Free Pulled Within by Marni Mann Page A

night without a good-bye and doesn’t ever call.” I knew this kind of bitterness would come out sooner or later.
    I turned, ducked my head and dropped into the seat of my car. My hands fumbled with the key before getting it to start.
    “You’re not going to get very far with the amount of gas I just put in. Unless that’s your plan…” The grin hadn’t left his lips.
    It made me angry more than anything. I didn’t need to be rescued more than once.
    Saved from myself, maybe. But that wasn’t something Hart would be able to do.
    “I’m headed to the gas station now.”
    He leaned against the open window, not far from my unmarked cheek. I’d washed off most of my makeup in Brady’s bathroom; I knew how exposed my scar was. But I hadn’t caught him staring at it. Not even once. Either he didn’t want to see the way time had ravaged me, or he couldn’t see it at all.
    I didn’t know which would be better.
    I broke away from his gaze, trying to settle my stomach and get rid of his scent that seemed to have settled in my nose. “See you around.” I put the car in reverse.
    He pushed off the window and took several steps back. “Yes, you will.”
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
    AS I FILLED my gas tank, I considered the places I could crash. I really only needed a few weeks before I’d be able to afford something on my own. Of course, I’d have nothing to fill it with, to sleep on, or sit on, but it would be mine. In the meantime, Caleb’s house was probably the best spot for me. It was the biggest house and had the most room out of all the places Brady and his boys hung out. And since Caleb’s parents had given him the house and it was all paid for, there wouldn’t be a landlord to evict me. For now, that would work.
    I got back in my car and texted Caleb and his roommate, Jeremy, to ask if I could stay for a bit. Their replies welcomed me to, for as long as I needed. I’d spent enough time there to know there was an empty bedroom in the back, and that I’d be sharing a bathroom with Jeremy. With my work schedule, I’d really only be there to sleep. It didn’t matter how late or early I arrived; the guys would always be home.
    Drug dealers didn’t usually get out much.
    Before he’d disappeared, the rumor around town was that Brady was dealing again. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He did push the occasional ounce of weed or pounds for the guys who liked to buy in larger quantities. But he wasn’t a street-level dealer, and he didn’t do it every day. And he definitely hadn’t made it a career. He just had a solid connection with a guy in northern Maine who grew it, and he liked to snort the profits. The real dealers were Caleb and Jeremy. They were able to get their hands on anything — heroin, meth, even bath salts. But since one of their tweakers had flipped out after Caleb ran out of meth, poured gas all over the front porch, and tried to blow up the house, the guys were more selective with whom they sold to and what they kept around.
    A long dirt road led up to the house. The guys’ cars were parked on the grass; they were the only ones there besides mine. I was thankful for that.
    I waddled up to the front door with the two bags and my suitcase. After my double-knock, Jeremy answered and led me toward the back of the house. He scratched the top of his scalp as he walked, pulling his red strands in all different directions. I didn’t know if it was gel or filth, but the hair stayed where he left it.
    On the carpet of the bedroom was a bare mattress that he said I could use. A mound of crumpled clothes sat next to it, and even more were on the floor of the closet. There were splatter stains on each wall, and two empty condom wrappers in the corner. If I looked hard enough, I’d probably find the filled rubbers somewhere in there, too. The room reeked of sour milk. It could have been from the clothes, or the cans of beer that were littered throughout, or from any of the stains that had hardened on the