Striker’s Claim by Lila Fox
Chapter Seventeen
She tugged it down the hallway and then down the steps.
“No, K, what the hell are you doing?” Stone asked as he intercepted her.
“He told me to leave.” She kept walking to the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked her.
“The bus station. Would you give me a ride?”
“Fuck, can’t you give him a chance?”
“I won’t be treated like that. Will you drive me? If not, I can walk.”
Stone sighed and ran a hand down the back of his head. “Fuck, yeah.”
“You won’t get in trouble, will you?”
Stone snorted. “Leave it to you to worry about me.”
She shrugged and watched Sally race over to her. The woman had tears in her eyes, and she could see the woman had been crying a lot.
“What if I went with you?”
Kristina sighed. “I would take you, but it’s going to be hard enough to take care of myself. I’ll write you when I get where I’m going. If I get a decent job, I’ll buy you a ticket to come to me.”
“You promise?” Sally said.
“Yes. I swear on my mother’s grave.”
Sally hugged her tightly. “You’ve been a better friend and mother to me than anyone in my life.”
“You’ve become my best friend, so we’re even. Wait.” Kristina bent and unzipped her bag. She rummaged through it and found what she wanted. She stood and held out the piece of jewelry. “I want you to wear this.”
“What is it?”
“It was my mother’s, and I want you to have it. Think of it as a symbol of my love and my determination to find a place for us.”
She helped Sally put it on and then smiled. “It looks good on you.”
“Are you sure?” Sally asked.
“More than sure.” She hugged the woman again. “I’ll be in touch.”
She turned toward Stone. “Are you ready?”
“You don’t want to say goodbye to Striker?” Stone asked.
She looked toward the door to the office. It was closed, and there were no sounds from the inside. She shook her head. “We already said it.”
“I wish you would wait until he calmed down,” another man said.
“Why? I don’t want to be with a man who treats me like that. I didn’t deserve it. I’m better off on my own.”
Stone sighed, grabbed her bag, and gripped her upper arm. “Let’s go.”
She waved at several people as Stone took her out to a truck. She heard several of them tell her to wait or stay, but she just tried to smile, held back her tears, and keep walking. Stone lifted her into the truck.
In just a few months, they really had become the family she’d always wanted.
They drove silently for several miles.
“I know he’s going to go nuts when he knows your gone.”
She snorted. “I doubt it. He can find tight…” Shit, she couldn’t say it. “Anywhere.”
“For God’s sake, he didn’t mean it.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t put up with anyone talking to me like that, and in front of people made it even worse.”
Stone sighed.
She was glad when he didn’t say anything else. At the bus stop, he helped her out of the truck and grabbed her bag.
“I can take it from here, Stone.”
He shook his head. “No, I want to make sure you get on the bus safely.”
He followed her to the ticket counter and waited while she looked at the board.
“Can I help you?”
She tried to smile at the older man but felt like she was breaking apart. “How far can I get with this much money?”
The man counted it out. “You can go to Dallas, Chicago, or Florida.”
“I’ve never been to the ocean. I’ll pick Florida.”
He handed her the ticket and told her what bus.
Stone walked behind her, and she could see the people look wearily at him, some in outright fear, and she remembered feeling that way about them when she’d first seen them.
Stone handed the bus driver her bag and then faced her.
“You won’t reconsider?” he asked.
“No. There’s nothing for me here without the club, and I’d be afraid I’d run into my sister.”
He looked surprised. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Fuck. Your sister is dead.”
Her mouth dropped open. “When? How?”
“Yesterday, and I can’t say the how. I’m guessing that’s what set Striker off.”
“Who … you know? Who did it?”
“You know who. She threatened you, and he takes your safety seriously. Does knowing he did it change the way you feel about him?”
She shook her head. “I understand.” She was quiet for a moment. “Would it be horrible of me to be glad she’s gone? She’s the only family I had left.”
“You have us, K.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she fought to keep them from falling until she was alone. “Not anymore.”
Stone pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. This would be the last time she’d see him or be touched by anyone, and she wanted to soak it up.
“All aboard,” the bus driver bellowed.
“Well, this is me. Take care of him, Stone.”
“I’ll try. You stay safe. I expect to hear from you when you get there.”
“I will.”
She started to climb the stairs and looked back one more time. Then she gave him a little wave, turned, and boarded the bus.
She made her way down the aisle until she got to the back. She sat on the side she could see Stone and kept her eyes on him until they drove away.
The tears started right away. God, the pain was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and she prayed would never go through again.
“Here you go, dear.”
Kristina looked over the aisle at the older woman sitting across the aisle from her. She held out a handful of tissues.
Kristina tried to smile and reached for them. “Thank you.”
“I don’t mean to be snoopy, but is it someone’s death or a broken heart that’s got you crying so hard?”
“A broken heart.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I can tell you the pain will get better over time.”
“I hope so because I feel like I can’t breathe.”
The woman smiled sadly. “I’ve been there.”
“I’m sorry,” Kristina.
“Women are resilient. Remember that.”
Kristina nodded as more tears fell down her face. “I’ll try.”
