Troy let out a belch that rattled the windows and the stench of regurgitated tortillas wafted through the cab. Dwight’s stomach lurched and he cracked the window.
“Where’s my Ho
Hos?” Troy’s panicked voice interrupted Dwight’s train of thought. “I know there’s one left around here somewhere.” Troy twisted back and forth in his seat looking for the snack cake.
“Don’t look at me,” Dwight shot back. “I didn’t eat it.”
How Troy could still fit anything else into his stomach after all that Mexican food was beyond him.
Troy looked skeptically at his father.
“How do ya know she’s gonna show up?” he asked as if reading Dwight’s mind.
“She’ll be there,”
Dwight answered with a wicked smile. “She won’t put those people at the salon in danger. You shoulda heard her on the phone,” Dwight chuckled. “She was shakin’ like a fuckin’ leaf.”
Oh, that sweet terrified sound of Sarah’s voice made the
se last few weeks worth the wait.
Troy
gave a satisfied nod and then let out a whoop when he found the Ho Hos by his feet. When he ripped open the package, the creamy filling smeared all over his fat fingers. “Shit,” he mumbled. “Look what you made me do.”
Dwight looked over and scoffed.
“You’ll live,” he retorted.
The satisfied moan that Troy let out when he shoved the cake into his mouth was a sound that Dwight hoped to never hear from his own flesh and blood.
The sun glared off the windshield and Dwight cursed the setting sun for blinding him through his new cheap sunglasses. “I can’t see shit,” he grumbled.
Without letting his foot off the gas, he leaned forward and tried to navigate the traffic.
He was ninety-nine percent sure the bus terminal was down the next street so took the next left and floored the accelerator. Instead of a street, Dwight unknowingly drove the wrong way onto the freeway off-ramp.
Neither one of them saw the semi-truck until it
hit them head-on.
* * *
Sarah ducked her head and sprinted into the bus terminal. She found a seat near the window and set her backpack at her feet. The bus for Medford had just departed so the terminal was empty.
S
till feeling queasy, Sarah sat numbly and tried to calm herself down. She said a silent prayer that Dwight wouldn’t put a deadbolt on the outside of her room and lock her inside again. That time she had gone without food for days. He was probably scheming ways to punish her at this very moment.
Overwhelming fear clawed at
her. The only reason she’d been able to survive Dwight before was because she knew she was getting out eventually. Planning her escape had been the light at the end of the tunnel. Now she could kiss goodbye any reason to live. The light at the end of the tunnel would be Dottie’s headlights as Dwight pulled into the terminal parking lot. And after that…Sarah shivered to think about what would happen once they got back to L.A.
She looked out the window but there was still no sign of him. At least he’d agreed to meet her. That saved her
the fiasco of a causing a scene at the salon. She just hoped he kept his word and didn’t harm her friends. She reassured herself he wouldn’t. There would be no benefit in it for him. She was what he came all this way for, not them.
Sarah shivered. It had been weeks since those grubby hands had touched her and she dreaded the thought of that changing. But it would. Everything would change.
To keep her mind off her impending fate, she turned on her phone and scrolled through the names of her new friends. She would miss them all for so many different reasons.
Peach with her silly puns and vivacious personality.
The way she walked always around the salon with her hands stiff like she was drying her nails.
She’d miss
Abigail’s botched baked goods and positive attitude. Destiny’s quick and easy friendship and flare for style. Sweet little Bean’s unconditional affection and enthusiasm.
Sarah would even miss Kim. They never would have been BFF’s, but at least they’d started to settle into a mutual cordiality in the salon.
And then there was Nathan.
Sarah blinked back the tears.
She’d never forget the way he looked at her with those intense eyes of his. The way he smelled so clean and manly. The sound of his voice, so warm and kind. The feel of his hands caressing her, soothing her, loving her…
She choked back a sob and bit down on her knuckle to stifle the tears.
* * *
Nathan stormed into the bus terminal like a bat out of hell. Right away, he spotted her, sitting
hunched over in a plastic chair with her backpack sitting at her feet. Even though she looked so small and vulnerable, she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.
She looked up and he could see that she’d been crying. In a few quick strides of his long legs, he was kneeling in front of her. “Sarah?”
S
arah heard footsteps and looked up expecting to see Dwight. But it wasn’t him. Nathan rushed toward her instead. She shook her head and tears pooled in her eyes making him too blurry to see clearly. “No,” she cried. He couldn’t be here. He couldn’t be in the crossfire when Dwight showed up. She wouldn’t let him put himself in danger.
“Sarah, what are you doing here?”
Nathan sat beside her and pulled her close.
She scooted away
and tugged her hand free. “You have to go.” As much as she wanted to cling to him, she had to push him away. “You can’t be here. He’ll kill you if he finds out we’re together.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s here in Red Valley, Nathan. Dwight’s coming for me. You have to let me go or he’ll hurt everyone at the salon. He’ll
kill
them,” she sobbed.
“
I don’t care. We’ll call the police. He can’t force you to go with him.”
The las
t time she called the police on him… She shuddered at the memory. There had only been one time she called the police for help and Dwight had made her pay dearly for it. She swore she’d never do it again no matter how bad things became. The price was too high and the police couldn’t protect her from him anyway.
“No,
Nathan, you don’t understand. He won’t stop until he has me back. Even from jail he’ll send someone for me.”
