Page 159 of Exposé

Forty-four minutes and several cuss words later, I pulled into the truck stop. The semi-trucks lined the back of the property, hulking shadows with engines idling low, their lights dark. I parked at the edge of the lot, gripping the door handle as my side flared with fresh pain. Gritting my teeth, I swung the door open and climbed out, my steps uneven as I forced myself upright.

The fluorescent lights above the station buzzed, casting a pale, sickly glow over cracked asphalt and oil stains. A late twenty-something clerk on the counter, scrolling on her phone—her auburn hair tied into a loose ponytail. Her cheap, oversized hoodie swallowed her frail frame, the logo of what must have been her old high school faded and thin.

I glanced at her short, unpainted nails as she tapped the phone's screen as though she was used to filling the long hours with endless distractions. Her dull hazel eyes flicked up to me as I limped through the door, her posture shifting.

"Do you need to prepay?"

"No." I reached into my pocket as I approached her and pulled out a crumpled photo of Ava from her dossier, then slapped it onto the counter. “I need to know if you have seen her?”

She glanced at the picture, then at me. Her brow furrowed, her gaze dropping to my waist. “Are you okay?” Her eyes darted toward the door, the store near-empty. "Do you need me to get you some help?"

My jaw tightened as her eyes lingered too long on the blood. I tugged my leather jacket closed, masking the mess beneath. "I’m fine." A slow exhale steadied me. "Have you seen her or not?"

She hesitated, then nodded, her finger tapping the counter. “Yeah, she came in a while ago. Asked about a local motel.” She jerked her thumb toward the door. “I told her about the Dew Drop Inn. It’s a cheap place, a few miles east, right off the main road.”

I gave a short nod, already turning for the exit. “Thanks.”

"There's an urgent care across the road if you need it."

The door swung shut behind me, the night air biting against my face as I limped back to the car. Each step burned, the wound in my side threatening to split open with every jolt.

Opening the car door, I crawled inside and sat, the air rushing from my lungs as though I'd hiked a marathon.

My fingers curled around the steering wheel, knuckles white as my focus sharpened.

Finally, progress.

She wasn’t some ghost vanishing into thin air.

She was out there—close, within reach.

Mine.

The thought hit with a feral intensity, pushing past the pain.

Ava could run, but she couldn’t hide.

Not from me.

Not now.

I adjusted my jacket, keeping pressure on the wound as I turned the key in the ignition.

East.

Dew Drop Inn.

No stopping, no resting.

Not until I had her in front of me again.

31

Ava

"There. I think that's it."

The return key clicked under my finger, and I settled into the chair I’d paid way too much cash to sit in. It creaked beneath me, worn down by years of too many travelers. I scanned the screen, the black text glaring back at me as the cursor blinked, taunting me. Pressure pounded behind my eyes, forcing me to lean back—my gaze locked onto the bedspread.

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