After being attacked, professional call girl Raya and her sister Lana become a little less human. Though one sees this as a gift and an enhancement toward professional improvement, the other sees this as a curse.
On top of that, they're being toyed...
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"Great! Just effin' splendid." Raya grumbled. "Where the hell am I going to find a gas station open at four in the morning?"
Getting gas in town, with Bruce possibly tailing her, had been out of the question. She should have stopped as soon as they left town, but it had slipped her jumbled mind.
Raya scanned the road signs frantically for the next exit sign. There, on a big blue sign with little pictures of convenient pit stops, was a Catdaddy's sign.
They were usually open twenty-four hours, weren't they? She pondered, then decided it was worth a try.
She took the exit and pulled up to Catdaddy's with relief. Their sign boasted "open 24 hrs," and the lights were bright, indicating that someone inside was wide awake.
Raya pulled up to pump three and killed the engine. She took her sunglasses off her head, brushed her hands through her bright red hair, then tossed the glasses inside her purse before she wrestled out her Prada wallet.
The bright lights inside the store made her squint. A peculiar scent made her nose twitch. The tips of her wolf's ears perked. It smelled like her palm would if she'd been gripping a handful of pennies for a few minutes. It also reminded her of something else, but with the smell of nachos and cheese, the hot dogs spinning in the little warmer, and the chili fumes floating from a nearby crockpot assaulting her mind, she couldn't put her finger on it.
The scruffy man standing behind the counter was eyeballing her, but who didn't give her that 'look'? Then again, there wasn't much else to look at besides food, lighters, and a Budweiser sign with a troublesome flicker.
The door rang as someone entered. She payed the customer and the attendant no mind. Instead she browsed, spotted the Pepsi cooler, and grabbed a diet soda for herself. She moved down to the next cooler where she retrieved a bottle of Smart Water for Lana - miss "I only drink water." Who doesn't like soda? She giggled at the thought. No doubt, she loved her sister, even though she could annoy the hell out of her, but that's family. Not a single person can say they don't have at least one family member that annoys the shit out of them. If they claim they don't, they're probably lying.
A hot dog looked mighty tempting, but Raya hadn't forgotten the last time she and Lana ate gas station hot dogs. It was quite unpleasant, so she passed them by, snatching a Cookies 'N Creme bar instead. It was a favorite for both of them; they liked to take one square at a time, let it melt in their mouth, then use their canine teeth to chew the little cookie pieces. They could share one bar, then stop at a diner soon for an early breakfast.
Upon approaching the counter to pay for her items, including gas, an awkward feeling flushed over her. The sense of uneasiness was heavy, as though something was telling her to leave. Nonetheless, she pressed on, knowing she'd been lucky to find this place open and would likely not find another gas station for miles. The feeling only intensified. She felt the atmosphere shift as the other customer stood behind her to wait their turn. Placing the items on the counter, a rush of fatigue swept her.
