“Yup, car trouble. Can you drop me off on south main street at the Greyhound bus station?” I try to keep my tone neutral and bored so he doesn’t suspect anything because who wouldn’t when a girl is walking alone on the deserted road?
I mean come on, my pants are ripped up at the knees with a bloodstain on my calf and my white tank top is sticking to my skin from sweating. I’m not exactly the most put together right now.
“Where are you heading from there?” He asks slowly and I turn to look at him staring at the road with furrowed brows as if he’s starting to finally question why I’m out in the middle of nowhere.
“Visiting family.” My lame excuse rushes out to make him believe that something like that is as simple as it sounds, which works when his expression clears so I try to direct the conversation somewhere else before he asks more unwanted questions. “How long have you been on the road?”
He sits up straighter and flashes me a smile before tapping the bobblehead of a woman in a Hawaiian skirt. He couldn’t be any more normal and boring if he tried.
“Me and my girl here have been on the road for a couple of years after getting out of school. It’s the easy life, ya know? Just me and the open road. I always wanted to travel the world and this comes pretty close to it.” He winks and takes his ball cap off to nervously scratch his brown hair that’s surprisingly not receding before placing it back on top of his head. “Gets kind of lonely though but we sign up for this stuff all on our own.” His expression falls and damn if I don’t feel bad for him.
I completely understand being lonely even when you're in a crowded room, all you have is you and yourself. The only difference is this guy chose to get in this truck and live his life to the happiest he can… me not so much. Choices get taken away. It’s in that moment when I notice that I have a choice right the fuck now. I’m out in the open, not under Payne's thumb with watchful eyes. I may be on the run but it’s my decision. I’m just going to have to be careful to not end up back in that monster's fingertips.
“Totally. Hey, what’s your name?” I’m going to remember this trucker who helped give me an escape even if he didn’t know it. He’s really one of the good ones out there.
“Adam. What about you, little lady?” He draws out with a chuckle, tipping his hat at me in a cheesy manner.
This I have to be careful with because I haven’t decided what to do about my name. It’s a way to come up with something new but it’s just easier to go by Tillie. I’ll just have to give a different last name.
“Tillie Jones. Nice to meet ya, trucker Adam.” I offer a hesitant smile which only causes him to practically beam at me and stick out his hand for me to shake.
I eye his hand like it might somehow bite me and decide this guy can’t possibly hurt me more than I already have been. My hand clasps his with a small shake before I quickly let go and fiddle with the radio to offer a distraction because that small touch is freaking me out. A simple, common touch shouldn’t scare people but it does for me. I’ll never be normal. The rest of the ride is quiet except for the random questions he asks with the radio softly playing in the background. My shoulders gradually relax somewhat but it’s only the beginning of my journey and I’m automatically taught to trust no one.
Cruz
“You fucking find her. I want all of you fucking cunts out there looking for her! Ears and eyes, am I fucking clear?” Payne shouts angrily, dismissing Church as he slams his fist on the table when he gets mumbled affirmatives in return.
Everyone scatters out of the room with their tails tucked between their legs but I stay behind, propping my feet up on the ledge of the table, my hands clasped together behind my head. I can handle Payne’s violent outbursts of anger because my own is nothing compared to his… it’s worse. I feel absolutely nothing inside, it’s a fucking dark, empty echo, and my obsession is the one girl who doesn’t want me. I thought claiming that cunt would keep her in her place, but she just had to get out of line and run off. But, no worries. I love a good hunt and she’s at the top of my list. I can hardly wait to break her in once I find her.
“Cruz, I want you to go find her, and if you return with her… She’s yours, boy. I don’t fucking care if you slit her throat while fucking her. Tillie will learn who is in command right under my boot for one last time. But first, I need you to do something for me.”
I tilt my head, staring at him, and wonder why I don’t feel an ounce of compassion for his daughter. Being abandoned at a young age by their birth parents would screw anyone up in the head but that’s the thing, I was already messed up since birth. Growing up, I once saw an animal and had a desire to cut it up just to see how its insides worked. The words sociopath repeated from multiple doctors still lingers, the main reason my parents left me at the park and never returned, but Payne took one look at me and gazed past the chemically imbalanced part of my brain. He gave me a home where I could run the city red and didn’t blink once, especially when I became obsessed with his daughter. I’ve waited patiently, followed his orders, fucked his daughter when he allowed it and I’m finally close to taking what’s been mine from day one. Tillie will be mine even if I have to kill her and claim the last bit of light leaving her eyes, I’ll even have her soul because she can’t escape me. So, I’ll fucking do anything and it’s finally my time to shine.
“What do you need from me?” I nick my finger with my knife, watching the trail of red liquid slide out of the cut, and can picture clear as day when I carved up Tillie’s back with my initials, her blood running freely onto my hands.
“I have a rat and I need you to sniff them out. You’ll find the girl faster. It’s only a matter of time.” Payne grins slowly, stroking his beard as he stares out the window overlooking the junkyard. “No one runs from me, no one.”
Tillie
“Well here we are, um... be careful out there,” Adam says, taking his cap off again nervously and glancing at my breasts as if he can’t help himself, his throat bobbing as he turns off the semi in the bus stop parking lot.
God, this poor guy. I may not have much to give but I have something most girls don’t. The key to seduction and knowing how to use my body.
“Adam, get in the back cab,” I tell him in a low voice, watching his eyes snap up to mine in confusion.
“W-what?” He stutters out and I can already see the tent growing in his pants, it’s easier to do this after seeing he’s not packing a monster in those jeans.
“This is my thank you.” He shakes his head, about to say no until I grab the hem of my tank top and throw it on the dashboard in one swoop.
He freezes in his seat, eyes widening as he stares at my breasts again like they are the answer to the universe. Men are all the same, give them a little love and they’re putty in your hands.
“Adam...” His eyes meet mine. “Back. Seat. Now.” My voice comes out husky to get him moving and I’m about to lose my nerve when he quickly unbuckles his seatbelt, cursing when it gets tangled in his arm before dodging into the back between the seats.
With a deep breath, I give myself a pep talk
You control your body. This is your decision. Give this guy a memory for his lonely nights on the road because he’s helped you when most wouldn’t.
My body moves without really thinking too much about it, and before I know it, I’m climbing onto this trucker’s lap who is already panting. This isn’t going to take long and I’m a damn good professional at giving lap dances. I’ve been in this seat plenty of times even when I didn’t want to. Doris taught me all I needed to know to drive a man crazy with lust and how fast it takes to get him off. God that’s so pathetic, what an accomplishment I’ve achieved in life. Go me, giving lap dances like a champ. Adam starts to raise his hands to place on my body but I stop him before he can touch me.
