Heart

Blinking, Rayne glanced around. She was in the underground parking space in her apartment building and didn’t even remember the drive. Her chest hurt, her hands were vibrating, and reality felt far away. Three times, she tried to extract the keys from the ignition, finally after fumbling she managed. Come on, Rayne, get it together. Think!

Her mind didn’t want to accept the words that had come from Aiden’s mouth, her fiancé. In all the years she’d known him, never had he used that tone. Scared her enough to send chills through her spine. She believed he meant every word. I am not an idiot, I’ve always known he was a hard man, but the words turned my blood to ice and a part of me knows I’ll never feel the same for him again.

Taking a shaky breath, she groped around for her purse, feeling like she was moving through mud. Somehow, she managed to move and get out of the car. Her legs still felt like rubber, but she couldn’t stay in the parking garage all day. Turning, she forced herself to move to the door.

What am I going to do? I can’t marry a man like that. I’m not even sure if I can look at him now.

Stopping, she looked at the elevator door. Just the thought of stepping inside left her feeling suffocated and trapped. Hugging the purse again, she turned toward the stairwell. Keep moving—she had to.

Trapped, I am, aren’t I? Trapped in a relationship. Just that one word showed her the next move. She had to get out of this relationship. Aiden was not her dream man, if such a thing existed, but he had been comfortable. Admitting that, she now accepted that the relationship was too comfortable to be real.

When she reached her third-floor apartment, she wasn’t out of breath. But, as numb as she felt, she wasn’t sure if she was breathing. Maybe this was just a dream and she’d wake up any second now. Giving herself a small reprieve, she let that thought marinate for a few seconds before reality came crashing back.

It took her two tries to get the key into the lock. What had his associate said just before my world darkened? “We haven’t found a body or any sign of him, Aiden.” Him, who? A body? A body!

As Rayne stepped inside her apartment the dreamlike veil lifted away, revealing reality. A reality I’m not sure how I can live with. She quickly locked the door, all three locks. Not it would protect her, Aiden had keys. Leaning back against the door she tried to calm down and think.

Aiden was some sort of mob, mafia…whatever? Standing there she waited to feel her doubts were unsubstantiated, but it didn’t happen. Her fear was the truth. This explained the dangerous looking misfits he had in his employ. They had never quite fit she thought. Aiden wasn’t a boy scout—she knew that. He was a powerful man, as his father had been, but what kind of power was now very clear to her. Closing her eyes, Rayne held a trembling hand over her heart, it was still beating too heavily. I can’t look at him again. Ever. This only meant one thing…

She looked around the pretty apartment for a moment, taking two steps towards the kitchen before stopping. She had to leave, now. Everything was his. He paid for everything in this apartment, she worked in his gallery. Her whole world was controlled by him…

Moving in a slow circle, Rayne studied everything in sight.

Every. Single. Thing.

Bought by him, in one way or another. Taking a deep breath, she tried to exhale slowly. Failing, her breath huffed out in one loud whoosh. There was no alternative, she had to get out of here.

Today.

Right now.

Kicking off her shoes, she bent down, scooped them up, and headed towards the bedroom.

Faster than she ever changed before, the skirt was stripped off and tossed on the bed. Barely having both legs in her jeans, Rayne began pulling open drawers and cabinets, dumping the contests all over the bed. All she really owned were clothes, her beloved camera, laptop and a few mementos to remind her of her parents. All of it was going in her car. A thought made her freeze as she held the empty drawer over the bed—her car was in his name. Dropping the drawer on the pile, Rayne sat on the bed, defeated. In the mirror, a frightened woman stared back. Seeing herself was enough to jolt her back into action. Giving the frail looking reflection a determined nod, she made a solid decision. To hell with him. She was taking the car. He hated it, called it girlie, and complained it wasn’t comfortable. The car is now mine.

Forty-five minutes later Rayne surveyed the bedroom. There was nothing left that she wanted. Leaning down and picking up the last bag, she went to set it with the rest. “This is pathetic, Rayne Andrews. Your entire life fits in six cases and a couple of purses.”

She walked through the apartment for the last time, working out how to get all of the cases downstairs to the car without causing suspicion, when the ring of her cell phone pierced the silence. She looked over at her purse, the ringtone was Aiden’s. A few seconds after it stopped, the phone on the table began to ring. Can I do this? Taking a deep breath, “Buy some time,” she whispered aloud just before answering it.

