Amelia

After some decent food, I felt like I could take on the world. My body felt stronger, my head felt clearer, and my soul felt more at peace. I still couldn't shake the bad feeling of something ominous looming on the horizon though.

By the time we arrived back at the compound, dawn had just broke, bathing my world in a beautiful pastel mix of blues, reds, and yellows. Seeing the sun rise over the mountainous terrain far away in the distance took my breath away, giving me much needed warmth and joy, even if it would only be briefly lived.

The dogs seemed unperturbed by their stay in the van. I hadn't realised until we climbed back into the van that we'd been in Penny's Diner more than an hour. My initial intention had been to spend no more than half an hour away from them.

"I need to walk them really, stretch their legs," I said, as Dion opened the side door of the van.

"Sure. There's plenty of room here. The inside perimeter of the compound is around fifty acres, give or take."

I raised an eyebrow. "The inside perimeter?"

"Yes. The ranch actually sits on a thousand acres. We couldn't fence all of that off. Pretty much as far as your eye can see is all our land."

"Wow. What happened? To the ranch?"

He sighed. A wistful look glazed over his eyes. "My parents died a few years ago. Unfortunately, whilst they were sick, they sold everything off, expecting the inevitable. When I came back to say my last goodbyes, all the horses and livestock were gone." He shrugged his shoulders. "Probably not a bad thing. Horses aren't my favourite animal."

I smiled despite the sadness swarming through me. I knew his grief of losing loved ones. It hurt. Nothing could ease it or take it away. Not even time. Time was merely a tool that enabled you to live with it, day by day. You never truly get over something like that.

"I'm sorry," I said, offering him the same sympathy he'd shown me.

"I got to say goodbye. That's all I cared about."

I swallowed the rising lump in my throat. What would I have said if I could have said my last goodbyes? Turning my attention to the dogs, more to distract myself than anything, I ordered them out of the van.

"I'm going to walk the dogs," I said, offering him a small smile. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Do you want some company?"

I really didn't. I wanted to get lost in my own thoughts, take some time to think things over, work out my next move. On the other hand, considering he'd saved my life, invited me into his home, and bought me breakfast, I felt rude telling him no.

"Sure."

I ordered the dogs to heel and followed Dion's lead. As the morning light became stronger, I took the opportunity to look at my surroundings properly in the daylight. We ambled along in a comfortable silence, mostly because I was too busy soaking in the mini world coming to life around me.

Six traditional brick red coloured barns sat at various distances apart. Trailers were scattered around in between them, some sat against the metal fencing. Various bikes gleamed back at me as the strengthening sunlight caught the chrome, almost dazzling me from the bright flashes.

Lights began turning on, doors opened, kids started laughing and screaming. A couple of muscle cars grumbled past, the drivers nodding and putting their hands up to Dion as they drove past. I watched them leave the compound, driving out through the huge gates into the vast world beyond.

"Do you all live here? Permanently?"

"Yes. We own several businesses in town, which is where some of the guys are heading, but we also do work here. Custom bike work and sometimes cage work is done here on the ranch."

"Cage?"

He grinned at me. "Biker lingo for a car. Well, anything with a roof actually."

"So what businesses do you own outside of here?"

"A couple of tattoo shops, a gun store, a diner, and an...adult entertainment centre."

I smirked. "You mean a strip club."

"Well, if you're meaning a place where attractive young ladies remove their clothes, then yes, I guess you could call it that."

I laughed. "You don't need to tip toe around me, Dion. I'm not an innocent child."

"I...I don't want you to think bad of me or get the wrong impression of me."

Turning my head to look at him, I could see the worry filtering through his eyes. Why was he concerned with what I thought of him?

"Believe me, after knowing some of Santini's business ventures, owning a strip club is nothing."

He pulled his lips into a thin line but said nothing.

"Wait a minute, did you say you owned a diner?"

Grinning, he held his hands up. "We co-own it with Penny. She's getting older, doesn't need to be working all the hours under the sun, so we gave her a sizeable sum for her retirement and give some of the women some work there. We split all the profits fifty-fifty. Penny still keeps her hand in and works when she wants to but doesn't have to worry about money. Some of the wives and ol' ladies get to escape the children and the house chores by working in there so it's a win-win for everyone."

"Did Penny know your parents?"

He nodded. "Her and my mom were best friends from about five years old. I don't think she'd have sold shares to anyone else."

I smiled and carried on looking around me, trying to ignore the stares from the people whose world I'd suddenly invaded. I realised, as I thought about Dion's parents and Penny, that I knew no one who knew my parents. No one except Santini that is. As I realised I had no link to my parents, except for a violent mobster, I felt like I was missing out on a huge part of my life.

Dion could keep his parents alive with memories and moments shared by people like Penny. My parents were dead. Dead and buried. No longer kept alive by anyone's memories except mine, and even then, my memories of my mom were hazy at best.

"I've got to ask," Dion said, breaking my sad thoughts. "How did you manage to travel all the way down here?"

I smiled. "Oh, you know, the usual. Hitch hiking, paying for rides, hiding in the back of trucks. A bit of walking."

"You hitch hiked?"

"Yes, why?"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

I burst out laughing. "Believe me, after what that man has put me through for the last six years, hitch hiking is a walk in the park."

"But still. You're..."

"What? A woman on her own? Oh, come on. I didn't bring the dogs with me for no reason."

"Even then, if someone was determined enough, the dogs would be easy enough to take down."

"They're a deterrent. That's all I need for the majority of pervs and serial killers."

He pursed his lips. "I think you've been really lucky if that's genuinely how you've made it here."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Perhaps. The point is I still made it. I got away from him."

"But another few weeks and it'll be harder for you to keep running. Let alone a few weeks after that and so on."

"You mean because I'm pregnant?"

He held his hands up in a surrender sign. "I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"It's not a disability, you know."

"No, I get that. But it is a disadvantage. What do you expect to happen? That when you're nine months pregnant you'll still be two steps ahead of him? Because I seriously doubt that."

"Why? Am I that incapable?"

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I just don't think you've thought this through properly, that's all."

I laughed. I laughed so hard I actually stopped walking. "Not thought this through? I've been planning my escape since the minute that man kidnapped me and my sister. I've played a dangerous game for the past two years, living each moment on a knife's edge because if he found out what I'd been doing in my planning, I'd have been locked up in a dungeon to never see the light of day again."

"I'm not doubting that. But did you counter into your plans being pregnant?"

I fell silent and glared at him for all I was worth. Finding out I was pregnant had been the catalyst to fast forwarding my plans. In fact, I'd been so enraged, I'd stabbed him that night and ran. I broke my eye contact from Dion and carried on walking, not caring if he followed or not. Grateful or not, the guy was starting to bug me, digging further into my life than what I expected.

"Hey," he said, jogging back to my side. "Look, I'm sorry if I hit a sore spot, but I'm worried for you. I don't want you to go back out there hoping to survive on luck and prayers because it's not going to work."

"I'll figure it out. if there's one thing I've learned over the past six years, it's to adapt."

"Amelia—"

Frustration growing inside me, I couldn't help but snap. I knew I was in a hole and I didn't need reminding of it. "What? What do you care anyway?"

He opened his mouth then closed it. "I..."

"Exactly. So leave it alone." I marched off, my irritation only growing with each step. I turned back around and said, "In fact, leave me alone. I'll be gone by tonight."