Page 9 of Fate Awakened

“The restrooms are in the back. You can’t outrun me, and there’s only one door.” Hudson reaches out a hand, I assume to help me out of the car, but my pride doesn’t allow me to take it.

I scoot myself over and slide myself out of the car, only to have my legs give out, and Hudson has to grab me at my ribs to keep me from falling directly on my face.

“Yeah, that sedative’s probably still working itself out of your system,” he says, trying to hold back a laugh, but fails and ends up shaking with silent laughter. He wraps an arm around my waist and assists me in getting to the rusted backdoor.

The smell hits me before I grab the handle, a gag lifting to my throat as I cover my nose with my free hand.

“Couldn’t have chosen a gas station that had been cleaned this century?” I groan, giving him a pointed stare as I consider forgetting the whole thing.

Not going to be able to run on these legs anyway.

“Apologies, Your Highness, I didn’t realize you had such elevated standards, or I would’ve called ahead.” The eye roll that accompanies his words makes me want to punch him. It’s hard to wrap my head around what I’m feeling about Hudson at the moment.

On the one hand, he drugged me, tied me up, kidnapped me, threatened me with a knife, and is taking me, well, I don’t know where, but I'm guessing it isn’t a surprise vacation.

On the other hand, he did say he was trying to help me out of this mess. He got me food and is letting me pee despite the escape possibility. I mean, it isn’t his fault I took that stupid video.

Maybe there’s still hope he’ll let me go?

With all the strength I can muster, I place one foot in front of the other into the vile restroom. I try not to breathe as I quickly handle my business, feeling a small ounce of relief when I notice both toilet paper and soap remain stocked.

Exiting, I get as far from the bathrooms as possible before taking a large gulp of air. Hudson stands near me, an amused grin pasted on one side of his face. Without saying a word, he slides his hand back under my arm and guides me back to the SUV.

“We have a few more hours to go,” he says, looking me squarely in the eyes before continuing. “Do I need to tie you back up, or can you manage to behave? Option two allows you to sit comfortably until we get there.” His tone is all business, but his eyes give him away.

“Maybe if you told me where we were going or what to expect when we get there, it would be easier for me to want to cooperate,” I say, hoping he’ll reveal anything I can work with. Instead, he exhales audibly while shaking his head. I can tell he isn’t used to being this guy, but panic lies behind his easy demeanor, which seems to drive his need to see this through. “Maybe I could help you?” I finish, lowering my voice to let him know I’m not trying to manipulate him.

“Just get in the car, Bri, and please don’t make me sedate you again.” His exasperated response comes as he pulls open the back passenger door, guiding me inside.

“Okay,” my voice is almost a whisper, but I know he hears me as he slams the door shut and walks back around to the driver's side of the car, muttering to himself.

A few hours. We have a few hours to find a way out.

After buckling back in, my eyes scan the surrounding area. It looks every bit like an abandoned ghost town. Broken-down, dilapidated wood buildings span the length of the main street.

Dated, rusted-out cars with tires that appeared to have melted to the road or cracked off the rim lay parked nearby. No people walking the streets, whether that’s due to the early hour or the lack of population, is yet to be seen.

A sign over one of the buildings boasts giant letters spelling “SALOON” as I continue to try to identify where I am. I haven’t spent much time outside of Las Vegas, well, really, just one school trip with the Honor Society to California and my beach trip with Keith and Liv after senior year. Hudson pulls off, and before we exit the completely outdated western town, I see a sign that reads, “Thanks for Visiting Goldfield.”

Goldfield?

I’m reasonably certain I’ve never heard of it before, but I didn’t let that get me down. I may not know where I am, but I did know that if I could get that information to someone, anyone who could be looking for me, they would have a place to start.

Idly, I reached for the donuts, knowing that food would give me the strength I needed to fight or run when the time came. If there’s one thing you learn in the foster care system, you never take a meal for granted because you don’t know where your next one would come from. So, as the dry sugary powder invades my taste buds, I begin to devise a plan that will keep me alive and get me home in one piece.

Chapter 5

Dante

Dante:Whereishe?

I send the mind-link command to Jake minutes after the alert comes in that my Second-In-Command took two sedation bullets from our guard, Andre, in an attempt to keep him from killing not one, but two people.

Cain has been such a pain in my ass lately.

As if this mess couldn’t be any worse, now, I have to babysit or lock up my best friend because he can’t keep his shit together and look at this like another mission. Fated Mate or not, they aren’t bonded. He has a job to do. Period.

Jake: We placed him on the medical floor, Room 4A. Dr. Radolf will meet you there.

---