Destiny Calling Read Online Free PDF Page A

best had always been her advice. My laugh was harsh, as her words made sense now. I forced all my burning anger and hate into it…into hoping. Hoping to find my mother, to avenge Tessa, and to live another day. The surge of hope flowed through me, forcing the agony and despair out. Staggering until I could stand, I held out my arms waiting to embrace the creature barreling toward me. It picked up speed the closer it came, as if the anticipation had gotten to be too much. It was almost upon me. Grinding my teeth, I tensed and waited for the impact that never came. The hate train stopped abruptly, hitting an invisible wall. I took a step toward the creature, ready to finish it.
    The roar of a motorcycle in the distance shattered the silence.
    The creature cringed, like the receding wave on the sand, and then it shattered into thousands of tiny specks of blackness. I shielded my eyes, but no shards of the creature hit me as it disintegrated.
    It was gone.
    The returning chatter of the birds confirmed its absence. I took a few deep breaths, uncertain if the motorcycle or I’d scared the thing away, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
    I increased my pace down the road, glancing over my shoulder as the roar of the motorcycle engine slowed, signaling its approach. I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. The biker pulled over and lifted his muscular thigh over the huge, black bike.
    Of course, it would be him. Griffith.
    “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare tire on that thing?” I gestured to the motorcycle.
    He pulled off his leather gloves. “Where’s your car?”
    I pointed toward the road obscured by the trees. Their bare branches made the woods seem all the more ominous, as though their skeletal arms blocked the path.
    He studied the woods, then me. “You were walking alone? In the woods?” He approached me moving with the grace of a large jungle cat, tensed and ready to spring. “Did anything unusual happen?”
    I wasn’t about to try to explain what I’d encountered. I wasn’t even sure I could. Crossing my arms over my chest, I suppressed a shudder. “Yes, a flat tire about a mile ago. Can you tell me where I can get it fixed?”
    He looked at me for what felt like an eternity, but in reality lasted only a few seconds. I must’ve passed the test.
    “I can’t figure it out.” He regarded me, then the woods, and shook his head.
    “What?” I followed his gaze, taking a step closer to Griffith when a large dog stepped from between the branches of a low-hanging pine tree. The dog melted back into the depths, making me wonder if I’d imagined the animal.
    “You.” He shrugged. “Although your heap of a car breaking down doesn’t surprise me.”
    “Hey, my car didn’t break down. I ran over something on that pothole cratered road.” I put my hands on my hips. “My car might be up a bit in miles, but it gets me around.” Besides being all I could afford.
    He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, but that car’s not safe for travel.”
    “Don’t worry, I can handle myself.” If safety had been my primary concern, I’d never have come here in the first place. I stood a little straighter, and tilted my head back to catch his eye. “You don’t know me.”
    “I know enough.”
    “Just how is that?”
    “One glance at the car you’ve turned into a mobile home, tells me you’ve been living in that broken-down heap. You have to be low on money to eat peanuts out of that bowl at theLast Call.” He paused, cocking his head to the side. “Then there are the dreams I’ve had about you.”
    I held up my hand. I hadn’t realized we’d been sharing the dreams. He wasn’t as observant as he thought, because I’d not taken one peanut out of that crusty bowl. “Umm…about my car?”
    “Okay.” He shrugged. “Since you insist, we’ll discuss the dreams another time.” He rested against the bike, crossing one ankle over the other. The fabric of his jeans tightened