“Feeling better?” He let me go a little.
“I think I just needed a bit of a melt down.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“It’s just that I can’t get the image of Cassandra and him together out of my head. It just hurts.” I was on the verge of tears again.
“And last night?” he ended the phrase as a question.
I looked up at him. “Was a night I’ll never forget. But I’m just,” I stopped for a moment a bit dizzy. “Very overwhelmed and confused. A lot has happened in the last forty-eight hours. But I know one thing.” I made sure he was looking at me. “You’re the best thing that has happened so far.” I grabbed his hand.
He hugged me close and held me until I felt ready to face the future. I wiped my eyes and said, “I think we can do this. I just want to make sure you understand that there might be danger involved. I’m getting rather fond of you. I’d hate to see you get some holes in the wrong places.” I know what he might assume with that comment. I just didn’t mention how big a hole a well-placed fireball could make.
“Don’t worry. I can handle myself.”
I left him to think of the mortal danger he imagined. It would be hard to explain the real danger.
We packed the few things we had and went down to check out. We dropped off the key card and headed to the Jag. I counted my positives. I was with a really gorgeous Aussie, and it was a beautiful travel day to make some miles. I’d try not to think about what might be ahead. I sank into the leather seat, with Jeff looking at me.
“Think you can get more jazz, or something on the radio?”
“Sure thing.” Jeff started playing with the dial as I backed out.
It was a hundred miles down the road that I noticed the black sedan following us. Of course, Hwy 20 goes on for miles. But it should have turned or done something by the time we merged with Hwy 5. I picked up speed and it matched. I tried changing lanes and it didn’t pass me. Something was up.
“Have you noticed that we’re being followed?”
“What makes you think so,” asked Jeff looking over toward me. He’d been busy looking out the window. The towering redwoods had given way to the open expanse of fields and sleepy farming towns in Central California. He’d been staring at them for some time. I think my comment startled him.
“Um, the black sedan. Look in the side mirror.”
He looked over by the window, and nodded. “I see it. How long has it been back there?”
“Not sure. There’s one way to find out if it’s following us. Pull off at the next exit. Do we need gas yet?”
“Wouldn’t hurt to get some.”
“Then, let’s do a pit stop and see if it follows us.”
I congratulated myself for picking up Jeff as I turned off at the next exit. Having another opinion was helping to keep my freak-out level under control. I hated confrontation, unless I had to fight. Then, it was
sayonara
. When pushed into a corner, I came out fighting. Jeff was keeping me from feeling like I was in a corner. He seemed to always have a plan.
I pulled into a Chevron station and parked next to a pump. Jeff got out and walked over to the convenience store. I went over to the pump and realized I needed to swipe my card. I went back to the car to get it out of my purse. That’s when I saw the black sedan drive into another island. A man got out and started working the pump. I didn’t recognize him. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt. I looked back to my purse and dug out my card. Jeff returned just as I was finishing filling up the tank.
I ducked my head in the window. “I’ve got to use the restroom. By the way, the black sedan is right over there. No, don’t look that way.” I stopped him in mid turn.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you’re just being paranoid. It’s been an emotional forty-eight hours, Catherine.”
“No, I’m sure it’s following us. If we take our time, maybe he’ll pull out first. If he’s following though, he’ll probably wait.”
I grabbed my purse and headed for the ladies’ room. I went to the cashier and got the key. Heading out the door to the side of the store, I saw the black sedan pull away. Relief overwhelmed me. Wow. I must have been feeling really insecure. After restroom usage, I returned to the Jag.
“I saw it leave,” I said to Jeff as I got in.
“Yeah. Chalk it up to your unsettled feelings. Most likely, they’re making you spook at anything.”
“Probably. But you don’t know my ex. He’s the kind that would hire someone to find and follow me.”
I drove for another hour and started to feel a rumble. My stomach rolled like thunder. I looked at the car’s digital clock. It was almost one o’clock. “I guess it’s lunch time.” My words were accented by another stomach gurgle.
“I should say so.” Jeff grinned. “Really, I was starting to feel hungry too.”
The next exit had a road sign for food, so I pulled off.
