BooksBarbecue
Back The Runaway
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. TITLES BY NICK PETRIE
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  79. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  80. What’s next onyour reading list?

He hopped out and walked around and opened her door. Her daddy’s gun fell out onto the blacktop. Before she could move, Roy scooped it up and tucked it deep into his jacket pocket, then took her pink backpack in one hand and her upper arm in the other, wrapping his strong fingers all the way around her. “Let’s go,” he said. “You knew this was coming.” Even his voice was different, the words coming tight and fast.

She walked beside him into the lobby, already numb. He took her driver’s license from her wallet and handed it to the clerk. While the clerk did something on his computer, Helene tried to talk herself into being okay. You can do this, she thought. There’s a price for everything. He can’t be worse than Bogaloosa. You pay this now and you’re free.

Wherever she was, the town looked large enough to have a bus station, right? She knew getting the gun wasn’t an option. Absurdly, she thought about her underwear. She’d taken to wearing two pairs at once. It had felt like some kind of protection against Bogaloosa, but now it was the only underwear she had. The Montana farmboy had thought it was fun to tear them off her. She hoped Roy wasn’t like that.

“Hey. Hey!” Roy snapped his fingers to bring her back to the present. To her surprise, he held out both room keys and her backpack along with a folded pair of twenties. “Don’t forget to lock the security bolt. And get yourself a couple of good meals, I bet you’re hungry. There’s a few places to eat on the other side of the highway.”

She stared at him, not quite understanding what was going on. “Wait,” she said.

“Oh, right.” He took her daddy’s pistol from his jacket and handed it to her, then scribbled something on a scrap of paper. “Here’s my number. Frank and I are working tonight. We’ll grab a couple hours of shut-eye in the Walmart parking lot. We’re heading west again tomorrow, so if you want another ride, set your alarm and be outside by seven. Got it?”

Before she could tell him she didn’t have a phone, he was out the door and gone.

11

The room was on the first floor, with a view of the parking lot. As soon as she saw Roy’s truck roll out toward the highway, she closed the curtains, stripped off her clothes, turned up the shower, and put herself under the spray.