Chapter Three #2
“Shit,” she gasped, looking at her phone and the tracking app where her sister’s icon showed they’d moved.
Aurora turned onto the highway, heading in the same direction.
She looked in the rearview mirror as headlights came up behind her.
She pushed the pedal down, glad she’d opted for the upgraded engine on her Raptor.
The Godzilla V8 rumbled under the hood, giving her the satisfaction that she could outrun most other vehicles on the road.
With her phone placed in the holder on the dashboard, Aurora concentrated on the road. At the same time, she kept the other vehicle in her peripheral vision.
The vehicle carrying Starla appeared to be about ten minutes ahead of her, so she set her cruise control to twelve miles per hour faster than their current speed, hoping it would bring her closer to them.
She sped up, and the headlights behind her got smaller as she put space between them.
Aurora couldn’t shake the feeling that whoever was driving the car following her wasn’t a friend, or just someone on the road by happenstance.
She didn’t know what the weirdo Harry drove, but she’d cataloged each car and truck she’d seen in the parking lot before she’d gone inside to go to the bathroom.
“Goddess, what did I do to deserve this shitshow?”
Her focus pinged between the road, her cell, and the twin beams of headlights behind her. After fifteen minutes, the lights were closer than they had been before. Aurora considered increasing her speed, but she held steady as Starla’s icon indicated they were within a couple of miles of her.
As she gripped the wheel tighter, she got a good view of the pickup pulling up alongside her.
The red Dodge Ram, with its single cab, looked like it had gone through a few hit-and-runs and forgotten to get the dents fixed.
The front end sported what appeared to be a solid steel full grille guard made tough from a 12-gauge steel tube that panned the entire length of the bumper.
The look alone would strike fear into the eyes of anything that stood in its way, or so the manufacturer claimed when trying to sell it to her during the custom build of her Bronco.
At the time, she didn’t think she needed such a heavy piece of equipment bogging down her baby.
Looking at the beast riding next to her, she wished she’d have opted for the extra protection.
However, if she needed to outrun the fucker, her rig had a better chance of getting up and going than the Ram.
Through the window, the other vehicle’s loud engine rumble increased as it passed her. She kept her eyes on the road ahead of her, never looking off to the side and giving them, whoever they were, any indication she was interested in their presence.
Her mouth was dry, needing liquid, but she worried one moment of distraction could cost her. The truck eased into the same lane as her and tapped its brakes.
“Shit,” she muttered, knowing they were playing games.
The grassy median separating the two northbound lanes from the two southbound lanes was narrow and appeared flat.
With the moon shining bright above, she could see there wasn’t much between the two directions, but anything could be lurking or hidden in the darkness.
She didn’t want to chance losing Starla by turning off at the next exit or being daring enough to romp through the median.
Hell, with her luck, the fucker would follow her, or she’d crash, and whoever drove the Ram would find her easy picking.
She prayed her sister’s phone wouldn’t die during the drive, but luck wasn’t always on her side.
Her only saving grace was that Starla had charged her cell phone completely before they’d left for their run.
She hadn’t been online scrolling like usual, which hopefully meant the battery would last for the twenty-four hours the manufacturer had sworn it would.
Another flash of red taillights made her heartbeat quicken. She moved into the passing lane to keep her Bronco at a steady speed, avoiding the constant gas brake bullshit.
At the top of the next hill, she decided to gun it and move past the Dodge, as they were approaching the next town. Starla’s icon showed they slowed down and then stopped.
“Damn, why are they stopping in Hunterstown, Pennsylvania?” She typed questions into her phone for information about the town, letting her fingers drum on the wheel as it pulled up facts.
The population of less than three hundred with no motels or hotels meant they either planned to pitch tents or sleep in their shifted forms. Neither option boded well for her sister, as she’d never shifted in her life and wasn't ready to do so yet. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She drove to the next exit with the fucking Dodge riding her ass, pissing her off as she left her sister behind. The convenience store, aptly called Rutter’s, came into view. She flew into the lot, uncaring that her tires made squealing sounds as she braked hard enough to leave marks.
