One year later
Shrugging her jacket on quickly, Bella snatched her purse up and threw the strap across her like a messenger bag. Her heartbeat quickened, her hands shaking with anxiety as she scanned her surroundings, ready to bolt. Bella couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Her breath came in gasps as she glanced around yet again.
"Trix, where are you going? Your shift isn't over for another two hours." Vic, the bar owner, stepped toward her as he tried to gain her attention. "Trix?" When he touched his hand to her shoulder, she jumped and turned, letting out a strangled sound.
She finally met his concerned gaze as he said, "Sheesh. I didn't mean to scare you, but Trix, you still have another two hours left of your shift. Where are you going?"
"I-I c-can't stay here. I-I-I have t-to get out of here," Bella's wild eyes blinked at him, her pupils dilated from the adrenaline rush.
As she fled the bar, she rushed to her car, looking over her shoulder and around her with quick darting glances. The absence of a visual threat did nothing to assuage her ever-growing terror. When she finally reached her vehicle, she wrenched open the door and flung herself inside, quickly locking the doors behind her. It didn't matter since the lock wouldn't barricade her from a vampire, but she needed the moment to garner her as she fumbled with her keys, trying to get the right one in the ignition.
She flew through stoplights, fleeing through the small town as the fear threatened to overwhelm her. Her car couldn't outrun a vampire. It would be all too easy for Victoria to catch her.
Bella didn't relax until she reached the next big city, hoping she could get lost in the crowd somewhere. She still couldn't pinpoint what threw her off, but she knew she couldn't ignore her gut instincts. Charlie had drilled into her that her instincts were there for a reason. So she did what she had grown used to, and ran.
Five years later
Bella smiled flirtatiously at the patron across from her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. This guy was cute, and it had been a few months since she last let someone take care of her baser needs.
"I'm Ryan. What's your name?"
"Brooke. What can I get for you, Ryan?"
She nibbled her lip, recognizing the interest in his eyes. Bella knew she could leave with Ryan later if she played things right. She never took guys back to her room or into her car. Bella didn't want any trace of her found in their minds besides where they picked her up and her appearance. She didn't think that Victoria or Laurent had mind-reading abilities, but that didn't mean they didn't know someone else who did.
She knew people often thought she was crazy or suffered from extreme paranoia. Perhaps they were right, but if they knew what she knew–had seen what Bella had seen, they would be the same.
The calendar showed it was about time for her to move on. She might spend another two days in Buckner but needed to leave afterward. There was no solid timeline, but Bella had decided from the beginning to keep running. It had served her well so far.
As she mixed Ryan's drink and poured it into a fresh cup, she spotted a dark-skinned man at the end of the bar. His long dreads ended with beads that clacked with every movement. Her breath hitched when she saw him on the phone.
Bella inched closer, sliding Ryan's drink to him as she did. Her upper lip glistened with drops of sweat as her anxiety ratcheted tenfold. Panic dried her mouth out, and she tried to swallow convulsively. Bella strained her ears to hear over the din of the crowded space and blinked hard, ignoring the irritation in her eyes as she fought the urge to cry. She refused to show any kind of upset. She was stronger than that!
"She's here."
Those two words settled in the pit of her stomach like lead and flooded her veins with ice. They knew. They had found her, and it would only be a matter of time before Victoria appeared.
Bella would not give her an easy win. She dipped into the back room where she had stored her purse, then fled. She didn't care about tips or her pay for the night. Deon could keep it. He'd been kind to her when he didn't have to be. She hated leaving him in a lurch, but Bella couldn't let them find her.
Well. Victoria had found Bella already, but she and her companions would not catch Bella if she could avoid it.
Running to her car, she pressed the buttons on the clicker until it finally unlocked.
From behind her, Ryan called, "Brooke! Wait! I didn't get your number." His footsteps pounded in her ears, and some part of her brain registered that he wasn't a threat. Still, when he touched her shoulder, she spun toward him and lashed out with a quick right fist to his throat.
His gasps filled the air as he clutched his throat in shock, but she didn't pause. Bella jumped into her car and shoved the key into the ignition with long-practiced expertise. A moment later, she was speeding from the parking lot. Bella floored the accelerator once on the open road. She didn't care where she went as long as she escaped.
She wiggled the memory card out of her cell phone and dropped it into her purse before throwing the cell out the window. She couldn't use that one anymore. The device itself made her traceable. If Emmett could trace it, why couldn't Victoria? She would have to stop at a gas station for a new phone, number, and sim card.
She couldn't stop driving for a while, though. Just the thought of Victoria sent her spiraling into panic, recalling the night she'd gotten bitten. Bella pushed harder on the accelerator, trying to force air between her parted lips, hoping she could get control. Black dots began dancing in her vision.
It was not a minor panic attack. It was anxiety, panic, and terror all in one, and it was overwhelming her.
Her chest felt tight as her heart raced as quickly as the car tires. Her vision completely blurred, and she felt the car slide off onto the embankment. Suddenly, there was an impact. She closed her blurry eyes against the jarring sensations. She guarded her face from impact with her forearms, listening to the crunch of metal and shattering glass as her vehicle repeatedly tumbled and rolled. Then, as suddenly as it began, blackness consumed her as the rolling ended, and the world went still.
