34
Nicole
It feels surreal, escape.
Except is it escape when your captor unlocks the gate and lets you go?
Why did he let me leave? Did Dante realize that I wasn’t his and would never be his? What did he meanhe bought me from my father?
No, it was a trick. It had to be a manipulation tactic used to instill fear and distrust.
Well, I sure as shit didn’t trust Dante.
I’m still not sure why he let me leave. Maybe it was a moment of weakness. Either way, it doesn’t matter.
I hurry along the path through the forest and cut across the mountainside, heading toward town. I follow the trail and keep a steady pace.
Every so often, I glance over my shoulder. I hear noise in the distance, the rustling of trees and branches. I can’t ascertain if it’s someone following me or the wind.
It’s probably one of Dante’s goons.
I grimace as I hurry across the riverbank. My shoes that are too big are now flooded with water.
Great. I can’t take them off without scrapping up the bottoms of my feet, but each step grows louder as my feet slosh around. In the distance, I spot a log cabin and a wooden sign that swings with the wind:Lumberjack Shack.
* * *
I grab a seat at the counter and nurse my glass of water.
“Can I get you something to eat?” the gentleman behind the counter asks.
I don’t have any money. Though, I imagine if I call Papa, he will come to bail my ass out and pay for any food I consume. The truth is that I’m not hungry.
Fight or flight indeed kicked in when I ran.
“Do you have a phone that I can use?” I ask.
The man’s eyes narrow just a bit. He’s tall with broad shoulders and a thick bushy beard. If I had to guess, he owned the place.
“Did your car break down?” he asks. “I can have one of my buddies give it a tow.”
I sip my water and my mouth still is dry. My lips feel like the desert. “No, I’m just in a bit of a bind.” I don’t want to elaborate.
Trust is a delicate issue right now, and while he’s handsome and easy on the eyes, I spot the wedding band on his hand.
Too bad he’s off-limits.
I’m also pregnant.
It’s probably the hormones raging through my body making me want to fuck any man with a pulse.
Well, that’s not exactly true. I don’t want to fuck Dante. At least not again.
Okay, maybe not right now.
“Got it.” He smiles warmly and digs out his cell phone from his pocket. “My name’s Lincoln, by the way. Just holler at me when you’re done.” He unlocks his cell phone and hands it over to me.
“Thank you.”