Free Black Ghost Runner by M. Garnet

state, she hadn’t really seen him shift.
    Still, as she got back on the road, she could only think of gold eyes. She hated to leave Jim out in the cold the same way the last bookkeeper had done, but she didn’t see that she had a choice. She didn’t want to take a chance for two reasons. She didn’t want to get into trouble with the law by laundering his money. Second, she didn’t want to go through the erotic sensation of what had happened when the bastard bit her. She wasn’t going to let either one happen again.
    Even if this was some poor lost bobcat, she was not sticking around to find out. She parked the truck, went in through the back door, and left a sticky note on the computer screen.
    Sorry Jim, you were great. I have problems, so I am out of here. Sally
    From there, she went to her apartment packed her tote and backpack. Sally left anything that did not fit comfortably. She took what cash she had hidden, went down the back stairs across the lot behind, and turned down the alley to the next county road. She walked on the county road until she got close to the edge of town. A pickup truck pulled up.
    “Hey, Sally, need a ride?”
    She looked over to find it was one of the guys that helped Jim once in a while. He was from the reservation, so he was probably heading home.
    “Yes, I need to get up to the Casino, but the bus service doesn’t go there. Jim’s old truck finally went bonzo. He’s out with a fishing tour, so it’s up to me. I don’t want to let him down.” She smiled at him.
    “Well, I wasn’t going to go that far, but what the hell, it won’t take that long, get in. I’ll run you up.”
    She dumped her stuff in back and got in as he took off. “So, what? Jim sending you up there to wait for some tourists? I hate the ones that come in up there. Too much money and too little sense.”
    She laughed at him as she agreed. “I’m tired already, plus he has me taking them some of their equipment. These guys are real losers. How are things going?”
    Sally sat back, letting him talk. She tried to give the right comments at the right time. She already had a reputation of not being a talker, so he was apparently happy to spend the next couple of hours complaining to a willing ear. Finally, he pulled into the giant parking lot of the glaring Casino. Lights were already blaring to draw in the crowds from the main highway.
    “Hey, don’t fight the crowds, leave me off here.” She thanked him as she got out. Grabbing her stuff, she headed towards the front doors. When she was sure her ride was out of sight, she took a long walk around to the rear of the building where the deliveries were made. She saw a couple of trucks unloading. One was from a commercial bakery, while the other was a refrigerator truck. She decided to wait by the bakery truck, and when the driver came out, she approached him.
    “Hi.”
    He looked over at her giving her a head to toe inspection. “Hey, sweetheart, what cha’ up to?”
    “I am out of money. I need a ride.”
    He nodded his head. “Company policy. Can’t take on passengers, but I can give you five bucks for supper.”
    “No, thanks, I need the ride. I’ll try the guy with the ice cream.” She started around the front of his truck.
    “Hey, look, I am going to leave my door open. Get in. Just keep your head down until we’re on the road. When we reach the city limits of Buffalo, you’ll have to get out, and you’re on your own.” He went to the back of his truck without another word.
    Sally knew it was time to change identities. She looked around, and when she didn’t see anyone, she threw her stuff up onto the seat and grabbed the handle. She was into the truck as fast as possible. She tucked her items on the floor so that she could settle down on them. Actually, it was pretty comfortable, as there was a lot of room under the dash once she released the seat and slid it back. She didn’t say anything when the driver returned, not even looking at her