Freedom's Treasure (22 page)

Anna slowly closed the door behind her. The motel room was about what she’d expected. There was a smell she couldn’t quite place, a slight must that let her know the room hadn’t been properly aired out in some time. The curtains were pulled leaving the dingy furniture in perpetual gloom. She whipped them open and, upon seeing the actual state of the room, decided it was better for her mental health to leave them closed.

She dropped her bag on the bed and sat down. It sagged in the center nearly toppling her onto her back. With a groan she threw her hands over her face.

What was she thinking? So Hunter had acted immaturely. It wasn’t something they couldn’t work out. All it took was communication. Anna was a firm believer in talking things out. The problem was that Hunter hadn’t wanted to talk. Maybe she’d pushed him at the wrong time. Couldn’t she have waited until they were somewhere private before she flipped out? Apparently not.

With a strangled moan she fell onto her back and covered her eyes with her arm. No second guessing, she decided. She was not going to go running back to his house and beg him to talk to her, make up with her and then have glorious, magnificent make up sex. No, she most definitely was not going to do that.

Instead Anna reached down for her bag and dragged it next to her. Her music player was in the front pocket and s
he quickly programmed it for the best break up songs. If a woman was going to be angry and hurt she might as well have a soundtrack for it, she decided. At the first wailing note from Adele she sank back into the pillows and let the music carry her where it would.

Sometime later she stirred. She rubbed beneath her eyes and realized she’d been crying. She went into the bathroom and wet a washcloth, used it to rinse her face. A look out the window told her it was later than she’d thought. Not wanting to face a long night wide awake she reached into her kit and took out the small bottle of pills. A sleep aid was just what Dr. Anna was ordering for the night. Turn it all off and everything would look better in the morning.

Dock moved slowly through the parking lot of the motel. He noted which room Anna’s truck was parked in front of and then kept his eyes off of it. He firmly believed that
people could feel intense stares. He’d developed the belief in the Navy and it had never let him down. He didn’t stare at deer or other animals before he shot them, using the same theory in his hunting.

He decided to walk the perimeter of the parking lot and check out each car. He didn’t want any witnesses when he went in to talk to Anna which was why he’d left his car parked behind the convenience store located nearby.

There were several cars in the parking lot. Most of them had to belong to tourists as no local would voluntarily stay at the budget lot. Anna hadn’t had much choice with the tourists in town for the Fourth of July celebration.

Dock walked casually with his hands in his jacket pockets. The gun was tucked into the back of his waistband and under his jacket. He was hoping he wouldn’t need it and hoping he would at the same time. He’d forgotten how powerful it felt to hold a piece of technology that could kill with one twitch of a finger.

He was near the northeast corner of the lot when he noticed Hunter’s truck. It was parked a few spaces away and it looked like someone was slouching in the driver’s seat. Dock slowed his pace and took a long look around. It was nearly 1 a.m. and Hunter should have been home. When there was no motion through the windows he stepped closer. The items in the back of the truck made Dock smile.

There were several empty beer cans that had been crushed and slung into the back. Dock took a couple steps closer and stretched for a better look. He could see a mostly empty fifth bottle of what had to be whiskey resting between Hunter’s legs. The man was passed out yet his face remained turned towards Anna’s room.

As much as it angered Dock to have his plans interrupted at least now he knew Hunter was going to be having the worst day imaginable tomorrow. The thought almost made him feel better. He turned it around and realized that, once again, Hunter was thwarting his plans. This would have to stop eventually.

Headlights splashed across the lot and Dock leaped further into the shadows cast by the large sign with the blinking vacancy light. He watched Colby pull to a stop next to Hunter’s truck. The slight man rolled down his window and tried calling to Hunter. When that didn’t wake him Colby used his knuckles to rap on the window. A bleary Hunter shook his head a few times and then moved over, letting Colby sit in the driver’s seat. The two drove off, Dock’s eyes following them until the taillights disappeared.

Hunter rolled to his back and wondered why it felt like his head was going to roll right off of his shoulders. He took an inventory of his body and realized his
legs were dangling over the armrest of a very short couch. His head was cocked at an odd angle and his neck had a crick in it he’d be feeling all day.

His stomach turned a slow roll and a sour taste bubbled into the back of his throat. He cracked one eye open and noticed a bottle of water sitting next to him. His arm flung out and he nearly knocked it over before grasping it tightly and twisting the cap off. He sloshed water into his mouth, not caring that water dripped down his chin and chest. He’d never tasted anything more heavenly.

After downing most of the bottle he stopped for breath and took a long look around. It had been many years since he’d woken up in an unfamiliar area and the twist of unease he felt reminded him why he’d stopped doing shots in bars with friends.

His eyes landed on a picture on the end table and he recognized Colby’s sister. That question was answered. He must have gotten a ride home with him last night and crashed on his couch. Hunter eased into a full sitting position and, after making sure his stomach planned on staying in his body, released a long breath. He rubbed his hands across his face and did his best to remember what had happened the night before.

With a sense of panic he removed his cell phone from his pocket. He quickly checked his call log and exhaled heavily with relief when he realized he hadn’t been drunk dialing Anna.

