Stitch by Jaime Lewis
Chapter Eight
Mia stepped off the bus and almost tumbled over when her ankle gave out. Thankfully, she was close enough to the bus to catch herself. The pain had gotten worse, and the ibuprofen she had taken a few hours ago had worn off. She had a couple of prescription pain pills left over from a dental procedure she had a few months ago, but she wasn’t keen on taking prescription pain medicine. She and pain killers didn’t mix well. They made her a little looney in her opinion before they’d knock her out for hours. That wouldn’t bode well for her on a bus when she needed to make multiple transfers. Once she was at the cabin and behind locked doors, only then would she consider taking one.
At least she had made it to the small town, and it didn’t appear that she’d been followed. She had watched people closely at each transfer station. Not that she would know what she’d do if someone had acted suspicious, but at least she was keeping aware of her surroundings.
She glanced around and saw through the window that there were some open chairs inside the small bus station. Her next obstacle was figuring out how she was going to get to the cabin from here. She assumed she could either uber or catch a cab. Neither one made her feel warm and fuzzy. She was skeptical of anyone right now. The problem was she still didn’t have a phone. The two bus terminals with a small store inside them were out of pay-as-you-go phones. Hopefully, Stitch had a landline that she could call her brother from.
She hefted her backpack on her shoulders and hobbled inside. She ignored the stares from people. The bruising on her face had gotten worse. She had managed to make it all the way to the town using the excuse that she had been in an accident when people would ask what happened to her.
She carefully sat down and pulled her pant leg up to check on her ankle. It was twice the size it was when she left New York. She wasn’t meant to even be walking on it. Once she made it to the cabin, she’d elevate it and ice it.
Thinking about the cabin, she fingered the key in her jacket pocket, making sure it was still there. That was all she needed, to get here and then lose the damn key.
She looked around, then noticed there was a taxi stand just outside the opposite set of doors. She was about to get up to head in that direction when Lena, the nice older lady she was seated next to on the bus, approached. Mia smiled, but that smile faded when she caught sight of the large man following Lena. Mia studied him as he neared. He was tall, about her brother’s height, and with dark hair. He wore a pair of jeans with a button-down flannel shirt and coat. But when her eyes landed on the Sheriff’s badge clipped to his shirt and the gun on his waist, she gulped.
She tried to put on her best smile as Lena stopped in front of her, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the Sheriff who stood beside Lena.
“Mia, I know you said that you were heading to your friend’s place, but I was concerned about you taking a cab there. Not that this area is ridden with crime, but you are a pretty young lady, and well, I don’t want to see anybody take advantage of you. And, it just so happens that our own Sheriff Prescott is here. Sheriff, this is Mia, the young lady that I was talking to you about that needed a ride to her friend's place.”
Shit! Mia wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. The last thing she needed was the Sheriff all up in her business right now. She didn’t miss the way the Sheriff studied her. He was more than curious. Of course he was; after all, she looked like she had been in a boxing ring with Rocky Balboa for a few rounds and came out on the losing end.
“Those are some nasty bruises.” He said, not looking away, and reached out to touch her chin.
“She was in a car accident just the other day. Where did you say that happened again?” Lena asked.
Mia stared at the Sheriff and then nodded her head and took a step back. If she wanted to get out of this situation without the Sheriff wanting to ask more questions than she was willing to answer, then she needed to play along.
“New York.”
“Hmm…that must have been a doozy of an accident.” The Sheriff stated, and Mia felt bad for lying to him; after all, he was law enforcement. Then there was Lena, who had been nothing but nice and helpful since they met at the Maryland transfer station. But she couldn’t trust anyone right now, and she certainly didn’t need a nosey Sheriff getting all up into her business. Her brother would take care of things. That is once she was able to call him.
Mia forced a smile on her face. “Yes, sir, it was. But I’ll be fine. As soon as I get to my friend’s place, I plan on taking it easy for the next couple of days.”
