Sweet Wine of Mine

SWEET WINE OF MINE

CHAPTER 1

C laire Evans slipped out of bed and padded to the door, only giving a brief glance back to make sure Charles was still sleeping. Satisfied, she stepped out of the room as quietly as she could before closing the door behind her. She pressed her ear to the door, her heart pounding, half expecting him to come bursting out after her, but all remained quiet.

She made her way to the kitchen, where several empty liquor bottles remained scattered across the counter. Normally, the liquor bottles would have been a huge turnoff for her. Their presence meant her night would be terrible, but today, it was a saving grace. At only three in the morning, he was in a drunken stupor that would make it less likely he would wake up before she could get out.

Claire opened the cedar chest that was used for storage in the living room and pulled out her backpack. It was all she could pack without him noticing, but she didn’t care. She just needed out and would worry about the rest later.

Without a backward glance, she snatched her purse and car keys and slipped out the front door. She turned on the car and held her breath, waiting to be caught, but the street remained quiet. She slowly eased out of the driveway and onto the street, glancing repeatedly in the mirror. Every set of headlights she saw behind her she half expected to be him, but the other drivers all maintained a safe distance. Just other commuters on the road and not a crazy man attempting to chase her down.

It wasn’t until she reached the highway that she finally let out a shaky breath. Putting distance between her and the house was her first priority. After an hour of driving, she pulled over into a rest stop and leaned back in her seat, taking several deep breaths and flexing her fingers.

She hadn’t realized how hard she had been gripping the steering wheel, but her hands and shoulders were complaining now. Claire leaned over and pulled her backpack off the passenger seat, digging inside it, and fishing out the brand new cell phone she had stashed there. She plugged the USB charger into the car and powered the phone up. She left her normal phone behind, not knowing if Charles could track her and not wanting him to have her new phone number. When she had the thought of getting this phone, she had little money to put on it, so she bought the cheapest flip phone they offered that still had a data function. She would have very limited internet and speaking capabilities, but it would be enough to get her where she needed to go.

She did a quick search for her brother, seeing that he would be in Houston, Texas for a show tonight with his band.

She quickly looked up the drive time on a map. It would take twelve hours to get there. Her gas tank was only half full, something Charles had required. It was so she couldn’t run, and she realized more and more how much he controlled her. Fortunately, she had had the sense to pocket a dollar here and there. It took six miserable months to save enough change to feel comfortable leaving. It wasn’t enough for a hotel room, but it was enough to buy the gas she would need to get to Houston.

Claire got out at the rest stop and stretched, wincing at the pain coursing through her body. After using the bathroom, she quickly got back into her car. She would drive until she needed to refill the tank, and that’s when she would get a bite to eat.

Houston, here I come.

Get here!