Page 5 of Tyrant

Not just perish into the night but burn to death and feel every single moment of pain he’s put all of us through. He deserves it all and so much more. The horrors I experienced, but also watched, will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. And my baby…my daughter, he’s made it so I can never see her again. If I try, I’ll die at his hands because there is no returning without my death.

My parents are no longer the people I thought I knew. The ones I could count on no matter what. The strong, steady reliability that offered me wisdom and support whenever I needed it.

No…I no longer recognize the shells they’ve become at the hands of Josef’scult.

Chapter 4

Tyrant

Pulling off to the side of the road, I steer the bike into the gas station and park at the closest pump. I let my feet settle on the ground for a few beats while I stretch my arms and twistmy ankles from side to side. My body is stiff from holding the same position for the entirety of the trip so far. I’m used to riding my other bike for long distances, not my pretty new chopper. I’m starting to regret being stubborn and not catching a flight into Vegas. The map app with the driving directions says it’s going to take us twenty-six hours to get there.

Blair grips me tightly as she climbs off, feeling wobbly herself, and I swing my leg over. “Sorry if I was squeezing you too hard.”

She was lost in her thoughts, if I had to guess. Any time I caught a glance of her in my mirrors, she seemed zoned out and caught up in her own head about who knows what. I’m guessing shit’s pretty serious for her, though, if she was on the side of the road hitchhiking and is willing to go to Vegas with a stranger on a whim. That shit will get you killed in a heartbeat if you pick the wrong vehicle. Lucky for her, I’m not into killing or raping women, so she’s safe. I may want to run my hands all over her gorgeous body, but I’m not the type to force them on someone. Hell, I’ve never had to.

“I need to fill up, but I’m going to go inside first.” I tip my head in the direction of the building. The parking lot is bustling, the stop seems popular on this route. She nods, standing beside the bike. She’s gotta have to pee by now, I sure as fuck do. I could use another snack or a sandwich right about now as well. “You coming in?” I ask when she still doesn’t budge.

“I’m fine,” she mumbles quietly, giving the shop her back and turning towards the road. I can’t help but wonder if she’s running from someone. Maybe she’s a thief or killed her ol’ man and is hiding out before the cops lock her up.

Why does my mind do that? Going straight for the worst-case scenario bullshit? Even silently calling myself out on my thoughts, my gut still screams something is up. I run my gaze over her pert little ass and mention, “I got a ball cap in my saddlebag if you want to keep the sun out of your eyes. Soonenough, it’ll be dark.” I give her the easy out, so she doesn’t have to tell me anything she’s not wanting to.

She spins back around, her face lighting up. “Oh yeah? Thanks.”

I gesture to the bag closest to me. “It’s on this side. Help yourself. It may smell like the road and leather, but it’ll do the job.” It’ll hide her well enough; besides, I doubt any guys around here will have the balls to stare her down if she’s walking with me. I don’t exactly draw anyone’s stare; if anything, they’re tryingnotto look at me and garner my wrath.

She drops down to her haunches, and quickly digs through the thick leather pouch until she finds the ball cap. She holds up a pair of cheap sunglasses. “Mind if I use these as well?”

“Nah, take ‘em. They’ll have some in your size inside if you want to grab a pair.”

She shakes her head and slides the glasses on, shielding her eyes from mine. With the ball cap, you’d never know it was her. She flashes a wide smile, and I can read the gratitude in her expression. I’m good at deciphering silent cues, and plenty of bikers get that way after being in the life for so long. You never know when it could keep you out of a heap of shit or alive. “These are good, thanks.”

She trails behind me into the large travel station and we part ways once we each get to our respective bathroom doors. I tip my head and duck inside. Take care of business, wash my hands, then find her waiting right outside the door for me. “I’m starving, want to grab a sandwich?” There’s the typical sub shop connected to the gas station, and right now, my stomach growls eagerly with the thought of ham, turkey, bacon, and cheese loaded up with my favorite toppings. Maybe a splash of ranch. Pickles, for sure. And chips, I’m craving chips.

“Oh, sure,” she agrees easily. Her hands are shoved into her back pockets, pushing her tits out. I don’t think she even realizesshe’s doing it, and fuck, do I want to take a better look at her chest. I don’t, of course, but it’s a struggle to peel my stare away and concentrate on food instead.

