SANDOR

"For fuck sake!" Sandor cursed, wondering if the fates hated him that much that they would allow this to happen to him twice in a row. Another blur of red had rushed right past his truck but this time he slammed on the brakes well within a few feet of her.

He slammed opened the door and jumped out, his blood boiling as he stormed over to the front of the vehicle. "Are you mental, girl?" he roared.

She looked up at him defiantly, her crystalline eyes blazing, the fear from last time gone. "There isn't any traffic light here," she defended. "I tried to make it. And I did. You didn't hit me so I don't know why you're angry."

Her chin jutted out and Sandor wanted to grab her and shake her. "You're crazy." His huge finger jabbed in front of her face. "And next time I see you running wildly into this street I'm going to call the police so that they can lock you up in a juvenile cage."

Her rose colored lips fell open. "You can't do that! I'm not a criminal," she protested indignantly.

He didn't offer her a reply as he made his way back to his truck.

"Can you drive me somewhere?" she asked, scrambling up.

Sandor looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Did your parents teach you that it's okay to go around hitchhiking rides from strangers?"

She flushed. "You drove me home safely yesterday," she pointed out.

He snorted. "It was stupid of you to get into my truck."

The girl was not deterred. "Please?" she added.

"Drive you where?" he snapped.

"I want to mail a letter to my brother but I don't want my uncle to know."

"Why can't he know?" Sandor rasped.

"Uncle Petyr doesn't really know him, so he doesn't trust him," she supplied.

"Get in the truck," Sandor grunted.

The girl swung open the passenger side door, settling into the seat and shutting the door, then she turned to him and beamed.

She was absolutely dazzling, Sandor marveled. Way prettier than his mind had recalled. And way too damn young. "How old are you, girl?" he demanded.

"I'm about to be sixteen in a few months. My birthday's late." She shrugged.

"What's your name?" he wanted to know, realizing that she had preoccupied his thoughts since yesterday and he had no idea what her name was.

"Sansa," she told him.

"Sansa," he repeated, turning the name over in his mouth. It soothed her. "You're more like a bird," he informed her. "Always trying to flutter off somewhere. Flutter to an early grave maybe. This is the second time that you nearly turned to mush beneath the wheels of my truck."

Sansa glared at him. "What's your name anyway?" she turned the table on him.

"Sandor," he told her.

"Interesting," she replied, and then fell silent.

He drove her to the post office and parked. "You better hurry up before I drive off without you, little bird," he rasped at her.

She lifted an eyebrow at the nickname and then grinned as she exited the truck; her long legs quickly closing the distance to the building.

Sandor watched her disappear inside and then leaned back against his seat already impatient. He cranked up the music to pass time as he crossly wondered why he had agreed to this. Apparently all it took for him to lose his mind was a beautiful, innocent face.

The little bird reentered the truck fifteen minutes later. "Sorry about the delay," she said, looking sheepish. "I had to wait in line."

Sandor grunted in response and revved up the truck engine. "Since you invaded my truck, you're going to wait in it as I drop off these packages," he announced to her.

She shrugged. "Just hurry. My uncle worries easily and I have been at the library for hours."

The sky was dark by the time he finished running his errands and the beautiful brat in the passenger seat had fallen asleep after hijacking his radio and putting on some bubblegum pop noise that she claimed was music. He stopped in front of her circular yard and shook her awake. "Get up, little bird. And get out. We're back at your cage."

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and scowled at him. He couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped him as she grumbled a dirty word before jumping out of the truck. Once she had entered the house, and shut the door behind her, he drove off.