To Walk Alone

- bodyguards -

Early afternoon was settling in when they finally stopped to fill up for gas and food.  Unfortunately, trucks were gas hogs.  The other two vehicles pulled up to other filling stations and simultaneously they all got out.  The six men looked out of place among the small crowd of people filling up their vehicles.  The Kwik Trip wasn't too busy, but four hours into this trip and she was ready to turn back to Brindlewood. 

Slamming the door behind her, she stretched while Jake took to filing up the truck.  He pulled a plastic card from his wallet before she could even stop him and insist on paying for gas.  She decided not to worry about it this time and turned to head towards the convenience store. 

"Tuck, Lane," Jake called without even looking away from the pump.  "Go with Sif."

She paused in her tracks and shot Jake an annoyed look.  She was plenty capable of taking care of herself.  Did he think someone would ambush her in the convenience store?  Jake didn't meet her eye, but without questioning their Alpha, the two men followed her inside.

The store clerk flashed her a wide smile when she entered the store and checked her out when she passed in front of the counter. 

"Welcome," he called out in a rather friendly tone. 

She only offered him a tight-lipped smile, smelling that he was human as she passed, and disappeared down a short hall to the lady's bathroom. 

When she came back out, Tuck was leaning casually against the hall wall and Lane was assessing the store clerk with a disapproving look.  Great, just what she needed: overprotective bodyguards. 

She walked past the two of them and drifted up and down the aisles and she scoured the refrigerated section for something to drink.  Tuck and Lane kept close, and she almost found it comical.  They were apparently going to take this whole 'protection detail' thing seriously.

Feeling eyes on her from across the store, she lifted her head and met the gaze of the clerk.  He flashed her a smile over the shoulder of the customer he was helping before turning back to his task. 

"If he knows what's good for him," Tuck said quietly as he came to stand by her shoulder.  "He'll keep his eyes to himself."

She raised her eyebrows and turned back to the prewrapped sandwiches on the island before her.  They only had a few options to choose from after the lunch rush. 

"I'm not worried," she said with a shrug of her shoulder.  "He's harmless."

"You don't know Jake very well," Tuck muttered.  "He played it cool in the Greyback territory."

Lane gave a small snort before turning to a different island in search of lunch. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" she frowned, but the two men only had knowing smirks on their faces and said nothing more about it. 

Opting to ignore Tuck's comments, she took in a deep breath. 

Really, the sandwiches weren't very appealing, but the small town they stopped in didn't seem to have many other options to choose from.  She grabbed a turkey club and added it to her small handful. 

"That's all you're going to eat?" Tuck asked, assessing her sandwich and bottle of apple juice.  She didn't like soda or fizzy drinks.

She looked down at her pitiful options and then her eyes scanned the racks.  She wasn't really a junk food lover, but her eyes did land on a bag of chocolate Andie's Candies.  Snatching one up, she shot Tuck a questioning smile, but he rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed with her selection. 

"I don't see any chicken sandwiches, French fries, or chocolate milk shakes, do you?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Guess not," he mumbled.