SANDOR
"Shit!" Sandor cursed vehemently as he violently slammed down on the brakes as a blur of red flashed past his vision, directly into the path of his truck. The truck jolted to a stop and he slammed open the door and jumped out, swearing under his breath. "Just what I needed! Some creature becoming roadkill underneath my wheels."
He stalked to the front of the truck, ignoring the apprehension that crept up at what he might find, then swore again.
A figure lay face down on the ground, shiny auburn hair igniting into blazing copper under the sun. What a waste if she's dead, he thought, mesmerized by her hair. The girl had the willowy thinness of youth and a fierce headache started to pound at the thought that he had killed a kid.
There was a book bag on her back, the zipper had opened and he could see clothes stuffed into it, along with shoes, toothbrush, and a tube of toothpaste.
A runaway.
Sandor closed his eyes to gather patience or strength he wasn't sure, before he moved closer to the body. He used the tip of his steel toe boots to to nudge it slightly, then stepped back as the figure on the ground jerked and then slowly straightened itself into an upright sitting position.
"I thought I was dead," said the girl who apparently was very much alive. "I was scared to move and find out until you kicked me."
He stared dumbfounded at her, before blind rage swooped in. "You fucking idiot!" he cursed her. "Didn't your parents teach you not to run into the street like a fool?"
Her pretty face paled under his anger. "I wasn't trying to get hit by a car," she stated. "And I didn't run into the street like a fool. I had enough time but I didn't realize how fast you were speeding." She crossed her arms. "You shouldn't have been speeding."
He wanted to roar at the pretty little fool about how lucky she was that she hadn't been turned into an ugly little roadkill.
"Get up and get into the truck or I'll leave you here," he rasped. "You need to go to a hospital or something."
"I don't need to," she replied stubbornly. "I'm just shaken up. I was terrified." She struggled to her feet, swaying slightly.
Sandor could see that she was in a daze, so he grabbed her arm and led her into the passenger side of the truck, slamming the door shut after her, before making his way to the driver's seat.
"Can you explain why you ran into the street like a dimwit?" he barked, anger still pumping through his veins.
She hesitated, shooting him a searching look, before she spoke. "I found out my brother's alive."
Her voice was barely above a whisper and Sandor struggled to hear her. Even out of his good ear it was difficult. "What, girl?" he growled.
"My brother." She glared up at him, a scowl on her face, before she looked back down.
"Does he live nearby?" Sandor demanded.
The girl looked up again, her scowl deepening before she finally answered. "No." Her voice was defiant.
"Then I have to take you back to wherever you ran away from. Either that or I drive you to the police station since you're refusing to go to the hospital." He looked at her, waiting for her to make her decision.
"Fine," she snapped. "Take me back home."
She told him the address and Sandor whistled. A little rich girl. "What's a little rich girl like you doing running away from home?" he asked.
"Shut up," was the only reply she offered him.
The girl's bottom lip was faintly quivering so he decided to ignore her rudeness. As they drove in silence, a thought came to him. "Hey, you're not being abused or anything…?" The question hung in the air as the silence stretched out.
"I just want to see my brother." The words were thrown at him before she jumped out of the truck as soon as he pulled up in front of the address that she had supplied. She wiped angry tears from her eyes as she stormed down the circular driveway.
Sandor waited until she had safely (if angrily) slammed inside before pressing down on the gas and driving off.