Page 4 of Welded Defender
I can see her struggle against the weight of my words, like she’s not used to hearing anything other than Brett’s cruelty.
She glances down, playing with a fry on her plate. “I just want things to be normal. I want my life back. My job, my friends… my family.” She laughs, but it’s sad. “He’s good at looking like he’s the stable one. He’s turned almost everyone in my life against me. Everyone but my aunt at least.”
“Do you have a place to stay tonight?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’m planning to drive the rest of the way tonight.”
Panic lodges itself in my throat. “That’s a four-hour drive. Driving at night in the mountains is dangerous, especially in the winter.”
Marcy doesn’t look at me as she pulls her wallet from her purse. “I’ll take my chances. I can’t stay here now that Brett’s found me. I just need to get to my aunt’s place.”
My pulse hammers. I want to argue, want to keep her from risking her safety. I glance at my phone. “If I can find you a safe place to stay for tonight will you wait until morning?”
Marcy hesitates. “I—I don’t know…”
I weigh my options, caught between the urge to protect her and the knowledge that I’m basically just a stranger. But in that moment, with her wide grey eyes staring up at me, I can’t help but feel like I’ll do anything to keep her safe.
“Please?” I ask. “Just let me make some calls?”
She bites her lip and finally nods. “Okay.”
I nearly fall off my stool in relief. “Thank you.” I get to my feet. “I’m gonna call a couple friends and I’ll be back.”
She nods again but doesn’t seem completely convinced. “Sure.”
I head to the alley behind the bar and quickly make some calls. No one answers and I groan in frustration. I send a couple of texts making it clear it’s an emergency before heading back inside. I find Liam clearing away Marcy’s plate.
“Where’s Marcy?” I ask.
He frowns. “I thought she was with you. She paid and went out right after you did.”
“Shit,” I hiss and race outside. I stumble into the parking lot and scan for her. I should have asked what kind of car she has. Why didn’t I ask? I weave through the cars looking for her but she’s not there. She’s nowhere to be seen. I grab my phone and dial a new number.
Joon picks up on the second ring. “Yeah?”
I nearly sink to the ground in relief. “I need your help.”
CHAPTER 3
Marcy
Flakes of snow dance across the windshield. One moment the road was clear and the next it’s blanketed in snow. My headlights reflect off the flakes, barely illuminating the road ahead of me. I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have run from the bar the way I did, but I panicked. I don’t know why. Landon had been nothing but kind. He’d only been concerned about me getting stuck in a situation like the one I’m in now.
But Brett had been kind once too.
The road twists ahead, a ribbon of asphalt snaking through the ever darkening mountains. I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, leaning forward as if I can will my car to keep climbing. Suddenly the car jerks and I swerve.
“What the hell?”
My fuel light starts flashing red. The needle is on empty. How? I filled the tank only a couple hours ago. There’s no way it's empty.
My breath comes out in short burst as I press my foot down harder on the gas. "Come on, come on," I mutter, as if the old sedan can hear me.
But it's no use. The engine coughs, a metallic rattle that sends dread pooling deeper in my stomach. I can’t break down. Nothere—not in the middle of nowhere when Brett could show up at any moment. My car doesn’t seem to care though. It jerks, and I swerve. My grip on the wheel is painfully tight as the engine sputters and suddenly just…stops.
“Shit,” I hiss as I coast to the shoulder of the road. The tires crunch on the snow covered gravel until I come to a slow agonizing stop.
Silence envelopes me. I twist the key in the ignition. The engine grinds as it tries and fails to start. I try again and again until the tears I’ve been holding back, blur my vision.