“Hello?”

“There you are. You didn’t answer your cell.”

He may be using that soft tone, but she now knew what he was. “Oh, I was taking the garbage to the garbage room.” Her hand shook as she held the phone and prayed that her voice didn’t give anything away.

“Where the hell is that girl I pay to do that?”

Just the way he said it made her tremble. “I-it’s Wednesday, Aiden. She doesn’t come in today.”

“Right. Listen baby, I may be here awhile. Could be most of the night…”

“That’s—fine. I was heading to the spa shortly.” Closing her eyes, she waited to see if he questioned that.

“Do you want me to come by in the morning to pick you up?”

For what? “Pick me up?”

He chuckled. “We have a brunch with Donny and his wife.”

Letting out the silent breath she’d been holding. “Oh, yes please.” Please let me sound normal.

“Okay, baby. You go get all beautiful for me, and I’ll see you in the morning. Ten o’clock.”

“Okay, Aiden.”

“Love ya, baby.”

“Me too.” She hung up quickly. Suddenly gasping for air, Rayne tried to settle her nerves again. Ten o’clock. Looking over at the clock and doing the math, she had seventeen hours to disappear.

It took almost as long to get all the bags down as it had for her to pack them. Of course, if you’re planning to pack your whole life up and vanishing, it would probably be easier if you didn’t drive a Cabriolet. Fitting everything into the micro-sized car had taken more than one attempt. In the time it took to finish, she was much calmer about her decision to leave. Not that she had a choice, but she could always have a mini breakdown and cry her heart out, later. Right now, she needed a plan to figure out the next step.

The first stop was the gas station. Getting out of the car, she looked around, checking for Aiden or one of his men. Great, paranoia already. After she assured herself that he couldn’t possibly know yet, Rayne walked over to the pump. As she lifted the card up to the slot, she realized that he could track her cards. As if the machine was going to grab it, she jerked her hand back and turned to get her purse. She’d need all the cash she had available. Looking over her shoulder again, she walked to the cash machine. This location was close enough to the apartment to not point in any direction—when she finally decided on which direction. Her hands weren’t the steadiest as she punched in the numbers and requested the limit the machine would allow, the shaking increased when she grabbed the cash and stuffed it in her wallet.

Glancing around, she walked back to the pump, inserting a card to pay for the gas. It only took her a few minutes to decide she would hit a few more cash machines in the area to bypass withdrawal limits. Aiden might not drive by, but now she suspected he had people everywhere that would recognize her.

After the gas was pumped, she thought that a map would be a good thing, unless she planned to drive around Chicago endlessly—because that’s the only place she’d ever driven. Reaching down, Rayne pulled out the nearest one, only to put it right back, it was a map of the one place she knew. Bending down, she studied the title of each map before spotting an oversized atlas with Canada in it. She grabbed that one. Before she could second guess the decision, she set it on the counter and waited for the clerk to ring it in.

With the receipt and atlas clutched in her vibrating hand, she went back to the car, hoping she could get through the next few moments without questioning what she was going to do next.

An hour later, she sat in an empty parking lot, trying to force a bagel down her throat. The atlas she’d purchased was propped against the steering wheel; endless lines of varying colors stared back at her. So many places and no idea where to go. She looked over at the glove box where she’d put her money—in a make-up bag no less. It had taken five different bank machines to empty her accounts of every cent she had. Her cards were now at their limits. Accounts were empty, and, on a whim, Rayne had taken out a cash advance on the card Aiden had given her for emergencies. If this wasn’t considered an emergency, she didn’t know what was.

Focus, Rayne. Looking back at the map, she tried to wash down a bite with the lukewarm coffee. She knew making maps took a lot of work and was complicated in a way she didn’t really care to understand, but they really weren’t telling her anything. She needed her laptop and the internet to make a decision that the squiggly color co-ordinated lines weren’t telling her. Sighing, she glanced around the parking lot. A hotel was at the far end. She reached down to pull the laptop case off the floor. Setting it on the passenger’s seat, she opened it and hit the power button, praying for it to pick up a signal as she flipped through another few pages. There was a signal, not a strong one, but it would do. Bringing up a mapping site, she entered Chicago as the starting point. Now what? A starting point generally meant you needed a destination and that she didn’t have. Flipping a few more pages, Rayne picked the first name that jumped off the page. Destination? Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Her heart was pounding as she hit enter.

