Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Almost there, sweetheart. We’ll get you some pain medicine and a doctor once we get to the Bones compound. Just a little longer.”
The Bones compound. Whatever that was. It probably should sound sinister, but the guy wasn’t being mean to me -- was trying to help me, in fact -- so I just let it go. The only thing that mattered was that I was far away from my family and that Godforsaken town in West Virginia.
The next time I woke up, it was with the guy’s fingers tunneled through my hair, massaging my scalp while my head was in his lap. I lay in the front seat of his truck, the console flipped up so I was curled up on the bench seat with me facing the seat back. We seemed to have stopped moving, which was what woke me up.
“You awake?” He continued to pet me, playing with my hair, which had to be yucky and tangled. I thought I still had duct tape in my hair that I couldn’t get out and had yet to cut, but I’d worry about that later.
“Yeah,” I said, sitting up. That wasn’t awkward or anything. Waking up with my head in a strange man’s lap. I shivered, scooting as far to the other side of the truck as I could and wrapping the silver blanket tightly around my shoulders. “We here?”
The guy just looked at me for long moments. Probably trying to size me up. “We ain’t gonna hurt you, kid.” I nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. I’d made a stupid decision but, in my defense, I hadn’t been in a good frame of mind. He sighed. “My name’s Styx,” he said. “Shoulda told you earlier, but we were in the middle of something, and I don’t do well with niceties on the best of days.”
“It’s fine,” I said, giving him a small smile. “Can I leave now?”
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. “Give me a minute,” he said, then hopped out of the truck, shutting the door. I opened my door and climbed down gingerly. I was starting to feel every ache and pain of the trauma inflicted on me a few hours earlier. Before I got my feet on the ground, I felt Styx’s hands at my waist.
“Take it easy. You got a bit roughed up. Let me help.”
“I’m good,” I said, turning and taking a step sideways to get him out of my space. “Where am I? I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can get an Uber.”
“Fuck.” Styx scrubbed a hand over his face and through his hair. “You need medical attention. I get the feeling you don’t want people askin’ too many questions, so let us help you. Mama is in her clinic. She’ll take a look and fix what she can. If nothing else, she can load you up with pain meds to get you through the worst of it.”
“Just need some over-the-counter stuff. I can get it on my own.”
“Jolene,” he said warningly. “You ain’t leavin’ here until Mama looks at you. I did you a favor lettin’ you tag along. You’re gonna do this for me.”
That startled me. “Seems I’d be owing you double instead of repaying you.”
“Nope. Gettin’ you checked out is for my peace of mind as much as for your benefit. Callin’ that one even. You’re just submitting to it to keep me sane.”
“Why do you even care?” I knew I sounded petulant, but I was at my lowest, and this guy was… strong. Kind. Not weak and broken like me. I was nothing more than an object of pity to a man like this.
Styx shook his head. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t put it into words. Then he gestured for me to come with him. “Just can’t stand to see someone hurting. I can guess what happened to you. No one should have to go through that alone with no support. It could break you.”
“I’m stronger than I look. Stronger people than any of those McCoy bastards have tried to keep me down.” That was nothing more than bluster, and I was sure Styx saw right through it. If he did, he didn’t say anything.
“Fine. I get you. But you’re still gonna let Mama have a look at you. If you’re gonna strike out on your own, you’re gonna do it whole, Goddammit. Injured, you’ll just get into trouble.”
I snorted. “Trouble?”
“Yep. You can’t defend yourself because you’re hurting or not in the right frame of mind. Mama can help on both counts. And, like I said, I’ll rest easier.” He shook his head. “Don’t like seein’ you like this.” He murmured the last as he reached out for the swollen side of my face, stroking it gently even as he winced. “You’re a beautiful girl, Jolene. Don’t let those pricks get the best of you.”