CHAPTER TEN
Hayley gulped as she turned into yet another unfamiliar street. Shit! She'd made a wrong turn again. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw no cars behind her. A lone streetlamp in the distance was flickering and sputtering, valiantly trying to chase away the shadows that seemed to be closing in on her.
Her heart was thundering in her chest. She could still feel Strom's mouth and hands on her. His taunts and threats rang in her ears.
After I paint the woods red with the blood of the Sentinels, I'll come and collect you, my pet.
Hayley's face twisted as she swiped angry tears from her eyes. She had thrown her jacket over her torn blouse and driven away as fast as she could.
If Grayson and Ariana hadn't found her when they did…
“I didn't even thank them,” she muttered with a wince.
Both siblings were very good-looking, and Ariana seemed really nice. Hayley took an instant liking to the lively young woman. Ariana had guarded Hayley that night and saved her life today. “I have to thank her properly. It's the least I can do,” Hayley said resolutely. It wouldn't be difficult to find Ariana. Her brother lived just next door to Hayley. All she had to do was walk up to Grayson's house and knock on his door.
She swallowed. The thought of being in contact with Grayson made her shiver in anticipation. Grayson was a formidable, commanding male, an alpha wolf. He was tall, strong, imposing, and...very virile. He was no doubt very skilful in bed and he had a huge, almost insatiable sexual appetite. What would it be like to be taken by a dominant alpha like Grayson?
Hayley huffed and blew a lock of her unruly red hair out of her eyes. She had just escaped from a deranged, sadistic pervert! How could she be entertaining these wild, inappropriate, crazy fantasies about her next door neighbor?
“Most unladylike,” she admonished herself. But...maybe she didn't want to be a lady. She just wanted to be a woman! If only she could meet a real man.
Hayley snorted. With her luck, she'd just get involved with another user and cheater again. She'd been blind and stupid enough to marry her ex-husbands. And now, she'd attracted the unwanted attention of Strom. She really did have the worst luck.
Hayley grimaced and peered out the side window. Where the hell was she? She wasn't familiar with this part of town. It looked totally deserted.
There were no shops, no houses, no one. Oh, there were one or two houses still standing, but these dwellings had been abandoned long ago. They were boarded up and almost completely hidden by tall, overgrown weeds. Towering, whispering trees flanked the other side of the street. Beyond the first line of trees, Hayley could see movement and...eyes.
Eyes?
No, no, no. Hayley blinked and shook her head hard. It must be a trick of the light.
She must be imagining things. She was tired and lost, and she was beginning to panic.
Don't panic and don't be silly, she scolded herself. How could she get lost in her own town?
Hayley stomped on the brakes. She'd come to a dead end. Her car's headlights illuminated the cracked, vandalized brick wall in front of her. A dead end.
Exhaling a shaky breath, Hayley gripped the steering wheel and stared at the brick wall for a long moment. This was the story of her life, wasn't it? She'd hit a dead end. Again.
She'd wanted to make a fresh start, live a new life in Wolves Hollow. But what if she'd made a dreadful mistake? Had she come out all this way just to hit a dead end?
Hayley balled her fists.
No! No more doubts, no more dead ends. She would find a way to turn her life around. But first, her car.
Determinedly, Hayley turned the car around as fast as she could. The engine whined and the tires screeched. Her car lurched forward with an ominous clanking sound.
“Oh God! No, no, no,” Hayley hiccuped, squeezing the steering wheel till her knuckles gleamed white. The headlights flickered and dimmed.
“No, don't you die on me, you…!”
Unaccustomed to such strong, colorful language, her car shook violently and exhaled a long hiss. The engine gave one last click and died.