Page 29 of Wanted

First, I’ll grab my suitcase out of Chance’s truck. Then I can catch a rideshare back to my motel. Hopefully, my rental car is still in the parking lot. After picking up the rental, I’ll head to the police station to make a missing person’s report.

This is the plan I come up with between the time I turn my back on Chance in the diner and the minute or so it takes me to reach his truck in the parking lot.

He hasn’t locked the car doors. I don’t question why as I go to pull the backseat passenger door open to retrieve my suitcase.

Just as I barely pull it open, a larger hand closes it again from behind me.

I whip around to come face to face with Chance, yet again.

“You aren’t leaving.” His mouth barely moves as he makes that declaration. He doesn’t raise his voice, either.

Yet, the finality in his tone is like a clap of thunder. It startles me motionless for a time.

“Y-you can’t keep me here,” I respond after getting my wits back. “That’s illegal. And I have to get back to searching for my sister. I’ve already lost a day because of?—”

“You’re in danger,” he says, cutting me off.

“Iwasin danger,” I reply. “And thank you, honestly, for saving me from whoever those guys were last night.”

I hold up a hand.

“But I’m certain they’re long gone by now.”

The guys who broke into my motel last night were likely from that dive bar I went to search for Ashley. The chances that one of them saw a single woman, obviously not from the area, and decided to follow me back to my motel to rob me, or worse, is likely what happened.

“Honestly,” I tell Chance. “I appreciate what you did last night. You helped me out a lot and I can pay you for that. I’ll just need to get to a bank where I can withdraw some cash.”

“I don’t want your money.” For the first time, there’s a crack of anger in his tone. His jaw tightens causing the muscles of his cheeks to bulge.

I raise my hand in an attempt to…no.

I stop myself just before my palm makes contact with his cheek. I’m not here to comfort this man. I don’t even understand why I want to.

He’s a stranger.

Yes, a stranger who possibly saved my life.

Yet, a stranger nonetheless.

I drop my hand and step to the side so that I’m no longer trapped between him and his truck.

“If you would please retrieve my luggage out of your truck.” I hold up my phone. “I’m going to call a rideshare to take me back into town.”

I say all of that without looking up at him as I pull my phone out of my bag.

“Ugh,” I groan when I see that my phone only has two percent battery left. “Hopefully, I can order the rideshare and then head back into the diner to charge my phone while I wait,” I mutter to myself as I bring up the car service app.

“What are you doing?” I demand when Chance’s hand covers both of mine and my phone.

I glare up at him to demand that he let me go, but he’s not looking at me. Though his hand still covers mine, his head is turned in the opposite direction. He’s facing the same woods he stared out at minutes ago while we sat inside of the diner.

“What are you-Ahh!” I break off in a scream when two very large, very scary looking wolves emerge from behind the trees.

Both wolves are twice the size of what I imagined a wolf would look like in real life. They’re light gray and white fur is thick with patches of black fur throughout.

The wolves’ low growl and curled top lips that reveal large fangs. Their intent is clear in the menacing looks. They’re here to maim or worse, kill their target.

The absolute worst part, however?

---