Every truck stop café has got to have a cookie cutter designer. They all look the same. They’ve all got tan, vinyl booths and a coffee counter. A country twang was playing in the background. The floor had the sticky residue of mountains of grease from years of serving gut-busting cholesterol bombs.
“Take any booth you like. I’ll be right over.” A waitress with her hair up, apron, and a pencil behind her ear was serving some older regulars at the coffee counter. It was like walking into any dive coffee shop in the US. If everyone was staring at me, with my burgundy silk blouse, sunglasses, and impeccable lipstick, it wasn’t because I wasn’t trying. I did scream city girl when I walked in the door. This was definitely not my territory. There was only one way to progress, looking fabulous.
I smoothed my skirt and walked over, confident in my new-found freedom. I slid into the booth, perched my sunglasses on my head, and looked around. Jeff slid in across from me. He’d taken his time. I guess he wasn’t into making an entrance.
I looked around as some of the regulars from the coffee counter stared back. “A bit of a dive, you think?”
“No, it’s got a realistic charm. Notice this.” Jeff grabbed the menus from the holder and pointed to a stain. “Real ketchup.”
“You could taste it. You are an expert at licking.”
“So what you both want?” The waitress towered over us, pulling a pencil from behind her ear. My comment didn’t even seem to faze her.
“Club sandwich and iced tea for me,” I answered.
She looked at Jeff.
“I think I’ll have the cheeseburger,” he answered.
“Bacon on that?”
“Yes. And a Coke. And if you’ve got barbeque sauce, could you add it to the burger?”
“Sure will, honey. We’re known for our ribs. I bet you’d love them. We have free samples. Would you like a sample plate? Most the regulars are hooked once they try them.”
“I do,” I piped up. “I don’t usually eat pig, but I feel like doing naughty things from now on.”
“Some oink samples coming right up. Be back with your drinks in a sec.” She winked as she left and put the order up on a metal carousel for the cook.
“You know, I think Vegas is going to be great.” I grabbed his hands. It was good to have contact. I could feel his returned squeeze.
“I have no doubt,” he answered, smiling. He kept that long stare, like he kept eating me up. I know I was delicious to look at. I had the spells to back that up. But he seemed to enjoy extra long stare downs.
“I could use some on-the-edge action. Like rolling the dice, and seeing what happens.”
“Figuratively or for real?”
“Both. I’ve never shot craps. I want to try new things from now on. No limits.”
Our moment of big rollers was interrupted as the waitress placed down our drinks. I started doctoring my ice tea. Just one pack of sugar would be enough. I carefully stirred with my straw. “You know, freedom is a newer concept for me. Just doing what I want and when. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.”
“I’ve got my whole trip planned out to basically follow on the whim.” Jeff sipped his soda. “No maps, no cars or trains unless I feel like it. Whatever hits my fancy. I’m blowing with the wind.”
“Like Forrest Gump?”
“Kind of, but no shrimp involved. Allergic.”
“Oh, sorry.” I shrugged. “That must be hard to deal with.”
“Not really. Most restaurants are pretty good if you tell them up front.”
“But burgers are no problem.”
“Absolutely.” He smiled and went back to his soda.
God, he looked gorgeous. I was hungry for more than food right now. But my stomach gave a grumble. Well, maybe there were different kinds of hunger. One thing at a time.
I continued figuring out where to head next. “After Hwy 5, we probably could cut through to Tahoe or go all the way down to LA. Your choice, I’m enjoying the drive.”
“I haven’t been to Tahoe yet. I came in through LA. So I got a good look around before heading north. Mostly I thumbed the coast. What’s in Tahoe?”
“A really big lake. Can’t miss it. In fact, it’s got incredible skiing during the winter. This time of year, snow has melted, and a lot of the summer crowds are gone since school started. September is a great time to go.”
“Sounds like it’s doable.”
I was starting to enjoy getting to know Jeff a bit better. But the food arrived, and I felt this overwhelming urge to attack my sandwich. I was ravenous. It had been a long couple of days. For the first time, I think I was starting to relax.
Then, I glanced out the window. The black sedan we’d noticed before pulled up to the diner. Shit. I knew things were going too well.
Jeff stopped eating and turned his head to follow my gaze.
