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I counted with my lips, one…two…three.
On the last number we both jumped up and made a run for it. Once more, Callum called for her and she ignored him. Luckily for us, there was in fact a back door. We scampered down the short hall and burst through it. I was surprised no one was waiting for us on the other side.
A blessing in disguise.
We darted across the pavement, our shoes resounding with loud thumps. My heart beat quicker than my legs could carry me.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, urging me to move faster, to get away. I made sure Em was doing okay, refusing to leave the girl behind no matter how pissed I was with her.
Rhett wasn’t safe. Neither were his friends. We couldn’t get caught up with them. I pumped my arms, causing my purse to bounce all over the place.
“Where…?” Em breathed loudly.
I waved a hand in place of speech, no words able to form. I knew when running to never look back, or down. Just haul ass and hope for the best. Straight was our only option now.
We zig zagged through the grassy lot sitting behind the gas station, emerging onto a long stretch of road on the other side. Only then did I spin around to check behind us.
Seeing we weren’t being pursued, I placed my hands on my knees and keeled over. Em did the same, grabbing her hips.
“Why aren’t they chasing us?” she asked between breaths.
I shook my head and rose back to full height. “I don’t know. They didn’t come after us at the lodge either.”
I checked left and right, tapping her arm gently when I spotted an older sedan coming our way.
“I got it,” she said, standing beside me. She lifted both her arms in the air and began to wave them a bit overdramatically.
As the car got closer, I could make out an older couple inside. They eyed us, slowing down to a gradual stop. A man rolled the driver side window down, but it was the woman in the passenger seat who spoke to us.
“You girls okay?” she asked, her blue eyes peering at us from behind a pair of pop-bottle glasses.
“We could really use a ride. Our motel is just down the street,” Em explained quickly.
“Knights Inn? Of course.
Hop in,” the man said, adding with a small laugh, “Don’t mind the cat hair.”
We hurried into the backseat, and I pulled the door shut behind us. I fastened my seatbelt, nudging Em so she would do the same.
“Are you two alright?” the woman asked again, wise enough to know something wasn’t right.
“Thank you for giving us a ride,” I replied politely.
She took the hint and pursed her lips. I didn’t want to be rude, but it was better for everyone if they just dropped us off and went on their way.
The sun was sinking lower and lower with every passing minute, casting a deep violet hue across the sky. I relaxed back against the seat, cognizant of the cat hair the man mentioned.
He had the courtesy to fiddle with the radio, putting on an older song by the Beatles. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The second I dared relax Em hissed my name, causing my lids to flutter right back open.
“What?”
She pointed out the rear window. I knew before I bothered to look that someone was behind us. I turned, staring at the large pick-up that had managed to coast right up on us. No wonder they didn’t follow us out the back door. They already knew we were going to run for it.
“We’re missing the other three,” I whispered to Em.
“I know,” she replied. “Where do you think they are?”
That was the million-dollar question. If they knew we’d gone to the gas station, chances were they knew about the room as well.
