Chapter Four

R achel dug through the black garbage sack for a pair of shorts. It'd taken five days for Corbin to get her clothes out of her childhood home and bring them to the run-down apartment. In the meantime, she couldn't go anywhere. She depended on Corbin to get her the most basic of things—a mattress for the floor, blankets, shampoo, and deodorant.

Her plea for a phone also went ignored. He hadn't even brought back the one she had sitting on her nightstand in her bedroom. She'd asked Corbin to stay at the apartment with her so that if Shady called, she could talk to him, but that hadn't happened. She had no idea if Corbin or her brother decided to keep her a prisoner in the apartment.

She couldn't live like this without knowing an end date.

Putting her in an apartment on the other side of town gave her some security, but she had nothing. Corbin even had to go out and buy her tampons the day she arrived at the apartment. At least when she lived with Ruger, he had everything in the bathroom for her. She never had to ask for feminine products.

She went from being tormented and held captive to a haven with Ruger to total isolation.

Wiggling into the shorts, she found they hung loose on her hips. She'd lost weight through the kidnapping and staying at the Havlin Motorcycle Club clubhouse. She raked her palms down her face, gazing around her, looking for answers.

She had to get out of there. She wanted to go back to Ruger. He would take care of her. No, not take care of her. He'd just be there. She nodded. Yes, he'd stay with her, so she wasn't alone.

This time, she wouldn't complain if he wanted to go riding or work. She'd sit in the clubhouse alone and wait for him to return.

Her heart raced. She needed a phone. She needed money. She needed transportation.

Only one of those things was possible right now. The others would take time.

Slipping on her shoes, she went to the door and peeked out of the apartment. Her brother had put her in a low-income complex two stories high. There were tons of kids running around unwatched. But it wasn't the activities going on outside that interested her. She gazed at the off-street parking lot with the low cover.

She spotted a car that would work for her. Looking around, she inhaled deeply, gathering her bravery. Then, throwing everything out into the wind, she exited the apartment.

All her focus went on getting to the vehicle without gaining any attention. To say she had a dysfunctional childhood was putting it mildly. Her dad taught her how to steal cars when she was nine years old and couldn't be left home alone while he went out at night to earn money.

All she had to do was find one old enough so she could hotwire it without the worry of an alarm system going off. Luckily, there were a lot to choose from.

She strolled down the first row and bent to re-tie her shoe near the third car. When she stood, she looked in the window. She needed no car keys. All she needed was an unlocked vehicle.

She lucked out. The eighth car down the line had a broken rear passenger window. Black plastic taped over the missing glass made an easy entrance.

Looking around without making it obvious, she tore the corner of the plastic, stuck her hand inside, and popped the lock. She got in the car and quietly shut the door. Climbing over the seat, she ducked out of sight. As she leaned over, she popped the plastic cover off the bottom of the steering column.

It'd been years since she stole a car, and her dad had always been with her. She hated it back then and knew it was wrong. But she had no say in what was asked of her. Kids were taught to mind their parents. It wasn't until she was older that she understood why the activities always left her with a stomach ache.

It wasn't until her dad died and Shady earned the money that he let her stay away from the crimes that were committed. Because of him, she was able to concentrate on finishing high school.

Away from home, she pretended her life was easy. At home, it was anything but easy. Men came and went at all hours. She spent most of her time locked in her bedroom.

She reached over to the glove box and found an ice scraper. Using the edge of the plastic, she pried the wires apart. She quickly worked her magic, broke the steering lock, and started the car.

Straightening, she put the car in reverse, backed out of the spot, and drove away from the apartment. She had no idea how long it would take for the person to realize their car was stolen or the police to track her down. All she wanted to do was reach Seaglass Cove. From there, she could find the clubhouse.

Despite the crime she committed and the fear of getting caught and getting arrested, she hadn't felt that relaxed since before the kidnapping. Inside the car, alone, no one could hurt her. She was protected. The relief that came over her almost made her laugh.

Her situation was pathetic. But her life had never been something to be proud of. Maybe she was finally learning what her dad and Shady had meant when they told her they did what they could to survive another day.

That's all she was doing. She was surviving, and what she wanted was in the next town over.