Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
The boys’ father, my sister’s boyfriend, had been a member of an MC in Indiana. The only piece of advice he’d given us before leaving had been not to judge motorcycle clubs just because they were MCs. It had been part of the reason he’d given my sister for not sticking around. She was too judgy. I knew I’d been just as judgy as my sister, and I didn’t blame Chase for leaving. For all his perceived faults, and even though he’d left her, I still couldn’t reconcile the Chase I’d known with him leaving Cherry pregnant and on her own. Chase had always seemed to revere family. Had talked about wanting a family of his own.
This club’s name was Bones and hailed from Kentucky, according to the patches the members were wearing on their vests. That was heading in the direction Mark wanted me to go, but perhaps this group could help me and the boys get to safety.
I moved behind the group at a store just off the exit ramp and pulled up to the gas pump, away from the bikers. I’d put my debit card in my back pocket several miles back, hoping I’d have the opportunity to take the boys and slip off. It would leave Mark with the car, but it was a small price to pay. As if sensing what needed to happen, both boys had their seatbelts off and were out of their booster seats with their backpacks ready. Theodore sat behind me, so he was ready. Sebastian, careful not to bump Mark’s seat, moved to stand beside his brother, ready to exit the vehicle the second I opened the door. I left the engine running in the hopes Mark would continue to sleep.
I snagged my wallet. It had everything but my credit card, which Mark had confiscated a few weeks ago to carry with him for “emergencies.” Then, as quietly as I could, I got out of the car. Without a word, the boys grabbed their backpacks and hopped out when I opened the door.
“Where you goin’?” Mark opened his eyes sleepily and gave me an angry stare. He was high and drunk, and his speech was slurred markedly. He’d passed the manic stage an hour ago and usually slept several hours afterward.
“The boys and I both need a bathroom break, and I thought I’d top off the tank.”
He looked at them, his eyelids drooping. “Well, be quick ’bout it. No more stops till we get to ’Tucky.”
I took a breath and shut the door, then swiped my card through the reader, selecting the cheapest grade of gas before putting the nozzle in the gas tank and clicking it on the slowest fill rate it had. With any luck, Mark would sleep for a long time. It was possible no one would notice until I was safely away. If not? Well. I’d figure it out.
Taking the boy’s hands, I walked toward the store, glancing over at the bikers. None of them seemed to pay me any attention but the one from the truck I’d been following. Another one walked toward the store. He had his eyes on me like he was on a mission. His cold, hard look gave me a frisson of apprehension, but I was committed now. I went straight to the bathroom area in case Mark followed us inside, then stood waiting in the narrow hallway.
It wasn’t long before one of the men approached me. He was tall with a full, reddish-brown beard and was covered in tattoos. His hair was a lighter mix of red and brown. He sported dreadlocks on top of his head, grown long and tied back in a tail. The sides of his head were shaven, leaving only stubble to obscure a few tats creeping up his neck into his hair and over his forehead and cheek. Fine scars crisscrossed his forehead and cheeks. I assumed his beard hid several too, but it was hard to tell. And the man was hella big. Tall and muscular, he looked so scary I worried I’d made a serious mistake.
The boys stood their ground, lifting their chins. Theodore moved slightly in front of me while Sebastian dropped his backpack on the floor as if readying for a fight. Both twisted out of my grip on their hands.
The big man glanced at them and seemed to read the situation. “You in trouble?”
“Mark’s takin’ us to Kentucky,” Sebastian said. “I don’t wanna go to Kentucky, and neither does Theo.”
“Mark the man in the car with you?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian confirmed. Theo just stared at the man as if sizing him up. An eight-year-old. Trying to figure out how to take down a full-grown man this guy’s size. It made me want to grind my teeth in frustration and cry all at the same time. Kids the boys’ age shouldn’t be worried about how to protect themselves or their mom.