Caught In Her Vengeance - Book 2

1

CHAPTER 1
Catalina

"Anna, order's up for table nine," Tina, the head cook, yelled at me from the kitchen of the rundown steakhouse. I'd been trying to keep a low profile for the last six months, taking odd jobs here and there, only ones that would pay under the table, and some of them hadn't been the best places to work.

When I left Miami, I knew the guys would try to track me down, so I left my phone, ditching my car in the next town over. I picked up a cheap burner and bought a greyhound ticket. I started in Tennessee cleaning horse stables, and after a few weeks of dealing with a pervy handsy manager. I took a bus ride up to Indiana, but work wasn't easy to come by, so I kept it moving. My passport was still in date, and I was debating whether or not to head to Canada or something, meanwhile landing in Hartville, Wyoming.

Hartville was a small town of forty-eight people and where they didn't ask too many questions. It seemed like everyone here had a story or was running from something. I was able to get a job at Miner and Stockmen, the only restaurant slash bar slash entertainment in town. I also found a pretty decent place to lay my head at night, eight minutes outside town. Jose, the owner, and manager of Brickhouse Motel, didn't ask too many questions, and he spoke cash.

"Here you go, handsome, " I set the hot plate of food down on the table. "Can I get you another coke?" This gig had been my easiest by far, and I didn't even mind Harold here flirting with me from time to time. He lost his wife a couple of years ago after sixty years of marriage. I could tell he was lonely, especially since his kids never visited.

"Yes, please, " Harold grinned up at me, wrinkles adorning his worn caramel face. His almost white hair was combed to the side, and he was dressed to the nines. He may have been in his eighties, but he kept himself up very well. I could tell he was a looker in his day like a young Denzel Washington.

Friday nights had been date nights with his wife, Trudy. Even after she passed, he kept up the tradition. Some nights when we were slow, Harold would tell me stories about their life together. She was a wonderful woman, according to him, and he was way too lucky to have had her as long as he did. I returned his warm gesture as I refilled his empty glass.

"You're too good to me, my sweet Anna, " Harold said, placing a hand over mine and squeezing it lightly. He told me once I reminded him of his youngest daughter Sarah. She was married with two kids and lived in California. It was a shame she didn't visit with him more often. I could see he missed her a lot.

"It's always my pleasure, Harold. Give me a holler if you need anything," I said, smiling down at him before turning to check on my other tables.

Listening to him talk about the love of his life always made me think about the guys. It didn't matter how much time had passed. They were still my present. I wanted to erase the memory of my love for them. I wanted to be able to flip a switch and never think about them again.

Regardless, that wasn't my reality. My heart still yearned for theirs despite my best efforts to ignore the feeling. I think the hardest part was that some mornings I woke up and forgot. I forgot that I was living paycheck to paycheck while jumping from state to state so they wouldn't find me. That's what I wanted, right, a life without them? Somedays, I  honestly didn't even know anymore.

**

By the end of the night, my feet were killing me, and I was beyond ready to go to sleep. I didn't have a car yet, so I was walking over to the motel as I usually did after work. It was a small town, so there were no buses or cabs that ran out here. I once asked a coworker for the number to the Uber, and he just straight up laughed at me. I still had a limp from the accident, so it took me a little longer than most to get there.

Digging through my purse, I fished out my phone, texting the only contact in the device. Still unsure of the stranger's identity. I just knew that they looked out for me when I needed them.

So, I kept communicating with them. Being on the run was lonely, and it was nice to have a person to talk to, even if I didn't know who that person was.

Me: Still not gonna tell me who you are?

Asshole: I told you I'm a friend, Catalina.

Me: If you were indeed a friend, you wouldn't still be hiding yourself from me, ya know.

Asshole: How's Hartville?

Me: Lonely. Maybe I should go back home.

Asshole: Do you think that's a wise choice considering?

Me: I don't know. I sighed.

Me: I can't run forever.

Asshole: You know they won't give up on earning you back easily. But at least you know exactly what you're getting yourself into now.

Me: True, but who says I'd ever let them earn anything for me

Taken off guard by my motel room door being cracked open, I dropped my phone into my bag, not waiting for a response from Asshole. This wasn't the first time I'd come home to find it like this, but it was the last I'd be so nice about discovering it this way.

Walking over to Jose's room, I banged on the window. I heard a bunch of scrambling while things were being knocked over, and a few curse words later, the door whipped open. "What the hell, Anna? I thought you were the cops," he was still buttoning his shirt, smelling like a distillery.

"My door is open again, Jose. I thought we talked about this," I sighed, exhausted from work and ready for a hot shower, then bed.

"Shit, I thought I took care of that. I must've forgotten," Jose cursed again, running a hand over his worn face.

"Yeah, I figured," I shook my head, trying to keep my anger at bay. "You said you take care of it, so I need you to do it now. I'm tired of going to work not knowing if I'm going to lose the few things I have because the door is jacked up, and you refuse to let me change rooms."

"Now," his bloodshot eyes widened.

"Yes, now! I pay you far too much to be still dealing with this shit. I'm tired and want to go to bed, so fix it."

"Y-Yeah, you're right. Let me uhh let me grab my tools, and I'll be down in a few," he nodded.

"Okay, thank you," I turned, walking back to my room, pausing to shout back at him over my shoulder. "And Jose, please don't make me come back to get you because I won't be so nice."

Stepping into my room, I flipped the switch on the wall, but the light didn't come on. Weird. I placed my bag down and walked over to the phone on the nightstand to call Jose and let him know the bulb was blown, but the line was dead. What the hell? The door slammed shut.

Gasping, I brought a hand to my chest and turned on my heels to meet a six-foot-something shadowy figure standing across the dark room. I tried to dart for my phone, but my bag was gone.

"Hello, Kitty, you've been a hard kitten to pin down lately," the figure spoke, sending a nasty chill down my spine.

"W-Who are you?" I asked, shaking as the man began taking steps towards me.

"I'm your worst fucking nightmare," the most sinister laughed left his lips, pinning me in place. I tried to move, yet my body was frozen still. "Liam's parents send their love," was the last thing I heard before his fist connected with the side of my head, striking me with a punishing blow before my lights went out and everything went black.

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