Page 2 of Storm

“Apparently,” I grumble. “I’m taking the bus since I hitched a ride here with one of them.” Pointing toward Susanna’s room, I add, “I’ll have to change my ticket. I still have a few days of vacation I can use.” Waving him off, I don’t want him to continue this line of questioning.

“So, you’re giving in.” He says it like a statement, and I feel like he’s making his opinion abundantly clear. I stare up at him blankly until he adds, “To them.”

Choosing not to answer, I let my back hit the wall and slide down to squat as I go through my things. It’s pointless, but I’d rathernotsee the way he’s studying me. Tugging my phone out,I pull up the website for the bus and start the process to change my trip to go home instead of back to my apartment.

“What are you doing?”

“None of your business,pendejo,” I snap out, tapping on the screen with a bit more force than necessary.

When he squats down, lowering himself to my level, he takes my phone. I suck in a hissed breath to lay into him, and he holds a hand up. “Stop.”

I glance between his face and my phone, which is once again in his hand, then hit him with my meanest glare. “Stopwhat?”

“Stop making changes. Where does your family live?”

Rolling my eyes, I explain they live an hour away from here in the same direction as my apartment. Honestly, changing my bus won’t put me out. Not financially, at least.

Cocking his head curiously, his eyes roam over my face before he clenches his jaw and nods. “I’m going on vacation. I have a cabin on the way. Why don’t I drive you? It’ll save you some cash and get you there sooner than the bus would.”

“No. Thank you, though,” I tell him, plucking my phone from his hand.

I freeze when he grips it and locks eyes with me. “There’s no need to be argumentative. I’m literally going in that direction. Don’t be a pain because you’re pissed off and want to be stubborn.”

Shaking my head slowly, I’m not sure if I’m agreeing with him or telling him no. “What are you?—”

“Get your things. Go say goodbye to your friend,” he orders as he stands up.

Fuck, this man is sexy. And fuck him for being hot too. Fuck his demanding attitude and “captain” vibes. I won’t succumb to his bullshit. My inner self whispers,that’s a filthy lie, and I want to smack her.

I follow him up to my feet and find myself walking toward Susanna’s room. Hesitating, I peer over my shoulder where he’s still leaning against the wall. “Are you sure? It seems like an inconvenience.” I don’t like it when people do things for me. It feels like I owe them, and I can’t afford to owe anyone anything right now.

“Go, Miriam.” That’s all he says, with a nod toward Susanna’s room.

Narrowing my eyes, I turn and march into the room and do what he says.Fuck him, goddamnit.I barely register how long it takes for me to say goodbye to everyone before I’m sitting in his big as fuck truck and speeding down the highway.

Breathing in deeply, I ignore the way he smells and stare out the window. There are store advertisements on the billboards as we speed past, and when I see one for a dollar store, I yell out, “I need to make a stop!”

“For what?” he asks. But he still signals the truck to merge to the right lanes so we can get off the highway.

A sneer spreads across my lips. Not for Captain Cooper, but because fuck my brothers and dad for making me come home. “Tito needs a present,” I tell him as I spy the store in the distance, knowing I’m not making any sense.

When he’s silent, I glance over, then giggle at the way he furrows his brow as he takes the exit. I bite my cheek to hold in a laugh when he asks, “Who the fuck is Tito?”

“The family cat.Lucifer.” I tell him. No more explanation is needed. That cat is the goddamn devil.

Even with the captain questioning my intentions, he still does as I ask. “What do you need to get him? Where am I going?”

“There.” Pointing to the dollar store, I anxiously bounce my knee as he pulls into a parking spot in front, and the moment he stops the truck, I push my door open. “I’ll be right back.” Without waiting to see if he follows, I jog inside, immediatelygoing to the Christmas decorations. Checking out their selection, my eyes fall on the red tinsel packages, and I justknowI have to buy it. I grab four of them, shoving them under my arm, and within two minutes, I’m checking out. With tax, I pay just less than five dollars, and I can’t think of a more superb way to spend my money.

I’m back at Captain Cooper’s truck quickly, hopping in like I didn’t just delay him. I feel a sense of pride as I drop the plastic bag on the floor between my feet and grin at him. “Alright, I’m ready to go now,” I tell him, the smile on my face massive as I rub my hands together.

He eyes the bags and asks, “What’d you buy?”

“Tinsel.”

“Tinsel? Why?”

Snorting out a laugh, all I say is, “Because.” He waits for more explanation, so I with as must passion as I can muster, I explain with two words. “Fuck. Lucifer.”

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