Page 1 of Ringo

Chapter One

Calista

Nothing in my life could have prepared me for the last three days. I needed to get scarce. Now. Which was hard to do when my stepdad’s goons kept a close eye on me.

“Back in your room, Miss Calista.”

“I need to go out.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Calista. We have strict orders that you are not to leave the hotel room.” My bodyguard, Sam, wasn’t unkind or short with me, just matter of fact. I was a job to him. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I know what he said, Sam, but I’ve got a… situation and I need to go out. Just across the street to the pharmacy. That’s it. I promise I’ll be right back.”

He narrowed his gaze at me. “The pharmacy?”

“Um, yeah.” I ducked my head, wringing my hands. I was trying to look nervous and embarrassed. I’m sure I pulled off the first. The second? Well, if terrified could pass for embarrassed, maybe. “You know. Feminine products.”

Sam swore under his breath, giving me a furious look as he took out his phone. That was unexpected. He was always so remote and aloof. If this didn’t work, I’d be dead. If Sam didn’t let me leave, if he sent someone after my tampons, I’d have to show proof. Because, you know, my stepfather had promised to sell me to some guy for a night to do whatever he wanted to me.

It sounded like it was to pay off a loan. I kind of lost the thread of the conversation after that, but the bottom line was, if they had to reschedule this little “exchange,” that guy was probably going to want to know why. Which meant he would likely want proof I was on my stupid period. Given the fact my stepdad didn’t think I knew what was supposed to happen, he might not be suspicious enough to prevent me from leaving for a short time while he contacted the guy. That’s what I was hoping for. If I couldn’t make it away, though…

Sam spoke softly, telling whoever was on the other end the situation in as few words as humanly possible. His irritation was very clear. When he put his phone away, he jerked his head in the direction of the elevator. The hotel was posh, and I was certain he could get someone to bring me what I needed. I’d chosen my ailment carefully, knowing neither my guards nor my stepfather would want to explain to anyone what I needed. Since the first thing Sam had done when he’d put me in the car to come here was take my phone, I was sure neither of them would want me to call down for it myself.

“Thanks, Sam.” I hurried out the door and down the hall before he changed his mind, or my stepfather did and called Sam back. “I’ll only be a minute,” I called over my shoulder as I stabbed the button for the elevator. Thankfully, it opened in only a few seconds.

My heart tripped, hammering in my chest. If this didn’t work, I was so screwed it wasn’t even funny. Probably was anyway. My plan went past risky to completely insane, but the last thing I was going to do was to willingly go to my doom. If I got caught, at least I tried.

When I exited the hotel, I paused at the crosswalk, trying to act normal and not look like I was in a hurry. I crossed the street with the flow of the few people around me, and into the pharmacy. Once inside, I hurried through the store to the back. As luck would have it, I managed to get to the back door without being spotted. I also snagged a flashlight I spotted hanging on the wall next to the fire extinguisher which I knew would prove invaluable later. I’d chosen this time of day because it was thirty minutes after shift change at this store and the likelihood of someone being in the staff area was slim. I’d been lucky we’d been next to this particular store since it was one I knew. I was taking a chance that I’d run into someone I knew, but I had no other options.

Once out the back, I hurriedly twisted my hair into a tight bun and secured it with a hair tie. Then I stripped off the light gray slacks and matching jacket, leaving myself in a black tank and black leggings. It took every ounce of willpower I had to not look over my shoulder as I moved out onto the sidewalk. If I had any hope at all of getting away unnoticed, I needed to go now while there were still people around and the lighting was dim. It was almost twilight in the city. The streetlights hadn’t all come on yet and it was hard to see at a distance.

I walked at a brisk pace for several blocks, taking as many turns as I could and still moving steadily away from the hotel. No one called out to me or gave chase. As far as I could tell, no one knew I was missing. I was hoping that, given the nature of my errand, Sam would give me several additional minutes before he went looking for me.

