“Do you have a license?” Joel asked into the silence.
“I do, but…really, there’s no need.”
Don’t look at Colton. Don’t look.
Britt waved the objection aside. “We’re starting into our busy season, and lots of times we’re tied up for the whole day. With the truck, you can leave whenever you want.”
Her resolve faltered with Britt’s choice of words and her gaze slid to Colton’s. The mocking twist of his lips was just what she’d expected. Scared he’d reveal her attempt to steal his car the other morning, and unable to face Britt in another lie so soon, she managed an appropriate thank you and did her best not to run for the guest house.
All the way across the yard, she worried how long it would be before Joel knocked on the door to demand her and Noah leave?
Chapter Five
Darkness pricked her skin. Cold seeped into her bones. A stumble in the malice-drenched shadows shoved her heart into her throat. Something hard and unyielding barred the way and she fumbled her way past, one desperate objective consuming her entire being.
Escape.
Footsteps rose up behind her.
Run.
The steps echoed with unsettling uniformity. Not hurried, never hurried, but always one stride behind.
Faster!
Lungs screaming, burning to the point of bursting, she strove to obey the strident demand. Lurking in the dark, unseen evil clawed at her feet, thwarting her frantic flight. A cry ripped from her lips when she pitched headlong into the unknown.
Blackness stretched forever as her hands instinctively thrust out to break the fall. She sucked huge gulps of air through her constricted throat, preparing for the brutal impact of unyielding earth. And still, the mantra pulsed in her veins.
Escape. Survive.
Landing jarred her bones, yet a soft surface cradled her with unexpected comfort. Eerie silence weighted the air; suspended time. He was always only one step behind… Fear robbed her lungs of necessary oxygen as she twisted one way, then the other.
Nothing.
Had she escaped? This time, finally, would she be free of the terror?
A piercing radiance cut through the darkness so suddenly she threw up her arm for protection. The fuzzy, faceless figure of a man sharpened on the edge of her vision. Loomed over her. A moan of despair trembled from her constricted lungs until light reflected off a badge of trust.
“Help me,” she begged. “Please. He’ll kill me.” She reached for the officer; desperate…hopeful.
The brilliance of the badge became a knife. Blinding light stabbed her eyes. She squeezed them shut as cruel hands pulled at her clothes and forced her down.
A rough voice commanded she open her eyes.
Kendra jerked awake, her chest heaving, pulse roaring in her ears. It took a moment—as always—for her to realize she lay unharmed, safe on the king bed in her brother’s guest house. She concentrated on her breathing, methodically drawing in air, holding it. One, two, let it out slow. And again.
Heart rate close to normal, she consciously unclenched her fists from the balled up comforter. Her breath hissed through her teeth as the dried, raw skin expanded painfully. Drawing another couple deep breaths, she opened and closed her fingers to stretch the tissue and ease the discomfort.
She twisted her head to the side and moaned in frustration when she saw the clock. Bad enough she hadn’t been able to fall asleep until after midnight, worried about what Colton had told Joel and Britt, now she was awake before sunrise. Any attempt to return to sleep would be useless; she never slept after the nightmare. Resigned, she wearily untangled her legs from the bed sheets.
In the kitchen, she set a pot of coffee to brew then started another list. With a sad smile, she remembered how her mother used to joke that she should keep a list of her lists. Kendra always laughed, never revealing the fact that she indeed had one on her laptop.
Currently, this handwritten list was a variation of the one from the previous morning, only now, at the very top she’d written down the thirty-five dollars she’d ‘borrowed’ from Colton, and another thirty for the groceries he’d left the morning before.
After much internal debate, she’d decided a few weeks of school would be okay, so clothes and a second pair of shoes for Noah came next, along with minimal supplies. For herself, the list was short: boots, gloves and jeans; in that order, if there was money left over. Plus, she had to stretch her money until the following payday because they’d need more groceries than what Colton had brought. So far Britt had been great about feeding them, but Kendra certainly wouldn’t expect her to continue.
When the sun began its climb over the mountain peak to the east of the ranch, Kendra was ready for work. Today though, she braided her hair and substituted her boots with her only pair of tennis shoes, wishing she’d considered them yesterday instead of just the stupid added vanity inches against Colton’s height.