Being Free (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  She sat in the chair nervously, looking around and taking in every little detail of where the window and door were. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, maybe. Her black hair was up in a ponytail, but he could tell it was long. She had big brown eyes and full lips that gave her a sensual look. Her skin was a golden brown. Her breasts were obviously plump and full. The low-cut blouse showed off enough of her breasts to tempt a saint. She had curvy hips but her stomach was flat. He could see the muscles in her arms and that meant she liked to work out. He thought she was Latina but he wasn’t sure. One thing he did know was that she was on no casual road trip for fun.

  Blake was naturally wary and suspicious of everyone but especially strangers. Years of being in the military had trained him to always be on alert and ready for anything. Sexy or not, if she was up to no good in his town he would find out about it. Shady Grove was quiet and calm for the most part. He had grown up here and his family still lived here. He had never thought of moving elsewhere when he got out of the service.

  “Mmm,” he said, not believing her answer for one minute. He was about to ask her more questions but he heard his brother coming back and stood up. “I’ll go and take a look at your truck. You’re welcome to wait back here if you’d like.”

  She stood up, putting her backpack over one shoulder. “No, thanks. It’s dark and creepy back here. I’ll wait out front.”

  Blake walked outside where his brother was unhooking an old rusty, faded blue pickup truck. He was surprised she made it ten miles in that thing. She was dressed in expensive fancy clothes and the truck did not match with that image, which only brought more questions.

  Blake stopped and turned and looked at Anna who was walking behind him. She bumped into his back when he stopped walking and he felt a wave of electricity run through his body when she grabbed onto his waist to steady herself. Shit. He did not need to feel this attraction, especially to a complete stranger. “That thing is what you decide to take a fun road trip across the country in?”

  Anna gave him a belligerent look and then looked at her truck as if she didn’t understand what his point was. “What’s wrong with my truck? It may not be brand new but it works. Well, it did until recently.”

  First she was traveling alone along stretches of deserted roads, and now he saw the shape of her truck and was so tempted to lecture her but he held it in, barely. Something fishy was going on with this woman.

  “What’s not wrong with it?” Blake muttered under his breath and told Victor to open the hood of the truck. While they were peeking under it, he noticed her looking around her surroundings and taking in every detail. He wondered if she was some kind of thief but what could she steal here in his shop besides tools and broken cars? Maybe she was in trouble and on the run. That only led to more questions. Blake did not like unanswered questions.

  “Looks like the radiator is shot,” Victor said, smelling the antifreeze that was leaking out.

  Blake nodded in agreement. “A few of the hoses are so old they look like they are disintegrating slowly. How she made it one mile in this piece of crap is a mystery.”

  Blake made a mental list of what he would need and how long it would take to fix. He looked around for his mysterious customer and found her sitting under the shade of a tree in the grass, eating a granola bar. Her legs were straight out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. He was surprised she was willing to get her clothes dirty. They had looked expensive and he would have thought she’d be too prissy to sit on the ground. This woman was a puzzle for sure.

  “What do you think her story is?” Victor asked quietly. “She really was worried about taking a ride from me. Even when she got in the car she looked ready to bolt at any moment. I tried joking with her and keeping both hands on the steering wheel but I could tell how scared she really was.”

  “She must be running from someone. She says her name is Anna and she tried to convince me she was just on a fun summer road trip but I know she is lying,” Blake answered. “She is dressed too fancy for taking a road trip.”

  Victor snorted. “The plates are from Colorado.”

  Blake walked over to where she was sitting. She put her half-eaten granola bar back in her backpack when she saw Blake approaching. He towered over her and cast a shadow. “You need a new radiator and a few new hoses. Should take maybe two days.”

  Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Two days? I was hoping to be out of here tonight or in the morning.”

  Blake looked down at her. She looked tired and he couldn’t help but be curious about her. Sure, she was attractive but so were a lot of women. There was something in her eyes that made his protective instincts rise up. She looked so wary and full of fear for someone so young. He wasn’t looking to get romantically involved with anyone but he wanted to help her. He intended to do a little extra stuff so she would be safe on her journey. She was in trouble, he knew that for sure. The sooner he got her on the road again the better for his peace of mind. “It’s mid-afternoon already, and I have this car I need to finish today. I can start on yours tomorrow, order whatever parts I need, and hopefully I won’t run into extra problems.”

  She sighed and stood up, dusting off the dirt on the back of her skirt. “Okay. How much?”

  He named a price and she agreed. She had obviously been expecting more. “Is there a motel in this town?”

  He nodded and handed her one of his business cards. “I can have Victor drop you off at the Shady Grove Motel. It’s the only one in town. There is a restaurant next door to it. Call me tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it is going.”

  Victor agreed to drop her off at the motel so she grabbed her duffel bag with her clothes from the back of her pickup truck. Just the name and look of the old-fashioned motel sounded like something out of a horror movie but she had no choice but to spend the night here. She got herself into this mess she was facing and, like always, she stood alone and had only herself to depend on.

