Were they huntingme?
I stared down at my trembling fingers, trying and failing not to dwell on the events that led to me running for my life. The heat suppressants weren’t the only reason I’d be royally fucked if anyone found me now. I was a criminal, a fugitive, a murderer.
Well, I wasn’t sure about the last one, but it wasn’t off the table either.
A baseball bat to the back of the head didn’t mean immediate death, but my father’s body hadn’t moved once it hit the floor.
Guilt crushed down on me when I considered what I’d done, but I didn’t have a choice. He’d sold me, sold my freedom to the Stone pack, and I did what I had to do to get away.
The thought of getting caught, of being dragged back to the alphas who’d bought me, was too much, and I swallowed downa sob. Every wall I’d put up would come crumbling down if my increasing panic didn’t subside, and a crowded bus was the last place I wanted to fall apart.
“Please remain calm,” a muffled voice announced over the shotty intercom system, disrupting my train of thought. It sounded like he'd been swallowed by a couch. “Everyone grab your things and head toward the exit. Do not run or shove. Do not block the aisle.”
My heart dropped through my ass, and I stood up, impatiently waiting for the lumbering beta to get to his feet. I had no idea why we were evacuating, but it couldn’t be good.
Was there a tornado?
A bomb threat?
Are we being hijacked?
I was grasping at straws, considering every possible scenario, as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. Shouldering my backpack, I clung to the strap until my knuckles turned white and bounced on the balls of my feet.
Passengers shoved and squeezed their way into the aisle, doing their best to remain calm like the bus driver asked, but the nervous tension filling the small space was palpable. People chattered urgently as they grabbed their things, and when the beta finally made his way into the aisle, I followed in his wake. I kept my hood pulled low to hide my face as we headed for the front of the bus.
Nausea turned my stomach.
I still had no clue what the hell was happening, and I couldn’t shake the dread creeping up my spine.
Something isn’t right.It was my only thought as we hurried toward the exit.
Hot, muggy air smacked me in the face the second my combat boots hit the soaked asphalt, and I immediately missed the sardine can on wheels. It might have been hot on the bus,but at least it didn’t feel like I was trying to choke down a wet blanket. My leggings already clung to my skin with the humidity, and I wanted to rip my hoodie off, but I couldn’t; I needed it to keep my face hidden, and that was more important than comfort.
I’d have to suffer through it.
I glanced around to get a better view of where we’d stopped. We were on a small rural road, illuminated by a single streetlight a short distance away. There was an overpass behind us, but aside from the trees sprouting on both sides of the road, I couldn’t make out anything besides the confused passengers around me.
“Look,” the beta grunted, gesturing toward the back end of the bus.
I followed his line of sight, bracing myself for the worst, and that’s when I realized what the problem was.
The engine was on fucking fire.
Flames licked out around the side, black smoke billowing into the night sky and quickly blending in with the dark stretch overhead. As more people realized what had caused the abrupt pit stop, they backed away from the bus. Some whipped out their phones, eager to record the mayhem, while others clustered together to chatter in tones I couldn’t decipher. A few moved to the other side of the road to give the flames a wide berth.
“Fuck,” I swore through gritted teeth. I adjusted the bag strap on my shoulder and moved off to the side, away from eager recorders. The last thing I needed was a video of me showing up on social media—that definitely wouldn’t do me any favors.
I stepped onto the grass, trying to work out what my next move should be. The flames only grew higher as the minutes ticked by, and it didn’t appear that the driver had a fire extinguisher. He was busy frantically giving directions toa dispatcher on the phone while urging people to keep a safe distance.
I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to come up with a plan.
Realizing there weren’t any cops or alphas searching the bus was a tiny blip of relief from the fear slamming through me, but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet. Getting back on the bus wasn’t an option, and I didn’t want to stick around and find out what would happen if the police showed up.
They’d want my name, my story…
That was out of the question. The amount of suppressants in my bag alone would earn me federal prison time, but I couldn’t ditch them. They were my only shot at remaining hidden.
A single female backpacking across the country was one thing, but an unbound omega with a bounty on her head…
