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He grins back at her, and I’m reaching for my laptop.
I stop myself and take a deep breath through my nose.
My girl isn’t going to let him touch her. And I don’t want her to have to struggle with her bag. And I can’t just walk up there and join their fucking week of meetings.
My foot stays planted on the blacktop outside my car, but I stay where I am. Memorizing the face of the man helping my girl.
I won’t kill him just for that, but that’s his strike one. And if he reaches three, his punishment will be much different from Cassandra’s.
I rip open one of the bags of Skittles and shove a handful into my mouth.
I chew slowly and wait until everyone is inside.
I wait until the bus parks in a corner of the lot.
I wait for the bus driver to finish his cigarette and enter the hotel.
Then I get out, walk over to the bus, slap a magnetic tracker in the rear wheel well, and finally enter the hotel, requesting a room with a view of the parking lot.
CHAPTER57
Cassie
“Alright, everyone, work is officially over!”Our VP of sales lifts his arms at the front of the bus.
The cheer is mostly enthusiastic, but I don’t think I’m the only one that is completely over this trip.
I’m over people. It’s hot. My deodorant has been working overtime since before we landed on Monday. It’s Thursday afternoon. We leave for the airport tomorrow morning, and all I want to do is take a cold shower, then lie naked on my hotel bed.
“Just settle in, and we’ll be at the distillery in…” He looks at his watch. “A little over an hour.”
I fight the groan that tries to come out of my throat.
There isn’t air conditioning on this bus. Or if there is, it doesn’t work. So that means I need to sit through the next hour with the back of my thighs sticking to the seat beneath me.Great.
At least our group is small enough for everyone to get their own little bench seat. If I had to sit shoulder to shoulder with one of my coworkers, soaking up their body heat, I’d crawl out the emergency hatch in the ceiling and end it all.
Slouching down, I put my knees against the back of the seat in front of me. My knee-length skirt drapes open beneath me, and the small amount of airflow against my bare legs is worth the risk that Suzanne across the aisle might see my underwear.
The bus rumbles away from the manufacturing plant, where we’ve been every day for training seminars, and merges onto the main road we take to and from our hotel. But instead of turning toward the hotel, the way I desperately want to go, we turn the other way.
I get that they’re trying to do something fun for our last night, but a distillery… How could anyone think that copious amounts of hard liquor the night before we all have six a.m. flights is a good idea?
My stomach roils just at the thought of boarding a plane hungover.
I don’t have anything against drinking. I enjoy it when the mood strikes. But I won’t be partaking today.
It’s the final night. One last night before you get to go home. One more night until you can see Hans again.
Making an effort to push away my sour mood, I watch the scenery beyond the window.
I’m a little embarrassed over how much time I’ve spent thinking about Hans this week. Especially since there’s a chance he’ll go back to ignoring me.
We’re nearly out of the city when the bus jerks to a stop, causing me to slide farther down in my seat.
A few people make noises of displeasure at being jolted, and I struggle for a moment to right myself.
I’m about halfway back on the bus, sitting in the same place I have every other day, but through the big windshield, I can see the top of the van in front of the bus. They must’ve stopped suddenly at the red light, forcing our driver to hit the brakes.
