“Ha-ha,” he replies flatly. “Her name is Athena Todt, originally from West Virginia. Not sure when her parents got together, but she grew up with her mom and what seems like a string of shitty men in and out of jail for petty crimes.”
West Virginia? She really did travel across the country to meet her dad. What a giant disappointment that must have been.
“Do you have a picture of her?” Do I sound like a creep? Maybe. Do I care? Not when it comes to Athena. My literal warrior goddess. I knew it.
“Got her ID. I'm going to text you right now. Is she in trouble?”
“She’s mine, is what she is,” I grumble.
“It’s like that, huh?” my old friend teases. “Never thought I’d see the day. Wraith chasing down a woman who doesn’t want to be caught. She musta’ gotten to you pretty good if you’re willing to do all of this for a woman whose name you don’t know.”
“Sure I do. It’s Athena.”
“What’s her last name? No cheating and looking at the picture I just sent.”
“It doesn’t matter. She’ll have my last name soon enough.”
“Damn, you’re serious?”
“Nah, this was all one big prank,” I say sarcastically. “Of course, I’m serious.”
“Keep me updated and let me know if you need backup. I know you have your club, but if there’s anything my men and I can do at Aegis Security, you know we’re at your disposal.”
“Thank you, Kai,” I tell him sincerely. “I will.”
We hang up and I check the text. Athena’s green eyes stare back at me, her long brown hair flowing down her shoulders. Along with the ID, Kai sent her last known location - a town not too far from here. It’s enough to point me in the right direction.
I hop on my bike and rev the engine before saying a little prayer to a god I don’t believe in. I can use all the help I can get to find my woman, including calling upon deities. Armed with my girl’s name and location, I set out to bring her home, right where she belongs.
4
ATHENA
My money ran out last night after I used the last of my cash on a place to stay. I’m sure I’ll be kicked out of the rent-by-the-hour motel by the time I get back from my little excursion, which is why I have my bag and everything I own with me.
The trusty duffel bag is coming in handy as I nonchalantly peruse the aisles of food and essentials at a nearby gas station. Every so often, I’ll “accidentally” drop a protein bar or a bottle of water in my bag. The plan is to steal as much as I can conceivably get away with to survive long enough to… I don’t know. I don’t fucking know anymore.
I’m broke. Homeless. On the run with too much baggage and too little time. But where am I going? Maybe I should’ve taken Acacia up on her offer to drive me up the mountains with her.
My brilliant plan to leave the trailer park and its troubles has ended in ruins. Stupid me. I’ve spent twenty-one years learning over and over that the only person I can count on is myself, yet I naively handed my trust over to my father, thinking he’d keep it safe. Instead, he crushed it and fed it to the wolves.
I can’t go crawling back to my mom. Not only would it be humiliating, it might be dangerous. I didn’t exactly leave ongood terms with my mother or her deadbeat boyfriend, Seth. They found the cash I had saved up from my multiple jobs and spent a good chunk of it on drugs before passing out.
When I got home from a double shift at the diner, I realized what happened. Furious and frantic, I knew that was the last straw. Mom and Seth were passed out, half-naked on the couch, and I just… knew. This was going to be the last time I saw them. At least my final memory will be one of them doing what they loved: drugs. So, I stole what was left of my money back, and flushed the remaining drugs. A little parting gift from me to them. I don’t imagine they handled their sudden and unexpected sobriety well.
I turn down another aisle, then duck behind the shelves when the front door opens with a ding. Without even looking, I know who it is. My stalker. The enigmatic biker who hasn’t left my side in days. Not only do I smell his spicy sandalwood and diesel scent, but Ifeelhim whenever he’s near.
What started out as suspicion when he parked outside my motel room all night when I first escaped the auction has turned into interest. Instead of fear, there’s a thrill shooting down my spine at finally being caught by the beastly biker and his large, strong hands wrapping around my–
“Hey! What are you putting in your bag?” the attendant behind the counter shouts. My face flushes and I look around to see if he could possibly be talking to someone else, but it’s just my stalker and me inside.
I quickly zip up the bag and plan the fastest route out of the store and into the nearest alley to hide. Before I can make my move, however, the mysterious man who has been following me speaks up.
“She’s with me. I was going to put everything on my tab,” he says to the man behind the counter. Both the attendant and I look at the biker like he’s full of shit, but he simply pulls hiswallet out of his back pocket and places several hundred dollar bills on the counter. “That should cover it, don’t you think?”
My mouth hangs open at the interaction happening in front of me. I have fifty dollars of stolen goods, if that. So why did he just pay quadruple that amount?
The gas station attendant snaps out of it and grabs the cash, taking a second to count the bills like a prick. This gives me the opportunity to slip out of the store mostly unnoticed. At the last second, I turn my head to get a good look at the man who has been following me around Colorado.