“Sheriff Prescott, do you think you could take Mia to her friend's place? If you’re heading home, it’s on the way.”
Mia started to panic; she didn’t want the Sheriff driving her anywhere, let alone knowing where she would be staying. She was hoping to just fly right under the radar.
“Oh, that’s okay. I really don’t mind grabbing a cab. I’m sure the Sheriff has better things to do than play taxi.”
She looked up at the Sheriff, and he gave her a firm expression and squinted his eyes. There was no way in hell he had bought her story. Ace would get the same look when he thought someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes. This guy was intense and fierce-looking, not to mention skeptical. Fuck a duck; she was screwed. If he was anything like Ace, there was going to be no arguing with him.
“Things don’t operate the way they do in New York City, honey, and that includes getting a cab.” The Sheriff said in a commanding tone as he turned his eyes on her, and she wished the floor would just open and swallow her. The conversation was turning into what her brother would call a clusterfuck. She shifted on her feet. As if sensing her unease, the Sheriff softened up a tad and stuck his hand out.
“Let’s start over. I’m Sheriff Prescott, and I run this town. Well, I try to keep it civil.” He smirked, and Mia couldn’t help but smile as he was trying to be nice. She placed her hand into his rather large one.
“Mia.” She responded, hoping that would be enough for the curious Sheriff.
“Hi, Mia. Welcome to Sugar Bend.”
She swallowed hard as his eyes studied her face. There wasn’t anything she could do to hide the bruises or the busted lip. Her throat seemed to dry right up like a summer day in the desert.
“Thank you, Sheriff.” He looked at Lena and smiled. He had a great smile when he wasn’t scowling.
“Lena, I’ll make sure that Mia gets to her friend’s house safe and sound.”
She patted the Sheriff’s arm, “Such a good man.” She turned back to Mia. “You’re in good, capable hands, dear. I hope to see you around town during your stay.”
As soon as Lena was out of sight, the Sheriff turned his skeptical eyes back on her before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Yep, exactly like Ace. She wondered if he ever served in the military.
“Honey, you are obviously in a lot of pain. First, what can I do to help you? Do you need a doctor?”
She felt the tears hit her eyes instantly. This guy didn’t know a damn thing about her, and he was already offering to help her instead of interrogating.
She swallowed through the emotion. “No, sir. Like I told Lena, as soon as I can get to my friend’s place, I’ll be fine. But thank you for the offer.”
“Who is this friend of yours, and where do they live?”
She contemplated giving him a false name, but he gave her the impression that he took care of his town and probably knew every person who lived here.
“Evan Watson.”
The Sheriff raised his eyebrows and nodded his head. “Evan or Stitch, as most call him, is a good friend of mine. I didn’t realize he was coming up here this weekend.” He said inquisitively.
Oh, for crying out loud. Of course the Sheriff knew Stitch. “Oh, Evan’s not coming.” She replied, and the Sheriff’s dark thick eyebrows went a notch higher. “I have a key to his place. He told me I could use the cabin.” She pulled the key out of her jacket pocket and showed it to him. “See.”
That seemed to appease the Sheriff because he nodded, but she still got a feeling he was going to press for more.
“Well, if you are ready, I’m ready. It’s about a thirty-minute drive from here.”
“Are you sure you really don’t mind? I mean, it’s Thanksgiving, and I don’t want to keep you from your family.”
He smirked. “I’m good, but thank you for your thoughtfulness. It’s very kind of you.”
She got her backpack situated on her shoulders again. “Do you mind if I use the restroom really quick before we leave?” She needed to give herself a few minutes before she got into the car with the Sheriff, because god knows what type of questioning she may up against. Plus she really did need to pee.
“Not at all. When you’re finished, meet me outside. I’m going to pull the truck up closer to the door, so you don’t have to walk as far.”
“Thank you.”
◆◆◆
As soon as Mia disappeared into the restroom, the Sheriff pulled his cell phone from his pocket as he walked out to his patrol truck. Hitting the Stitch’s number, he listened to it ring.
