"Stop! Please!" Billie pleaded. The door was locked and she felt trapped.
"I told you to calm down. Why are you always so dramatic?!" Sean shouted. He grabbed her by her hair and threw her onto the bed. "What did I tell you last time? If you try to run again, Billie, I will kill you. I will kill you and make it look like an accident. Do you hear me?" Sean said as he opened her legs. She looked into his eyes. He enjoyed this so much. Seeing her fear. Forcing himself onto her.
"You're a joke." Billie said.
"What did you just say to me?" Sean asked.
"I said you're a joke! You're not a man! You're a coward! You can't get it up unless I'm frightened of you, unless you hurt me and beat me up, you limp dicked freak!" She yelled. He got on top of her and proceeded to hit her, over and over again until she pretended to be unconscious.
"See what you've done? I don't even want you anymore tonight. Go to bed." He said, leaving her there. She felt the blood pouring out of her mouth and saw a tooth on the bed that he had knocked out. The first of several.
Billie woke up on the dusty motel room, wiping her eyes. "It was only a dream." She said out loud to herself. A dream, and a memory, she thought, feeling the fake tooth in her mouth with her tongue.
She looked at her phone and saw it was almost 10am. She had missed several calls. Three from Paula and one from Gabe. Abby. Pete. Shit, she thought. They were all aware of her leaving. She got up and grabbed her bag, dumping it out on the bed. Several prepaid cards and cash toppled out. She started the coffee maker and waited for the cup to brew before she sat down to count it all.
$11,712. Her savings so far including what was left of what Ezra had given her. It was enough to keep her moving for awhile until she could think of a better plan. She felt terrible for leaving town like she had. For Paula especially. She had the most amazing time with Ezra and met her first real friends on her own and her heart sank because now she had to leave it all behind. She gathered her things and headed to her Jeep, back out on the road.
**********************
"Have you heard from her?" Gabe asked the next day at the diner.
"No. Nothing. Just the note and the money she left. Her phone goes directly to voicemail. I don't know what to do." Paula said.
"That asshole Sean won't be back, I can assure you of that." Gabe said.
"Proud of you for running him off like that. And giving him the beating of his life. Sounds to me like he's usually the one doing the beating, not taking it." Paula said.
"Well, I wish she was here. With us. I can't make sure she's okay when I don't know where she is." Gabe asked.
"What about that man? Oh what's his name? Her new friend." Paula asked.
"Easton?" Gabe said.
"Something like that, yeah. He lives in Tucson. He has alot of money. A LOT." Paula said. "Maybe she went to him?"
Gabe shifted in his seat. "I doubt it." He said.
"You should go there and see, just to be sure." Paula said. Gabe looked at her and shook his head.
"Nope. Not alone. You're coming with me." He said.
"But the diner?" She said.
"It will be fine for a few hours." He said. He was right. It would be fine. She grabbed her bag and said, "Let's go then." And they walked out to head to Tucson.
"So, where does he live?" Gabe asked.
"I have no idea." Paula said.
"Wait. So you don't have any idea where we are going?" Gabe asked, shaking his head.
"He's got money. He is rich." Paula said.
"Paula, lots of people in Tucson have money. It's a rich city. What are we gonna do, knock door to door in upper middle class subdivisions?" Gabe asked.
"No. He's got MONEY. Like more than average rich people. She said he had houses." Paula said.
"Houses like, a summer and a winter house?" Gabe asked.
"No. Like 15 houses. All over the world. And he's a… billionaire."
Gabe looked over at Paula and then back at the road.
"Billionaire." He repeated.
"Yeah. 80, to be more specific." Paula said. Gabe pulled over and off the road, and took a deep breath.
"That guy, Mr. wonderful one name, is worth EIGHTY Billion dollars?" Gabe asked, looking at Paula.
"Yes." She said.
"Where the fuck did she meet him again?" He asked.
"Apparently he ran out of gas in town one night and didn't have his wallet. So she helped him. She didn't know. She didn't know until last weekend that he had money at all. She thought he was poor." Paula explained what she knew.
"Oh my god." Gabe said.
"Yeah." Paula agreed.
"Well, let's go and find this guy. And hopefully her, too. And you're right, he should be easy to find." Gabe said. "Google him." He instructed as he pulled back out onto the highway.