Chapter Four

Tate

“Last stop,” the bus driver said loudly, waking me up. I pulled my hoodie down as the doors of the bus slapped open.

No one outside.

“We weren’t followed. You’re okay,” she assured me with a whisper.

“Thank you.”

I got off the bus and realized how hungry I was as soon as my feet hit the pavement. With no phone to help guide me, I whirled around, realizing I was in a city. Didn’t know the name of it, but I would ask someone once I found something to eat. My body ached from the sleeping position.

Across the street, I saw a place selling mini corn dogs and fries, but they didn’t open for another hour. My mind was set on the tiny hot dogs and waffle fries, so I decided to find a place to stay—one that was moderately clean but mostly cheap. I’d been on the bus for a few days and desperately needed a shower—hot water was a bonus.

My standards had dropped to the bottom of the barrel since leaving Ryder. He bought me the best of the best of everything, and I always had my pick of whatever I wanted to eat. His shower, our shower, had been bigger than Eddie’s donut shop. Or at least it seemed that large in memory.

Those things didn’t matter when you were being screamed at while you cowered in the corner of said shower, praying to whatever god that would listen to make him shut up. Make him be nice to me. Make him show me the minimal amount of affection and care.

Not to mention, he was a mean daddy. Mean—harsh—aggressive—demanding. Everything I’d never wanted and yet fell into the deep end with.

I shook my head, trying to make those thoughts go away if only for a moment. A roof of some kind over my head would have to take precedence.

With a death grip on my duffel bag, I walked down the streets of this city, admiring some things and crossing the road to avoid some others. I’d lived in a lot of places since leaving Ryder. While there was no physical line on the street or sign warning you of a bad area—there were always clues.

Lately, these were the places I stayed, the ones right on the line between shady and comfortable—between nightmare and security.

Up ahead, I saw a flashing sign for a motel. The missing lights made it read Mote and I chuckled walking to the front office.

Inside, the place stank of musty cigarettes and cheap chocolate of all things.

“Can I help ya?” the woman behind the counter asked as she folded towels that looked about as soft as a steel wool scrubber. The cigarette stuck to her bottom lip was marked with the magenta lipstick on her lips and her teeth.

“You have a single room available?”

She nodded. “Got three. On the top floor though. Nobody wants to walk up a damned flight of stairs and our elevator is busted.”

“The top floor is great. How much?”

She quoted me and it was cheaper than I thought. Wordlessly, she slid a key on an enormous ring over the counter toward me. No fancy key cards in this place. Again, it was better that way. Ryder had connections. He knew people who could get into any hotel or motel—anywhere. When her back was turned, I scooped up a handful of random pieces of candy from the glass dish with the FREE sign on it. Calories were calories.

“Thank you,” I said, and walked toward the door.

“Thank you…Chester.” She checked the sign-in sheet since I paid with cash. I stopped outside the office to check the map before proceeding to my room. The decor was tangerine and cream, a color palette that spanned from the slick, quilted bedspread to the wallpaper.

I wondered for a second what these walls must’ve seen in their time.

After a surprisingly hot shower with a showerhead that sprayed every direction but at the person trying to get clean, I got dressed in clean clothes, jeans and a T-shirt. All nondescript. I could be anyone and no one, and that was my plan.

Traverse this city without anyone knowing my name or anything about me, really.

It was my chance at survival.

My mouth watered thinking about the mini corn-dog place, and I headed that way once I was sure the coast was clear and my nerves had calmed down some. When I returned to my motel room, I intended to ask the woman in the office if she knew of anyone hiring for cash and then settle in with my dinner and some cartoons, anything to take the edge off this stress.

I was only able to afford a three pack of the corn dogs, but the alpha behind the counter threw in an order of fries and gave me a wink.

“Thank you.”

I ducked out of the way of others in line and rolled the top of the brown paper sack to keep my food as warm as possible.

When my feet hit the street, a pair of headlights turned on. A car I thought was parked revved up the engine, barreling straight toward me. There were parked vehicles on the other side of the street. Nowhere to run. Gasps and screams bellowed out behind me.

Fuck, this was going to hurt.