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“That motherfucker owes me a lot of money. If he ran, I’ll take River as my payment. Have you seen the tits on that girl? I bet they’d bounce nicely as I fucked her real hard.” The skinny man thrust his hips forward as his laughter echoed through the trailer park.
The other men snickered and continued to talk about their plans for my body. Whatever Dan had done, I wasn’t only in danger from him. I was in jeopardy from these guys as well. Killer and his owner only lived a few spots down from me, which meant he could easily keep an eye on my place. I gulped as the horrid realization settled in. There was no way I could go home. My fear was so intense I could taste it on my tongue. Shit. I was officially homeless.
I grabbed the strap of my backpack and quietly shimmied back down to the ditch. Hopefully those disgusting bastards wouldn’t send Killer to search for me. But one of them had come to the diner earlier in the day and looked right at me, so they knew where I worked.
Goddammit. My hopes of living a quiet and peaceful life dimmed suddenly. Dan had managed to give me one last ‘fuck you’ before he’d died.
I wracked my memory, attempting to recall what server had the night shift. Not only was I in desperate need of washing Dan’s stench off of me, but I needed a first aid kit for my face and as many Advil as it was safe to take at once.
I picked up my stride and headed toward the restaurant. I grimaced as I flew past my favorite oak tree that now marked Dan’s place of death. My stomach soured as I recalled his greedy and intrusive touch from earlier. The son of a bitch had gotten off easy. Hatred for Dan pricked my skin, but I couldn’t waste my energy on him. He was gone, and I had to figure out where the hell I would live and stay off the radar. The last thing I wanted was for those sick pieces of shit to get their grubby hands on me. Anger fueled me forward, the full moon lighting my way.
As the town lights grew brighter, I realized I was almost to my destination.
I slowed, inhaling deeply. My toes and fingers were numb from the cold, and my nose hurt like a son of a bitch. I suspected I would have a nice black eye soon, but I couldn’t think about that yet. I desperately needed food and a hot shower, but I couldn’t just waltz in through the front door of the diner without drawing attention. For all I knew, Killer’s owner had hopped in his truck, and was eating dinner while waiting for me to show up.
Reaching the edge of the woods and the highway that ran through our small town, I pulled my hood over my head. The neon red sign flashed “Bob’s,” and I peered through the large windows. A bald man sat at the counter and another heavy-set bearded guy at a booth. Other than that, it wasn’t busy. I looked both ways for any traffic, then hurried across the main road.
Gravel crunched beneath my shoes as I cut through the parking lot of the restaurant. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to get close enough to see if either of the men inside were friends of Logan’s.
Ducking around the back of the building, I noticed the employee entrance door was wedged open with a large rock. I quietly approached and opened it enough to slip inside. Hopefully I wouldn’t scare the shit out of the cook, but I would have to take my chances.
I tiptoed down the hall, but before I could peek into the kitchen, a body came barreling at me. My back slammed against the wall, and the air whooshed from my lungs. Dammit. I’d forgotten to remove my hood.
I tossed my hands up as I stared into Ed’s face. “It’s me,” I whispered. “It’s River. Take my hood off, but please don’t let anyone know I’m here.” The tremble in my voice betrayed my attempt to sound brave.
“River?” Ed’s meaty fingers tugged on my hoodie, and my thick brown hair spilled across my shoulders. He swiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb, then a horrified expression twisted his features. “What the hell? I’m calling the cops.”
I shook my head adamantly. “If you do, they’ll kill me. Please. I’m begging you.” A nervous knot of hysteria formed in my throat. If Ed didn’t help me, I could kiss my freedom and, most likely, my very existence goodbye. Once again, my life hung in the balance of someone else’s decision.
Chapter Three
“What did you do, kid?” Ed asked, his deep voice hovering above a whisper.
“Are you calling the cops or giving me up?” My heart knocked so hard against my ribs I thought it might leap right out of my chest.
“I don’t know yet. What the hell happened to your face?”
I gulped, unsure if I could trust him. I had no idea if he was mixed up with Logan and the group of guys that wanted to find me or not. I gathered up my courage and gave him a quick and dirty rundown of what had taken place, including the rape, Dan’s death, and the men that were looking for me. I waited for his response and silently counted the beats of my pulse.
Ed folded his arms over his massive chest, his dingy white T-shirt stretching across his muscular biceps. Ed was in excellent shape and handsome for an older guy in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way. He also had a no-nonsense air about him.
His blue-gray eyes pinned mine. “He’s dead?”
I nodded, the gravity of the situation fully dawning on me.
“And you overheard Logan and a group of men talking about hurting you?” Ed rubbed his chin, the thick, black stubble scraping beneath his fingers.
Again, I nodded as tears welled in my eyes.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, kid.” Ed stepped back, his gaze filling with protectiveness. “You got somewhere safe to go?”
“No. Dan was the only family I had left.” Fuck. “Is there any Advil around here? I feel like absolute crap.”
“Yeah, you look like shit. You’re sporting a shiner, and it looks like your nose is broken. I’ll get you some pain reliever. Not much you can do about your snout unless you go to the hospital, but they’ll also want a rape kit and full exam.”
“No thanks. I’ll deal with it on my own.” I heaved a sigh. “Every time I see my crooked nose, I’ll think about what Dan did to me.”
A frown furrowed his brow as he raked his gaze over me. “It’s a good thing he’s dead. That’s all I’ve gotta say about that.” Ed offered me a kind smile, then led me to the employee break room, where he handed me four little round pills. I swallowed them with no water, hoping they would kick in fast.
