Page 49 of Dirty Gambit

That turned out to be a gas station just on the border. A trio of trucks stood lined up at the pump. There wasn’t another car in sight.

Adjusting her glasses and wig in the side window of the station, Lena squared her shoulders and moved around the building to the front doors.

There was only one other person inside besides the bored teenager manning the front. He looked like a trucker, thick with a week’s worth of bush on his face and a filthy flannel left open over a stained wife-beater. He was eyeballing the chip rack when Lena walked in. Then, he was eyeballing her, which she also ignored. She went straight to the register.

“Hey, are there any buses that come by this way?”

The boy, having been watching a funny cat video on his phone, barely glanced up. “No buses.”

“How far is it to the next town?”

One scrawny shoulder lifted. “Like two hours, or something.”

Lena sighed. “Is there somewhere I can hitch a ride?”

“I’ll take ya.” The voice interrupted whatever answer the boy was going to give. The man from the chip rack stood behind her, fat thumbs hooked into the loops of his sagging jeans. “How far are you trying to go?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell the guy to fuck off. She’d known plenty ofhelpfulguys like him and wasn’t stupid enough to go anywhere with him, but desperation had her chewing the corner of her lip. She eyed the guy, knowing deep in her mind that he was up to no good, but also needing to put as much space between her and that place as possible.

“I’m good,” she decided at last, common sense kicking in. “Thanks.”

Watery, bloodshot eyes narrowed. “I’m not some kind of pervert,” he snapped. “I’m just trying to do you a favor.”

“I don’t need any favors,” Lena retorted, losing the fight with her patience. “Get lost.”

He muttered a few choice words under his breath before storming from the store and letting the door slam behind him.

Lena waited until he’d reached the driver’s door of his truck and climbed in before facing the boy smirking down at the litter of husky puppies howling for the first time.

“Hey!”

She smacked the counter between them with both palms, eliciting a yelp from him. The jolt sent the phone scattering from his hand. It hit the table once before she caught it. He blinked up at her with a mixture of confusion, betrayal, and annoyance.

“That’s mine!” he protested, making as if to grab it from her.

Lena yanked it back. “You can have it back once you answer my questions.”

He looked on the verge of arguing but must have decided it was faster to just do what she said.

“What do you want?”

“What’s the fastest way to get to a bus stop?”

Dark eyebrows drew down a greasy forehead to darken murky, gray eyes. “Fastest way is by car.”

Lena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Clearly. But where do I get a car?”

He stared for so long, she almost accused him of having fallen asleep, but he kept blinking, long, lazy snaps of his lashes like some drowsy owl.

In the parking lot, the trucker pulled out of his spot and rumbled down the road in the direction Lena knew she needed to cross, but couldn’t on foot, not unless she was asking to be spotted. It was unclear if Jaxon would take the hint and forget her, or if his sense of justice would force him to track her down to face punishment. She guessed he’d get Jessie somewhere safe first before pursuing her. At least, she hoped. Otherwise, she was going to be pissed.

“Hello?”

The boy’s hesitant voice sparked Lena back to the present. She glowered at him, annoyed at having her thoughts disturbed.

“Is there somewhere I can borrow a bike, or get a cab?”

It became painfully obvious that she was wasting her time when the boy simply stared at her with bewildered uncertainty. His gray eyes kept darting between her and his phone like a dog being denied his treat even though he’d done his trick.

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