The man went down hard, skidding across the pavement, his nose broken and blood flying. Someone screamed. The woman with the phone dropped it. Another guy took two steps forward, then stopped, uncertain.
“What the hell?” the woman with the phone started toward us. Her face was flushed, and she looked feverish. “Why did you hit Wade, asshole?”
“I suggest you hold the fuck up unless you want what he got,” Beck said quietly.
The woman stopped just as the guy on the ground started to moan and opened his eyes.
“Get your ass up and walk away. Now.” Beck spoke in a voice that made my hair stand on end.
This was the man I saw outside the trailer park. No emotion, just a stone-cold killer.
The guy scrambled to his feet and bolted down the street, knocking into a parked car as he ran. The woman gave us the finger as she followed behind him, breathing labored.
Beck was already back on the bike.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing back at me.
“Yeah,” I said, surprised that my voice didn’t shake. “What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea.” He was surveying our surroundings, on full alert. “Something is going on. We need to find out what it is.” He started the engine and eased back into the road.
In the mirror, I saw the town shrink as it receded into the distance. What on earth was happening?
I needed to get home to Ben now. He’d know what this was.
For the first time in a long time, I wanted my dad.
CHAPTER TEN
TARYN
We’d been driving for a while and decided to stop because we were starving.
We’d both convinced ourselves that everything was just a coincidence. And that lady had probably gone on a bender the night before.
The guy trying to take the bike was just plain crazy.
The diner sat just off the highway, a cozy little building with a sun-faded sign and a mostly empty parking lot. That alone should’ve tipped me off—this place seemed like the kind that would be packed on a Saturday—but hunger has a way of convincing you that everything’s okay.
Beck parked close to the door and cut the engine.
“Five minutes," he stretched and looked around us cautiously. “We eat, use the bathroom, then leave."
I glanced down at my outfit. A cheer uniform and hiking boots. Perfect.
Beck saw me and smirked. “I already told you that you looked beautiful. And fuck them if they don’t think so.”
I smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“Damn! We could find a motel, and I could give you more compliments—see what else you might kiss.” He gave me a lascivious grin.
I laughed. “You wish.”
His face grew serious. “Yes, I do.”
I shook my head and headed inside, choosing not to respond.
The diner was strangely quiet, with just a few people in the booths. No families were there—only singles and couples, all sitting stiffly, as if they sensed something was off.
