"No, ma'am. Please, you don't understand." Tania pleaded into her cellphone hoping the AAA woman could work a miracle.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but our trucks usually never go that far. If you want a tow, it'll be a couple hours before we can get someone to you." She could already feel her leather seats warming as she sat on the side of the two lane highway.
Her 2016 BMW X5 had never failed her before but 9 hours into her 12 hour trip, the car seemed to have had enough. The dark tint of her windows kept her cool against the blistering sun and peering eyes of passing traffic.
"Yeah, yeah. Okay. I'll wait here." Tania sighed in defeat. A mile sign up ahead told her she was just on the outskirts of Boone County. A place she'd been trying to avoid on her trip but her faulty gps and broken down car seemed to have other plans.
Leaning back in her seat, she rechecked her purse to make sure her gun was still tucked inside. The glock 43, along with a concealed carry license, had been a gift from her best friend after learning she'd be traveling on her own.
"No AC. No water. No snacks." She slapped her forehead as she pouted at the course of her trip. Thankfully, she'd just charged up her portable charger so she'd still have a working cellphone.
Multiple trucks zoomed past her, each one almost identical to the last with their rusty bumpers and faded paint jobs. It didn't slip past her that each one was filled with a white person.
"Why'd you have to buy land near racism capital?" She questioned her father as she watched a large tractor mill past her. The potbellied, red faced white man frowned down at her bmw from his high seat.
"You better keep it moving, John deer." She muttered to the man before turning back to her phone. Her text notifications let her know the next tow truck wouldn't be available until 8:15pm- almost 4 hours from now.
The next message to catch her eye was from her best friend questioning where she was on the trip. Tania felt like crying as she filled her best friend in on her situation. If the heat didn't get to her, surely some racist would.
A 45 minute conversation with her best friend served to calm her nerves and she leaned her seat all the way back once she'd hung up the phone. Rechecking that all her doors were locked, Tania closed her eyes and tried to relax.
A knocking on her window woke her from her unexpected nap and she quickly sat up in surprise. The uniform on the man before her let her know he was a state trooper and her stomach immediately began doing flips. The highway seemed desolate now with just her car and his.
His strong jaw roughly chewed at a wad of gum and the hat on his head shielded his face from the sun. She could see that he clearly worked out from the way his uniform cut into the muscled forearms. Another tap on the window shook her from her staring and she took a deep breath before slowly opening the door.
"Sorry. My car's broken down and the windows are automatic." She rushed out as he took a step away from the cracked door.
"Slowly step out of the car for me." He ordered, his hand finding its way to his service weapon. Tania moved at a snails pace as she cracked the door further and softly stepped onto the rock covered path.
Her choice of outfit, while keeping her cool, was now a mistake as she noticed him take in her plump figure. Tania kept her hands up as she slid across the backdoor before using her foot to close her door.
"I should inform you I do have a concealed carry license." She muttered as he eyed her.
"Turn around and place your hands behind your back." His gum popped loudly as he pulled his cuffs from his belt and approached her. Tania knew better than to argue so she simply followed directions. The calloused hands roughly grabbed her wrists and snatched them further behind her back before tightly placing the metal on them.
"Kind of tight there." She lightly chuckled to ease some of the tension. A yelp of pain left her as he twisted her arm and pushed her into the car.
"You shut the hell up unless I'm speaking to you. Do you understand that?" He growled into her ear as he tightened his hold on her arm.
"Yes! I'm sorry." Tania cried as pain shot up her arm and into her shoulder. The mint of his gum filled her senses and the equipment on his duty belt pushed harshly into her back.
"Good. You people just need to learn to listen to authority." He spoke confidently as he pulled away from her. Tania bit her lip to keep her remark at bay and remembered where she was. He could kill her with no consequences.
"Now, where'd you get this vehicle?" The popping of his gum was back and quickly giving her a headache.
"It's mine. The registration's in the glove box." Tania slowly turned to face him.
The officer chuckled before pointing his finger at her. "Only way someone like you gets a car like this is from robbing folks. Come here."
She hesitantly shuffled closer to the man before freezing in place as he squat down to pat along her shorts. The material was flush against her skin and one could easily see she had no weapons inside. As his hands traveled up the back of her thighs, Tania finally took a step out of his grasp.
"Could I have a female officer search me instead?" He chuckled before standing to his full height. He towered over her 5'7 figure and she nervously shifted on her feet at the malice in his eyes.
"Not sure what city you're from but only men work for Boone County. Now, stop being uncooperative before I slam your ass in this gravel." Reaching for her again, Tania unconsciously took a step away from him.
"Stop resisting!" He barked as he popped up and pulled at her arms again. A sharp pain shot up her back as he spun her around and shoved her against the car once more. His other hand roughly pushed her face against the window, leaving her immobile.
"Okay! Okay!" She cried out at the use of force. The grip on her loosened as he once more returned to feeling her up. Tania bit her lip as she tried to keep her cool and not elbow the man as his hands rubbed along her sides.
Before he could make his way to her breasts, a dark green truck pulled over in front of her car. Tania nearly cried as she realized some racist pulled over to watch this shit show.
A man, as equally large as the officer, stepped out of the truck. A sleek black cowboy hat sat on his head, blocking her view of his face. His body was covered in a dark blue t-shirt that showed off the hefty muscles underneath, a pair of bootcut blue jeans, and dirty work boots.
"Well would you look at this." The trooper spoke before moving to meet the man at the front of Tania's car. "Littlefield finally shows his face again."
"What the hell are you doing, Gimp?" His voice was deep and shook her body like thunder. With the pair now squared off, Tania could see the stranger was actually bigger than the trooper- his muscular form making the trooper appear smaller.
"I'm doing my job. Why don't you run back to your little farm before I arrest you for interfering." The troopers voice was laced with venom but the stranger seemed unfazed.
"Go ahead because I'm not going anywhere until you let this young lady go." He crossed his arms and squared his feet.
"I should have guessed you were a nigger lover." Tania gasped as the stranger punched the trooper as soon as the words left his mouth. His body tumbled to the floor and he cried out as he held his bleeding mouth.
"Go tell Skips about that." The stranger spoke before stepping over the trooper and approaching her. Tania took a step away at the overwhelming dominance that oozed from this man.
He stopped just outside of her personal space, pulled the hat from his head, and placed it over his chest. "Sorry about that ma'am."
It took everything in her not to gasp at the man before her. His strong, European features held a naturally brooding look that added to his aura. The softness of his green eyes contrasted the lines of his plump, Cupid's bow shaped lips. A sprinkle of dark freckles laid across his tanned skin and his black hair was pushed back against the nape of his neck despite stray hairs falling on his forehead.
"It's...it's cool." She stuttered as she trailed her eyes towards where the trooper was. The man had stumbled to his feet and was using the back of his hand to wipe away the blood from his lip.
"Take her out of these cuffs." He ordered. Despite his look of disgust, the trooper stumbled over and released Tania from the tight cuffs. Her skin remained raw from the metal and she cradled them against her chest. He muttered another string of slurs before making his way back to his patrol car.
A cloud of dust surrounded them as he sped down the road. Tania could finally breathe easy knowing the stranger wasn't one of the many racist people of Boone.
"Thanks for that. Tania Roberts." She extended her hand to the stranger. It didn't escape her that he analyzed her raw wrists before softly taking her hand in his.
"Flint Littlefield."
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