Sniffling, I wipe my eyes across the sleeve of my jacket and look out the window again. If anything, the snow is falling faster now, obscuring everything within a few feet of my car. Despair sinks down to my bones.
I’ll be that front page news story where they don’t find the body until spring and everyone wonders why no one reported me missing. Dad might miss the person who buys his beer, but it will take him a couple of days to get through the four cases I bought yesterday after I got paid.
Then again, at the rate he’s been going, it might not last him a single day.
Jayson, my older brother, might notice, but he’s been even pissier than usual lately and I can’t remember the last time he actually said a word to me that wasn’t yelled across the trailer.
Jax and Jameson haven’t been home in over a year and they never call. Not that I want to talk to them.
Still, no one was going to notice I was missing in time.
I rub my hands along my thighs, trying to warm them up. The tips of my fingers are numb and I wish I hadn’t left my gloves in my locker at work. I didn’t think I’d need them. My car dying on the side of the road just when the snow started falling was definitely not what I had planned.
The worst part was that I didn’t even know where I was.
Trina lived outside of Parkersburg, down a long winding road. This is the first time I’ve taken her home. Her boyfriend didn’t show to pick her up from work and when I found her, she was crying because she had no way to get home to her son.
It was supposed to be an hour out of my way tops.
That was over two hours ago.
The snow of the Great Lakes hits hard and fast but usually not this early. It’s only the middle of October. I glance out the window. I guess Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.
Everyone says to stay in your car when it’s snowing. To wait for help and not wander off. I wish I knew how long it took for a human body to freeze to death. It was not something that I wanted to figure out first hand though. I had to get help.
I grab my phone out of the console and stare at the screen again. Barely one bar and the battery is red. For the hundredth time I try calling home and for the hundredth and one time, the call doesn’t go through.
The battery starts to blink. One percent.
What if no one drives by. What if hours and hours pass and the snow gets deeper and the air gets colder until I can’t feel any part of myself.
I hit redial over and over until the screen flickers and goes black. I stare at my bleak reflection. I should have snapped a selfie, the last ever picture of me alive. The laugh that bursts from my throat turns into a sob.
I’m full out crying now.
My entire body shakes and I squeeze the useless steering wheel until my knuckles are white. I tell myself that I don’t want to die, no matter how many times I’ve wished it over the past year. Now that it’s a possibility, I realize how untrue that wish is.
My teeth chatter and the tears leave cold tracks down my cheeks.
I want to live.
The irony isn’t lost on me right now, that when I finally make the choice, it’s not really my choice. I look down at my sneakers, then out the window. I’m not dressed for snow. My thin jeans and polyester Piggly Wiggly shirt under a too small winter jacket aren’t enough to keep out the cold if I leave the car.
No hat.
No gloves.
It would be suicide.
I turn to the side and pull my knees to my chest, squeezing down into the seat until I’m almost in a ball, tucking my hands underneath the bottom of my jacket and tipping my head forward so that most of my face is hidden. A gust of wind rocks the car and I shiver.
Without my phone, I have no idea what time it is, but the sky is darkening behind the curtain of white. No one is out in this storm. No one is coming. The chill seeps into the cracks settling under my skin and sinks to my bones. I close my eyes, and in the silence, I can hear my heart beating in my ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump.
I open my eyes and scream at the shadow in my window. Someone is standing there. Knocking on the glass. My pulse races in my veins. I can’t make out anything except for a basic shape. They knock again and lean down closer. I can make out a profile now.
I can tell it’s a guy, but his knit hat is pulled low over his head and his thick jacket is zipped up past his chin, so I have no idea how old or young he is.
What if it’s a serial killer? Or a rapist?
I put my finger on the window button but nothing happens. Of course. I’m going to have to open the door. With my heart in my throat, I tug the handle up and a wash of frigid air rushes inside.
The guy pulls the door wide and I stare up at him.
When he pushes his hat higher, my throat goes tight.
His eyes narrowing when he looks at me. My hands go clammy.
Shit.
I’m wishing that it was a serial killer standing there instead of him. Roman Heartland. Public enemy number one if you’re a Montgomery.
And I’m a Montgomery.
“Jules? What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Sightseeing,” I snap. I hate that look in his eyes. The way his gaze pierces right down to my soul like he’s looking for my greatest weakness so he can exploit it. Because he would in a heartbeat.
Roman sighs and looks up, huffing out a breath.
“Do you need help or is someone coming?”
I grit my teeth. I really don’t want to accept help from a Heartland. Not when he and his brother Lucas have been tormenting my brothers for years.
“Okay then. Was just checking.” He turns and starts to walk away. Shit. If he leaves I’ll be alone and since it took hours for him to come along, the chances that someone else would are slim.
It’s snowing harder now. The cold air has filled my car and my teeth start to clatter. I can feel my goosebumps getting goosebumps and my toes are numb. My pride is going to turn me into a human popsicle.
“Wait.”
Roman stops and looks over his shoulder.