Strangely, she felt relieved knowing she had decided on a location. Her resolve only faltered for a few seconds when she discovered there was a fourteen-hour drive to get there. Biting her lip, she looked out the windshield, not really focusing on anything. Was she ready for a fourteen-hour drive that would take her far away from Aiden? If she had translated the map correctly, where she was heading was right in the middle of nowhere. That meant there was less chance of her being found. Yes, she was ready. Picking up the notebook that was waiting for the details of the game plan, she started to jot down the directions, deciding after a few lines that she’d only write down the first five hours and then reassess her route from that point. She had no idea what it was going to be like driving this far.

Closing the laptop, she put it back on the floor and just sat there. Was she crazy for doing this? Yes, but she couldn’t stay here and that left few options. She was alone, just like when her parents died. This time all the decisions to be made were going to be her own.

Her eyes felt completely dried out. Was such a thing even possible? She didn’t know, but at the first drug store, she was getting some eye drops. Glancing at the time—again, Rayne squinted back at the road. How long have I been driving now? Four hours? No, closer to five, she needed to stop soon. A few hours ago, she had foolishly thought she would be across the border before planning a stop, but that wasn’t going to happen. Driving at this speed meant she still had at least an hour and a half to go before reaching Mackinaw City and then another hour to the border. Considering the longest she’d ever driven passed an hour back, Rayne knew she wasn’t going to make it. She had a newfound respect for people that drove for a living. The quick bathroom stop a few hours before hadn’t been long enough. If she didn’t stop soon, she was going to make mistakes and end up lost, or worse. Stopping would be for the best.

Blinking quickly, she tried to make her eyes not feel as dry and then focused on the sign she was coming to. A motel was thirty miles from here. Looking at the speedometer, Rayne attempted to do the math and calculate how long that would take, less than a minute later she gave up and decided it wasn’t important. As long as she arrived at the motel before falling asleep. A few hours of rest, something to eat and a shower became the new goal.

After what felt like ten hours, she could see the hotel’s sign not too far ahead. Elation and a bit of pride filled her as she realized she’d made it to here without help. She was slowing down when she noticed two police cars sitting at the motel. All the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Aiden couldn’t know she was gone already, could he? Would he involve police? Biting down on her lip, she thought he probably wouldn’t, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, her heart was crashing against her ribs at the thought that Aiden might find her. There would be more motels further away, and another chance to take a break.

It took several seconds for the sign she’d just passed to register. I’ve done it! She was almost to Mackinaw, at least that’s what the sign had said. Taking a deep breath and fighting the grogginess that had been closing in for hours, she forced herself to keep going. Maybe a little air would help, not that it had a half hour ago, but it couldn’t hurt. She rolled the window down, hoping it would help. Seven hours of driving, minus two very brief bathroom breaks and a stop for gas, and she’d managed to keep going. If she wasn’t ready to pass out, she would be pretty impressed with what she’d managed.

After a few minutes of taking deep breaths she groaned, the open window wasn’t working. Reaching for the radio, she fumbled with the buttons and flicked through the few stations that were clear, anything to sing to or even pretending to sing might work. She scowled at the radio. Turning it off, she stared at the road once again. “Okay.” She tried to ignore how slurred her voice sounded. “Use your brain, get the blood pumping, and drive.” Wiggling a bit, she tried to sit straighter. “Great, my brain is already sleeping.” She yawned while trying to see the sign that was getting closer. “Oh. Interstate one twenty-seven. I’ve been looking at that for what seems like forever,” she mumbled to the eyes in the mirror. “And before that it was I31.” She bobbed her head and tried to recall the roads before that. “One ninety…something, not that it matters really—it’s not like I’m going to be going on the return trip,” Rayne snorted and then laughed, not sure if it was delirium or exhaustion that had her talking to herself. “And what are you going to do when you reach your middle of nowhere in Canada, Ms. Andrews?” She glanced at the speedometer, even though she had no idea what it had said on the Mackinaw sign she’d just driven past. Clearing her throat, she looked at the reflection again. “I have no idea what I’m going to do. I didn’t sit down and plot out a course of action before fleeing.” She giggled quietly this time and then squealed as she drove by another sign. “What—ah, miles…” Biting her lip a couple of times, she looked at the time. “Oh! A half hour!” Gripping the steering wheel with the very last of her energy, she focused on the road. “You did it. And the reward?” She attempted to smile but yawned and erased what would have been the smile. “The reward is sleep.”