He put his burger down. “It might not be the same car.”
The same guy with khaki shorts and a T-shirt got out and walked to the door. “What should we do?” I had put down my sandwich and looked to Jeff for a next move.
“He’s probably just heading our direction.” He grabbed his burger and took another bite.
“I hope so.” But I lowered my sunglasses over my eyes and started sipping the iced tea. If I hid parts of my face, it couldn’t hurt.
The guy walked to the counter, and the waitress did her normal routine of choose your own booth. He walked past me and kept going.
“Is he sitting yet?”
Jeff finished a bite. “He’s sitting at the back counter and has a menu out. He’s probably just hungry like the rest of us. Come on, it’s a long way to Vegas. We need to eat.”
I got back to chowing down, but had lost my momentum. I wanted to turn around and see the guy behind me. There was something familiar in the way that he moved his body. That nonchalant arrogance reminded me of Richard. Then I knew. Oh shit. It couldn’t be.
The stranger motioned to the waitress. “A coffee, please.”
The one thing Richard forgot to disguise was his voice. The waitress walked over to the counter and asked for his order as I said, “That’s him.”
“Who?”
I leaned forward. “Richard. He’s got a disguise on. But I know his voice. It’s him.”
Jeff took another bite of his burger. He swallowed and took a sip of his drink. “You sure it’s him?”
“Absolutely. We’ve got to get out of here.” I didn’t want things to go bad fast.
But they did.
The stranger looked over at me and smiled. This time, he saluted me with his coffee. That wasn’t good. Then, he started walking over.
“Come on,” I motioned to Jeff. “I think we need to get out of here fast.”
“I’m not scared of what he has to say.”
“It’s not what he’ll say, remember?”
Just as he got close, Richard let his cloaking spell drop. There he was, all six foot two inches of him, staring down at me with a big, silly grin. “Want to reconcile?”
“Really, Richard. I thought you had more originality than this. How did you find me?”
“Tracking device on the bottom of your car. Never can be too careful. Don’t have to rely on magic when you’ve got technology.”
Shit. I forgot how much he loved his gadgets. I should have known better.
He stared Jeff up and down. “I see you’ve been busy.”
“Not as much as you. Cassandra and you will make a lovely couple.”
“Really, think I’d settle for a mortal after you?”
Oh. I wasn’t going to fall for flattery. Stand strong, girl. I kept a mental picture of blasting him against the wall. I started building a shield around Jeff and me. To my surprise, I felt a surge gather and guide my energy between us. It wasn’t Richard. He kept smiling at the two of us.
“Hello, Jeff.” Rich nodded to Jeff and his smiled broadened.
Jeff nodded back. “Richard.”
Okay, now I had to look at them both. “You two know each other?”
Richard eyed me a bit shockingly. “Most warlocks are familiar with each other. But Jeff and I go way back.”
I looked back at Jeff. I felt him grab the energy I was building and lock down a strong shield around us. I held onto some of my energy, holding it ready just in case. I now had two warlocks in front of me. “Wait. I’m running away from one warlock and run right into the arms of another?”
Richard laughed in answer. “Sure did, honey. Not only that, one of my best friends for several decades. I’d say we’re even now.”
“Shit.” I really did feel the redness of my face. I’m sure I was several shades of red. I would have blasted them both right then. But two against one is bad odds.
As soon as Richard saw my face, he cracked up. “You didn’t know, did you?” His laughter just made me more pissed off.
“If you don’t want a fireball up your ass, I’d advise leaving now.”
“I have to warn you, Jeff, when she’s mad, give her room.” Richard smiled as he barreled on, “You know, I was going to see if you wanted to give it another go. But I see you’ve definitely moved on.” He winked at Jeff. “Take care of her. I wish you a lot of luck. You’re going to need it.”
Richard went over to the counter, threw down a bill, and walked out the door of the coffee shop.
I slowly looked at Jeff. Lucky for him, he had a guilty look on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry, Cat. I could tell you were a witch, but you were so upset. I thought it was Rich when I heard him on the phone. But I wasn’t sure until just now. I’m surprised too.”
“Yeah. Sucks that you know him. But it’s worse that you didn’t tell me you’re a warlock.”