Any savings I had were gone. And I couldn't keep going back to my father.
There was no other option.
It was just a shame that it was all starting with me being helpless at the side of the road.
“Fuck’s sake, woman, pull yourself together.” With one last kick at the tyre that I instantly regretted, I turned to scan the road. There was nothing but asphalt and the rolling fields illuminated by the setting sun. It would be dark soon. And I was willing to bet money that the vast emptiness wouldn’t look nearly as pretty when it was.
I wasn’t afraid of the dark, not exactly, but I was wary of what the shadows held. Even amid the bustling of a busy city, the darkness had always held a certain terror for me.
Drawing in a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders.
I hadn’t got that far on my own by falling apart the moment things went wrong. I was made of stronger stuff than that.
I told myself this was just a hiccup, a bump in the road. It wasn’t even that bad. I might have been alone, out in the middle of nowhere in the dark, but my camper van was stocked. I would even get to sleep in a bed, albeit a cramped, uncomfortable one.
I could spend one night out there, and then either walk or hitch a lift into town the next morning. It wouldn’t be too bad.
I had been in worse situations.
Sliding open the door at the side of my camper, I stepped inside. My hands reached for things without even thinking about it. The crocheted throw was thrown onto the grass behind me as my hands curled around the new bottle of Jack Daniels wedged down the back of a chair.
I wasn’t a big drinker, but I always had a bottle to hand. Something I had learnt from my father. Daddy dearest always had a bottle stashed for emergencies.
And this seemed like a damn emergency to me.
Holding it tight to my chest, I retreated.
Staying one night out in the open wouldn’t be too bad. I could make an adventure out of it. The view was pretty at least. I could sit out, drink my bourbon and watch the sunset.
After spreading the blanket on the dry ground, I sat down and kicked out my legs. My beat-up cowboy boots, an impulse buy, kicked up little plumes of dust as I settled myself on my makeshift seat. Cradling the bottle of booze to my chest, I let my head fall back, the sun warming my face.
No, this wouldn’t be too bad.
Provided I got into town the next day, everything would be fine.
Yep, absolutely fine.
Tipping the bottle to my lips, I took a deep pull. The amber liquid burnt a fiery trail down my throat, warming me from the inside.
It wasn’t even that bad, people paid good money to be in my situation. Hell, they…
My thoughts evaporated as a noise caught my attention. The throaty sound of an engine was roaring towards me. Freezing with the bottle at my lips, I watched the bike approach.
It was going fast, with no sign of slowing.
The hand I had raised to flag it down, dropped back to my side. They weren’t going to slow, let alone stop.
The dust it kicked up made me cough. Dropping the bottle into my lap, I give the rider’s retreating back the finger.
“Asshole!” The wind caught my words, scattering them.
The bike slowed, and then stopped completely. For ten whole seconds, I watched the man’s wide back, and I could tell he was built even from a distance.
Finally, he turned that massive machine back in my direction, and I watched with hooded eyes as he rode towards me.
Bottle to my lips, I studied him as he drew closer. From a distance he looked big, up close he was massive. A giant of a man.
One look at him and I could tell he was dangerous. Even as his face broke into a lazy grin, I could tell. No one who looked like him was anything but trouble.