We walk over to the chipped hunter green counter, greeted by a tired-looking older lady wearing a hairnet and plastic gloves, with her name tag reading ‘Barb.’ The faded green uniform polo isn’t doing her any favors either; the woman looks washed out. “What can I get you, honey?” she asks, her voice rough from smoking too many cigarettes in her lifetime. I order a ridiculous amount of food for one person, but with my size, I tend to eat more than the average dude. When Barb glances at Blair, the little woman just shakes her head, not planning on eating a thing.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” She offers a polite smile and I can’t help but stare at her again for a beat. She was hitchhiking. Tossed one of her bags in the bushes, along with a jug of water. She didn’t want to be seen coming inside, and now claiming she’s not hungry after being on the back of my bike for four hours.

Who knows how long she was left on the side of the road or walking before I showed up. I call bullshit. Hell, I’d think she was homeless if she didn’t look so put together. She didn’t seem dirty to me like she’d been living out in the elements, especially because I’m not one to shy away from pitching my blanket anywhere and taking a nap should the feeling arise. I rarely spend money on hotel rooms when we head out on a run; I’d rather dream under the stars.

“You know what, Barb? Hook me up with a bag of those chips over there, a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie, a cup of that potato soup, and a kid’s sub meal. How about you make it the meatball one with some mozzarella cheese, top with parmesan, and toss in a bottled drink for the road.”

The lady pecks at her screen, putting in my ridiculous order while Blair moves to sit at the furthest table, her back to the door so no one can see her face. Barb dishes up my food, setting it all on two trays and passing me a bag as well, probably thinking I’ll need it to take some food to go. Little does she know—all this food isn’t for me. The extra stuff I ordered is for my sexy stowaway back there, pretending like she has no needs in life. I’m not buying it, and I refuse to let her be any more uncomfortable than I’m sure she already was riding behind me for hours. It’s one thing if you’re a seasoned rider, but if you’re not used to it? You’re going to be hurting.

“Thank you,” I tell the weathered woman and pop some extra cash in the tip jar. Hopefully she gets to retire one day and spend her time gardening rather than dealing with punk ass travelers, hounding her for sandwiches. I grab a bottled water from the cooler and fill up a lemonade in the fountain cup.

“Here you go, Sugar.” I place the second tray down in front of Blair after I’ve collected the food. “Eat up, we don’t have anywhere to stow any extra food we take to go with us.” I set the drinks in the middle so she can pick whichever one she wants; I’ll drink either one.

Her soulful brown eyes widen as her stare flicks between me and the tray in front of her. “B-but I said I wasn’t hungry.” She’s already shaking her head trying to push the tray away, but my hand rests on the edge, stopping her from moving it. She continues, “I can’t eat this. I don’t have extra cash to pay you back for any of it.”

“Didn’t ask you to pay me anything. I told you I had an extra concert ticket, and you hopped on the back of the bike with me. You’ve been a damn good passenger, the least I can do is buy you a kid’s meal,” I grumble, wanting to witness her eat something as I get situated with my meal and then take a giant bite of mysandwich. If I’m chewing, we can’t argue about it anymore, and I win this disagreement. Childish? Don’t fuckin’ care.

She takes the hint after a beat of me chewing the mouth full of food and eagerly unwraps the sandwich. I act like I’m not paying attention, but I notice the way her hand shakes. I wish she’d tell me how long she’s been without food. I hate thinking of such a stunning woman with her sweet demeanor being at the hands of nature or something much worse, as well as going hungry. I gesture to the drinks, wordlessly telling her to choose, and she picks the bottled water so I take the lemonade. Pop the top off and gulp down half the beverage in a few swallows. She finishes the mini meatball sub quickly even though her bites seemed small, in my opinion. Next, I push the cup of potato soup in her direction, handing her the spoon that ended up on my tray for some reason. Not gonna lie, it smells hella good, and if she doesn’t want it, I’ll probably finish it off as well.

“More?” Her mouth drops open, trying to come up with another excuse. I probably shouldn’t enjoy watching her eat as much as I do, but I can’t help it. Everything about her is so fucking cute and something in my chest warms at the thought of me being the one providing the food for her. The chick is bringing out my basic nature of wanting to hunt and clean her an entire fucking deer to show her I could provide for her. Care for her. Hell, at this rate, I’ll take her down south and wrestle a fucking gator if it’ll keep her gazing at me like I hung the motherfuckin’ moon.

I don’t admit any of that aloud, though, but rather play it off with a shrug. “Mm. It’ll go in the trash if you can’t eat it. We can fit the chips and cookie on the bike if you want those for later?”

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