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?

Bobbie gave him a withering look. “Don’t be such a scaredy-cat. She’s only half coyote.”

“What’s the other half?”

“Nobody knows, but her momma was the alpha bitch at a junkyard outside of Sioux Falls.”

Before he could respond, Bobbie juiced the throttle, popped the front tire in the air, and rode the wheelie down to the dirt.

21

HELENE

THEN

Helene’s eyes blinked open as Roy pulled off the road, the truck bouncing on the ruts. “Good, you’re awake,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

Out the window, bare, bony mountains cut the horizon like knife blades. The sun was too bright. She was afraid he wanted to fuck her again.

Their two days at the resort had flown by in a blur. She never made it to the spa. They spent most of that time in bed. She did her best to make Roy happy, even though she was increasingly sticky and sore. At some point, she realized that he was no longer using a condom, but it seemed too late to say anything. After he fed her a few of the pot-laced chocolates in the minibar, the hazy glow made it easier.

Every time he led her through the lobby to the restaurant or the pool, she was sure the elegant receptionist knew all the things he had done to her. She would grow to like it, she told herself. Maybe not all of it, but enough. She put her hand on his arm and lengthened her stride to keep up.

The one time she’d seen Frank, he was in a booth in the steak house with two other men, heads bent together in quiet talk. Frank hadn’t looked at her, but the other men followed her with their eyes. When she and Roy checked out of the resort, Frank hadn’t come with them.

Now Roy turned off the engine and got out of the truck. “Come on, honey.”

She’d asked him a half-dozen times to call her Helene, not honey. Each time, he’d said something like, “Sure thing, honey.” It got under her skin like a permanent mosquito bite. As she scooted out after him, she told herself she’d keep working on it. Everyone could change.

The road was gravel. Everything else was brown and dry. She couldn’t see the highway or a single living thing except for Roy. The only sound was the humming from the trailer, which seemed much louder than it had in the resort parking lot. The trailer’s sign still read golden state solutions. “Where are we?”