Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“Don’t tell me what I want. You don’t know me,” the man snarled as he stalked forward. “I’ve been watching you.”
That scared her almost as much as his approach. Without thinking twice, Aspen lifted the bottle from the bucket and squeezed it hard.
“Ahhh! You bitch. I’m going to kill you for this.” The man swiped at his face, trying to get the thick substance away from his eyes.
Aspen didn’t hesitate. She dodged around him and ran for her car. Fumbling for the keys in her pocket as the bucket bashed against her, Aspen pressed the unlock button and yanked open the door. She threw the bucket into the passenger seat and jumped in. Pressing the button to lock the doors, she started the car and threw it into reverse. Aspen backed away from the man who stumbled after her, wiping the soap from his face as he continued to spew curses and threats. As she shifted into drive and pulled out of the lot, Aspen watched him in the mirror as he waved his fists behind her.
Completely rattled, she drove on autopilot, only catching herself returning to her old apartment when she was three blocks away. Aspen pulled over and found the address she’d added to Jerico’s contact information. Selecting it, she tried to concentrate on the road, but she was shaking so badly. She needed to get out of this neighborhood. Running into Eddie would be dangerous.
When she made a third wrong turn, she panicked. Pulling over, she took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. Her phone rang, making her jump and her foot popped off the brake, allowing the car to lurch forward. Aspen stomped back on the pedal, shaking.
Grabbing her phone to turn off the insistent cheerful ringer, she saw his name. Jerico. She stabbed at the button.
“Jerico! I can’t find my way back to you.”
“Tell me where you are, Aspen?” His voice was calm, but urgent. She could hear him moving.
“I don’t know. I pulled over in a neighborhood.”
“Are you near an intersection, Aspen?”
“There’s a street sign in front of me. I’ll move up a bit to see it.”
“Put the phone on speaker and set it down in the seat next to you first, little girl.”
She followed his instructions and felt some of her panic recede as he took over. Thank goodness I’m not alone. A flashback flooded into her memory in reaction to that thought. Aspen could remember staring at her apartment door as Eddie bashed against it. She’d known it would give way someday each time he pounded on it.
“Aspen? Are you driving yet?”
“The landlord wouldn’t change the door after the second time he damaged it. He said it was a personal problem and I could replace it if I didn’t stop provoking Eddie.”
She heard only silence before he cursed, “Fucking bastard. I’m going to run a tank into his door tomorrow.”
That mental image made her laugh. It dispelled some of her remembered terror. “God, I needed that.”
“A tank?” he asked.
“You.” It was easy to admit that with him far away. “Sorry. I’m being ridiculous. I’ll get my act together in a few.”
“Something happened. Tell me.”
“It’s not important.”
“Now.”
“Now?” Was he demanding that she tell him now? “Jerico, I just want to get somewhere safe. Don’t make me think about it.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s not important now. It will be when you’re home safe. Ready to drive up to the sign so I can come get you?”
“Yes,” she breathed out in relief, not questioning how he knew she hadn’t moved.
“Good girl.”
Aspen sat up straighter at his praise. Two words shouldn’t mean so much, but they did. Working alone after hours in an office building didn’t give her people to interact with. She’d almost started believing her awful neighbor Eddie’s statements about her being garbage.
“Thank you for being nice to me,” she whispered. “I’m moving up the street.”
Taking her foot slowly off the brake this time, Aspen rolled forward and drove down the street. As soon as her headlights hit the sign, she stopped to read the names off. “I’m at NW Thomas and Main Street.”
“Got it. Can you see the street numbers on the house next to you?”
“It’s too dark.” Aspen paused for a second before asking, “Want me to walk up there?”
“No. I want you to stay locked in the car until I get there,” Jerico said firmly.
“Okay.”
“I’m on my way. The GPS says four minutes.”
Aspen kept her head on a swivel. She thought this looked like a safe neighborhood, but sometimes a good neighborhood would be concerned about someone parked at their curb. A man walking his dog crossed to the other side of the street to avoid walking by her car. Aspen saw him pause and look at her license plate. She’d need to move soon.
Bright light filled her mirrors, and she turned to see Jerico’s large silver truck pull up behind her. Aspen threw the door open and started to jump out only to realize that she’d never put the car in park when it lurched forward. Shaking her head at how rattled she was, she stomped back on the brake and threw the gearshift into park.