Code 3: Finding Safety Read Online Free Page B

slamming the door behind him.  His strides are long and determined as he makes his way to the depot doors.  He flings the door open so hard that it smacks the wall, shaking with the force. 
    Mark is seething red as his hands open and close into fists. “Listen you little fuck, I know my wife came in here,” he says to the cashier at the bus depot while holding a picture of Leanna.  “I need to know where the fuck she went!”  Mark is in no mood to deal with the prick standing before him. 
    The little guy behind the counter begins to shake as Mark’s lips purse together and his eyebrows slant.  Mark isn’t a man many people would want to encounter and this guy is no exception.  If Mark wanted, he could knock the prick out with one punch to the nose. 
    “I’m fucking waiting!”
    With a startled and confused look the little guy gives him the information.  He doesn’t even need to search the computer system to remember where she went.  “Austin, Texas,” he says, diverting eye contact from the raging devil before him.
    What the fuck is in Texas?  Why the hell would she go there?  “One ticket for Austin, Texas,” he orders, slamming his bank card against the counter.   When I get ahold of her, she’ll never pull this bullshit again.  If she thought she got a beating last time, she’s got another thing coming.  I’m going to show her what a real fucking beating is this time.
    The little guy charges the card and slides it back to him, avoiding any and all contact with the fire breathing dragon before him.  “Bus leaves in four hours,” he explains as he slides the ticket over and quickly removes his hand.
    Mark grabs the card and ticket and storms out the door.  I have just enough time to pack some shit and get back here.  He grabs his cell phone from his pocket and dials it.  “Pa?”
    “What?”
    “I need a ride to the bus station.  Can you do it for me?”
    “Where the fuck you headed?  Was I right about the bitch going there?”
    Mark grows angrier by the second.  He hates when his dad is right and he knows that the old bastard is going to rub this in his face for years to come.  “I’m going to fetch my bitch from Texas!”
    “Aight boy, I’ll meet ya at your place.  Ya want me to get the dungeon ready for the stupid bitch while you’re gone?”  Earl breathes heavily into the receiver.
    Mark’s eyes light up at the thought of using the dungeon.  He’d love to see Leanna suspended from the rafters and her skin glowing with every switch of his whip.  “Would ya, Pa?”
    “I’ll start on it tonight, boy.  I’m on my way.” 
    Mark hangs up and throws his phone on the passenger seat of the car before sliding in the driver’s seat.  I’m coming for you, Leanna.  I’m coming for you and you can’t hide from me.  He starts the car and peels out into the deserted road and heads for home.

Ten
    Leanna wakes early the next morning.  The spare room at James’ house was comfortable and, once she got to sleep, she slept like a log.  For the first time in a long time, nightmares didn’t plague her.  She woke rested and ready to start the first day of her new life.  She can’t remember the last time she didn’t have a nightmare about Mark beating her to death.  Yes, the abuse that she’d suffered from Mark inflicted a rational fear of death in her subconscious. 
    She quickly gets dressed and throws her long, brown hair into a messy bun and makes her way downstairs to the kitchen.  She fumbles through the fridge to find breakfast fixings.  Yeah, I’m going to need to go to the store today.  He doesn’t have much food at all in here; she makes a mental note to herself.
    With eggs, cheese, ham and bread in hand, she makes her way to the stove.  After a quick search through all the cabinets, she finally finds what she’s looking for—a skillet!  As the skillet preheats, she beats the eggs and seasons them before pouring the mixture into the, now hot,