Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
A soft chuckle met her ears, causing Tam to bring her head up sharply. She didn’t think a man like this could laugh. “Cute,” he muttered more to himself than to her as he started the car.
Tam licked her lips that had once again gone dry. “Where are you taking me?”
“Wherever you want to go.”
He was probably fully aware that she didn’t have a particular destination in mind and all the good spots under the overpass were probably taken by now. She had no money for a cheap hotel.
When she didn’t answer immediately, he said, “We’ll figure something out.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant and frankly, she was a bit scared to ask. There was something about this man that stirred something within Tam that made her question her sanity. She’d been on the streets long enough to know not to trust anyone but herself, yet here she was in this stranger’s car and for all she knew he could be a serial killer who preyed on homeless women.
They drove in silence before he pulled into a gas station. “I’ll be back. Out of smokes.”
“Those things will kill you.”
He smirked. “Trust me, I’ve faced much more dangerous things in my life. These are the least of my worries.”
She was surprised he trusted her alone in his car. If she had any common sense, she’d get out now and be on her way. Tam placed her hand on the door handle when she spotted something shiny by the compartment beneath the stereo. Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she picked up the item to discover it was a money clip with a thick wad of hundreds. Before she could talk herself out of it, she took a few. Someone like him wouldn’t even notice.
After securing the money in her bra, she grabbed her bag and slid out of the car before running as if the devil himself was on her heels. She didn’t stop moving until she reached the security of an alley. Ducking behind the dumpster, she patted the spot where she’d tucked the money. It was wrong to take something that didn’t belong to her but it probably meant so little to the blue-eyed stranger and so much to her. She could get another ID and have food for a few days. She might even have enough to stay at a cheap motel for a few days. She felt slightly guilty for repaying his kindness with deceit, but it wasn’t as if she’d ever see him again.
He broke the heavy silence between them. “So you do recognize me.”
“Look, I’m sorry, I’ll pay you back, every penny. I just—”
“You stole from me after I did something nice for you. But don’t worry. You’re going to pay me back. I’ll make sure of it.”
3
The deadly calm in which he made his declaration told Tam that she was in deep shit. She placed her hand on the door handle and contemplated jumping out of the vehicle even though it was going at full speed.
“I wouldn’t advise it unless you’re dumber than I think you are.” His eyes were focused on the road, but he seemed to know her every move.
“I’m sorry. I needed it and…” she’d stolen that money, mainly to get her ID back and to have a little something to get by on for a couple of weeks. Now she had nothing because when she’d been snatched up by Rico she’d lost her bag in the scuffle along with the little bit of money she had in her possession. She didn’t even have her birth certificate and social security card any longer. She was well and truly screwed. But that wasn’t his problem.
She’d done a bad thing and it had caught up to her. What was worse, she was certain nothing good was going to come from this reunion. Tam had reconciled herself to death. But she had a feeling he had something far worse in store for her. He didn’t seem like the type of man to be crossed.
Tam sunk into her seat, unsure of what her next move would be. She doubted getting away from this man would be as easy as the first time so she’d have to bide her time and figure out where to go from there.
The car ride seemed to go on forever and the stress of the day had caught up to her. Tam shook and she couldn’t stop.
“Scared?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“What do you think?” she snapped, seeing no point in holding her tongue. Tam figured that if he was going to do something bad to her then his mind was already made up and there was no amount of pleading, she could do to change it.
“I think you have a huge set of balls for someone in your predicament. But I suppose it’s better than listening to you whine all the way to where we’re going. What’s your name?”