Page 4 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

I shrug. I wish I knew. Trouble manages to find me everywhere I go. Sometimes it’s because of how I look and sometimes it’s my mouth or even my temper.

“It’s a talent,” I declare. Maybe now he will believe me. I did try to warn him when we first met twelve months ago.

“I could get in a shitload of trouble for this, but I will take the girl to the hospital after I check you into a hotel. If you promise not to run, tomorrow I will take you to the new place... and we will forget this ever happened.”

“When did you get so cool?” I ask, and he smirks.

I always knew deep down Brennan had a wild side.

Brennan finds a small motel just off the highway and checks us in. I wait in the car with the girl, who fell asleep almost thesecond we started driving. When he returns and gives me the key, he promises to be back as quickly as he can.

I don’t know how long he is gone, but enough time passes for me to shower, wash my underwear, and hang them up to dry. As I have no clothes, I opt to lie in bed naked and wait for Brennan to return, then see if he has anything I can borrow. Slowly feeling warmer, the mindless TV offers a way to keep my thoughts off what happened tonight. I would never go to the cops. Where I come from, that isn’t an option. They wouldn’t believe me even if I did tell them the truth. I have a juvenile record as long as my arm, and chances are they would find a way to make it my fault and arrest me. Been there, done that, and not taking the risk.

I must doze off, but at some point, the smell of coffee invades my senses, making my mouth water and pulling me into a semi-conscious state.

“Morning, sunshine. You were out like a light when I got back.” Brennan’s voice startles me, once again reminding me of yesterday’s events.

Every muscle in my body seems to hurt today, and I sit up slowly, pulling the sheet with me. The room is as small as it was last night, but in the light of day with Brennan standing next to a small table in a pair of plaid brown shorts and a white shirt, the room seems a lot smaller.

“Yeah, well, being kidnapped and chased through the bush will do that to a girl.” I try to laugh off the seriousness of what happened, but Brennan’s brows furrow and his lips press tightly together, worry washing over him.

“We need to hit the road.”

“Problem. I have no clothes.” He looks over at me and takes in the sheet. “Yep, as naked as the day I was born.”

He rushes around the room in a half-panic that is sweet but amusing. Poor guy needs to get laid. Not by me, though. I have done some questionable things in my life and by things, Imean men. A girl has to eat and sleep, and a meal and warm bed sometimes comes with a price tag. But Brennan is the only person who has ever seemed to give a shit about me since Trace went away, and I don’t plan to ruin that like I do everything else in my life.

“Just throw me one of your plaid shirts.”

He complies and sends a red-and-black one my way that he pulls from a small overnight bag sitting by the door. The sleeves are long, and although the weather is hot, he can crank the air con in the car. He gives me privacy, telling me he will go check out while I get dressed. Thankfully, my underwear is dry enough I can put it on. I find my pants from last night still in the bathroom on the floor, covered in dirt and blood, but they will have to do.

Once I’m dressed, I assess myself in the small bathroom mirror. I’m slightly worse for wear, but after what I went through, it could be worse. Luckily the scratches on my face are superficial. A nice bruise has formed on my chin, and I have no recollection of how I got it. Brennan comes back in, looking me over. I can see the worry in his expression. I give him a smile that says: I may look like crap with my face scratched up, bruises, and a swollen lip, but I’m alive. He would have read my file; he knows I have endured worse.

“Ready?” He watches me carefully as he waits for a response.

I nod and follow him out to the car.

We drive for what feels like hours, stopping a few times for toilet breaks. I don’t know where we are going, but it isn’t anywhere close to the shitty-ass town I come from. The further we drive towards the coast, the bigger the houses seem to get.

A sign that reads “Welcome to Ellwood Pines” comes into view. Pushing my nose to the window, I watch as we drive past mansion after mansion. Everything is so green, so perfect. So not what I’m used to.

“Are you sure you’re in the right place?” I ask as Brennan pulls into a driveway, and my senses go into overdrive. This can’t be right; this place isn’t for a girl like me.

“Yes,” is all he says as we drive by yet another manicured shrub.

The house is lit up like a Christmas tree. People who leave all the lights on in a house have more money than sense, if you ask me.

“I can’t stay here,” I say after Brennan stops the car and unbuckles his seat belt.

He turns, offering me an exhausted expression, the lines on his face making him appear older than he is.

“Why not, Jolie? You deserve this. The Myers are great people, and you will have it good here. They value education and won’t smother you. I have known them for a long time.”

“As in how?” Eyeing him suspiciously, I sense it’s too good to be true. I’ve always had a hunch I’m his pet project.

“They’re my parents... Now hear me out. You’re eighteen and needed somewhere to finish high school as per the judges ruling, you will get your freedom here. My younger brother can be a pain in the ass, but you will be safe here. He is the same age as you and you will both be attending the same high school.”

“Did he repeat a year or something,” I snap. It sucks being the only senior to turn nineteen by the end of the year.

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