AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My fingers shake as I scramble to get the key in the lock. I wish I had a newer car with keyless entry. Glancing back at the Honey Pot, I don’t see anyone bursting out of the door to chase me, so I take a calming breath and try again. I line it up right this time and open the driver’s door.
I toss my purse in the backseat, thankful I had the wherewithal to grab it on my way out. It would’ve been embarrassing to have to go back inside. Maybe my luckischanging.
Except no, because as I turn the key to start the car, the engine grinds but doesn’t turn over.
Shit.
“No, no, no, no, no.” I try again, but it won’t start.
A knock on my window startles me, and I jump. I don’t bother looking. I know who it is. A realization hits me, and a split second before my hand reaches the lock button, the door opens.
Definitely unlucky.
“Get out. We need to talk,” he orders, but I’m not a kid anymore and don’t have to listen to him, so I keep working on starting my car. Of course, it only has a problem when I need it the most.
When Ray orders me to the store to get some beer or a pack of smokes? It starts right up. But when I’m trying to escape a very uncomfortable and embarrassing situation? Nope.
“Vivi, I swear to God, if you don’t get your ass out of this car, I’ll drag you out.”
Who is this guy? He’s definitely not the tender-hearted, loving stepbrother I remember. He doesn’t look much like him, either. He used to be scrawny, all limbs with a bad haircut and ill-fitting clothes. Now he has lean muscle, a shaved head, and the beginnings of wrinkles on his forehead. It’s hard to reconcile the boy I knew with the man standing outside my car.
But his unusual eyes are the same. That’s how I knew it was him. The dark green halo around light green irises is unmistakable. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like that before. Only him. Except now, there’s a darkness behind them, an intensity he never had before.
“Go away, Colin.” Turning the key again, I’m even more let down when I’m met with a faint click, and that’s it.
Fuck my life.
“You’re twenty miles from town with a broken car. I think you’re out of options.”
I scowl, not needing him to remind me of my situation. With no other choice, I reach into the back, grab my purse, and get out of the car. Not to talk to Colin. No, I’ll go inside and ask one of the other girls to give me a ride home. Lisa interviewed on the same day I did, and she seemed nice. I’ll just find her and beg.
“Where are you going?” Colin chases after me, but I keep walking. At least, Iwas, until he grabs my arm for the second time today and jerks me back. “I’m talking to you.”
“Don’t touch me.” Once again, I tug my arm out of his hold.
His hands go up. “I just want to talk. That’s all.”
“Why? You didn’t want to talk fifteen years ago. Matter of fact, you disappeared in the middle of the night without a word.”
“I had to.” His brow furrows, explaining his wrinkles. This must be a common look for him.
“No, Colin. You didn’t. I remember you putting me to bed, promising to take me to dinner and a movie the next night; when I woke up, you were gone. I was so excited that my big brother was going to spend a whole evening with me, and you were nowhere to be found. You didn’t even leave a note.” The bitter sting of betrayal I thought was buried resurfaces.
His eyes jump between mine, those unique orbs searching for what, I don’t know. He opens his mouth to say something but immediately snaps it shut. Is it because he has no defense or because he’s hiding something from me? I’ve often wondered what was going through his head that day, why he thought leaving was a good idea, but I’d resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never know.
“Wait here a second. I need to tell my brothers I’m out.”
I scrunch my brows together in confusion. “What?”
“You need a ride home, and that car ain’t gonna get you there.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll call an Uber or something.” It’s a lie. I can’t afford it after draining my bank account on beauty treatments and clothes to prepare for this job, but I’m nothing if not resourceful, so I’ll figure it out all on my own.
“Goddamn it, Vivi. This whole situation is fucked, and I don’t know what to do, but I know I can’t let you walk away when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, barely dressed, in those damn shoes.”
I suddenly feel very naked. The last time I saw Colin, I was eight. He hasn’t seen my progression into womanhood, which is now on full display.
“Fine,” I mutter, wrapping my arms around myself.
