All Chapters of Good Girls Ride Too: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Elise left the hospital without looking back at the black car. She walked until her legs hurt. The streets blurred past her. She needed something to quiet the noise in her head—the loan shark’s voice, the hospital number, the eviction text.She pushed open the door of a bar she had never been to before. The place was half full. Music played low. She found an empty stool at the counter and sat down.The bartender came over. He was older, with a tired face.“What can I get you?” he asked.“Whiskey. Neat.”He poured it and set the glass in front of her. Elise wrapped her fingers around it and drank. The burn hit her throat hard. She ordered a second one before the first was gone.By the third glass her shoulders loosened a little. The sharp edges of the day softened. She stared at the dark liquid and spoke without looking up.“My sister is in a coma,” she said. “Hospital wants more money. Landlord wants the rent. Some guy on the phone wants everything else.”The bartender wiped the count

Elise stood frozen with the tray still in her hands. His eyes stayed on her chest for a long second before they rose to her face.“How do you know my name?” she asked again.He nodded once toward the name tag pinned to her shirt. “It’s right there.”She glanced down. The tag sat slightly crooked over her left breast. Heat crawled up her neck. She set the tray on the table harder than she meant to.“Do you need anything else?” she asked. “I should get back.”“You’re not going back yet.”Elise’s fingers curled at her sides. “I only came to drop the drinks.”He leaned back against the seat. The thin glasses caught the low light. “Sit.”“I can’t. I’m working off a tab.”“I’ll cover the tab,” he said. “And more. But you’re not leaving this booth until you make me feel good.”The words landed heavy between them. Elise felt her pulse jump in her throat. She took one step toward the curtain.“I don’t do that.”“You need money,” he said. It was not a question. “I can see it on your face. Tripl

One week after the bar, Elise sat in a glass waiting room on the thirty-second floor of a downtown tower. She kept her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. The chair was firm. Every time she shifted her weight she felt a faint echo low in her body, a ghost of the stretch and the wet ache from that night. She pressed her knees together and stared at the opposite wall.A woman with a neat blouse and a tablet walked out of a side office and stopped in front of her.“Elizabeth Hart?”“Yes.”“I’m the recruiter. Come with me.”Elise followed her into a smaller room with a table and two chairs. The recruiter sat first and opened a folder.“I’ve read your file,” she said. “Your earlier experience is strong. Good references from the first three years. Then a gap and a termination that doesn’t have clean paperwork. Can you explain that?”Elise kept her voice even. “I was accused of something I didn’t do. The company chose not to investigate fully. I left without a recommendation lette

Elise arrived early the next morning. She wore a simple black blouse and a fitted skirt that felt safer than anything soft. The elevator doors opened on the executive floor and she stepped out with her bag held tight against her side.A young woman at the reception desk looked up and smiled.“You must be Ms. Hart. I’m Claire. Mr. Kane’s previous assistant left some notes for you. Your desk is right outside his office.”Elise followed her down the quiet hallway. The carpet muffled their steps. Claire pointed to a clean desk with a computer already on and a small stack of folders.“Coffee is in the break room at the end of the hall. Mr. Kane usually comes in at nine. He likes his schedule printed and on his desk before he arrives. Any questions so far?”“Not yet,” Elise said. “Thank you.”Claire left her alone. Elise sat down and opened the first folder. Her hands stayed steady even though her stomach felt tight. She kept her eyes on the papers and tried not to think about the night in

Elise backed out of the restroom without a word. The door swung shut behind her. She walked straight down the hallway, past her own desk, and stopped in front of Damien’s office. Her hand shook when she knocked.“Come in.”She pushed the door open and closed it behind her. Damien sat behind his desk with a file open. He looked up and took in her face in one glance.“What happened?” he asked.“I quit,” Elise said. “Effective now.”He set the pen down. “No.”“I’m not asking. I’m telling you. I can’t work here.”Damien leaned back in his chair. The thin glasses caught the light from the window. “Sit down.”“I don’t want to sit. I want to leave.”“And go where?” His voice stayed calm. “Back to the hospital to tell them you can’t cover the next payment? Back to the apartment that was three days from eviction before I hired you? Sit down, Elizabeth.”She stayed on her feet. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “You don’t get to decide that.”“I decided the moment I put your name on the