Rayne stood, clutching the room key in her hand and looking at the car, deciding. With the way she’d stuffed the cases into the car, there was no easy way to get to the one that had the clothes she wanted, without taking everything out of the car. Did she care if she slept in something fresh? At this point, no, she would come back out later and sort out what to change into. As she started to head for the room, her brain flashed a warning. She wasn’t feeling very trusting now. Turning back, she unlocked the car and reached in to grab her purse, money, camera and laptop. If anyone decided to pick up the tiny car and carry it away, she could get by with just this.

Stumbling into the dark room, she kicked the door closed. Her shoes were off in two steps, it felt glorious. Her leg smacked into the bed. Setting the precious items down on it, she shoved them to the other side and flopped down, face first. Had she asked for a wakeup call? The chances of a yes were high, but there was no way she could summon the energy to find out.

After an hour, her nerves were settled or possibly just lulled as the peaceful scenery rolled by. She glanced at the clock, something that seemed to be happening too frequently. How far now? It had been four in the morning when she’d crossed the border—which left her possibly six hours before Aiden arrived to pick her up and discover she wasn’t there. During the drive, she had second-guessed her decision to not leave a note, but each time she had the same answer. No.

The scenery was visible in daylight, even with the overcast sky, it was far better than driving through the constant darkness. While it was dark, she worried about missing things to look at, but now she knew there wasn’t much to see. If the map was accurate, she had selected an area that was so remote that if she wanted to drive further North, she would have to fly. Beyond her destination there weren’t many roads. Part of her hoped the maps were in need of updating, but the other part—a very small part—was quite pleased. She needed to get her life together, or find a new life now, she supposed. Doing that would require some time alone to come up with a plan of action. Hopefully this plan would not involve any more driving, her backside was numb, again.

Her eyes wandered over to her camera that was sitting on the seat. The camera and Rayne had been sharing moments of silent communication since driving away from the border crossing. In a moment of panic, when the guard had asked what brought her to Canada, she said the first thing she could think of, that she was doing a photo journal of Northern Canada. His comment had been appreciative and wished her luck with the bears. She prayed it was just some sort of Canadian humor and she wouldn’t need luck with bears. Saying she was a photographer or hinting at it had just been a way to distract from the truth of her flight. But the longer she sat in the car with her camera beside her, the more she was beginning to think it may be possible for photography to be a part of her future. She wasn’t a brilliant photographer or anything like that, yet, but she did have a good eye and could manage to capture things properly. She’d taken a course to learn how to use her rather pricey camera once she realized the days of point-and-shoot were long gone.

Catching herself looking at the clock again, Rayne groaned. Am I far enough away that I could stop more often and relax a bit? The searches she’d done after her nap at the motel had shown that she still had roughly ten more hours of driving before reaching the furthest point she was willing to go. The furthest point she was brave enough to go. Of course, the fact that she didn’t even know how to pronounce where she was going still seemed a little ridiculous.

I have to stop. Her legs were cramping, and her mind was wandering again. After the long drive last night, she just wanted to get out of the car. While the scenery was beautiful in the daylight it was becoming repetitive. There were trees, rocks, swampy lakes and more trees—repeat, and that was it.

Pulling into the restaurant, which had boasted on a sign miles before that it had the best all day breakfast around, not that food was her only reason for stopping. What it didn’t mention was it was the only restaurant around for many miles…or was that kilometres now that she was in Canada?

Not realizing how stiff her legs were, Rayne almost fell out of the car. If there had been other cars in the parking lot she would have been embarrassed. Reaching in, she put her camera on the floor and tossed her jacket over it and then grabbed her laptop bag and turned to head towards the door. Roughly three steps later she turned back to get the atlas. Intuition suggested that this establishment probably didn’t have free Wi-Fi.

Rayne went to the furthest table in a corner and sat down, facing a window. What am I going to do once this trip ends? That was the million-dollar question that she really needed to answer while here. What was it my mother used to say? Things are never as bad as they seem? Well, they are this time. I am in the middle of nowhere, with my whole world packed into a compact car that doesn’t belong to me, with no real destination or a plan once I find it. I plan on living on the money I have, including the amount I’d borrowed without asking. Yep, things are pretty bad.

She realized a few hours later that it would be best if she didn’t stay in a motel when she reached her destination. If she registered, then she could be traced and found. The problem with that was she wasn’t sure what other options that left.

