Believing In Fate - book 1

Chapter 24 - Hide & Seek

Asimina

After dumping the Toyota, I found myself a Mazda outside a Taco Bell. I'm pretty sure the Toyota would have been reported stolen by now, making a swap necessary. I drive along, noticing a for sale sign on an old pickup truck. Pulling over to the side of the road, I walk up and into the property. This place looks like a junkyard.

"Can I help you?" A man's voice has me jumping and panting for air. I instantly reach for the gun tucked in the waistband of my pants.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," he apologizes.

Placing my hand on my chest, I gesture for him to give me a moment to settle my racing heart and catch my breath. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, ash-blond hair and blue eyes, wearing dirty jeans and an old t-shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just come onto the property." I swallow and calm my breathing before continuing, "I saw the for-sale sign on the pickup truck."

"Yeah, it's for sale," he confirms, scratching the back of his head. "Time to let it go. It was my first car."

I smile meekly at the man before asking, "Is it running?"

He pulls a cloth out from the back pocket of his jeans, tries to wipe some of the grease on his hands off. "Sure is. It doesn't miss a beat."

Nodding, I keep my eye on the man and take an awkward step backward, my hand on my hip close to the gun. I'm ready to pull it out with the first sign of a threat. "How much?"

"I'll let it go for five hundred." He makes his way past me and opens the front door of the house.

"Sold. Grab those keys. I'll meet you at the front." I want to get this transaction over with and back on the road. By buying this car, I won't have to keep stealing and swapping cars every few hours. Making my way out the front, I wait for him by the truck.

It takes him several minutes to meet me there. Holding the keys in one hand and a battery in the other, he proceeds to open the hood, placing the battery in position. "Dorothy won't let you down."

"Dorothy?" I repeat.

"Yeah, it's what I named her." He smiles to himself, lost in his memories.

Walking back to my car, I pull out the five hundred without averting my eyes from the man. Just in case he's some sort of serial killer, and the truck is just a ploy to bring in his victims. Handing the man the money, I throw my bags into the truck and lie. "My friend should be here by tomorrow. They will pick up my other car. It's having problems." I keep a straight face, trying not to show I'm on edge and scared.

"No worries. Take care of her," he yells, waving me off.

*          *          *          *          *

I've been on the road for five and a half hours. I'm exhausted. Coffee helped me drive through the night, but I'm starting to feel tired. I arrive at a town called Glendale in Arizona, and a motel catches my eye. I could do with a shower and sleep, but first, food.

My traitorous mind can't stop thinking of Raffaele. He would know I've taken off by now. My heart's broken. It's in a million pieces. I never thought I would fall in love, let alone desperately in love. He owns every part of me. I'm his and only his. I never want to belong to anyone else. I need to hear his voice just once. Tell him I'm sorry. I owe him that much.

Stopping at the Black Bear diner in Glendale, I walk inside. There have wood panels on the walls, along with a ridiculous amount of picture frames—shades of green cover the floors, booths, and chairs. The owner must be obsessed with green. Looking up, I notice toy bears, both big and small ones hanging all around.