I continue to tell myself it’ll all be fine, I’ll be okay if I just keep driving, embrace the spirit of the highway and the road that will lead me away from the pain.
Away from the truth.
Away from hell.
I make it another eighty miles before I have to pull over to fuel at the rest stop. It’s dark and I’m literally exhausted, no longer running on adrenaline and heartache.
After I fill the gas tank and park the bike behind a motel just in case that piece of dick is looking for me, I wander inside and pay for a room. It’s a shoddy looking place but what does it matter? I’m not on vacation, I’m on the run.
Inside the room, I toss the keys onto the table, march straight for the minibar, and chug back the first airplane bottle I see, trying to stuff down my urge to cry. The only person I want to talk with about this is Whiskey, God, why the fuck is that? UGH!!!
Who was I kidding anyway? Me and Pax… as if we would have made it anywhere great together in this life. I’m a liar and he’s a cheat. We come from two different worlds and I was an idiot to think I could ever outdo my mother’s tactics. God! I was so stupid!
I savagely twist off another plastic bottle cap and slam the contents, exhaling the burn of the alcohol, but it sure as shit isn’t helping me right now. There is only one thing that will help me at this point, and I know it.
I grab my purse and head outside; the air is cool as I scan the dark street for anything that resembles a bar. Up ahead, I see a flickering sign and start walking in its direction until I get close enough to see it’s some kind of biker hang out.
It’ll have to do. I walk closer and study a solid row of motorcycles lined up in the parking lot and instantly feel unnerved about what I’m doing, until Pax’s face floods my mind and the pain in my chest reminds me why I’m here.
I lean against the brick wall, debating if I should go in or just wait out here as the faint sound of classic rock music echoes through the wall. I’m cold and tired but I know I won’t be able to sleep with these horrible feelings of hate weighing down on me like this.
The bell chime on the bar door makes me jump as I take in three men exiting. Two of them look mean and burley, kind of like Pax except bigger with long dark hair and less tattoos. The other is shorter than the first two, his hair blond, also long, and they are all wearing matching leather vests.
The blond one stops to light a cigarette and drops his lighter. As he turns around to pick it up, he halts and his green eyes lock solid on mine. Then he crosses his arms, looks me over from head to toe, and taps his buddy on the shoulder.
“What do we have here?” he asks, smiling waywardly. “You lookin’ for a ride somewhere honey?”
I shrug, my heart pounding as the other two men stand there and light up cigarettes as well.
The first one bends down to pick up his lighter and then walks closer to me, lighting and then blowing the smoke from his cigarette in my direction. He’s not more than four feet from me as he reaches out his hand and offers me the cigarette.
“The names Chiv,” he says bluntly, “and there’s no need to be shy, sweetheart, what’s your name?”
I take the cigarette and smile.
“Vixen… and I’m not shy,” I inform as I take a drag. “I’m horny.”
“Is that right?” he asks cunningly. “I think I can you help you out with that… in fact, I think the three of us could take you on a wild ride if you’re down for some group action.”
I look behind him at his friends and take another drag, thinking about it. It would absolutely fuck with my bleak reality and I’m always down for a good fuck, but this is a tad over the top, even for me.
Shit, how am I going to get myself out of this one?
I flick an ash on the ground and exhale the smoke into Chiv’s face, doubting his name is short for Chivalry.
“Just you, not your friends, and only if you have protection on you… do you?” I ask, trying to hide the crack in my voice.
“No… but I sure as fuck do!” Pax growls.
I hear the click of what I think is a shotgun being loaded as my heart jumps into my throat. I turn slowly, my eyes wide as I take in his angered expression as he stands to my right aiming the gun at the three of them.
“Get the fuck in the car, Vixen.”
I look behind him and sure as shit, he drove the Beamer here, great.
“Fuck you, Pax. I’m about to have a really nice time with Chiv here, so if you’d kindly fuck off with that thing it’d be greatly appreciated.”
“Yeah, man, you heard the lady,” Chiv echoes.
I jolt as Pax fires a warning shot into the air, and the sound rattles through my head and the shell casing hits the ground.
“Next one’s gonna blow your fucking dick off, man, so I’d suggest you get a fucking move on and take your weasel friends with you.”
Chiv raises his hands in surrender and begins to back away slowly.
“Whatever, you nutjob. The bitch came down here looking for us, but you can
