2. Aeri

I wake with a start, sitting up in a tangle of blankets that makes me feel as if I'm tied to the bed. My brain takes a second to kick on before reminding me where I am and why I'm here.

I'm not sure what woke me, but one look at the clock has me grateful for whatever it was. I'd meant to set my alarms so that I could get back on the road as soon as possible, but somehow I'd forgotten.

Stupid.

The little red numbers on the bedside clock read one o'clock, and I'd bet anything it's not AM.

Hopping out of bed, I run over to the window to check the weather, saying a silent prayer that the sun will be out so I can get moving again.

I hate staying in one place. It's dangerous.

Rain pours down in sheets, splattering the window and crushing any hopes I had for making any progress today. I let my head fall against the window with a clunk, instantly regretting it when pain radiates through my head.

Yeah, not my best idea.

I let the curtains fall closed, rubbing at my sore head as I pull my bag from the closet and plop back down on the bed with it. I fish around for the envelope tucked deep inside, pulling it free when I feel it crinkle beneath my fingers.

My whole life savings is in this tiny envelope—everything I own now packed into my piece of shit car. It's pathetic, but it's all I've got now. Pulling out my money, I carefully count it before recounting to ensure I got it right. I can't make stupid mistakes, not again.

Six thousand five hundred and twenty-three dollars.

Money that I'd been saving from my job, the one he said I didn't need because he would take care of me. But I'd loved having a job and never wanted to rely on someone else. I'd even hated taking money from my parents. All I'd ever wanted was to be independent and free to do what I wanted with my life.

If only I'd known I would be one day…just not at all in the way I hoped.

Just over six thousand dollars sounds great, but I know it won't be enough. I'll have to get a job as soon as I find somewhere to stay. The only problem is that I'm not sure anywhere will ever feel far enough away from him.

That's a problem for future me, though. Right now, my stomach is cramping, letting me know my first order of business needs to be something to eat.

I could order something for delivery, and probably should with the weather like this, but I can't make myself pay extra because of a little rain.

I remember seeing a little diner down the street when I stopped for gas. If there's one thing I've learned on this trip, it's that those little diners usually have the best food.

Throwing on my hoodie for at least some protection from the rain, I change into jeans and pull out a fifty before I stash the envelope back in my bag and hide it in the shower.

Thing number two I learned, trust no one.

Actually, that's a lie. I already knew that. I've known that since I was young; I'd just hoped my parents would see sense.

Silly me.

Look where that got me—thousands of miles from home with nothing and nobody.

The rain is cold as it pelts my face, pulling me from my thoughts, and I'm almost thankful for it. I can't afford to get lost in the past and what could have been.

By the time I reach the diner, I'm soaked, but the second I pull the door open, I know I made the right choice. The smell of home-cooked food and grease wraps around me, making my mouth water. I've stopped for food a lot the last week, mostly at fast-food places with drive-throughs that were on the way, but the few diners I've stopped at will forever be some of my best meals. And that's saying something, considering I grew up in a house with a personal chef.

The restaurant is pretty dead, probably from the rain, but that doesn't seem to have affected the staff. An older lady, Jean, according to her name tag, greets me with a friendly smile before walking me to a table.

Everything on the menu looks good, and I have to stop myself from ordering way too much. I only have so much money, and I probably wouldn't finish half of it anyway. In the end, I ask Jean what's the best. She happily points out her favorites. I go with the farmer's omelet.

The smell of the gravy hits me a second before she puts it down in front of me a few minutes later, and holy shit, this has got to be the biggest omelet I've ever seen. There's no way I'll be able to finish this, but my room has a microwave, so at least I'll have dinner tonight, too.

The first bite has me damn near in heaven. It tastes even better than it smells, and honestly, I didn't think that was possible. Jean checks in a few times with me and makes a bit of small talk. I skirt around any specifics and don't offer my name, but still try to be pleasant. It's not her fault I'm on the run.

My bill is only about twenty dollars, but I tip her extra. Even with tight funds, I appreciate her kindness.

That's not something everyone has; most don't.

"I'll be in the city next week with Jimmy. He's taking me to that new club!" One of the other waitresses says, damn near screeching in her excitement as she talks to Jean, who smiles at me as I pass on my way out. "It's supposed to be the next big thing in the city. Everyone wears masks, and they have live entertainment. Plus, I heard he is going to be there. Some even say it's his club, but nobody actually knows." I don't know what she's talking about, but man, is she happy.

When I push the door open, the rain hasn't let up, but with a full stomach and enough food for dinner, I can't help but smile, anyway.

Maybe my luck's starting to turn around…

The universe has a sick, twisted sense of humor.

My luck is, in fact, a pile of steaming dog shit.

Today started out pretty good. The weather finally broke this morning, and I remembered to set my alarm, which meant I was on the road again bright and early.

