Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Ugh.
For a moment, I contemplate the situation. It’s not like there’s much point to popping the hood and taking a peek underneath. Even if the problem had a flashing neon sign pointing it out, I still wouldn’t know what I was staring at or how to fix it. Looks like Dad was right, and I should have stayed at their place. Instead of being stranded on the side of a county road, I could be curled up in my childhood bed, reading a good book.
Guess I’ll call Dad and have him pick me up. We can deal with the car in the morning. With that thought in mind, I rummage around in my purse until my fingers lock around the slim device and pull it free. I hit the screen and wait for it to light up.
When it remains black, I realize it’s dead.
Well, shit.
The battery had been low when I arrived at the house earlier this evening. I’d planned to charge it but got distracted by the guy who wants absolutely nothing to do with me.
Great.
Could this night get any worse?
I glance around the surrounding darkness. There are a few flickers of light in the distance amid the farmland and trees that dot the landscape.
Now what am I going to do?
Walk to my parents’ house?
Sleep in the car until morning?
Neither of those options feels particularly safe or comfortable.
I force myself to step out of the Beetle before staring at the long ribbon of road. I’m about three miles from my parents’ house. I glance in the direction I was heading. It’s probably two miles to the edge of town and then another two to my apartment near campus.
With a huff, I decide that walking back the way I came makes the most sense. Since it’s late August, the days are still in the high eighties and the nights usually drop to the mid-sixties. I run my hands over my bare arms, wishing I’d been smart enough to bring a sweater. I look at my choice of footwear. The sandals are super cute and totally go with the dress but won’t hold up to a three-mile walk. By the end of my trek, I’ll no doubt have blisters.
But still…what other choice is there?
Since the window is rolled down, I lean against the driver’s side door and reach for my bag on the passenger seat. Just as I straighten, bright headlights fall on me. Raising a hand to my eyes, I squint against the harsh glare as the vehicle slows, rolling to a stop behind my car. My heartbeat picks up its tempo, thundering harshly against my ribcage as I toss the purse back inside.
It’s only when the driver’s side door opens and someone steps out that I realize it’s a man. A really big man. With the light still shining in my eyes, it’s almost impossible to make out the details of his appearance.
How am I going to identify my attacker in a lineup if I can’t get a good look at him?
I’m two seconds away from locking myself in the bug when a gruff voice barks, “Poppy?”
Mason
When she remains frozen in place, staring at me like I’m an ax murder come to chop her up into tiny pieces, my temper explodes. “What the hell are you doing out here alone on the side of the road?”
She blinks as I eat up the asphalt between us with a handful of quick strides. I see the exact moment recognition dawns.
“Mason?” she whispers, relief flooding her voice as air rushes from her lungs.
“Yeah. You didn’t answer the question. What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
She swallows, the delicate muscles of her throat constricting, before glancing at the Volkswagen. “I don’t know what happened. It just died.”
I shift my stance and look at the car. “Did any warning lights come on? Were there any noises right before it happened?”
“Um…” Her brow furrows as her teeth rake across her plump lower lip. “I don’t think so.”
I narrow my eyes. “Weren’t you paying attention?”
Her gaze turns frosty as she straightens like I just rammed a two-by-four up her ass. “Of course I was paying attention, but I don’t remember if there were any lights. One minute everything was fine, and the next, it’s dead and I’m steering it to the side of the road.”
“Are the keys still in the car?”
“No, they’re in my purse. I was going to walk to my parents’ house.”
I can only stare as my temper explodes. “You were going to what?”
She raises a hand and points in the direction she’d just come from. “It’s only a couple of miles away.”
Every bad thing that could possibly happen to a woman walking alone on a dark, deserted road rolls through my head. It takes effort to keep my anger from breaking loose. “Is there a reason you wouldn’t call your father to pick you up?”