Page 7 of Pink Poison

“I’ll miss you too, Tee. Maybe you’ll hear about me through the grapevine one of these days.” I laugh, shaking my head. “If you hear the name Stevie, you’ll know exactly who they’re talking about.”

Her hug is expected, but no less appreciated as I feel her arms wrap tightly around me. “Go kick some ass, babe. Make them work for you, not the other way around,” she whispers.

Her encouragement gives me the boost I need to walk away. With one last squeeze, she abruptly pulls away before speed walking back to the club.

“Get in the truck, Stephanie,” Jameson demands.

Dragging my feet before I have the opportunity to change my mind, I hoist myself into the passenger seat. The familiar, cloying smell of stale cigarettes permeates through the worn-down cloth seats as I settle in. “Just take me to the closest bus station,” I grumble, refusing to look my stepbrother’s best friend in the eye.

“I’m taking you to the one outside of Nawlins.” He turns his key in the ignition. “Max won’t think to start looking for you ‘round there.”

Bile creeps up my throat at the thought of being accosted by Max again. I don’t know what else he could do to me, and I’m not willing to find out. “R-Right. That makes sense.”

“He fucking hates you,” he states, foregoing any previous sweet nature he showed me before today.Dick.

Blowing out a sharp breath, I take the hit and let it wash over me. Sure, Max and I were never close, but I at least thought of him as family once upon a time. I wasn’t all that young when Mom married Maxwell Senior. Max came to live with his dad, teenage angst and all. I knew he disliked me back then, but for some reason it hurts to hear that hehatesme morethan I thought it would. The truck swerves sharply to the left, taking us towards the big city—away from the place I’ve called home for the last five months. Rumbling from his truck’s engine is the only thing keeping us from complete silence, granting me enough peace to close my eyes for a moment.

“I didn’t mean it,” he rasps. “I don’t think you’re a whore.”

Rolling my head against the headrest, I look at the man who has warmed my bed more often than I care to admit now that I know the truth of who he is. “Then why’d you say it?” I ask, hating that my words wobble noticeably.

“I was…I don’t know, goading Mack I guess.” He sighs, taking a hand off the wheel to wipe down his face. “I thought if I pointed out you were what he claimed, he’d just leave well enough alone.”

“A lot good that did ya,” I snark. If my eyes didn’t burn so bad, I’d roll them at his shit attempt to help. “How’d you even know it was me? I hardly recognize you.”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows harshly. “It’s going to sound stupid as hell.”

“Tonight can’t get any worse, Jameson.”

“Your pink gym bag. The times we crossed paths before, you always had it with you,” he confesses. “I put two and two together when I realized that Stevie is a nickname for Stephanie.”

My lips part as my jaw falls from his sudden epiphany.

All of this happened because of a fucking gym bag. Is he serious?

“Are you kidding me?” I murmur. “My bag gave it away, a normal fucking bag and all of a sudden you just knew it was me?”

I hone in on his cheeks as they flush lightly, giving him a boyish appearance in place of the rugged biker he’s supposed to be.

“You loved that bag.” He shrugs like that was the obvious answer. “I guess it just stuck with me, the memory of you with it.”

“I did love the bag, still do,” I admit. “It’s the only thing I kept with me after I left school.”

“What!” He slams on the brakes suddenly, jerking the truck in the middle of the road.

I turn back to the window, not wanting to see the inevitable pity in his stare. “I sold everything else to try and make my tuition payments.”

“Jesus Christ, Stephanie,” he rumbles while easing back on the gas pedal. “Why didn’t you call Senior or Marissa?”

His question wedges between the pieces of my heart, spreading the shards of regret wider.Pride. Shame. Fear.“Didn’t want to burden them with my mistake or something like that,” I whisper. My warm breath fogs the window, temporarily distracting me from the reopened wound within my chest. The lively late-night scenery of the city around us fades quickly as we breach the county line, heading towards the interstate.

“I’ll take you across the Mississippi, that should be far enough for the night.”

Closing my eyes, I will my heart to stop beating against my ribs, “Okay.” I sigh, accepting that this will be for the best.

“Wake up, beautiful,” Jamie’s voice whispers as a warm, callused hand cups my face.Damn, this is a good dream.He laughs, deep and gravelly. “Not a dream, but you did fall asleep.”

My eyes flutter open only to see Jamie staring softly at me. “Sorry,” I groan. “How long was I out for?”

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