Free Rescued: COMPLETE by Alex Dawson Page B
Authors: Alex Dawson
eight-five dollars and thirty-three cents.”
Tina gulped. That left her with less than she feared.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, and sighed, counting the money out.
“You’d better run, sugar, he’s not going to wait for you,” the woman said, handing Tina two tickets.
Tina groaned as she leaned down to pick Laura up and trot awkwardly over to the bus, but they made it with about twenty seconds to spare.
Their nighttime ride heading to Savannah was uneventful. Laura slept the entire way, but Tina dozed fitfully, waking to check on Laura and their bags.
After her third nightmare about being lost in a big city, Tina gave up on sleep, and waited for the next stop.
The bus ground to a halt. She stood up and whispered to the driver “Can we get off early? I don’t want to go to Savannah after all.”
“No refunds,” the driver grunted.
“That’s okay, I just need to get off here,” Tina said.
The driver shrugged, and Tina woke Laura and carried their possessions off the bus, the sleepy girl following her down the steps.
"I'm hungry," Laura announced.
"Uh, okay," Tina said, "Yeah, I'm hungry too. Let's see what we can find."
Holding Laura's hand, they walked a block from the closed-up station in the pre-dawn light and the flicker of golden streetlights, until they found an all-night diner.
They took a seat, the only people in the place, and the waitress came by for their orders before they had found the menus.
Waiting for their food, Tina counted and re-counted her dwindling store of cash in their head. Even sharing food, they were looking at a little over ten bucks for breakfast, putting them at ninety-five dollars out of two hundred spent in the first four or five hours of their escape.
"Ma'am, are you hiring?" Tina asked the waitress as Laura went off to the bathroom.
"No, I'm afraid not," the woman said.
"Thank you, ma'am," Tina said.
"That your daughter?" the waitress asked, sitting at the next booth over and beginning to fold silverware into napkins with quick movements.
"No, ma'am, she's my little sister," Tina said.
"Your parents know you have her in Bumfuck, Georgia, at four-thirty in the morning?" the woman asked, laughing.
"No, ma'am," Tina said, "That's why I'm looking for work. I need money for somewhere to stay."
"Shit, honey, are you serious?" the woman asked, "You kidnapped that little girl and you're telling me about it?"
Tina nodded. She wiped a tear absently from her cheek and sighed.
The woman winced.
"You don't need a job, you need your head screwed on straight," she said, pointing at Tina with a finished set of silverware.
"I had to leave," Tina said, "It was too awful to stay, and Laura caught me sneaking out."
The woman groaned.
"Yeah, of course you had to leave, but you don't need to tell a stranger about it, I could call the cops easier than snapping my fingers," she said.
"Oh, please, ma'am, don't do that!" Tina cried.
The woman rolled her eyes.
"I'm not calling anybody, honey, but you don't have the sense God gave a lamb," she said.
Tina sighed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't plan on taking her with me, I don't even really know what happened," she said.
Laura came out of the bathroom and sat down at the table next to Tina, waving at the waitress.
"Okay, I tell you what," the woman said, "You need cash work and somewhere to stay. Don't tell anyone your real name, or hers either. Go to my brother's place. I won't work there because the men get handsy, but shit, girl, you're out of options, and your sister will be safe there, no one touches a little girl on the Devil's Cowboys' turf."
Tina nods, slowly.
"Where is your brother's place?" she asked, "When do I go over?"
The waitress looked at the clock.
"Now," she said, "They'll be closing up shop. I'll write down directions, it's only about two blocks away -
Tina gulped. That left her with less than she feared.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, and sighed, counting the money out.
“You’d better run, sugar, he’s not going to wait for you,” the woman said, handing Tina two tickets.
Tina groaned as she leaned down to pick Laura up and trot awkwardly over to the bus, but they made it with about twenty seconds to spare.
Their nighttime ride heading to Savannah was uneventful. Laura slept the entire way, but Tina dozed fitfully, waking to check on Laura and their bags.
After her third nightmare about being lost in a big city, Tina gave up on sleep, and waited for the next stop.
The bus ground to a halt. She stood up and whispered to the driver “Can we get off early? I don’t want to go to Savannah after all.”
“No refunds,” the driver grunted.
“That’s okay, I just need to get off here,” Tina said.
The driver shrugged, and Tina woke Laura and carried their possessions off the bus, the sleepy girl following her down the steps.
"I'm hungry," Laura announced.
"Uh, okay," Tina said, "Yeah, I'm hungry too. Let's see what we can find."
Holding Laura's hand, they walked a block from the closed-up station in the pre-dawn light and the flicker of golden streetlights, until they found an all-night diner.
They took a seat, the only people in the place, and the waitress came by for their orders before they had found the menus.
Waiting for their food, Tina counted and re-counted her dwindling store of cash in their head. Even sharing food, they were looking at a little over ten bucks for breakfast, putting them at ninety-five dollars out of two hundred spent in the first four or five hours of their escape.
"Ma'am, are you hiring?" Tina asked the waitress as Laura went off to the bathroom.
"No, I'm afraid not," the woman said.
"Thank you, ma'am," Tina said.
"That your daughter?" the waitress asked, sitting at the next booth over and beginning to fold silverware into napkins with quick movements.
"No, ma'am, she's my little sister," Tina said.
"Your parents know you have her in Bumfuck, Georgia, at four-thirty in the morning?" the woman asked, laughing.
"No, ma'am," Tina said, "That's why I'm looking for work. I need money for somewhere to stay."
"Shit, honey, are you serious?" the woman asked, "You kidnapped that little girl and you're telling me about it?"
Tina nodded. She wiped a tear absently from her cheek and sighed.
The woman winced.
"You don't need a job, you need your head screwed on straight," she said, pointing at Tina with a finished set of silverware.
"I had to leave," Tina said, "It was too awful to stay, and Laura caught me sneaking out."
The woman groaned.
"Yeah, of course you had to leave, but you don't need to tell a stranger about it, I could call the cops easier than snapping my fingers," she said.
"Oh, please, ma'am, don't do that!" Tina cried.
The woman rolled her eyes.
"I'm not calling anybody, honey, but you don't have the sense God gave a lamb," she said.
Tina sighed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't plan on taking her with me, I don't even really know what happened," she said.
Laura came out of the bathroom and sat down at the table next to Tina, waving at the waitress.
"Okay, I tell you what," the woman said, "You need cash work and somewhere to stay. Don't tell anyone your real name, or hers either. Go to my brother's place. I won't work there because the men get handsy, but shit, girl, you're out of options, and your sister will be safe there, no one touches a little girl on the Devil's Cowboys' turf."
Tina nods, slowly.
"Where is your brother's place?" she asked, "When do I go over?"
The waitress looked at the clock.
"Now," she said, "They'll be closing up shop. I'll write down directions, it's only about two blocks away -
Similar Books
Seducing the Heiress
Martha Kennerson
Breath of Fire
Liliana Hart
Honeymoon Hazards
Ben Boswell
Eve of Destruction
Patrick Carman
Destiny's Daughter
Ruth Ryan Langan
Rapunzel, the One With All the Hair
Wendy Mass
Murderers' Row
Donald Hamilton
The Marshal's Ready-Made Family
Sherri Shackelford
Looks to Die For
Janice Kaplan
