Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
I’d not been told much about the safehouse they were sending me too, but I knew it was on a ranch. Apparently, the men who would be in charge of guarding me also worked closely with the horses, at least that’s what Angelo’s partner, Cam, had told me. He’d been the only one of my relatives in Boston who’d been nice to me. He’d even brought me cannoli from his bakery.
Maybe I’d be able to escape after I got settled at this ranch. How closely could these cowboys be watching me if they were off riding around the ranch and doing whatever cowboys did? I was sure I could do it. After all, I’d been sneaking away from my captors since I learned how to dodge my pinch-faced nanny at three years old.
My luck shifted on the way to the safehouse, and I didn’t have to wait after all. On a road near the ranch, the two men escorting me got into an argument about what direction we were supposed to go. The taller one stopped the car in the middle of a dirt road and punched the GPS screen. “This fucking thing is a piece of shit.”
“Temper. Temper,” the other one said, nearly earning himself a punch in the face.
“The fucking GPS doesn’t work out here.”
“Yeah, that’s because we’re in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even know if this is a real road.”
“That’s what I’m telling you. It’s not. We need to turn around.”
“This is where the directions said to go. The boss gave ’em to us, and we’re going to follow them.”
I disengaged the lock on my door while they were arguing. When they didn’t turn around or even stop talking, I tested the handle, opening it slowly. The taller one ignored his partner and started to make a three-point turn. I slipped the strap of my backpack onto one shoulder. When my door was facing the woods, I shoved it open, rolled out, and ran.
The car spun to a stop, and dirt and gravel went flying. I glanced back and saw the men jumping out of the car. They were strong, but they weren’t built for running. I dashed in and out of trees, running along a winding path. I lost them before long.
It was only once I’d convinced myself they’d retreated that I realized what I’d done. I’d run straight into the wilderness where there might be lions or tigers or bears or whatever the hell lived out here. Coyotes? Snakes? Surely there were snakes. I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t even have a weapon to use against whatever creature came after me since Lucien had been concerned I’d use it on my guards.
He hadn’t been wrong, but I still fucking hated him.
If that wasn’t enough of a problem, I also had no idea where I was or how far I was from anything resembling civilization, and like the taller guard had said, the GPS was shit out here. At least I had my backpack with me, which meant I had water and some snacks. Lola, Lucien’s housekeeper, had insisted on packing some food for me, even though there were snacks on the plane.
I leaned against a tree and pulled out a bottle of water. When I’d guzzled down half of it, I looked around, and my heart sank. I couldn’t see anything but trees or fields in either direction. How close was I to this ranch? Maybe I should try to find it.
No, I’d escaped to keep from ending up there. This was my best chance to get away on my own. What I needed to do was find a road and walk as far away from the ranch as possible, not that I knew what direction it was in.
How far was I going to have to walk? I was in good shape. I went to the gym every day. It wasn’t like I would ever let my body fall into disrepair. Keeping men and women interested was one of the main ways I got my job done. It was so much easier than fighting or shooting people.
I’d just been trapped in a bad place, and that had gotten me sent to Boston with my enemies hot on my heels.
How do you know they haven’t tracked you here?
They might track me to the ranch, but by the time they figured out I wasn’t there, I’d be long gone.
Unless you can’t find your way out. Good luck doing that without GPS to guide you.
I’ll be fine.
How long do you think those snacks will last you?
I’m not going to be stuck here forever. Right? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tried the GPS again. Not only did it not work, but I didn’t have any signal at all. Great.
You’d better start walking. It’s going to get dark soon.