Page 3 of Ouch! My Vampire Doms Keep Biting Me
The gate’s already open; he must have remotely opened it for the ambulance. As I approach, though, it begins to close. He must be trying to block me in. I jam my own remote button, the one attached to my visor. The motors in the gate hesitate, the computer confused. I slam down the gas pedal again.
“Come on, baby,” I mutter, downshifting without slowing to gain more power and speed.
She gets me through. The old girl gets me through. My mom would be so proud and happy.
Sorrow rips through my chest. I’m going to have to abandon the car. It’s too unique and noticeable, and Dale’s going to be looking for me.
And then a fresh wave of panic and anger and sorrow follows the first. My mom’s death…after seeing what Dale did to Marcus Patrick, after hearing him on the phone with the emergency line operator…my mom’s death comes back to me. I heard a similar conversation between Dale and family friends, ten years ago. …Heart failure, they say it must have been. She just collapsed in front of me. I’m so distraught, she was my world.
He wasn’t distraught. It wasn’t heart failure. It’s happening again, this time with Marcus Patrick.
Dale, my stepfather, killed my mom.
I blaze down the street, tears streaming from my cheeks. I don’t even know what’s causing the tears. Everything, I guess. There’s no time to analyze my emotions. I just know I need to get out of here and find somewhere to stay.
Flashing red and white lights fill the gloom ahead, and seconds later, I have to pull over as an ambulance shrieks past.
I check my rearview. Nobody is behind or chasing me.
But give it time. Dale works within a network of very powerful men. He’s gotten away with murder before, and he’ll do everything in his power to do it again.
2
Autumn
Ipull into the parking lot behind my friend Clarissa’s apartment complex, breathing hard. My arm throbs where Dale grabbed it. Every turn of my steering wheel makes it ache more.
After maneuvering into a spot, I rest my hand on my lap, breathing hard. Do I risk staying with Clarissa tonight? She’s my best friend—my only friend. Dale will probably guess that I’m here, so I can’t stay. But maybe one night would be safe, just long enough to gather my thoughts and make a plan. The other option is a hotel. But that’s expensive.
Think, Autumn. I need money. Shelter. Food. Clarissa could give me food and shelter. Maybe even a couple hundred dollars if she has it on her, or she could run to the ATM for me. I check my own wallet and find it empty of cash; I always use a card.
I need a plan. A real plan. But I don’t have time to make one. What do I do? Hunker the fuck down so I have time to think? Or try to think on the run?
The indecision is crippling.
That’s it. I have to takesomeaction. I’ve always been good at hiding. I’ll hide out with Clarissa for a little while, then figure out next steps. Including a plan for exposing what Dale did. People need to know.
But justice can never happen if he catches up with me. He’ll kill me, too.
I imagine my mother in the seat next to me.“Run, sweetheart,”she says.“I don’t need justice—I just need you to live. Run and hide. Find somewhere safe.”
Is that true, or is that just what I want her to say? It’s all coming from my own brain, anyway. Am I being selfish?
Or maybe my brain is trying to save me. I am great at hiding. If I find somewhere good, whether it’s Clarissa’s apartment building or a whole other city, I’ll be able to stay low and keep out of Dale’s grasp.
My phone buzzes in my purse, startling me. I fish it out, fearing a call from Dale.
Instead, it’s Clarissa texting me.
Clarissa:Where are you? Your stepdad thinks you’re with me. Why? What should I tell him?
Shit.
Clarissa:Seriously. He says he KNOWS you’re here and he’s on his way. Autumn are you okay???
Dale isn’t just guessing my whereabouts.
He must have a tracker on my phone, or a tag on my car.