“No one's coming. My phone died along with my car.”
Snow clings to his thick eyelashes, not that I notice.
He stares for a minute longer then reaches into his pocket. “You can use my phone.”
I take it and dial my brother. Except like before, the call drops before it even sends. Roman’s phone flickers between one and no bars. Of course, I break down in a dead zone.
“Well?”
A gust of wind makes the snow swirl around us and for a moment I lose sight of him. He steps closer and braces his arm on the hood, half leaning into the car. I can smell his cologne. Unlike a lot of guys who practically bathe in the stuff, this scent is subtle.
It’s really nice.
I clear my throat.
“No reception. I had the same problem before my phone died.” The words come out stuttery because my teeth won’t stop clacking together. I reach out to give him his phone and my numb fingers slam into his leg. I can’t keep a grip on it and the phone flies from my hand, landing...somewhere.
Roman scowls. “Seriously?”
I can feel heat climbing my neck. “I’ll find it.”
I push out of the car and suck in a breath. God, it’s cold. I squint at the white ground, looking for a black rectangle but the wind whips my hair into my eyes. Ice cold seeps into my sneakers, making my toes even number.
I have to find his phone.
I sink to my knees, ignoring the wetness soaking through my jeans. I officially can’t feel my fingers, but I push aside the snow anyway.
“Jules.”
I barely hear Roman over the noise in my head. My teeth hurt from knocking against each other. My entire body shakes like dad when he needs a drink.
Roman yells my name again but all I can focus on is his phone. He digs his fingers into the back of my jacket and yanks me to my feet like I weigh nothing. The icy air burns my nose, my lungs
. Every time I blink it feels like my eyelids are sticking together.
“Forget it,” he says. “You’re turning fucking blue. Get in the truck.”
When I try to argue, my mouth won’t move. My face feels like it’s stuck in a mask of glue. My muscles have frozen in place. I can’t move and it’s terrifying. Roman must see the panic in my eyes because he swears loudly, then quickly scoops me up into his arms.
I try to protest. There’s no way I want to be this close to Roman Heartland, but my mouth still isn’t working. And then he’s opening the door to his truck and a wash of hot air feels like heaven as he deposits me onto the seat.
“You have anything you need in the car?”
“Purse,” I manage to push out between my uncooperative lips.
He slams the door and I all but press myself against the vents. I can’t actually feel the heat yet but I know it’s good.
A minute later Roman gets in and sets my purse between us.
“Found my phone.”
I look and the screen is cracked into a million pieces.
“With my boot.”
“Sorry.” My lips are finally working and the tips of my fingers are tingling. That’s a good sign. “I’ll pay for it…”
He looks over and lifts an eyebrow. That look says it all. We both know I can’t afford to do that.
“I’ll make payments or something. It’s my fault.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But…”
“Luc destroys a phone every week. It’s no big deal.”
A laugh huffs from my throat. Of course, a thousand dollar phone is no big deal to the Heartlands. Pins start to stick into my toes and I wince every time I move them, but at least I’m warming up.
“Thank you for stopping.” I push the reluctant words from my lips. “I wasn’t sure…” I look away, out the window to the vast whiteness. I can’t even see my car from here. A chill slides down my spine that has nothing to do with the cold. Even if someone had driven by, the chances that they saw my car were slim.
I owe Roman Heartland. Big time.
I close my eyes and let my head fall forward.
I was in debt to the devil.
Chapter Two
Roman
I can’t make my heartbeat slow down. Not yet.
Holy fuck, I almost missed the car.
If the wind didn’t push my truck toward the shoulder, I would have driven right by her. Jules Montgomery. She would have been there all night. Anything could have happened.
I grip the steering wheel to keep my hands from shaking.
It’s a fucking blizzard out.
She could have died.
I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath. When I let it out, I let my gaze slide over to where she’s pressed up against the heating vents. She’s not so blue now. God when I first opened the door and saw her, the way her lips were blueberry kissed, made me want to grab her and never let go.
I ease my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
I have to stop thinking about the what-ifs and focus on the fact that she’s okay. That I’ve got her right here next to me.
Yeah, I’ve got a thing for Jules Montgomery, which is complicated on a thousand different levels. The biggest is that our families have been feuding for a hundred years. No joke. We’re like the modern-day version of the fucking Hatfield and McCoys.
Shit, if my father finds out I had a Montgomery in my truck, he’s going to lose his mind. I glance at her again and her cheeks are pinker. Good. The tightness in my chest eases up.
The snow isn’t going to slow down until morning. I wouldn’t have even tried to get to the cabin except that if I spent another minute in the house tonight, I would have punched Luc or told my father to go to hell, neither very smart things to do.
Our family cabin is secluded and quiet. Exactly what I need after yet another argument with my father. He refuses to listen to what I want. I don’t want to go to State. I don’t want to run his Piggly Wiggly franchises. I don’t fucking want to stay in this town that my family owns.
I graduate this year and hate the direction my life is supposed to go.
