Hidden (To Love A Killer #1) by Lexie Ray Page B

done it a million times. But still, she wasn’t sure she had really made it out of the farmhouse. She was still living like she had when she was there.
                  Devon didn’t see it that way, which both annoyed and inspired Molly. Her friend kept reminding her that life on the street was temporary. Soon they would have a little money saved and get an apartment together. They would get some kind of job, something simple, like working as maids at a hotel, or as bussers in a restaurant, anything. If there was one thing Devon was good at, it was keeping their spirits high. Molly wouldn’t have made it this far without her.
                  The dumpsters were straight ahead. Devon had promised to meet up after doing some trades at the sugar factory a few blocks down. Molly didn’t love being separated from Devon, but they had worked out a system of reconnecting without too much of a headache. It always boiled down to not moving, staying put, no matter how long she had to wait. Devon would eventually come.
                  For some reason, Molly had a strange feeling today that something would go terribly wrong.
                  She lifted the lid up from the first dumpster, pushing it back hard until it banged against the brick building behind it. Molly paused a second to make sure the lid wasn’t about to slap back down. The last thing she needed was to get hit in the head and knocked unconscious in a dumpster. But the lid seemed to stay, so she hoisted herself up and climbed in.
                  The stench was putrid, sour, and seemed to cling to her nostrils. Breathing through her mouth didn’t help, in fact it caused her stomach to twist, churning with disgust. Molly tore a garbage bag open and began rifling through. It contained mostly papers and waste commonly found in the bathroom. She moved on to the next bag, this time getting lucky. She plucked out half eaten protein bars and a few muffins that seemed mostly untouched. After tossing the morsels into her canvas bag, she climbed out of the dumpster, careful not to catch her jeans or tee-shirt on its sharp lip.
                  Molly was smiling to herself. Devon would be thrilled with this. The muffins didn’t look too stale. She was so excited about her findings that she forgot to stay cautious, alert to her surroundings. Molly turned, coming face to face with Travis, one of the worst men from the farmhouse.
                  Panic sliced through her as she stood, staring wide-eyed in disbelief that he was there.
                  Travis was grinning menacingly down at her. The creases in his face cracked, furrowing deeper, as his mouth twisted up in a wicked smirk.
                  She couldn’t believe he had found her. Her mind began racing a mile a minute and her heart pounded hard in her chest. A voice in her head kept telling her to run, but Molly couldn’t. She was petrified and unable to move as dread rose up inside her. She realized she was trembling. Finally she took a step backwards, but immediately struck the dumpster. If she ran, he would easily grab her. If she fought, he would quickly win.
                  “Leave us alone,” she said, praying that she had sounded strong, but her cracking voice betrayed her.
                  “Where’s Hunter?” he asked coldly, his eyes turning dark, clouding over with soulless hatred.
                  “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know anything about Hunter. None of us do. Now leave me alone.”
                  Travis began to laugh in a low chuckle saturated with ridicule for Molly’s precarious position.
                  “No one wants you, Molly,” he said after his dark laughter died down. “You’re too old. You disgust people. And you’re too weak to be of use. We want Hunter, but we’ll take you until we get her. Now, do