Taken Wife/Forced Wife (WMBW) - Book one of the Chosen Warrior Series

Stranded in an Unfamiliar Place

Carter's POV

The night air was cold and I was outside once again collecting plastic bottles from a trash can just outside my local 7/11. The manager was usually a bitch when it came to stuff like that. So I had to find ways to do it without him finding out. This is my only way to get cash so I have to. I mean who's gonna hire a loser with only a high school degree even if this was Brighton?

One by one I put the empty bottles of water into a half-torn-up trash bag I had found on the side of the street. Dumpster diving isn't supposed to be a classy sport but the way I looked doing it right now made me seem crazy. Like those people, my mom had told me to avoid on the street when I was younger.

If she could see me now her precious little son collecting garbage to stay alive she would probably lose her mind. She used to say she cleaned shit so that I would never have to touch it. Ah, just thinking about her and all she wanted for me makes me laugh.

A pathetic loser like me couldn't even give her a proper burial. I had to torch and throw her ashes somewhere. Fucking pathetic. She did all that I barely have a pot to piss in, let alone a place to rest my head at night.

"Hey man, I told you before you can't be outside my business like that," Rick shouts half opening the door of the shop.

I stare at him. If I had it my way right now I would kill him, sadly I can't even afford to kill someone nowadays. Instead, I sigh.

I rub my hands still grimy from the liquids of the trash onto my jeans "You know I need the money come on".

He looks at me with a face full of disgust slightly taken back. He says " I only have room for customers."

"I can be a customer...let me buy something," I told him.

I make my way through the store aisles as Rick watches me, intently like if I made even the slightest mistake he would shoot me on the spot. I look back at him and he pretends like he wasn't looking at me the whole time. I turned back around and rummaged through my pockets as far away from the aisles as possible so it didn't look like I was stealing anything.

From my pocket, a crumpled dollar bill presents itself with three quarters. Shit. I should've just left, I thought. Then the thirst hit me. Fine. I look around the store for something anything that could stop the void inside me from growing.

Fuck, a donut and a drink. My options and I can only get one. Let's see if I don't get the donut I will decompose by tonight and if I get the water I'll still be hungry and I'll have to find a place to pee around here that won't sue me.

"This it?" Rick questions scanning the donut

"Unless you wanna give me something for free," I say. He flashes me a stern look. I continue "Then that's it".

Outside I sit on the sidewalk donut in hand. With each bite the hunger fails to go away in fact it only consumes me more. The only thing distracting me from it is the fact that Rick has his TV on and I can clearly see what's going on.

Techs are down 20 to the Ots...blah...blah...blah. Back in the day, I was a big sports guy. I worked out a lot and was on track to get a football scholarship once I graduated. But now stuff like that has become just another bad memory for me.

I look down at my donut for a little bit clearly over everything when a familiar-sounding voice floats into the air. I looked up and there she was the woman who ruined my life Saniya Randolph; she was dressed in a short white dress made of silk that stopped just before her knees. Leaving her thighs on full display. Her beautiful brown skin looked soft to the touch and the dress hugged her body in a way that made every curve print.