Spotting a store called the Trading Post, she pulled into the parking lot. Maybe getting out for a few minutes would help her come up with a solution.

Walking through the store, Rayne was in awe. The amount of merchandise stuffed into the tiny building was unreal. It was a grocery store, fishing and hunting supply and a drug store all stacked and packed into one small space.

“Can I help you find something?”

Turning, she came face to face with a blue-haired boy, at least she was fairly certain he was just a boy, judging by the piercings and pimples. “I’m not sure what I need.” Which was the truth—she had no clue.

He gave her a lopsided grin, causing the lip piercing to pop out further. “Are you looking for camping gear?”

Was I? She tried not to focus on his blue spiked hair. “I’ve never been camping, so I don’t know what I need, exactly.”

“You’re not from around here, are you? The way you talk, your accent, it’s kind of cool.”

Why hadn’t I thought of that? Will my Chicago accent make me stand out to everyone? Offering what she hoped looked like a real smile. “Uh, thank you.”

He motioned to the far wall of the store. “Everything you need is over here. We’ll get you all set up.”

He may just be a boy, but he probably had more camping experience than she did shopping experience, so she’d have to trust his judgement. Rayne didn’t know who he meant by we, but she followed him despite doubting if she really wanted to go camping with each step. It would be a solution. By carrying everything she’d need with her, she could move when necessary. How hard could camping be?

“So where are you going camping?” He pulled a box down from the shelf.

“Somewhere quiet.” She watched as he piled a few more things on the box.

“Quiet is all we have here.” He picked up another small box. “I can give you a few suggestions if you want.” He smirked at her. “But unless you’re interested in fishing and hunting, your choices are limited.”

“Oh, I see.” Did I want to drive further? “Is there anywhere past Timmins?” She couldn’t even guess at pronouncing most of the locations on the map, so playing ignorant probably was the best choice at this point.

Clearing his throat, he shrugged. “I know a deserted campground; it would definitely be quiet. It’s about three hours away though.”

Biting her lip, Rayne tried to decide. What’s three more hours of driving after the last seventeen? “You’ll have to write down the directions for me.”

He nodded as he tapped his fingers on a box on the shelf. “No problem. What kind of car are you driving?” The confusion must have shown on her face because she received another lopsided grin. “So, I know what supplies will fit.”

She cringed. Fitting anything else into the car was going to take a skill she didn’t possess. “It’s very small.”

He nodded again and turned back to the shelf. “We can take things out of the boxes if it’s a tight squeeze.”

Nodding like she understood, Rayne waited until he turned away again before frowning. Boxes of what?

It was over an hour later before she was back on the road. It had taken that long to buy everything anyone could possibly need or want and fit it into the car. Rayne hadn’t even known the back seat of the car folded down. It made the trunk much larger and, she’d like to say easier, to pack everything in, but easy hadn’t been any part of it. The passenger seat slid forward and the floor in front was packed with her purse, laptop and camera and anything she’d need to access on the rest of the trip. A coffee maker and a miniature stove were belted into the seat, for safety. Although when suggested it, he had mentioned bears or other animals, like moose running across the road. Unfortunately, from the way he said it, she didn’t think he was joking. Having gone her whole life without seeing a bear, she really hoped it would remain that way. She just wasn’t that brave.

Glancing in the mirror, the expression on her face said it all. “You are in way over your head, Rayne,” she said out loud. Thinking of everything that was now in the car, it was surprising it moved with the extra weight. Six hundred dollars later and she was now carrying her own portable home. The boy at the store had lost her when explaining what everything was for, but she could figure that out later. She knew absolutely nothing about camping. The closest she’d ever been to camping was when Aiden and she had gone to a cabin at an elite resort. Come to think of it, the ‘cabin’ was bigger than the store she had just been in. Overall, that trip had been a disaster. Fish flies, which Rayne had never heard of before in her life, had invaded the resort, and most of the guests were complaining or leaving. It was laughable that the guests blamed the resort manager for this incident. How was it his fault that the insects had selected that location to hang out?

If blue boys’ directions were accurate, she still had quite a way to go. There had been nothing but trees for the last half hour. She had wanted quiet, and it appeared it couldn’t get any quieter than this. Surely she was safe enough to stop more often, far enough away from Aiden that getting out to stretch her legs and wander around a bit was doable. Then again, it would only be for a bit if the possibility of bears was more fact than fiction. A close encounter with a small bird or squirrel she could handle, a bear, not so much.

