“Excuse me, but where are we?”
“Sugar Rush, Miss.”
She looked out the front door, saw a town up ahead, and turned back to the driver.
“Are there any other stops? Maybe a bigger city?” She wanted to blend in, and a small town didn’t seem like it would help her out with that. “I bought a ticket for Columbine.” And this certainly wasn’t the larger city that was still nearly a half day of travel away from Sugar Rush. As it was, she had only been traveling for ten hours, and that wasn’t nearly enough distance to separate herself from Tandale.
“They didn’t tell you at the ticket counter that this is the last stop for the night? You have to wait until the morning pickup at eight, and they will take you the rest of the way per your ticket.”
Shit. The ticket agent probably had told her all of that and more, but Kettah had been frantic to get away, looking over her shoulder expecting one of her father’s men to be right there, ready to take her back and make her regret ever trying this, so she hadn’t been concentrating on much else.
“Miss? Miss, are you okay?”
Kettah snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the driver.
“Yes, I’m fine. You said the next bus will pick up at eight. Right here?”
“Yes, that’s right.” She swallowed, nodded, and turned to step off the bus, but the driver’s voice stopped her. “I’m not that familiar with Sugar Rush, but I know enough that there is a motel just a ways up.”
She smiled and nodded. She needed to get her shit together, because if the bus driver could see her wariness, then she was going to get caught, and she’d rather be dead than face whatever her father and his men had planned for her. She felt the driver’s stare as she moved away from the bus, and a few seconds later the doors closed behind her and the bus pulled away from the curb. The dead of silence surrounded her, and she wrapped her thin jacket more tightly around her, and fixed her purse so it was now crossed over one shoulder and her chest. There was no sign of the man that had been on the bus with her, and she knew that her nerves were on the verge of breaking. She was paranoid, seeing things that weren’t there, and worrying that everyone was an enemy. But she also knew that a part of her paranoia was justified and that she couldn’t let her guard down for one moment. The town of Sugar Rush appeared quaint, with antique looking streetlamps lining either side of the narrow road, and cobblestone sidewalks. She looked around once more and forced herself to take that first step. She would definitely need to get a room for the night, but every building she passed was closed. Tandale was a big city, and it seemed one that never slept, so it was a bit strange to see everything shut down for the night when it wasn’t even midnight. Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, and she placed her hand over her belly. Kettah walked for about ten minutes before the sound of loud, but muted, music came to her, and she took a right, following the sound. The small bar that came into view was attached to a motel that looked as old as the town itself. The muted light from the few parking lot lights showed the peeling paint, the roof that was in desperate need of new shingles, and the flickering “OPEN” sign in the front office window.
She walked quickly toward the front door of the bar, gripped the scarred handle, and pulled it open. The sounds of “Sweet Home Alabama” and raucous laughter slammed into her, along with the scent of spilled beer and sweat. Kettah stepped inside, and the door behind her slammed shut. It seemed everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Then just as quickly as everything had stopped it started back up. Kettah looked around the small bar, one with what appeared to be red velvet walls, black studded chairs, and a neon lit bar. She walked up to the bar and set her purse on the counter in front of her. Taking a seat and looking around, Kettah felt very uncomfortable and very out of place. A bartender leaned her elbows on the counter and grinned at her.
“Hey there, little cat. Haven’t seen your breed before.” The platinum blonde rabbit shifter eyed her up and down. She was a tiny thing, with light blue eyes, but with tattoos covering both of her arms. “What can I get for you?” She slapped a napkin on the counter in front of Kettah and stared at her in question.
“Uh.” Kettah looked around for a menu, but apparently they didn’t have them. “You serve food here?” The rabbit grinned wider and nodded. Kettah was hungry enough that she would have eaten just about anything right now.
“Honey, we got the best ribs in three counties. You wait right here, and I’ll set you up.”