“It doesn’t matter—
“ Nathan’s cell phone rang before he could finish. What if Kayla was calling with an emergency? He sighed and pulled the phone out of his pocket. “I have to take this real quick,” he told Sarah and held on to her with his free hand. “What’s up, Kay?” he asked into the phone.
“Nathan, is Sarah with you?”
“Yes, but it’s not really a good time right now, Ka--”
“—Put her on the phone
.
Now
, Nathan. It’s important.”
Nathan
frowned and handed the phone to Sarah. He didn’t know why she was calling but Kayla sounded snippety and she rarely lost her cool. “It’s Kayla.”
“No
,” Sarah grunted as she tried to pull her hand from his. “You have to go.”
He held tight to her hand and put the phone in her free hand. “
She says it’s important. We’ll figure everything out after you talk to her.”
Sarah glared at him.
Reluctantly, she took the phone and held it to her ear, prepared to stave off a round of concerned questions. “Hello?”
“Your
uncle,” Kayla blurted out. “Is his full name Dwight Hammond?”
Sarah frowned.
“Y—yes.” How would she know that? She had only told Kayla his first name that day in the kitchen.
“Does he drive a Datsun
truck?”
Sarah’s entire body clenched tight like a fist. “Yes,” she answered wearily.
Kayla exhaled like she had been holding her breath.
“
Wh…what happened, Kayla?”
“
There was a wreck downtown and they identified the two men in the truck as Dwight and Troy Hammond.”
“
Wait…I don’t understand. How did you know to call me? How do you know he’s
my
uncle?”
“He had a receipt for a bus ticket in his pocket with
your
name on it.”
“Oh.” Sarah said. She didn’t know what else to say.
“Sarah…they both died on impact.”
Sarah gasped.
Too shocked to speak, she handed the phone over to Nathan.
He took it, talked to
Kayla for a few minutes and disconnected the call.
Sarah closed her eyes and she was instantly on her
deserted tropical island. She could hear the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls squawking in the distance. She could smell the salt from the ocean’s spray and the scent of tropical flowers. She felt someone squeeze her hand and opened her eyes. Nathan was looking at her. She blinked and wondered if what Kayla said was really true.
“Is there room on your island for two?”
Nathan asked.
She tried to choke back a sob but it broke free along with a river of fresh tears. She threw herself into his arms and he held her until she could speak.
“Oh, Nathan,” she murmured. “You came for me.”
“Sarah,” he pulled her back so he could look
in her eyes. “He’s gone, sweetheart. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
Epilogue
Someday
Two weeks later and only two months behind schedule, the new addition of Peach’s Salon was finally finished. The glossy floors, shiny fixtures and fresh coat of Peach Blossom paint gave it a clean, modern look and feel. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling casting a pleasant glow around the salon.
The Grand Reopening
was an event everyone would talk about for years to come. All of Peach’s friends and family gathered to celebrate her thirty year dream come true. Waiters circulated the room, serving peach champagne and tasty gourmet hors devours.
Sarah looked around the
salon at her new family of friends and smiled.
Everyone had dressed up for the occasion.
Destiny sauntered around the room in new peach colored platforms and Kim wore an expensive peach colored designer dress. Peach herself had a fresh tint of orange hair to celebrate the occasion.
Kayla wore a red knit dress with black high-heeled boots. Even Robbie wore a little suit and tie. The
never ending comments about his attire must have gone to his head because Robbie strutted around the party, head held high and chest puffed out. He ran across the room, picked up Bean and held him close. He whispered something into the little dog’s ear and let out a little boy giggle.
Kayla and Robbie were
happily settling into their new home on the other side of town. It had a top of the line security system and a big back yard for Robbie to play in. Sarah had a feeling it was only a matter of time before Kayla gave in and let Robbie have a dog of his own.
Abigail
’s pregnancy was beginning to show and she glowed with happiness. She had made a special batch of peach cobbler for the party that wasn’t half bad. Her husband stood next to her and kept a protective arm around her shoulders.
Peach worked the room like a pro and every once in a while her laughter rose up above the din of voices.
Her house was back to normal now that Tony had finally finished his game room addition and the two couldn’t be happier. Tony, who was wearing the same dress shirt he’d worn to Kim’s party, smiled lovingly at his vibrant wife from across the room.
TJ held court
in the corner, most likely telling some sort of story about hockey. His silk shirt was unbuttoned almost to his navel and he was shamelessly flirting with Kim’s entourage of friends. He glanced over at Nathan and gave him a smug grin.
Nathan had been playing so well, the Razors
decided to keep him as their primary goaltender. Sebby didn’t like playing second fiddle but as long as Nathan performed well, the team saw no reason to pull him even after Sebby was cleared to play.
Nathan
kept close to Sarah and she liked the feel of his fingers laced with hers. It was like he was afraid to let her out of his sight for fear of losing her again. But she wasn’t going anywhere.
Sarah squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. The look he gave her made butterflies dance in her stomach. There was so much love in his eyes it made her eyes water with happy tears.
She looked over at the new plush sofa in the waiting area and thought about the old wicker love seat. In such a short time, she’d made so many wonderful memories here.
Peach tapped her on the shoulder
, interrupting her train of thought. “Sarah, we have a little surprise for you,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
What more could they give her? Her life was so full of love that sometimes Sarah thought she might burst with happiness.
Tony stood next to Peach with a matching grin on his face. Everyone gathered around and Sarah’s brows knit together. They were definitely up to something.