Railed (Courage MC #2) (31 page)

“
H
ome
? You lost? Or are you another one of those runaways?” He took a sip from his cup and stared diligently at me.

“
Y
ou leaving soon
?” I said, brushing off his question. “I need to get out of here as fast as I can. There are people waiting for me.”

“
Y
ou don’t like questions
, do you?” He asked me admiringly. “I don’t either. Come on. I’ve got a truck over in section B. Gotta’ make a few stops first, but we’ll get to Arizona in less than 3 days. That okay with you?”

I
t was more
than okay with me. I found my ticket home. “Let’s go.” I said with confidence. I felt around inside my empty pockets. I had nothing, spare the clothes on my back. He watched me fumble.

“
N
o need
, miss. I’m already headed in that direction. This is on the company’s dime.” We walked to the truck. The words
Gold Shipping
was printed on the sides. The truck looked brand new. “I’m Rob.” He said, offering out his hand.

I
almost let
out my real name, when I realized maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. “Ingrid.” I said. “My name is Ingrid.”

“
W
ell
, nice to meet you, Ingrid.” He opened the large door and hopped up into his seat, reaching out to open mine. “I don’t get too many passengers these days. Apologies for the mess. Been meaning to clean this damn thing.” Inside were McDonald’s bags and empty cigarette cartons, littering the floor. Coming from where I was, this was paradise.

“
N
o worries
. I’ve seen worse.” I smiled.

“
W
ell
, alright. Let’s go! I’ve been needing a fun road trip to get me through my days.” He laughed, switching into gear and turning on the radio. We drove off slowly and outside my window were the lights of the city I hadn’t had a chance to get used to yet. So be it. Adam would be back. He had to be. He would find me at my parents’ house and he’d have his money back. He’d take me back and the rest would be history. We’d have those children, our dogs, the countryside… everything would be perfect. I knew it.

“
S
o what’s your story
, Ingrid? You got Germans for parents or what?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“
W
hat
?” I asked, slightly confused by his question. Outside, on the freeway, endless fast food stores and supercenters passed us by.

“
W
ell
, ‘cause your name’s Ingrid, right?” He looked at me quizzically. I scrambled to answer.

“
Y
eah but my
family is Pennsylvania Dutch. The older generations are from the Netherlands. But I'm just a normal girl from the desert.” I smiled, looking as innocent as possible.

“
O
h I get it
. I had friends that were them Pennsylvanians. Real steel workers. Hard people. I never wanted in any of that world. No coal or steel for me. Just this truck and the next destination.”

“
I
know the feeling
…” I muttered. He look surprised by my response.

“
W
hat
? Don't believe me?” I asked him.

“
W
ell
, hey, I've seen a lot on the road. I have to accept the truth when the truth presents itself. Now I ain't judging you, but how does a girl like you live a life on the road?”

“
A
girl like me
? You know, a girl like me takes offense to that. I'm not some average girl. Well, not anymore at least.”

“
A
lright
, I hear you. So what happened? What made you start runnin’?” He asked me.

I
looked
at him and shook my head, laughing. “I met a boy…” I mumbled. I had already said too much, of course. But I needed to pass the time with some conversation and Adam was all I could think about. The distance between us was growing. My love for him was deepened and interrupted. Tears filled my eyes.

“
A
w now
, don't cry. These things happen.” He awkwardly tried to console me by patting my back lightly. “Take it from me. I've had six different wives. Do you know how much heartbreak that amounts to? A lot. But here I am, chuggin’ along. It ain't so bad. You'll find another.”

“
N
ot someone like him
.” I said, feeling the solid tears slide down my cheek. I looked away.

“
T
here
, there…” He patted my back again. There was a moment of silence. I turned the radio up louder. It was the local country station Adam and I had listened to together on the way up north. “He was one in a million, huh?” He asked me, looking genuinely empathetic.

“
H
e was more than that
. He was everything.” I glanced out the window, watching the world’s lights pass me by.

C
hapter
21

W
e reached
California by the next morning. The forest landscape soon turned into oceans and desert mountains, and I slowly felt the familiar feeling of nostalgia rush into me. I was almost home.

“
Y
ou're finally awake
.” He said, smiling.

“
I
guess
I dozed off back there. Needed the rest.” I rubbed my eyes and faked a smile. “Are we in California?”

“
S
ure are
, honey. You're almost home, don't worry.” But I was worrying. There would be camera crews, interviews, and worst of all, the police’s interrogation. I knew I couldn't get in trouble for anything. As far as they were concerned, I hadn't done anything wrong. I was simply abducted, held for ransom. If they only knew...

“
G
otta get gas soon
…” He muttered. “Coffee too, for that matter. I figure we can rest up somewhere if you're up to it.” He said.

I
’m not
sure what provoked me to look at his gas gauge, but when I did I was left with confusion and mistrust. When you’re a young girl on the road, anything can happen. I wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of me, so I declined his request. “Gas?” I said. “The meter isn’t even half empty.” I said, trying not to sound too suspicious.

“
Y
eah
, well gas gets more expensive in about ten miles. Might as well stop early to save some money, right?” He winked at me.

