I don’t know, and it scares the hell out of me.
“Thank you,” I say, jumping out of the truck at San Diego.
“Any time.” The truckie smiles before pulling back onto the road.
I glance around, trying to get my bearings. I’ve been here before, but I need to find somewhere that’s safe, somewhere Axel wouldn’t think to look for me. I have no doubt he’ll catch up to me—he always does—but I am hoping I might get a night’s rest. I need it. If I don’t get it, running will become difficult.
I walk out onto the road and flag down a cab. I need money to be able to survive all the way to L.A. I have enough from my last cash job to get me through a few more days, but I’m going to need to find something low-key to make sure I can get through. A bright yellow cab screeches to a halt beside me, and I climb in.
“Nearest hotel,” I say.
“You got a price limit?” The older, gray haired man says, staring at me through the rear-view mirror.
“Nothing expensive. Something cheap, under one hundred if possible.”
He nods, and puts his blinker on before pulling out into the busy traffic. I stare out the window as he drives, and wonder how long it will take Axel to find me here. Will I get enough time to get myself a job, maybe some extra money in case I can’t find Raide? I hope so. I’m running low. I close my eyes and rub my temples, feeling the urge to throw up.
I need to change my look.
The thought hits me very suddenly, but it’s a brilliant idea. It might buy me a few days. Axel is looking for me. He knows what I look like, and if I change it up, he might be thrown off my trail a little. I lean over the seat and say to the cab driver, “Never mind the hotel, take me to a salon. Again, preferably a cheap one.”
He raises his brows but nods, and turns into a small side street. He pulls over on the curb, and nods toward a bright pink store. “They’re said to be good.”
I smile, and hand him a twenty. “Thank you.”
Another nod.
I get out of the car, and he drives off. I peer up at the large, overly pastel store, and then I grip my hood and lower it. I pull off my sunglasses and grab the handle. A little bell jingles as I pull.
When I step inside, it smells like hair products, and is buzzing with people. A young, very attractive blonde girl saunters over, smiling at me. She has massive hair, all piled up on her head. I could never achieve that if I tried.
“Hello, how can I help?” she says, stopping at the desk.
“I...need a change. A big one.”
Her eyes widen, like I’ve just made all her dreams come true. “Oh?”
“I need to look different. I’m tired of this color and this style.”
She nods, and walks over. “May I?”
I bob my head as she reaches out, takes my hair between her fingers, and begins inspecting it. She lets it out, and loosens it, before circling me.
“I think dark. You have the skin tone for it, and your eyes are stunning. I’m thinking a dark chocolate brown, if you’re willing to do a change that drastic?”
I nod, liking the idea. “Sounds good to me.”
“I say we take some length off too, and shape it. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I say. “That’s great.”
“Well, if you will just come over to the sink, I’ll wash it for you.”
I do as she asks, and settle myself in the large, leather chair that she points to. I tilt my head back and let it fall into the sink, and she begins washing it for me. My entire body breaks out in tingles. It’s been so long since I’ve felt something so good. I want to moan, only I don’t want to come across as creepy so I put a lid on it.
“Okay, all done, come over to this chair and we’ll sort this out for you.”
The next few hours pass by in a blur. She colors my hair and then trims it, and by the time I walk out of the salon, I don’t recognize myself. I stop in at a cheap travellers’ store, and I pick myself up a new pair of jeans and a tank, deciding to ditch the hoodie. Axel is looking for that. I get a new pair of sunglasses, and then I flag down another cab.
He takes me to the nearest hotel, and I book myself a room for three nights. It was cheaper than I expected, so I’m able to give myself a little extra time. The room I’m in is basic, modern and comfortable. The hotel doesn’t look like it’s been around long, so everything is fairly new.
As soon as I settle in, I let myself relax just a touch, and my body slumps in exhaustion.
I need to rest.
I stare over at the bed, longingly. Can I afford to rest? Or should I be out looking for a job? Glancing down at my watch, I realize it’s early enough for me to get a good few hours of sleep. I drop my clothes until I’m in only my bra and panties, and I crawl into the bed. It’s a soft mattress with feather pillows, and within minutes of my head hitting them, I’m out.
CHAPTER 5
AXEL
Let your true feelings show, I’m a part of you, more than you know.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I snarl, clenching my fists. “How can she just disappear?”
“She’s not been seen in the past day. She’s hiding well,” Cobra says.
“She’s fuckin’ smarter than I thought.”
“Maybe there’s a way to get her out, draw her to you. Didn’t you say you used to know her when she was a kid?”
I think back to the girl I remember, with her blonde hair, her blue eyes, and her beautiful laugh. She was the only sunshine in my world back then, but when I finally escaped the clutches of Hell’s Reign, she became the enemy. Her father put me there. Her father ruined my life. I can no longer see her beauty; all I can see is revenge.
Now the need is intense.
I need to make someone pay for what happened. And the urge to make that person her is stronger than I am.
“She doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust her,” I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a cigarette. “The only way to get her now is force.”
“And you’re willing to use that kind of force, even for a girl who used to mean something to you?” Cobra says wearily, with his brow arched.
“Fuckin’ oath I am.”
MEADOW
Later that afternoon once I’ve woken from my nap, I set off down the street. I need to find a job, and bars are the best place to look, so that’s where I’ll go first. They’re often looking for girls to serve, and they’re always good for cash jobs.
The first bar I come across is only two blocks from my hotel, and is quite flashy. I grip the door handle and step inside, staring around at the impressive space.
It’s got large wooden booths running along two of the walls. A bar runs along the front, and in the middle of the room there are a few pool tables, a jukebox, and some space for a dance floor. I walk over to the bar, and take a stool, waiting for the younger man who is serving to notice me. When he does, he turns and flashes me a dazzling smile.
“Can I help you?” he says, as he stops in front of me.
He’s a handsome man, with light brown hair, big brown eyes, and a chiseled face. His body is tall but extremely muscled, and he boasts some impressive tattoos. He has a ring through his lip, and one in his eyebrow. He has that bad-boy look, only his eyes are gentle.
“I was wondering if you happened to have any fill-in work going? I’m in town for a little bit, and I need a job to get me by.”
He nods, smiling again. “You’re in luck. I just fired my last girl yesterday.”
“Y-y-you’re the boss?” I say, shocked. He’s so young.
He chuckles. “Call me an overachiever.”
I smile. I can’t help it.