We walked side by side towards the waiting area.
“Looks like it’s bus number 4,” I said as we took a seat on a hard backed bench.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared ahead. I had so many questions for him, but I didn’t want to pry. I knew better than to get attached to a complete stranger again.
We sat in silence for what seemed like forever until I heard the gush and whir of a bus pulling up.
“There it is,” I said as I stood up slowly and stretched.
He stood up and faced me, hands still in his pockets, and stared up at the bus.
“I’d help you with your luggage, but seeing as how you have none,” he said with a smile.
“R.J.,” I said as I stared into his eyes. “Thank you so much. I know I’ve thanked you already, but I feel like I can’t say it enough. You saved me. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be shackled up in Blaze’s motel room doing God knows what.”
“It’s fine,” he said.
I decided to throw my arms around him, giving him the biggest hug I could muster. I squeezed him tight and didn’t let go for at least a solid minute. To my surprise, he hugged me back, wrapping his arms around me.
When we finally let go, I flashed him a sweet half-smile and turned towards the bus. I climbed on and took a seat towards the front. I wanted to be as close to the exit as possible. I looked out the window and saw him standing at the same bench, waiting to make sure I was good and settled.
He lingered for a little while and then walked off, and with that, R.J. was gone.
CHAPTER 22
The trip home was slow but peaceful. On the bus, I felt safe. I felt like Blaze couldn’t get me. I was surrounded by hundreds of strangers, constantly moving forward, stopping in random little towns at random intervals. There was no way he’d be able to track me down, at least not on the way home.
With all the stops, it ended up taking almost nine hours to get home, but that was okay. I arrived in St. Louis in the late afternoon, and it was the best homecoming ever. I filed off the bus with everyone else and headed off the platform and away from the loading dock.
I didn’t take but ten steps before realizing I was empty handed. I had no purse. I had no keys. I had no phone.
I walked up to one of the ticket booths and stared at an older, gray haired gentleman with kind eyes.
“Yes?” he said as he looked up at me over the top of his glasses.
“Excuse me, sir,” I said. I didn’t know why, but I was starting to tear up. I guess I had never felt so helpless before. “Do you have a phone I could borrow?”
“Sure do,” he said as he pointed across the room. “Just past those doors and on the left. It’s on the wall. Says ‘public phone’ above it.”
“Thank you,” I said as I smiled and got the hell out of there before I broke down crying.
It had been so long since I’d had to memorize a phone number. I racked my brain over and over, trying to remember someone I could call. The first number that came to mind was the salon. I’d given that number out to clients hundreds of times, so it was only natural that it was at the forefront of my mind.
I picked up the phone, shaking a bit, and dialed the salon.
“Hey,” I said to the receptionist. “Are Tessa or Raquel there? It’s Molly.”
“Molly?!” she said. “We were wondering where you were. Oh, my God. We were worried.”
“You were?” I asked. In my head and per my calculations, I’d only been gone two days. I was surprised they were worrying about me so soon.
“Yeah, we got your letter,” she said. “It was typed out and taped to the front door. Said you were taking a vacation and to cancel all your appointments until further notice.”
“Really,” I said. So that’s what he did. Fucking idiot.
“Did you call the police?” I asked.
“Tess and Raquel were going to go down there today after work and file a missing persons report,” she said. “They wouldn’t do anything until you’d been gone twenty-four hours.”
“Of course,” I said.
“So what happened?” she asked.
“It’s a long story,” I replied. “I don’t feel like getting into it.”
“Oh, okay,” she said. She seemed disappointed, but probably because she wouldn’t be the first to hear the gossip. “Let me find Tessa for you.”
She placed me on hold and within a few minutes Tessa picked up the line.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “Where the hell did you go?”
“It’s a really long story,” I said. “I need a favor.”
“Okay,” she said. “What?”