Page 18 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
Whoever these guys were, they were dangerous.
“Pull over,” a gruff voice said.
“Not yet.”
“I have to take a shit. We’ve been on the road for hours. Pull over.”
“No.”
“Skeleton, man. Come on.”
The driver reached over into the passenger’s seat, fisting the man’s shirt. “Don’t you dare use my name again. Got it?”
I swallowed hard. Did that man just say “Skeleton?” Well, that answered all of my curiosities. This wasn’t my threat, it was Justin’s. And the idea that I was in a car with a man known for trafficking women made me feel queasy.
So queasy that I had to swallow down the food creeping up my throat.
“Pull over or I shit in this car. I kid you not. We’re clear of everything. Just let me get to a damn bathroom, man.”
The driver—who I now knew as Skeleton—shoved the nameless passenger back against his seat. The car took a sharp turn and I had to close my eyes, breathing deeply so as to not puke all over myself. The tires squealed again before the vehicle straightened out. And soon, the car eased to a stop as I peeked out the window.
We were at a rest stop.
In the middle of the woods.
“You got five minutes before I leave your ass in the dust,” Skeleton said.
“You want anything while I’m in here?” Nameless asked.
“Just get the hell out.”
I watched the passenger stumble out of the car before he gathered himself. And as he sauntered with a limp over toward the bathrooms, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I slowly looked up toward the rearview mirror and saw the deadliest pair of eyes I’d ever seen.
Then, his growling voice hit my ears. “I’m gonna go get a drink. You move, I unload my clip into his back. Got it?”
I nodded quickly. “Got it.”
“Good.”
He opened his car door and stepped out, stretching his arms above his head. Damn, that man was just as lanky as could be. Kind of reminded me of JayJay during his teenage years. The thought made me smile for a quick second before he peered over his shoulder. And the look in his eyes forced my smile to bury itself out of fear.
I became jealous of my smile’s ability to bury.
“Remember our deal,” Skeleton said.
And with a nod of my head, he started toward the vending machines.
My eyes darted around, trying to find the quickest way back to the highway. It was the middle of the night and I wore a navy-colored dress. That would work in my favor if I held onto my heels so I could run. Plus, I could use these stilettos as a weapon, if necessary. Visibility was low because of the darkness, and I knew this was my only chance. With Skeleton preoccupied with a vending machine at least two hundred feet away and no sight of Nameless, I clicked the door open as silently as I could.
Before making a maddened and silent dash toward the highway.
I didn’t hear anyone yelling after me nor did I hear anyone running behind me, so I stilled my movements at the edge of the woods. I peered over my shoulder, noticing that Skeleton was just now bending down for his drink. I had to go. The second he saw my door hanging open, we’d have a problem. So, I turned around and scampered through the woods, ignoring the pain in my feet as I stepped on sharp rocks and twigs.
“Hey! Rocker! Get back here!” Skeleton roared.
My lungs ballooned with air as I kept on running. I clamored to the edge of the highway, but no one was driving in either direction. Still, I looked both ways before I sprinted across the three inbound lanes before diving into decorative trees in the median.
And I heard tires peeling out from that rest stop.
I stared across the highway and wondered if I could fully get to the other side. I decided not to change it, though. I crouched down beneath a bush and crawled under it, trying not to screech at the bugs slithering against my skin. Tears rushed my eyes. I let them freely fall as I trembled against the prickly bush that left behind small cuts in my skin. But as I watched that car peel back out onto the highway, I saw them racing for the next exit.
Probably to turn around.
Once their taillights finally disappeared, I scrambled to get us. With my heels clutched in my hand, I ran back across the road. So that if they did come back down the three outbound lanes, I’d be on the complete opposite end of the road. I ran back to the foliage that separated the highway from the rest stop and moved as slowly as I could, keeping my eyes and ears peeled as I crept without a sound.
Shrouding myself in darkness as I tried to save my own life.
