Chapter 4
Four
DARCIE
By the time I’d scoped out the room and the rest of the house, it was already noon. I felt a little bad snooping through the guy's belongings, but if I was going to be staying here, I justified my need to be safe. Not that any of them had much stuff to peruse, but I learned a few things.
For instance, Grayson liked his hair care and moisturizer, with more bottles on his dresser than I’d ever owned. His room was clean, and everything had its place. I spent a few minutes switching out a couple of his drawers just to mess with him. I almost wished I could be there to see his face when he went to reach for his socks and found his jeans instead.
As his road name suggested, he was a pretty boy, making my toes curl just from a look. But something else about him made me want to keep talking to him, to find out more. Searching his room might have been unorthodox, but I felt safer around him now.
As for Bubba, there wasn’t much to find in his room. He had a big bed with overstuffed pillows, a closet full of the same clothing, and a few pairs of boots at the bottom of the closet. There weren’t any personal items on display. He had his own bathroom, which was as tidy and sparse as his room. His shower made me jealous, though, and I was already devising a plan to get him to allow me to use it.
The other room in their hallway was locked, along with Brooks’. I’d have to search through them later when I remembered how to pick a lock. It hadn’t been part of the MCD program, but Maddox had shown me once. It was a vague memory, but with a refresher on YouTube, once I had a phone, I’d have those doors open in no time.
My stomach growling had me relenting in my search for the time being so I could head into town. Food and a phone were first on my list.
Sorting through my boxes, I changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of jeans. As much as I liked my cowgirl look, I didn’t want to draw attention when I was alone. My room looked like a tornado had hit it, but I didn’t have time to deal with it now. I’d unpack later once the monster in my belly was fed.
Baseball cap pulled down low, I pulled myself into the truck. It was so high I practically needed a stepladder. The truck was an older one, and I had to move the seat in order to reach the pedals. My pulse skyrocketed as I turned the engine over. Anxiety coursed through me at driving a stick, but I reminded myself that if I could drive a bike, I could also do this.
It wasn’t my best lie, but it was all I had at the moment as I backed out of the drive.
The truck was smoother than I expected, only slightly sticking, as Bubba had said, in second. Once I was out of the subdivision, I headed into town, focusing on the road, my hands at ten and two.
A strip mall came into view within a few minutes, and I sighed in relief. My whole body vibrated when I parked in the lot, a million miles away from any other cars. I’d probably regret it later when I was returning to it, but not having anyone around to park next to felt safer.
Keeping my head low, I searched the stores, finding a pawnshop, a Chinese restaurant, a sandwich shop, a jewelry store, a beauty shop, and an electronics store on the end.
Heading to the electronics store first, I sighed in relief when it was a girl on the floor. I was hoping she’d be less likely to remember me and more sympathetic to my cause than a man.
She smiled as I neared, and I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep myself from fidgeting.
“How can I help ya?” she asked, smiling politely.
“I need to get a prepaid phone. Do you have those?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“Sure do. One sec, I’ll bring up the models.”
She smiled again before she walked to the back of the store. It didn’t take her long before she was returning with two plastic-encased phones. She went over the different features, but I stopped her, already knowing which one I wanted.
“This one will be perfect. Do you have any resell tablets as well?”
“Sorry, hun. We don’t carry anything like that. You might try the pawnshop on the other end. They tend to have a few.”
I paid for the phone, thanking her for the help. My stomach rumbled again, so I walked to the Chinese restaurant, deciding to order and then pop into the pawnshop while my food was being made.
“This all for you?” the lady asked, eyeing me up and down after I ordered four meals.
“Yup. I want to try it all,” I said, giving her a grin as I nodded.
She chuckled, giving me a big smile. “Alright, I’ll throw in some chow mein, too. You’ll like it. Be twenty minutes.”
“Perfect. I’m going to pop over to the pawnshop. I’ll be right back.”
Her face tightened, and she nodded, her eyes narrowing a little. “Be quick,” she said, and I wondered if she wanted to say more but wasn’t sure how. It didn’t sound like she was saying to hurry so she wouldn’t be waiting on me; more like she didn’t want me in there long.
Taking her words at face value, I nodded and headed to the shop; my mission to find a tablet and get out was playing on repeat in my head.
Stepping into the crowded space, I instantly felt eyes on me. It was probably a familiar feeling in a place like this where they watched everyone like a hawk, afraid they might steal something. When I came around a stack of fax machines and old computer parts, I found the clerk leaning against the counter, his eyes fixed on me.
“You looking for anything, sweetheart?” he asked. He had a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, which he pulled out to lick his lips before placing it back in.
Holding in my disgust, I walked forward a little. “I’m looking for a tablet. Do you have anything?”
He pointed with that same toothpick to a corner in the back. Smiling tightly, I headed there, keeping him in my peripheral. I suddenly understood the woman next door’s meaning. This guy was a creep.
