Page 47 of First Chance

For eight years, any time I’ve had the itch for a little female company, I’ve made the conscious effort to travel far out of Rollins County to get away from anyone who might have an idea of who I am.

I don’t expect much, and I definitely don’t give a lot in return. An easy pick-up in a seedy bar. No names, no intimacy.

I prefer not to remember what their face looks like. I’ve taught myself how to stare straight through a woman without forming any opinion about their looks or retaining any memory of them.

But… Not tonight.

Every woman who looked in my direction was painfully disappointing.

Every smile that flashed my way was lacking.

No one compared to Jo.

It’s a ridiculous problem to have because I’ll never have a woman like Jo.

She’s too young. Too innocent. She’s the all-American sweetheart.

And, I’m the creature trapped behind the gates of Second Chance Sanctuary like all the other animals.

As I park my truck, failing in my mission for a little human connection, I feel more like a beast than ever.

I get out and stand in the moonlight, letting the weight of gravity crush me. 18 years ago, I never would have suspected my life would turn out this way, surrounded by people justas lost as me. Or worse, at night when I’m only accompanied by silence.

At least, it’s usually silent.

Engines rev loudly as two trucks speed toward me from around the backside of what’s left of the old barn. The flatbed comes barreling dangerously fast onto the gravel lot where I’m standing, blinding me with the headlights and blowing dust into my face before hitting one of the ruts in the dirt, and sending the truck airborne. All four wheels crash down at once, making the shocks groan painfully loud as the truck lands.

Ryker falls out of the passenger seat to his hands and knees, kissing the ground with his forehead. “Oh, sweet Jesus,” he cries.

“What the fuck is this?” I yell at him before storming over to see who is driving. “Frank, you better have a damn good explanation.”

“We heard people messing with the fences, went to investigate. Was just coming to let you know we missed ‘em.”

Rain, Arizona, Jordy run up from the other truck, looking more concerned than I’d expect for Ryker’s well-being until the passenger seat tips forward. Curtis tumbles out of one of the side-facing jump seats, clutching his hand to his ribs.

“I’m sorry, boss. I’m sorry. We tried to get him to slow down.” He stumbles to the side, and it’s as if I’ve stepped into a pressure chamber.

My senses go numb, aside from a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

Because I see her.

She’s clutching her head between her hands, hunkered down behind the driver’s seat. She’s terrified.

I can’t hear Hayes and Seiver approach from the bunkhouse because a train whistle is splitting my eardrums from inside my head.

Chapter Sixteen

Jo

Ihaven’t had very many instances of social peer pressure in my life. Mostly because I didn’t hang out with enough of my peers to be persuaded into doing anything.

So when we were only one hour into the bonfire and heard tires peeling out along the west fences, my feet moved on autopilot when someone told me to climb in the work truck. Everyone was moving, going in that direction, and I followed.

There was none of my normal rational thought or careful planning. Before I knew what I was doing, I was facing Curtis in the backseat, and he was telling me to put my seat belt on with a worried look on his face.

Frank took off across the property, and I was holding on for dear life. It was like the worst roller coaster I could ever imagine. It was too dark to see out the windows, and without any anticipation of where we were going or what Frank had planned, I was getting bashed and banged against the back wall of the cab and the back of the driver’s seat. Neither of which had padding for a blow.

Curtis was yelling at Frank to slow down, Ryker was echoing his pleading, but with more ad-libbed cursing andpanic. I couldn’t do anything but brace myself for the next impact.

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