The wind rocks the truck and I have to make a decision fast. If I turn around and drive Jules home, way the hell to her side of Parkersberg it would probably take at least two hours in this mess, if I didn’t end up in a ditch somewhere. I’d never make it back here and would have to go home.
The guys are already waiting at the cabin for me. If dad didn’t want to have another fucking talk about my obligations, I’d have been six beers in by now.
And I would have never found Jules.
I scrub my hand over my face. Shit. The other option is going to be just as torturous for entirely different reasons. Jules and I locked away from everything and everyone. My heart pounds in my ears and my palms grow sweaty. We’ve been going to school together our whole lives. I’m not supposed to be into her. I’m supposed to hate her.
But this year I saw her in the library with her hair tucked behind one ear as she did homework and I couldn't look away. Since that day it’s like I can’t not notice her. We have two classes together and she sits in the back of the room in both.
Her locker is five down from mine.
I’ve never looked into her eyes long enough to notice how blue they are or how her long eyelashes brush her cheeks when she blinks. I know the sound of her voice, but it’s never been directed at me.
She avoids me because my last name is Heartland and her’s is Montgomery.
Luc has made her brother's life miserable for as long as I can remember, and even though I’ve tried to run interference without getting caught, I haven’t been able to stop it.
I’m guilty by association.
Letting out a ragged breath, I turn to face her.
Today is the first time I’ve ever had a real conversation with Jules.
“Look, if I don’t get out of this storm soon, even this truck won’t be able to get through the snow. I can’t take you home right now and I’m not leaving you here to freeze to death, so you’ll have to come with me.”
The words come out harsher than I plan because I’m sitting too close to a girl who hates my guts and it’s not fair.
She sits up and her eyes narrow. “Well, my family would want me to freeze to death rather than go anywhere with a Heartland.”
“So you’re saying you want to get back in your car?”
Except I’m not leaving her to die.
“Your family isn’t going to be too happy either, when you show up with me. Or are you planning on ransoming me or something?”
I snort. “Yeah, don’t really need a shitkicker car that doesn't run or a trailer that’s falling apart.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. It’s something my douche brother would say. I start to apologize but Jules has her head turned to the window.
Knots twisted in my stomach. It’s not her fault she’s dirt poor or that her father refuses to work. I’ve heard him around town, drunk off his ass ranting about all the ways that my grandfather screwed over his grandfather, starting this feud that's been passed down for three generations now.
“Look, there aren’t a lot of options, okay. Just...we can’t stay here.”
I gently lay my hand on her shoulder and that brief touch, even through layers of jacket and shirt, jolts up my arm. Her eyes are wide when she meets my gaze. Did she feel it too?
Indecision plays in her eyes but the snow is getting heavier and I need her to at least trust me enough to keep her safe. Which is a hell of a lot to ask someone who has been ignored and tormented by my family.
“I’m not a serial killer,” I mutter.
That would be better than a Heartland.
I’m not sure she meant to whisper that out loud, but I heard. And she’s probably right. It’s not only my family to worry about, if her brothers find out I had her at our family cabin, they’d probably kill me.
I didn
’t think the day could get any more fucked when I left the house, but I guess karma wanted to really dig her bitch heel in deep.
“Listen, we need to go.” I look out the windshield. I’m not sure we’ll even make it to the cabin. The driveway is half a mile long and gravel. Probably under two feet of snow by now. “This should be clear by morning. I can take you home first thing.”
She grunts and nods her head.
I exhale in frustration.
“I need your words, Jules. I need to know you understand I’m not kidnapping you or making you go someplace you don’t want to.”
Her gaze meets mine.
The incredulous glint in her eyes pisses me off.
“I’m not a complete dick,” I snap. “If you want me to take you someplace else, fine, but if we go off the road and end up right back to freezing to death, it’s on you. Just tell me one way or the other because it’s getting deep out there.”
She glances out the windshield where the road is piling higher with snow, then back at me.
“You’d drive me home?” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and Christ I need to look away right now. If I stare at her lips I’ll think about kissing her and that is a fuckall idea. This girl ties me in knots and it can’t happen. Ever.
I clench my teeth. I have serious doubts we’d make it back to Parkersburg, but if she asks, I’ll try. “Yes.”
“Okay.” She nods her head as if she’s made a decision and then straps her seatbelt on. Her hands shake when she clicks it shut.
Fuck. I slide into Drive and look at the road. “I’ll try to turn around here…”
“No. I meant okay, I’ll go with you. You’re not kidnapping me, I hope, and I’m not going someplace I don’t want to. I’m soaked and I think the adrenaline is wearing off because I just want to crawl under a blanket and sleep for ten hours.”
Her voice shakes and when I look over, tears spike her eyelashes. She looks so vulnerable right now that my chest aches. I want to protect her from every bad thing in the world, including me.
“You can take a hot shower and sleep as long as you want. You’re safe with me, Jules. I promise.”
Tormented: A Bully Romance Anthology Page 3