CHAPTER ONE
Bianca Bloom eased her foot off the gas pedal when she heard a loud, ominous clunk. “No, no, please, not now,” she begged, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Don’t die on me now, Old Rusty. Just...don’t.”
Old Rusty answered with a death rattle and its headlights flickered. “Come on,” Bianca urged her car. “You can do this. We...can do this. We’ve come so far...”
Old Rusty was aptly named. Her little car was old and rusty, but it had never let her down. It was the one thing that had been with her through thick and thin. Her faithful car had stuck with her through all the bad times.
The bad times were over. She had to keep telling herself that.
Bianca glanced fearfully over her shoulder and cursed. “Stop, Bianca. Stop looking over your shoulder,” she said loudly to her reflection.
She had to break this nervous habit. She had to stop looking back and stop being afraid. She had finally left Joe. It had certainly taken her long enough to leave, but she’d done it at last. She would never let that manipulative, controlling bastard get his clutches on her again.
It was her fear of him that had given him power over her. Joe had never loved her, she realized. He had chosen her because she was the easiest prey. Weak, vulnerable, frightened and alone.
It had taken her so long to leave a cowardly bully. What did that say about her? Bianca shook her head and laughed bitterly. No doubt Joe would be putting all the blame on her, so why should she put more blame on herself?
But why was she even thinking about Joe? It was finally over now. He was her past.
Bianca and Old Rusty were far away from Dew Pines by now. They had left the past far behind.
It didn’t matter that she had not much money left and no destination in mind. She was alive, and as long as she kept herself alive, she could start anew. She would find a remote, faraway town and find a job. No one would know her and she could just live a quiet, simple, peaceful life.
She was never going back to Dew Pines. There was nothing and no one there for her. No one had stepped forward to help her or protect her. Hell, no one even cared.
All her neighbors and so-called friends hadn’t believed her when she told them what Joe did to her. Everyone believed Joe, that smooth-talking, forked-tongue charmer. He was the town’s golden boy, the son of the Sheriff. Joe Roberts could do no wrong. Not in their eyes.
When Bianca’s mom died about a year ago, Joe had come round to the house often to comfort her. Being scared and lonely, she had been so grateful for the attention. Flattered, even. Her friends had thrown snide, cutting remarks her way when they saw that the most handsome, popular boy in town was interested in her, not them.
And when Joe asked her to move in with him, she had allowed foolish, girlish fantasies of building a happy family with Joe fill her giddy little head. She thought that she could have a family again. She would no longer be alone.
But the rose-tinted glasses fell away soon enough. At first, Bianca couldn’t bring herself to believe what was happening. She made excuses and cooked up ridiculous stories to explain away her bruises. But she soon realized that she didn’t even need to hide her bruises. People only saw what they wanted to see. And the townspeople didn’t want to see what Joe really was. A violent, insecure, abusive man who knew he could get away with anything because his dad was the town Sheriff.
The first time she tried to leave Joe, he had threatened to kill himself. But when he saw that she didn’t care anymore, the bastard had turned the knife on her and threatened to disfigure her.
Bianca realized that she would have to leave Dew Pines altogether if she wanted to survive. So she watched, planned and got ready.
She waited until Joe left the house after dinner. She knew that he would be at the pub the whole night with his buddies. That was what he did every Friday night.
Once the coast was clear, she stuffed all her belongings into her small suitcase and jumped into her car. She drove like a maniac out of town and stopped only long enough to top up her gas tank. She didn’t even stop to eat. She needed to get as far away from Joe as possible.
As she sped down the long highway, a part of her already knew that Joe wouldn’t come after her. He wasn’t strong or determined enough. He might throw a tantrum and make himself look like the victim, but he wouldn’t have the gumption to hunt her down. Life was too easy and comfortable for him in Dew Pines. Why should he leave his nice little town to come after a faithless bitch?
Old Rusty gave another wheezing cough, snapping Bianca’s attention back to her present, perilous situation.
She might be out of Dew Pines, but she wasn’t yet out of the woods. In fact, she was surrounded on all sides by dark, shadowy woods.
Bianca tried to tamp down her panic as she stared at the lonely, deserted road stretching endlessly ahead. On either side of the road were tall trees and dense shrubs.
Bianca gulped when she heard the shrill call of insects and animals coming from the forest.
If her car broke down now, she would be stranded in the middle of nowhere.