Can You Kill Me Now?

Chapter 14: Not My Lucky Day

Neither of us explicitly mentioned it, but for various reasons, last night was a relatively sleepless night. We were spotted, clearly not in a kidnapping situation either. Even though we should be resting before we hit the road, we can't; both of us are itching to put some distance between us and the town. So bright and early, we hit the road in silence, sending various prayers to whatever controls this cruel world full of irony and cruelty.

Before we can truly get on the road, we travel a few miles and stop at a gas station to fuel up for the longer drive. Our hotel didn't have a complimentary breakfast open, and we 'woke up' to leave around 4:30 a.m. I follow Junior into the store to get some provisions for the road.

It's a gas station, so there aren't many options, but we can always get more food later. I browse through the energy bars, hoping to find something to give me some fuel, when I notice Junior isn't next to me anymore. Instead, it's a burly man in a dark black trench coat half-heartedly looking at pop-tarts and cereal cups. There are a few things about his appearance that set me on edge: he's got black leather gloves on, his hat reminds me of Junior's from the alley, and he's more interested in me than the food he's browsing. I don't mean to stare, and I definitely don't mean to make eye contact with him. His eyes are vastly different than Juniors. Where Junior's hazel eyes shine with amusement and kindness, this man's eyes glower with darkness and lifelessness. They are cold and calculating, a telltale sign that I need to get the hell away from him.

Not even bothering to put the bar in my hand back, I turn and try to slip into the next aisle as if I am doing so while casually browsing. However, luck is apparently not on my side today; he slips into the aisle behind me, pretending to look at the candy near the end of the shelves. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up; this is too much- there's no way this is simply happenstance, not after running into Junie's ex whatever.

Sigh. Junior. I need to find Junior.

Not even bothering to cover up the fact that I am uncomfortable and on alert, I hurry past the next two aisles in search of Junior, finding him in the third aisle looking at bags of chips. I quickly walk up behind him, slipping my finger into his belt loop and trying to make myself smaller. I probably should have led the guy away from Junior since he is likely the one anyone around here would want. Still, on the off chance I am the main focal point, I don't want Junior to freak out at suddenly being left alone if I'm kidnapped; and stay here longer than he needs to without the money he needs to keep the dealers away from him.

My back is to the aisle, so I can't see if the man followed me to Junior, and I can't look. I bite at the skin next to my thumb nail in the few seconds it takes Junior to react to my sudden presence. He doesn't jump, but he does whip his head back to look at me; seeing the worry painted all over me, he looks behind me towards the end of the aisle. I'm not sure what he sees, but in a fluid and seemingly casual motion, he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. It may have looked casual on the outside, but I can feel how sturdy his grip is; it's what allows me to draw in a shaky breath.  I release his belt loop and let him start leading us to checkout.

"Look at you finally learning Stranger Danger," I hear him whisper with a gentle, teasing tone. I do my best to shoot him a murderous glare. That man might be after him; I don't want this to be for nothing.

I expect him to release me so he can check out and request gas, but to my shock, he pulls me in front of him, shielding me from any potential threats behind us and casually continuing the transaction.

I don't know what to do, so I stand there awkwardly, watching the cashier try not to blush as she handles our items. She should try being in my shoes if she thinks she's struggling!