He stumbled to his feet and took care of a few necessities in the bathroom, including brushing what had to be moss from his teeth. Feeling vaguely human he followed the scent of coffee to Colby’s kitchen. A large mug sat next to three tablets of aspirin. Hunter popped them in dry and poured coffee into the mug.

He sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands and stared into the mug of black, nearly oily coffee. When no answers came from the depths he downed the contents and shivered. He could feel the caffeine zing through his veins and bring his body back to life. He broke out in a sweat and prayed the coffee would stay down. When it did he realized he was starting to feel completely human again.

Hunter grabbed a second bottle of water from the fridge and refilled his coffee. He pried open the back door and winced at the sight of Colby passed out in the rocking chair. And he had thought his body would be hurting today. Hunter kicked Colby’s foot and knocked his friend awake.

“Thanks for bringing me back here,” he muttered.

Colby waved it away. “I couldn’t leave you passed out in your truck in front of the motel. God knows what everyone would have thought. And I figured you wouldn’t want Anna to know you stood watch all night.”

“I was passed out in my truck?”

“Man, you don’t remember?” At the shake of Hunter’s head Colby laughed heartily. “Do you remember when Sheila Jenkins dumped you in high school?”

“Gak,” Hunter replied.

“Yeah, you did the same thing.”

“There’s a reason I quit drinking the heavy stuff.”

“Yep. That’s how I know this deal with Anna is real.”

Hunter hung his head back into his hands. “I’ve got to talk to her.”

Colby nodded sagely. “That you do. However,” he checked his watch, “now that you slept most of the day away you’re due at the VFW hall in about 20 minutes. It’s going to have to wait. You don’t want old man Peterson to come looking for you.”

“Hell no I don’t. Do you want a ride back to your truck?”

“Nah, I figured I’d walk it. What do you think?” Colby slugged him in the arm and rose from his chair. “Let’s go, you’re going to be late.”

Anna came awake slowly in unfamiliar surroundings. She hated the sleeping pills. They left her feeling hung over the next day. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the room she’d slept in. After taking a solid look around she decided to turn her eyes off.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth and ran a comb through the rat’s nest her hair had become. After thinking about the condition of the bed she took the hottest shower she could manage. By the time she emerged she was ready to face her day.

The Weather Channel told her it was going to be clear and hot for the day which seemed perfect for the Fourth of July. She sat, wrapped in a towel, and wondered what she would do that day. She had no desire to bump into Hunter, nor did she want to hide. It went against every instinct in her body.

Elisa was correct in saying she didn’t think Anna would run from a fight. She never had before and she couldn’t figure out why she’d let it happen this time. Hunter had acted like an absolute ass, there was no question there. However, had she done everything she could to ensure they worked out whatever this was? Shaking her head she rose from the bed. That was an argument with herself she was unlikely to win.

Digging through her bag, Anna pulled on a pair of shorts with a t-shirt. She checked the signal on her phone and decided to load up her laptop and scan through her article one more time before she sent it on to the editor. She started the internet radio application on her phone and let the random music wash over her. When a song by Dave Matthews Band started she knew it was going to be a good day even if she wasn’t having an especially great week.

She sang softly under her breath as she spent some time shopping online to replenish her wardrobe. Anna removed the long bandage from her ankle and rotated it. The joint was feeling much better and she considered leaving her cane behind for the day. After contemplating how much walking she’d most likely be doing during the celebration she left it by the door to be grabbed on her way out.

Within an hour Anna was sick of her own company and, apparently, her own cowardice. She felt a crawling up her spine and knew she’d hidden out in her room long enough. It was time to go see how
Baldwin celebrated the birthday of the country. She plugged her ear buds in and went on a walking tour.

She couldn’t help but be pleased she’d stayed in town. Everything was nearby and if she got tired of wandering the town she could hoof it back to her motel for a nap. Paying for three days had turned out to be a better idea than she had anticipated.

Similar to the Saturday they’d had the Blessing of the Bikes, the main thoroughfare was closed down and cars were parked up and down the side of the streets. Anna saw a flyer in the window of the ice cream parlor (“Best homemade ice cream in 300 miles!”) that detailed the day’s activities. She went inside and waited patiently in line with her music blasting in her ears. It added an interesting soundtrack to the motion and colors around her.

What she’d have heard, had she cared to listen, was nearly every person in the shop whispering about the fight at the diner and, afterward, the fight on the street. She would have heard how Hunter’s truck was parked in the motel parking lot until after 1 in the morning. She’d have heard and it would have broken her heart while the lack of privacy would have angered her. There were days she blessed modern technology.

She delicately licked her Bear Claw waffle cone and wandered slowly down the street. The sun was starting to beam down and the cone was melting faster than she could eat it. With a light laugh she paused in the shade of a tree and watched the human traffic go by as she finished it. She had to agree, it was darn good ice cream.

A bounce house had been erected in the center of the street and there were several children and adults laughing as they launched each other as high into the air as they could. She saw an air filled jousting platform and considered how much easier life would be if people could solve their arguments by simply knocking another person off a pedestal with a foam bat.