I had to get off this truck. I couldn’t go to Dallas with the circus, especially if I was trapped back here under a tarp. It was likely to get hot as fuck rolling down the highway.
Fuck. I might have been good at escaping, but I was terrible at the survival part. Why hadn’t I considered any of this before my nap?
Exhaustion. Plain and simple. I'd been too tired to think properly or give a damn.
Now, I was paying for it.
The truck turned, and I tripped over one of the poles, my knees slamming onto the metal bed and making me wince. I crawled over to the tarp’s edge and peered beneath it, watching as the concrete below whizzed by. I could jump, but it would hurt like hell. I might even break something.
I didn’t come this far just to end up in an ER.
With every second, we were gaining speed, and my window of opportunity was closing. Soon, we’d be on the highway, and itwould be impossible for me to get off this ride until we stopped again.
Where would that be? Who knew, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near Houston.
Fear paralyzed me, freezing my muscles in place as I watched the road zip by. We were moving faster now, the pavement nothing but a gray blur below. I’d end up as minced meat if I jumped down.
“No,” I groaned, sitting up on my knees and staring blankly ahead. “No, no, no.”
What have I done?
I knew the answer, as impossible as it was to believe.
I’d accidentally run away with the circus.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ARINA
Napping on an unmoving flatbed truck hadn’t been so bad. Better than sleeping on the sidewalk or in some bushes. However, riding down the road for several hours while the sun beat down on the black tarp overhead was fucking terrible. I was sweating before long, questioning my sanity and the decisions that led me here.
For a reprieve, I shed my hoodie and pulled on a tank top. Then I wiggled to the front of the flatbed and poked my head out from beneath the tarp. Wind kissed my face, whipping my hair around, and I gulped down lungfuls of cool air.
I would have crawled out completely and sat on the edge of the bed behind the truck cabin if I didn’t think it would raise suspicion or get the cops called. I could see someone in a minivan freaking out and flagging down the truck driver, who I doubted would approve of a stowaway. Better to be cautious and cool off just enough to avoid a heatstroke than be found out and put in handcuffs.
I managed another short nap, but I was too wound up and nervous to doze off for long. There were too many unknowns plaguing me, and without a distraction, the minutes seemed to drag on forever.
I wish I had my phone. Or at least some music.
My mind wandered in endless loops, questions playing on repeat that I didn’t have the answers to.
What would happen when I got to Dallas? Should I try to find Daze again and ask him more about the circus? Was joining the circus my best bet at this point, or should I take my chances and search for a homeless shelter? The thought of me in the ring, performing for thousands of people, was insane, but at least I wouldn’t be completely on my own.
However, Revel had been adamant about me not joining; he hated the idea. Would he make sure the ringleader, or whoever was in charge, turned me away?
I groaned and squeezed my eyes closed, already overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was doing, but I needed to figure it out fast because we were barreling toward our destination, and I didn’t have much time to decide.
What would Mom do?
I nearly laughed. She definitely wouldn’t be on the back of a truck right now. I doubted she would have run away either. She might have been willing to make back-alley deals to find heat suppressants after I awakened, but aside from that, she’d never been much of a rule breaker.
She might be disappointed about me potentially killing her husband, but she’d understand. Probably. She never would have let him sell me to a pack of alphas.
I just wished she were here, so I could ask for her guidance. She’d know exactly what to do.
I blinked away the stinging sensation at the corners of my eyes and shoved down my emotions again. Bottling themup, locking them up tight. Eventually, I’d combust, and they’d all come spilling out, oozing over everything, but that was a problem for future me.
I have to stay focused.