  Chapter 2

  Anna sat inside her motel room eating her burgers and fries. The room was stuck in the seventies along with purple carpeting and an older television, but at least the air conditioner worked so she was happy. It had to be at least a hundred degrees outside if not more. If luck finally ran her way, she wouldn’t be here long anyway.

  It had been so long since she ate a burger and fries and she was savoring every single bite. Santiago, her ex-boyfriend, was constantly telling her she needed to lose weight so she had lived off salads and yogurt. After Victor had dropped her off at the motel, she had checked in and taken a long nap. She woke up just in time for dinner and headed over to the café next door. Wonderful smells were coming out of there and her stomach reminded her that she needed food. She had walked into the small diner and sat at the long counter since all the tables were full. She usually liked a window seat so she could see who was coming and going.

  She placed her order with the young waitress behind the counter. She noticed she was getting a lot of curious looks from people at the tables. Most people wore shorts or jeans and she had on a short black dress, heels, and a gold chain around her neck. She felt self-conscious about her appearance but she didn’t have the extra money to shop for more casual clothes. She had planned to do that in whatever city she decided to stay in. Only now she was stuck here for two days.

  “Is that order for here or to go, miss?” the waitress asked. She had short brown hair and barely looked eighteen. She was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt that said Molly’s Diner in big black letters.

  “To go,” Anna answered. She had planned on eating here but now she just wanted to escape the stares of the other customers. She knew that people were probably just curious because she was unfamiliar but it made her feel nervous. She couldn’t let her guard down for one second. Santiago was rich and had people on his payroll everywhere. She had learned that in the three years she had been dating him. It might seem ridiculous for her to think someone in Shady Grove knew who Santiago Martinez was, but
stranger things had happened. She was taking no chances. Her one and only friend, Ben, had died helping her escape the clutches of her psycho ex-boyfriend.

  Thinking of Ben made her lose her appetite. She threw the food away and wiped away the tears she hadn’t realized were rolling down her cheeks. She had spent enough time crying over her mistakes and the loss of her friend. Getting involved with Santiago had been a huge, colossal mistake but she couldn’t rewind time. She had to move on and try to survive. Some days she wondered if surviving was even worth it. She was lonely and so tired of the constant moving, a weariness that had invaded deep in her soul. It would be so easy to just give up and let Santiago find her. She knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with just beating her this time. He’d kill her but at least it would finally be over. Then she thought of sweet, gentle Ben. He had believed she was strong and was a survivor. Hadn’t she survived having a drug addict mother who had eventually died of a drug overdose? Ben would tell her to be strong and live. She could even hear his voice in her head and it sent a piercing pain through her chest.

  She missed her pre-Santiago days. Life had been a struggle back then but she made it through high school with good grades and supported herself by working as a waitress. Life hadn’t been perfect but it had been okay.

  She had shared an apartment with Ben. They had known each other since second grade and he had been like a brother to her, always her protector.

  When she was twenty-one she had gotten a better paying job as a waitress in a bar and had moved up to being a bartender within two years. Life had finally seemed to be going really good for a while. Then she had met Santiago Martinez, a lying snake in the grass. He had fed her a bunch of pretty little lies all wrapped up in a bow and in her naivety she had fallen for every one of them. He had been an older, wiser, well-dressed man with dark movie star looks. He owned two successful casinos and drove an expensive fancy car. She had been fascinated with all the things money could buy. She had grown up poor and worked hard for every little item she had until Santiago came into her life and changed everything.

  He told her he loved her and it was his pleasure to take care of her and she had thought it sounded so romantic and she was so lucky he had noticed her out of all the pretty girls in Reno.

  Despite Ben’s worry she had quit her job and moved into Santiago’s penthouse over the casino. Before she could remove her rose-colored glasses, Santiago was telling her what to wear, what to eat, and who she could talk to.

  “Your body is sexy, darling, but I want you to go to my gym. My trainer Andrew is going to help you tone up and get rid of that baby fat,” he told her one night after they had made love, and she had been so embarrassed. She had always been curvy but she didn’t think she was fat until that moment.

  She hadn’t even realized he was having her followed until one day she had snuck away to have an innocent dinner with Ben. Santiago didn’t believe she should need other friends beside him but she missed Ben. When she got home, Santiago had been waiting for her and that was the first time he had hit her. She had tried to leave him but he had assigned his guards to watch her every move.

  Anna stood up, banishing her bad memories and refusing to think of Santiago for one more second. Maybe a walk would help her clear her head so she could get a good night’s sleep. She was still feeling tired but her mind was in chaos, overwhelmed with so many memories and worries.

  The town was quiet and dark. After living in a noisy city all her life, it felt a little strange to her. A few cars passed by here and there but nothing like the nightlife in Reno where everything stayed open late and people were out and about at all hours. There, when you got hungry at three a.m., you could find an open place to eat.