Aurora lifted the suppression on her inner wolf, allowing her beast to rise to the surface to give her the extra senses she needed to see, hear, and smell if there were shifters and others around.
The big truck pulled in next to her, and oh boy, was she happy as fuck she’d pulled into the lot instead of the side of the road as the dickweed from the last stop got out, along with a man who looked just like him. Twins, who, from their scents, were all human.
“Why the fuck are you following me?” she asked, going on the offensive.
“Well, a little lady out here all by herself. We just thought you might want some company. Besides, we just wanted to talk to you. My brother said you were rude to him back at the other station, so I thought I’d try and see if I had better luck.”
“Hmm, isn’t your brother married, and by the looks of it, you too?” Aurora looked toward his left hand, where a gold ring circled his finger.
The man held up his left hand, showing the ring in question.
“Well, sugar, this here is just a little inconvenience. My wife and his don’t ask questions.
As long as we come home every night, or most nights, that is.
Besides, there’s enough of us to go around.
Why don’t you let Harry drive your little vehicle, and you hop in my truck?
We’ll take you somewhere a little more private and show you how two is better than one. ”
Aurora was sure her eyes would’ve rolled all the way back to the town they’d passed if they could do so, but she refrained from making such an overt reaction to his suggestion. “Look, while I appreciate the offer, I will have to kindly decline.”
She didn’t add how much she’d rather gouge her eyes out or get eviscerated before willingly going anywhere with the two men. However, if they were good at reading body language, they’d surely see it was written all over her how much she didn’t want anything to do with either of them.
“I told you she thought she was too good for us, Bart.” Harry spat a loogie that landed near Aurora’s feet.
The sound of bells tinkled from somewhere behind her. Her wolf senses picked up the sweet scent of perfume and a human female.
“Is everything okay out here?”
“Go back inside and mind your business before you get hurt. This is family shit,” one of the twins said.
“I don’t give a crap about family bullshit if it means a woman is being harassed on my watch. If she doesn’t want to go with you, she doesn’t have to. Ma’am, I called the sheriff and reported a disturbance. It only takes him about five minutes to get here if you want to come inside and wait.”
Aurora watched the two men as they shifted on their feet. She could see their minds spinning as they probably thought about their odds.
“Ah fuck it. She ain’t worth it.” Another glob of spit landed too close to her favorite pair of Nike tennis shoes. Still, the two bastards climbed back into their pickup and roared out of the lot, hopped back onto the highway, and headed back the way they’d come.
She put her hand against her chest, feeling her heart race beneath her palm. Finally, she turned to face her savior.
“Thank you for wading in and helping me. They started following me after I filled my tank at the last stop.” The woman, not a girl, gave her a friendly smile.
“I’ve seen my fair share of shit since running this station. Trust me. I know when a woman is running and when she’s trying to get attention. You didn’t want anything to do with those two. Please tell me neither one was your old man?” she asked, her brows raised high.
“Goodness no. Um, is the sheriff really coming?” Aurora didn’t want or need the law getting involved.
The woman held up her right hand, showing Aurora a small cell phone.
“If I hit send, he’ll be here in less than five, but no, I hadn’t made the call yet.
The sheriff is my old man. Do you need me to call him?
He’ll gladly come and escort you back the right way, and at least for a few miles, give you an escort down the highway. ”
She practiced some soothing breaths before answering, hoping the woman would assume it was nerves rather than her fear of police involvement.
“No, I’m sure they won’t be bothering me. I’ll just head on out. Thank you again. You really did swoop in like a superwoman. I swear, those men looked like they were gonna pee their pants when you mentioned the sheriff,” Aurora said, hoping her levity would ease the other woman’s conscience.
A chuckle followed her words, and as she’d hoped, the lady nodded and waved. “Well, if you ever travel this way again, stop in and say hello. I’m here most nights. My name’s Evie.”
“Nice to have met you, Evie. I’m Aurora.”