Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
BARON
With a grunt, I throw the new tire, jack, and bag of tools and supplies into the back of my van, annoyed by how awkward it was to carry all of that out of the store and two and a half miles down the road, but more so over the fact that I had to make this purchase to begin with.
Living in my van means I’ve been pretty on top of maintenance for a long time.
This kind of thing doesn’t happen to me because if this hunk of metal is out of commission, I get stranded, and it could compromise where I was living.
I had to be able to move, had to be able to survive whatever was thrown at me in case I wound up in a situation where I couldn’t leave.
I guess I let this get away from me.
I pull my hoodie up over my head, wiping the sweat off my face before I toss it into the back of my van.
Finding out I have two scent matches and an alpha I’d like to strangle while he chokes on my cock and tells me I’m pretty sort of threw a wrench in things.
Not in a bad way, not by any means, but I wasn’t expecting it, and those three, right along with that sweetheart Cali, shifted my focus elsewhere.
Now, I’m sitting on the side of the road with a blown out tire because I didn’t notice how bald it was, getting ready to change that right along with the oil before I top off my fluids and check my battery strength.
I just needed to go into town for a charger, that was it, and all of the sudden it sounded like my van exploded.
It was careless on my part, ignoring routine shit regardless of the reason. Careless, and stupid really, but I’m just grateful I was alone when it happened.
Arlo might have actually had a heart attack based on the noise alone, and I don’t think Ves would have been very helpful in this scenario.
Lennox knows a thing or two about this stuff, he’s a transient like I am, but I doubt we’d be able to work on a vehicle together for very long before one of us had enough and needed to figure something else out.
Something else most likely being a quick fuck and a lot of cursing, but still.
If I’d have hit some loose gravel, or god knows what else, this could have turned into a disaster, and I’d rather be solo for something like that.
“Do you need any help?”
I turn slowly toward the feminine voice, lifting my hand to block the sun from my eyes as I squint. “Pardon?”
She rolls her window down further, forcing a smile to spread across her thin lips. “Do you need any help? Maybe call for a tow?”
“Thanks,” I say, shaking my head. “But I’ve got it.”
“Are you sure? It’s pretty hot out. A terrible day to be stuck on the side of the road. You could sit in my car and call if you want. I promise, I don’t bite.”
For some reason, her choice of words raises my hackles.
I don’t like this. It feels all wrong.
Sure, it’s common courtesy to offer assistance to someone in need. Some might even say it’s the right thing to do, and while I’m sure there’s truth to that, this feels weird.
I regard her for a moment, my eyes moving from her dark hair to the large sunglasses covering her eyes. Her sharp features and all black clothing. The way she seems to be white-knuckling the steering wheel and shifting around in her seat.
Despite their designation, I wouldn’t expect someone female presenting and clearly on the smaller side of evolution to stop and offer help to someone who is obviously close to double their size.
Looks can be deceiving, yeah, and anything can be a weapon these days, but, as I’ve said before, I look like the retired hockey player-slash-felon that I am.
I’d second guess stopping for a guy like me any day.
The fact that she isn’t has a red flag raising for sure.
“I’m good,” I repeat, waiting for her to leave, but she doesn’t.
This lady idles her car, staring at me like she has something on her mind, and I don’t fucking like that either.
“Well, maybe you can help me, then?”
I frown as I face her completely and cross my arms against my chest. “Maybe.”
“I think I’m lost.”
“Okay.”
“Can you tell me where…” She turns and reaches into the passenger seat, quickly pulling what looks like an old school map out and spreads it against the steering wheel. “McLain Drive is?”
That’s two blocks over from our air bnb.
Is it the same street? No. Do I have any reason to think that’s her real destination? Also, no, but that just makes the stone in my stomach start growing into a boulder.
“I’m not from around here.” I’m not, and maybe I shouldn’t tell her that, but I don’t really want her to know I’m staying close to there, either. She is giving bad vibes that are almost suffocating.
The lady nods and sighs. “That’s too bad. I’m really hoping to find McLain Drive. I’m supposed to meet someone there, and I’m already extremely late.”
“Sorry,” I grunt with a shrug. “Can’t help you. Could check the police station.”
She lets out a forced, kind of strange laugh and sets her map down. “Heavens, no. I’d hate to trouble them with something as simple as directions. It seems so silly.”
Or just fucking weird.
This entire interaction is creeping me out, and I’m supposed to be the one who does that to people, not the other way around. But even as I watch her drive off, that feeling of doom grows with each passing mile until her taillights are out of view.
I stare long after that, my eyes trained on the road, waiting for any sign of a vehicle or that one in particular to turn around and double back, but it doesn’t.
I blow out a breath and go back to the van then jump about forty feet in the air when my phone goes off.
“What,” I bark as I answer.
“Baron?” Arlo asks hesitantly.
I sigh long and low as my shoulders drop. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“Are you okay? You haven’t been answering my texts.”
I put him on speaker and switch to my texts, seeing three unread messages from my sweet omega. “Shit, I didn’t even hear my phone. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I knew you were working on the van, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need us to come help or anything.”
“I’m good, little omega. I’m going to be a while longer, I just got back with everything I need, but I’m good.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to come out and help?”
“Positive. I got it, no worries.”
“Okay. Keep us posted. Let me know when you’re on your way.”
I smile a little and nod, “I will. Love you, baby.”
“I love you, too, Alpha,” he says dreamily. “See you soon.”
Then I get to work.
I work my ass off for the next two goddamn hours because there was more going on with the van than I realized, but I’m finally finished, starving, and ready to go home and eat that roast my omega has probably been making Lennox wait to eat until I get there.
I finish cleaning up my mess, picking up all of my trash and tools before I climb into the driver’s seat, sweaty and smelling like ass, and just when I go to turn off my hazards, a set of headlights breeches the horizon.
Headlights on that same fucking sedan, with that same fucking lady driving, who slows down and gives me a finger wave as she goes by.
And there’s that goddamn feeling of dread again.