Page 4 of Carver's Obsession

“I know it’s a lot to take in. There’s always food in the fridge if you get hungry.”

Carver snorted. “I don’t think I’ll be hungry for a week.”

Striker laughed. “You’ll get used to it. Us guys have had to work out more than normal, or we’d get fat.”

Carver could never see that happening.

Striker walked to the door. “If you need anything, call down to the kitchen. There’s usually someone around. If it’s bathroom stuff, there’s a closet four doors down that has everything you’ll need. Take what you want.”

Carver nodded.

“I’ll see you later, man,” Striker said.

“Yeah. I’m crashing right now.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m glad you’re back.”

“I am, too.”

Striker closed the door, and then Carver was alone. It was something he’d gotten used to. But the type of loneliness he was feeling at the moment was different. It was a peaceful, calming type.

He heard a guy’s voice from outside and a woman laughing. He exhaled. He’d done a lot of soul-searching while trying to get his head on straight after he left. He hadn’t thought he’d be coming back again or that they’d let him.

He was thankful they still cared. Now, he’d just have to get used to all the changes.

Chapter Three

Erica crouched behind a group of bushes. She’d spent the last few days trying to find her sister, Jana. She’d been told at the hospital that she lived here now.

To say it was a shock was an understatement. Her goody two-shoes sister was living with a biker club.

She ducked down when a group of bikers walked past her. She was well hidden and very careful because she didn’t want to anger these men and end up dead. She wondered if her sister would try to save her. Probably not.

Erica wanted to get this over with. Hand her sister the check and say goodbye, probably for good. Her sister never liked being around her. She didn’t think time had changed anything.

How the hell was she supposed to get to her sister? Every guy she’d seen scared the shit out of her. They all looked like they would slit her throat and step over her dead body. She couldn’t just walk up to the front door and knock. The fact that she had yet to see her sister made it even harder. Did she try to get to her here, where someone told her Jana was living? But what if she moved already? Erica would be stepping into a lion’s den.

The day’s shadows were growing as night descended. Erica hated staying there because she was terrified the whole time.

Was it even worth it? Damn. She’d promised her mom that Erica would sell the house and give Jana half the proceeds once she was gone. She could have just taken all the money from the sale, but her promise to her mother made her last few days calm and happy. She wouldn’t go back on her word.

Erica smoothed out her sleeping bag and crawled in. It got so cold there she thought she’d freeze the night before. She’d put on another layer of clothing, hoping that would help. Once tucked in, she reached for her backpack to try to find something to eat. There was only part of a candy bar, but it was better than nothing. She hoped it was enough to calm her achy, hollow stomach.

She could handle not eating again until the next day. She promised herself she’d pull her “big girl panties” on and walk up to the door. She couldn’t spend another night in the woods.

The sounds of people’s voices mellowed, leaving Erica without anything to think about. The loneliness she’d felt for years deepened. The realization that she was truly on her own, that no one else in her world wanted her, was hard to fathom. The tears started, and Erica let them go. The pressure in her chest was so painful she didn’t think she’d be able to make it through the night. Is this where she was supposed to die?

Erica tried to laugh when she thought of the look on her sister’s face when they found her body. Would she even know who she was or even care?

She wept until there was nothing left in her, and she was feeling numb. It was better than the pressure, but in some ways it was worse.

Would she become like some of the women she’d encountered? There was no light in their eyes, and they never smiled, making it through one day at a time because they knew they had no future.

The tears came again.

“Girl, you have to stop,” she said to herself. “You’re probably already dehydrated from lack of water.” Her tears didn’t help that situation.

A scream tore from her mouth when a hand gripped the back of her shirt, yanked her out of her sleeping bag, and then grabbed her shoulders to hold her in place.