Trying to keep her mind busy to stop boredom setting in again, she thought about everything she’d bought, and wondered how long it would take to set it up. Hopefully, if she arrived before dark, it shouldn’t take too long to figure it out. Right?

Miscalculating how often she should stop and for how long, she’d added more than two hours to her drive. She also hadn’t anticipated the sky darkening with a storm—the one and only radio station she could bring in hadn’t mentioned the impending storm either. Frowning, she leaned as far forward as she could to peer closely at the surface she was driving on. He had said a rough road, but rough didn’t even begin to describe this. The holes in the dirt path were bigger than her tires. A few times there was no choice but to creep through the crevices, dragging the bottom of the car. The car empty was only five or so inches off the ground, which meant filled to the top, as it was now, she was close to tearing off bits that probably should remain attached.

Following the directions, she drove past the main gate, somewhere up here was supposed to be the second entrance to this campsite. It was darker now, making everything harder to see clearly. She may have missed the second entrance all together. Stopping, she looked at what may have been a road at one time. Putting the car into park, she opened the door and got out slowly. Weeds had grown over, making it more of a path than a road. Walking over, she stared at what lay beyond the small opening. If the car survived driving through that she’d be shocked. It was too late to drive all the way back. In the other direction, the so-called road she was traveling on ended no more than thirty feet from where she stood—and beyond that, nothing except trees and more trees. A rumble in the distance drew her attention to the sky, black clouds rolled across it like they were on a conveyor belt. Having no great choices, she needed to find somewhere to stay until morning.

Before she changed her mind and went to search for the nearest motel, she got back in the car. A motel was probably three hours away, back in the direction she had just come from. Rayne was too tired; she knew she would never make it that far right now. Instead of reaching civilization she’d spend the night in the car on the side of the road hoping the bears, moose and any other creatures were nowhere nearby.

The car made it, at least she hoped it had. Though noisy, the scraping of something along the bottom of the car hadn’t sounded too serious, and everything seemed to still function. The rain hadn’t even waited until she could look around. She had crept around through trees and rocks looking for some sort of shelter, moving slower while driving than she thought possible. Thunder echoed loudly, and with each boom her heart sped up just a little more. Why was it that storms didn’t seem too bad while inside a nice large, thick-walled building, but as soon as you were in a small car, they were terrifying? Finally admitting to herself that even if she found somewhere to camp, she wouldn’t be brave enough to get out of the car, Rayne parked beside what looked like a little run-down shack and turned off the car.

The rain was slamming against the cloth top of the car, and she hoped that was why it sounded louder than she’d ever heard before. The windows were completely fogged over, and she thought about opening the window for a little air but decided that waiting until the rain slowed would be better. There were no streetlights. It was so dark that the sound of the rain was starting to freak her out more than she cared to admit. To make an impossible situation worse, she had to go to the bathroom and getting out of the car in this rain was not an option.

Biting her lip, she fought the tears that now decided they couldn’t wait another second. The pain and betrayal caught up to her all at once, emotions swamped, tempting her to wish for numbness—for just a little longer. How could I think I loved a man like that? Rayne was alone, completely, utterly alone in this world with no idea of what comes next. Fumbling around on the floor trying to locate the flashlight, she continued to fight the tears threatening to overwhelm. Not that the light would chase away the tears, but because it was one of the few things she knew where to locate and use, and right now she needed a distraction. When she couldn’t find it, she turned on the interior light, which seemed like a giant spotlight aimed right at her face. When the first tear escaped without her permission and rolled down her cheek she swatted at it, determined not to break down. Turning as much as she could in the seat, she looked at the mess jammed in the car. Having no idea what she would need to get her through until dawn, she randomly poked her hand in between the packed items to feel around, hoping to recognize something useful.

With the sleeping bag, flashlight, some granola bars and a few bottles of water now piled on her lap, she turned to try and face forward again. Setting the water bottles on the dash, she lightened the pile on her lap. First up—figuring out where to find a bathroom. A bathroom? Would there even be a bathroom of some sort here? What am I doing here?

In the time it took her to get settled again the tears were streaming down her face as fast as the rain on the windshield. She was feeling sorry for herself and didn’t have time for that. A new wave of tears started when she realized she had nothing but time. Reaching back to push items away from behind the seat, she thought she would recline the driver’s seat and create more space. She held her breath and pulled the lever. The seat didn’t go back as far as she would have liked, but at least it moved back a bit. What I really want to do is curl up and stay that way until everything is all right again. Why was that something you did while crying? Curl up?

