears dripped down my cheeks. “No, ma’am.”
A man’s soft voice emanated from nowhere. “Get in back. We can take you somewhere.”
And I didn’t hesitate to get in.
The woman kept looking back at me with pity in her eyes and her husband—well, I assumed he was her husband—kept peeking back at me through the rearview mirror. I was just glad it was his eyes I kept seeing and not Skeleton’s. Those dead, empty dark eyes would always haunt me. Well, not always. But they would for a while.
“So, where you headed?” the man finally asked.
I paused. For some reason, I couldn’t recall anything. Not even the name of my fucking hometown. And it freaked me out.
That man did hit you pretty hard on the head.
“Just—not here,” I said.
The elderly woman nodded. “Well, we’re heading to Cherry Branch to visit the grandkids. Got two of them now. Neil and Lila.”
The man chuckled. “We haven’t seen them in weeks. I’ll be happy to take my naps in my recliner with Lila again.”
The sentiment made me smile. “I can only imagine.”
The woman turned around to look at me. “Do you need a doctor, dear? And don’t you try lying to me. We raised four kids on a part-time salary there for a while. I know when someone’s lying.”
If only I had time to ask them about their lives. They seemed so interesting.
“No, I really don’t think I need a doctor. But maybe somewhere to eat?”
The woman smiled. “There’s this wonderful diner that stays open all through the night downtown. We can drop you off there before heading to the house. Right, Bernard?”
The man nodded. “Right you are, Isabel.”
I smiled. “Bernard and Isabel. It’s nice to meet you two.”
The woman turned back around. “What is your name, honey?”
I hesitated. “Simone.”
Bernard licked his lips. “Well, Simone, if you need anything, just as Dani at the diner to give us a call. They’ll know where to find us and we can help. Okay?”
The sentiment was kind, but I wasn’t going to drag this beautiful couple into my darkness a second longer.
“Okay,” I said.
The woman turned around. “Promise?”
I put on my best face. “You have my word.”
She studied me for a while before she nodded. “Good.”
I still wasn’t sure she believed me. But when they dropped me off at the diner, I slid back into my heels. I knew I looked like hell, but maybe this place would pan out. I had no money to get food, but maybe they’d exchange a meal for some free labor or something.
Or they’d pay me for labor, and I could use that money to get back to Justin.
That was an even better idea.
I walked into the diner and the comfort of the air conditioning gave me pause. I closed my eyes and sighed, feeling the air wafting my hair back around my shoulders. I drew in a deep breath and reveled in my temporary safety. Though, every sound that echoed around me was catalogued in the back of my mind.
“Can I help you, ma’am?”
I opened my eyes and found a curious redhead staring at me. With big doe eyes the color of the earth and curves I’d be envious of until the day I died; my eyes fell to her nametag.
Dani.
“Ma’am?” she asked.
I put on my best smile. “You came highly recommended by the couple that dropped me off. Bernard and Isabel?”
She dropped the pretense. “The Carlisle’s!? Girl, they are fantastic. Come here. Let me get you a seat. Any friend of the Carlisle’s is a friend of mine.”
She led me to a booth before she quickly got me a Coke.
“Oh, no no no. Miss Dani, I can’t—”
She put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s on the house. Don’t worry about it.”
I paused. “I don’t want to be picky, but I can’t stand Coke. It makes me gag.”