  She walked a few blocks and saw a little bar. She could hear loud music playing and the familiar neon lights in the window made her smile. The sign said Randall’s Bar. She opened the heavy wooden door and the music got louder. She entered the dim bar. She hadn’t been in a bar for over three years now. Santiago had taken her to fancy clubs but she had never enjoyed herself. Instead she had always been too self-conscious of doing something wrong. They had always been surrounded by his guards and people who wanted things from him.

  She gave a sigh of relief when she saw it was a full house. It would have been awkward if there had been only a few men inside. She took a quick look around and noticed again everyone was dressed casually. She looked down at her black dress and shrugged. She knew she’d never blend in but she was tired of her own company.

  She walked up to the counter and took a seat in the corner and ordered a beer from the cute bartender behind the counter. She wasn’t getting involved with another man but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look. She thanked him and drank the cold liquid with a smile.

  * * * *

  Blake sat in a back booth sipping on a beer when he noticed Anna walking in. She was not the type of woman you could not notice. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a fancy braid, almost reaching her butt. Her short black dress showed off her tanned, long legs and hugged her body, showing off her sexy, curves. She looked classy and out of place in a small country bar like this.

  His ex-girlfriend, Jenna, had come and sat next to him uninvited. He did his best to give her the cold shoulder but she ignored all his hints. He figured he was going to have to get rude to get rid of her. He had nothing to say to her and hadn’t even spoken to her in six weeks.

  “Let’s dance, just one dance, Blake.” She ran her hand up to his shoulder, massaging him.

  He turned to look at her and frowned. What had he seen in this gold digging witch? Oh yeah, good sex. Her blonde hair was cut short, barely touching her shoulders. She had make-up on and looked perfect on the outside but inside she was ugly. Too bad he had discovered that too late. “Where is your new boyfriend, the banker?”

  Jenna had dumped him six weeks ago when she had finally snared Robert Montgomery, the manager of the town bank. She had at least been honest when she bruised his ego, and that is all she had done. Blake didn’t do love. He didn’t think he was capable of love.

  “I don’t plan on settling down with a mechanic, Blake. You’re fun and good at sex but a girl has to look at the big picture. No hard feelings okay, babe,” she had told him with a simple phone call, ending their three-month relationship.

  “He is on a business meeting in Phoenix for a few days,” she answered, giving him her sexy smile. “Can’t we have a little fun still?”

  Blake looked at her and gave her his meanest look. She immediately took her hand off his shoulder and scooted back in the seat. He could have told her he had more money than her banker, but he didn’t flaunt it the way her new boyfriend did. He enjoyed working with his hands which was why he chose mechanics.

  “Get lost, Jenna, and stay away from me. I’m not interested in Robert’s leftovers,” he said bluntly in a cold, hard voice.

  “Fine,” she stated angrily, her lips tightening in frustration. She picked her purse up and slid out of the booth. She stood by the table and gave him a dirty look. “I can pick anybody I want out of this bar and they will take me home. It’s your loss, Blake.”

  He shrugged carelessly and went back to drinking his beer.

  She stalked off and Victor came and sat with him. “Finally got rid of the lying bitch?”

  Blake nodded looking back to where Anna sat in the corner drinking alone.

  “I miss the good ole’ days when Sam hung out with us, too,” Victor commented grumpily. “But he says he’d rather be with Melody now than in this crowded bar.”

  “He did always hate crowds,” Blake agreed. “Melody is sweet and it looks like he is serious about her. He says he wants to introduce her to Mom. I’m all for it. Maybe Mom will stop nagging me to get married and produce kids.”

  Victor’s eyes widened with surprise and he chuckled at Blake’s grumpy complaint. “I like Melody, too. I just miss us all being together. You and Sam were gone for so long and it was nice to have us all together again.
”

  Blake agreed with his brother. He knew Victor had felt left out when he and Sam joined the military, but Victor was a homebody and hadn’t wanted to leave Shady Grove. Blake had secretly been glad. He had always worried for Sam when he was away on missions and out of contact.

  “At least we all three work together,” he reminded his brother. He kept drinking his beer and telling himself he didn’t care about Anna but his eyes kept wandering over to where she sat alone drinking. She probably thought no one noticed her. He could see her reflection in the mirror and she looked so sad and alone. He was tempted to go over there and just put his arms around her. That was an alien feeling, one he didn’t like. He liked sex but he didn’t do all that lovey-dovey affection women liked. He never even spent the night with a woman, one of the many complaints Jenna had always had. He was better off alone with the occasional one-night stand. Relationships were hard and messy. He would leave that to Sam and Victor.

  He noticed a few men eyeing her and that made him feel jealous and then angry. He didn’t need the headache of another female in his life. If he kept telling himself that over and over he might actually begin to believe it. He had tried his hardest being a good boyfriend to Jenna even though he had no intention of settling down with her forever and that hadn’t turned out so well. It made absolutely no sense. Anna was bad for his peace of mind yet he was drawn to her and couldn’t help it.

  Victor turned behind him when he noticed Blake kept looking toward the bar. “Isn’t that your newest customer, Anna?”