S
omething wasn’t right
. I could feel it in my bones. But I wasn’t afraid. No. I had to stay strong. Without Adam here, I was no match for anyone. Even still, I had to try. I ran through the list of excuses in my head. “I’m not really tired. If you don’t mind, we should continue driving. My family will be waiting for me…”

H
e laughed
. He
actually
laughed. “Listen, little lady. I’ve been driving for 12 hours straight. Now, unless you know how to drive a semi, I gotta’ get some damn sleep.” He continued to look straight ahead at the road. I had a bad feeling about this. I should never have run away that night…

“
L
ook
, if it’s money you want, I’ve got money. I’ll give you money. My parents are very wealthy. I’m sure they’d want to see their daughter come home earlier than expected. Maybe they’ll even give you a warm dinner. Oh, I’m sure they will!” He didn’t say a word. Instead, he cleared his throat and hummed the tune on the radio. I couldn’t believe it. It was the same Elvis song Adam and I had heard earlier!

T
his time
, however, the song had taken on an eerie quality. I felt a shiver run down my spine. The words told the tale of man seeing his own death. His own flaming star… I trembled against the seat.

“
Y
ou cold
?” He asked. “I can turn the heater on if you’d like.” He smiled real wide and I noticed one of his back molars was missing.

T
he more I
looked at him, the more I loathed him. The more I wanted to get away from him. I should have taken a fucking cab. I should have just called my parents. What was I thinking? I couldn’t beat myself up over this. I just couldn’t. There was a reason for my actions. For one, if I had turned myself in up north, a massive search would have gone underway. I would have led them right to him. Two, he needed to rob that bank. Despite the moral implications behind that kind of action, there was just no way out of the life he was born into without a big sum of money. So instead of staying, I acted like a martyr.

“
N
o
, sir. I’m not cold. I’m fine. I’ll cheer up. Sorry.” I quickly thought of a plan. How was I going to escape if this guy tried anything on me?

“
N
o need to be sorry
, Ingrid.” He said. He pulled off the highway and slowed down slightly. A motel shone in the distance. “How about we get gas in the morning? I’m beat.”

T
hink
, Rose! Think!
But nothing came to mind. My head was tired and empty. I was alone.

H
e slowed
the semi down as we reached the dusty, vacant hotel. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. There were no shops, gas stations, or restaurants in sight. “Where are we?” I asked, feeling my heart pound against my throat.

“
Y
ou know
…you remind me of someone, Ingrid.” He simply stated as he parked the truck.

I
gulped down hard
, feeling the click in my throat. “…I do?”

“
Y
es
. Someone I knew a very long time ago.” He was thinking with his finger on his chin. It was as if he couldn’t quite pin where he had saw me.

“
W
ell
, I hope they were nice…” I said. I wasn’t sure why I said it. I just did. I just wanted to keep the conversation going for as long as I could. At least until I could figure out how to get out of here in one piece.

M
aybe I needed to relax
. Maybe everything was really okay. I took another look around at my surroundings. It was pitch black. One light at the motel was flickering on and off as moths groped the smooth bulb. They flew and landed, devouring the rest of the insects. My leg started shaking. I was filled with anxiety and panic.

“
O
h
, I don’t remember if she was nice or not. What was her name?” He was still thinking to himself. Suddenly, he hit his steering wheel. “AHA! I remember now!” He was filled with glee.

“
Y
ou do
?” I asked him, feeling the hairs on my neck stick up.

“
Y
es
, Ingrid. I do. Her name was Rose.”

C
hapter
22

W
hat happened next eludes me
. All I can remember was his foot kicking against my chest and the door opening behind me. Gravity overtook me and I fell to the ground with a large thud. The fall knocked the wind right out of me. I lay, struggling to breath, against the dirt and small rocks. Around me was pure darkness and as I regained my sight, I noticed a group of men hovering over me with black makeshift masks around their faces. Their buggy eyes shined through cut out holes.

T
he trucker laughed
and came forward. “That her?” He asked them.

“
T
hat’s her
, alright.” A man said.

“
S
he’s real pretty
…” The trucker said back, licking his lips. “What’re you gonna’ do with her?” He asked.

I
vomited into the dirt
, clutching at my stomach. I could hardly even think. I was just so taken aback by the blow.
Adam…
I thought to myself. If he only knew the situation I was in.

“
W
hat we do is
none of your concern. Here’s your money, scum. Now get out of here.” The man in the mask said. Clearly, he was the leader of the bunch.

I
lay on the ground
, vomiting from the pain. “YOU!” I screamed, pointing my bloody finger at the truck driver. “HOW COULD YOU?” I spit out chunks of blood and dirt. My eyes were two raging balls of fire.

“
S
orry
, babe. Had to do what I had to do. It’s nothing personal. I got kids to feed.” He walked off. One of the men kicked dirt at him, while the rest of them laughed and hollered. It was a game to them. I was just a pawn on the chessboard. But who were they?

“
P
ick her up
. Bring her inside.” The man said to his goons. They gladly obliged.