The section he pointed me to had several tablets. I looked them over, going for one of the cheaper ones that turned on and wasn’t too scratched up. I only needed it for simple things, so I didn’t need to blow all my cash. Picking up the charger that went with it, I headed to the front, wanting to get out of there. His eyes had stayed on me the entire time, and they no longer felt like they were watching for me to steal but more predatory.
“I’ll take this,” I said, laying it down.
“Hmph, fill out this card here in case I need to get in touch.” He slid across a piece of paper before taking the items and punching in a total on the register.
There was no way I was giving him any factual information, so I made up a name and used the street number from my old house in Mississippi with a Tennessee zip code. It should look legit enough for him, but it wouldn’t have any trail to me afterward.
I glanced at the total, seeing he’d added a charge.
“What’s that for?” I asked. The prospect of paying it felt wrong, but if it got me out of here quicker, I might be obliged.
“Processing charge,” he said, smiling with his toothpick. “There’s another way to take care of it if you’re interested.”
Chills ran down my spine, and I decided to deal with the extra fifty and get out of there. Grimacing, I shook my head, pulling out the exact change and placing it on the counter with the info card. I reached for the tablet when his hand smacked down on top of mine, jolting me. Gasping, I glanced up, finding his predatory smile directed at me.
“You sure you don’t want to make arrangements? Maybe I should add another charge,” he purred, his eyes scanning down my body. Despite knowing I was fully covered, it felt like he was undressing me, violating me in a way I hadn’t felt since the night Agonizer raped me.
My body froze, the memories of that night filtered through as I tried to grasp onto reality and determine how to get out of this situation. I couldn’t fight him. I didn’t need the attention, nor did I want to run again after just getting here. No, this required a delicate solution.
The door pinged as it opened, breaking whatever trance he’d frozen me in. The woman next door peered in, holding up the food bags.
“Your order's ready,” she yelled, not looking at the man.
He glared at her, but it allowed me to grab the tablet and bolt out the door. My heart was racing, but with each step closer to the door, the better I felt.
She opened the door wider as I neared, not saying anything until we were both free.
“Thank you,” I said, my hands shaking as I tried to get myself together.
“Be safe, child. My son will walk you to your car.”
A man I hadn’t noticed stood behind her, taking the bags of food. Tears pricked my eyes at the realization they were watching out for me.
“Thank you. I can’t…” I started, my throat closing up at the genuine warmth I felt for this stranger.
She patted my hand, urging me to go. Nodding, I thanked her once again before heading toward the truck. I felt terrible that her son had to walk all the way, regretting parking so far away. But I was glad to have him since I’d noticed the pawn shop owner move toward the door, watching.
The boy nodded as I thanked him, climbing into the truck a few minutes later. It took me another five before my hands were no longer shaking and I was calm enough to start the engine.
“Fiddlesticks!” I shouted, hitting the steering wheel in frustration. I had to be more careful moving forward. I couldn’t always count on the kindness of others to save me. I was one wrong move away from ending up in jail or as someone’s 'well guest' so they could wear me as a skin suit. I didn’t have it in me to put the lotion in the basket.
Neither option was how I wanted to spend my life.
“Get back, eat some food, and find Maddox,” I whispered, needing a plan. “Freak-out later.”
Nodding, I turned the keys and shifted the truck, making sure to go in the other direction so I could avoid the pawn shop altogether.
It took me a few missed turns, but I finally returned to Bubba’s house. Feeling better about my adventure and what I’d accomplished, I brought in my food and sat it on the counter. After peeking in a few cabinets, I found a plate and a fork. Dishing out a small portion of each, I devoured the food as I set up my new devices.
The phone was easy since I wasn’t putting any contacts in it outside of a few people. I texted Lennox, letting her know it was my number and added Bubba’s.
The brat part of me wanted to text him something to push his buttons, but the mature part knew it would only reinforce what he believed about me—that I was a spoiled princess, incapable of taking care of herself.
It bothered me that he thought I was weak and too young for him. Despite already deciding I wouldn’t like him; I wanted that decision to be mine, and it felt like he’d already made up his mind before he even knew me.
The fire within wanted to punish him, while the reasonable part of me knew it wouldn’t work out as I’d hoped. For now, I needed to show I wasn’t a burden like a child he had to watch.
Cleaning up my mess, I put the rest of the food into the fridge and left a note that they could have whatever they wanted. It felt like the nice thing to do since they were letting me stay here.
Taking my devices with me to my room, I organized my things into neater piles so they’d be easier to find when I needed them. I didn’t want to unpack completely in case I needed to make a run for it again. I could always send for the things at least if I needed them once I was settled.
Plopping down on the bed, I signed onto the server to see if there was any sign of Maddox. As it loaded, my eyes grew heavy, and I placed it down next to me, promising to only close my eyes for a few minutes.