Now she was sniffling in that annoying way, the way that only comes with tears. Turning off the interior light she sat quietly, hugging the flashlight to her chest. “Day one, drive more miles than I ever have driven in my entire life.” She wiped at the window with a shaking hand. “Day two begins with me sitting in my over-full car, in the middle of a forest, in the middle of nowhere, at the end of the earth in the pouring rain, crying to myself.” She shivered, feeling the dampness. “While freezing and wanting nothing more than to pee.” Squinting, she tried to see the small building beside her. “If there are Gods out there, please let that be a bathroom.” Even as she said it, Rayne knew it wasn’t. Why is it when you’re cold or upset, it made things worse if you needed to use the bathroom? She didn’t have any scientific answers, just knew that she had to stop crying and start thinking or sleeping—which seemed less likely.

Shifting around in the little space was a challenge as she wrestled with the sleeping bag to cover the seat beneath her. Fumbling around trying to find the cords that tied it together, she wished for a pair of scissors to remedy the problem. When she finally found the right end, she tugged at them and neither would come undone, which meant trying to pull the cord towards the end of the rolled bag, hoping it would slip off.

Once she did manage that, trying to get it underneath her was like moving around in a cardboard box, her elbows hitting the seat and door at every attempt.

Rayne felt like she had won a small battle once her legs were finally inside the sleeping bag.

Of course, when she did manage to zip up, she discovered it was turned sideways and the hooded part would be over her face if she continued. Resting her head against the seat, she debated twisting the bag around to face the right way, then deciding it was just fine the way it was. She was too tired and upset to try any yoga-like contortions just for the sake of a sleeping bag.

If nothing else happened, at least she was warmer now. How long would the rain last? Do I want to wait it out and then try to find a bathroom—in the dark? Rayne shook her head before she could go any further with that thought. There was no way she was getting out of this car until it was light, rain or no rain. How many hours until daylight? She wondered whether she could squirm around to reach her purse and get her phone. Highly doubtful. Cocooned in the puffy material, reaching was impossible and the phone was off for a reason. Turning it on just to check the time wasn’t worth the risk of Aiden being able to trace her. She didn’t know if that was possible, not really, even though all the movies referenced it, but realizing what type of man Aiden was, she wasn’t taking any chances.

Working one arm free, she shifted far enough forward to reach the ignition, he couldn’t track the car’s clock. Turning the key, her heart sunk, there were too many hours left until dawn. She looked out the windshield and froze, her heart lodged in her throat. Afraid to move or breathe, Rayne stared at the animal a few feet away from the headlights. Her brain said dog, but that was no dog. That was a wolf. It had to be a wolf. Were wolves that big? It seemed bigger than in any pictures she’d seen.

She sat there staring, not sure if she should honk the horn or just sit and try not collapse in hysterics. The car may be metal, but the roof was something this animal could probably get through. As she continued to stare, she couldn’t help noticing that it was a beautiful. Its grey and brown fur looked soft and thick, not that she’d dare to find out. It was the haunting grey eyes watching her that helped her decide not to honk the horn or scream, which had crossed her mind. Rayne was fairly certain it was as surprised to see her as she was to see it. Didn’t wolves travel as group? A pack? She wanted to look around and see if there were more in the trees, but logic said she was better off not knowing. Never argue with logic.

She was sure she stopped breathing when it took a step closer to the car, then turned quickly heading toward the trees. As she was reaching for the keys, it stopped and looked at her for the longest few seconds in history, before bolting into the trees and disappearing.

Turning the key in the ignition to off, she flopped back against the seat while trying to remind her body to take air in. In this moment, with her heart beating so loud she could hear it, or it felt that way, Rayne reaffirmed her decision to not get out of the car until full daylight, and even that was questionable. She also decided to not turn the lights on again, she was much better off not knowing what was outside the car. She checked to make sure the doors were locked, she didn’t think a wolf would walk up and use the door handle, but she felt better knowing that she was locked in, and other things were locked out.

Pulling her arm back into the sleeping bag, Rayne scooted down as far as she could and closed her eyes. The sooner she slept, the sooner daylight would arrive. Over the noise of the rain beating on the car, she thought she heard a howl. She slid down further into the sleeping bag and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing for morning to hurry up and arrive.