When I finally approached the edge of the city, I gave up all pretense of trying to blend in. I took off at nearly a sprint. The longer I was out in the open, the greater the chances Sam or one of Borris’s other men would spot me. I had to make it through a few more city blocks, then across the highway -- another risk since not many people crossed on foot -- and into the woods. Once I had the cover of the trees, I’d find a place to settle down for the night and hopefully make it to the compound tomorrow. I didn’t want to get lost, so I had to take the chance they wouldn’t come this way looking for me. Or, if they did, that they’d wait until daylight so they had a better chance of tracking me accurately.

All I had was an old compass my mother had given me with a tiny map folded inside tucked into my bra, and the flashlight I’d stolen. No food. No water. No protection from the elements. Just the compass and map, and a flashlight. And stories of a place my mother told me about, but I’d never seen. This was all kinds of crazy, but it was my choice. No one else’s.

By the time I was deep in the woods and far enough away from the road as I could safely get, it was full dark. I didn’t want to use the light yet as it was early enough Sam might still make a try on the chance I hadn’t gone far, and Sam might still make a try if he could figure out where I’d gone into the woods. Plus, I had no idea how long the battery would last. Hopefully a while. Though I’d thought I was prepared mentally for a couple of days out in the wild on my own, I hadn’t thought about how dark it would actually be. And I wasn’t even thinking about the possibility of snakes.

Or alligators.

The air was thick with humidity, and every leaf seemed to whisper nefarious secrets as I pushed farther into the undergrowth. My limbs ached, my heart pounded in my ears, and fear clung to me like the dense fog that began to roll in from the nearby swamp. The noises of the night grew louder, a cacophony of insects and distant howls that did nothing to ease my nerves.

I tried to keep my breathing steady, reminding myself that panic would only make things worse. The darkness was absolute – even the faint glow of moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy above. Every rustle in the bushes sent a spike of adrenaline through my system. Was the noise from a predator stalking me? Was it Sam? More of my stepfather’s goons? I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid of giant snakes or my stepfather. Borris Illivitch was a cold-hearted bastard. When he found out I’d blazed… If he caught me, I’d be in a world of pain. Death would be a release.

I pressed on, trying to use what little moonlight filtered through the tree canopy to guide my steps. Which… yeah. Occasionally, I’d see a sliver of moon, but that was it. The air grew cooler as the damp night deepened, and an occasional breeze should have felt good in the Florida humidity but only seemed to grate on my nerves instead of soothing me. Despite the risks, knowing it was a bad idea to stumble around in the dark, I felt this urgent need to press on. Keep moving. Stay ahead of the thugs I knew would be after me.

I continued on for as long as I could. When I finally reached the point where exhaustion overrode the adrenaline, I leaned against a tree. Not the smartest move, but I was beyond caring at this point. My lungs burned, as did my leg muscles. I was scraped all over, my clothes even ripped in a couple places. The only thing I’d risked in standing out with regard to my appearance was the combat boots I wore. Not uncommon, but also noticeable. Thankfully my suit pants had been flared at the bottom and had hidden them. The boots were the only things allowing me to travel as far as I had.

I knew the general direction I needed to go. My mom had also taught me landmarks in the area to look for by using a child’s nursery rhyme. All of which she told me about just days before she died. I’d long ago used virtual maps to find the landmarks she taught me. I was as prepared as I could be.

I finally stopped and took stock of my body. I had some stinging scrapes and at some point I’d twisted my ankle, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t power through. As the silvery moon moved across the sky, the light filtered through the trees lessened. I could barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone anything around me. Or my compass.

I was on solid ground but had no idea what was above or around me. With the adrenaline falling off, I was trembling. Which was creating more panic. I was basically defenseless in unfamiliar territory. Yeah. It was time where the benefits of using the flashlight outweighed the risks.

I switched on the light, shining it around the area. A pair of eyes glowed back at me and I jumped back, sucking in a breath, but the little varmint ran off. At least, I hoped it was little.

“OK. OK.” I was talking out loud, but really, I had to do something other than freak myself out by listening to all the noises around me. Or look for glowing predator eyes. “I got this. Mom said this place was miles and miles of swamp, trees, and forest, but if I was careful, I could make my way through all that to the place my dad lived.

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