I only make it as far as Salt Lake City, or the outskirts of the city, before everything falls to shit again, though. As if my windshield wipers weren't enough of an issue, my car begins to overheat; leaving me no choice but to pull over. To make everything worse, I stop in a dead zone.

Fantastic.

The heat is dry, and I'm dying for water after just ten minutes of walking down the highway. Thirty minutes later, I finally find myself a place to tuck in and hide from the heat.

"What can I do for ya?" the guy behind the counter calls to me, and I look up, finding myself in a coffee shop. I'd been so concerned with finding somewhere to hide away from the heat that I didn't even pay attention to where I was.

Coffee works though; I could use a pick-me-up right about now.

Glancing at the menu, I quickly find something that sounds good.

"Um, can I get a medium frozen vanilla cappuccino…" I ask, walking over to the counter, only to notice the display case full of sweets. "And let me get one of those cannoli doughnuts, too, please."

I'm a sucker for sweets.

"Yeah, you got it," he says with a smile, moving to make my drink.

The place is dead, but it's the middle of the day, so I'm sure most people have already had their caffeine fix.

A bulletin board at the end of the counter catches my attention with all its bright, colorful papers.

People offer babysitting, self-defense classes, tutors, and other services for hire.

Once my order is ready, I pay and ask for the number of a close mechanic before heading back out into the heat. The coffee helps, but it's still pretty bad. I make the call, and they agree to send someone out to collect me and get to my car to tow it back to their shop.

With nothing to do but wait, I eat my doughnut, praying my unlucky streak is over and whoever comes to get me isn't a fucking psycho serial killer.

If they were, I probably wouldn't even run at this point.

"THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS?"

The guy behind the counter has a grease stain under his eye and about a billion muscles. He's tall, much taller than me, with long blonde hair that's pulled back in a low, messy bun and some stubble on his chin. He's gorgeous and intimidating, but still flinches slightly when I screech.

My bad.

"Sorry…" I say, running a hand through my hair in frustration. Something that's not as calming as it used to be, considering I chopped most of it off and threw some black box dye on what's left. My hair was light brown before, so it wasn't that big of a change, but it was all I had. Hopefully, between the cut and color, it will at least make it harder for anyone to identify me.

"Yeah, it's a lot, but honestly, I'm surprised it was even running on the highway to begin with," he says with a sympathetic shrug, reaching under the desk and pulling out a pamphlet that he holds out for me. "We do have a payment plan, but it still requires half down."

That sounds nice, but really, either way, I'm screwed, and not in a good way.

If I pay it all now, I'm down a lot of money. So much so that there's no way I'm making it out of Utah, at least not as soon as I wanted.

But with the payment plan, I'm stuck here until I pay it off. I don't have a bank account, and I don't want to set up anything that will tie back to me.

"No, it's okay. I can pay for it. How long until it'll be done?" I ask, digging in my bag and pulling out my envelope of cash. Probably not the best look, but I wasn't expecting to need so much and only have a few hundred tucked in my pocket. Usually, I don't carry it all with me in case I get robbed, but there was no way I was going to leave it all in the car.

He lifts a brow when I count out the bills, but doesn't say anything.

"Um, looks like K should be able to get it started tomorrow, so probably Sunday. Maybe Tuesday at the latest, depending on the other jobs on schedule," he says, taking my money and then checking the calendar on the desk. There are scribbles all over what I assume is their schedule, but the writing is all chicken scratch, and I have no idea what any of it says.

"Tuesday?" I pull out my phone to check the date because there is no way it can take that long. I must have my days mixed up.

Fuck, I don't. Today is Wednesday, which means I'm looking at almost an entire week without my car and spending half my savings.

I let my head fall forward in defeat. Today can't possibly get any worse.

"I can take you to wherever you're staying if that'll help?"

It's sweet of him to offer, but I shake my head.

"No. Thank you, but I don't actually have anywhere to stay. I'm only passing through."

"Damn, that's bad luck," he says, and yeah, you can say that again.

"I can take you to a hotel not far from here. I've never stayed there, but everyone says it's great. Good rates, clean, and the food ain't bad," he offers with a smile that somehow makes him look boyish even with the grease and muscles.

Nope, don't go there.

"That would be great!" I say, smiling back, trying to get my brain to behave.

Before we head out, I fill out some paperwork for the repair and leave my information so they can call me when it's done.

Ruin, the muscular, greasy mechanic, drops me off, and I thank him before heading into the hotel. It's not his fault my car is a piece of shit. And he wasn't a psycho murderer, so I'll take that.

A girl has to count her wins where she has them, after all.

As it turns out, the hotel is really nice for the price. I check in and head to my room before I flop on the bed and pass out.

Tomorrow, I'll figure everything out. Right now, I just need to reset.