Lone Girl (The Wolfling Saga) by Kate Bloomfield Read Free Book Online

in this whole terrible ordeal.
    You don’t know me and have no reason to believe what I am saying. I also have no reason to lie to you.
    One thing you must understand about Thomas Stone is that he is dangerous. You may think you know him, but I can assure you that he has secrets – and you do not want to know what they are.
    He might love you – for now. He might even believe it himself. But things will change – sooner than you think.
    How do I know this? Tom and I were engaged a few years ago . He may not have told you, but things were quite serious. We were only a few weeks away from our wedding when everything fell to pieces.
    He changed. He became withdrawn, secretive and moody. And then he left me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did the same thing to you. Tom is an excellent sweet-talker and an expert at reverse psychology. Please remember that.
    Regards,
    Anya
     
    I stared at the message from Tom’s ex-fiancé, my heart pounding rapidly against my ribcage. Suddenly, I felt sick and dizzy. Bile rose in my throat, the acidic taste lingering in my mouth. Tears stung my eyes and burned through my nose. Stuffing the phone in my bag, I fumbled for the latch on the car door and swung it open. I fell to the grass on my knees and dry heaved. 
    “Rose?”
    Tom had woken up. I heard him jump out of the driver’s side and hurry around the car. He knelt by my side as I gasped and coughed. When I’d finally emptied my stomach of what little content it had, I sat on the grass and leaned against the car, panting.
    “ Jesus, Rose. Are you all right?” Tom asked, brushing my hair out of my eyes.
    I nodded feebly, my mind still reeling from the message I’d just read.
    “What happened?” he asked. “Was it something we ate?”
    “N-no,” I wheezed, covering my mouth. I didn’t want Tom to smell my breath after I’d just vomited.
    “What then? Are you ill?” he placed his hand over my forehead. “You’re not burning up.”
    “I’m okay,” I said, using the car as leverage to get to my feet. I was a little shaky .
    “Do you want to go to hospital?” he asked, helping me stand.
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I said I’m fine,” I snapped. “I’m capable of standing on my own.”
    “All right, all right.” He frowned, clearly confused by my sudden temper.
    Still shaking, I clambered back into the passenger seat and closed the door as Tom walked around the car. Once seated, he glanced at me nervously but said nothing.
    “Goodnight,” I said, in what I hoped was a normal voice.
    “Night, love,” he replied.
    Of course I wouldn’t be able to sleep – not after what I’d read. Thoughts whizzed around my mind like buzzing flies. It was relentless. This woman – Anya Kelly – had been Tom’s fiancé and he’d left her weeks before their wedding.
    The words I read had been burned into my skull and blinded me as I closed my eyes.
    What reason would this woman have for telling me this? Was she jealous that I had Tom and she didn’t? Perhaps she wanted revenge.
    Yeah, I’m sure she’d like that – me leaving Tom.
    He wasn’t about to leave me. After all, we were on the run together. He wouldn’t have asked me unless he was serious about us.
    Right?
    Tom is excellent at reverse psychology.

Chapter Seven
    Thursday – 25 days to go

     
    We crossed into Washington State later in the day. It marked a large milestone for us. Finally, it felt like we were making progress. Our plan was to drive to the coast and find a fishing boat willing to take us across the waters to Alaska. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.  Today it was my turn to drive, something I didn’t mind. I’d probably need all the practice I could get. Tom was always teasing me about my poor skills.
    “ Do you want to stop at a payphone today?” he asked late that evening. The sky was shot with pink and gold as the sun began to set.
    “No,” I replied. “Not yet.”
    I hadn’t told Tom about the message I’d received from