Talisman (72 page)

Crap
…

I sat there and twisted my ponytail while I contemplated my next move.  I still didn’t want to go home and deal with Charlotte.  Anyway, if the st
ranger were connected to Lazarus, surely they would put two and two together and could easily track me down there.  I couldn’t drive around town aimlessly for the rest of the afternoon.  I was bound to run into the dark man again.  I certainly couldn’t stay parked here —
alone
— especially not out in the open like a sitting duck with a target on my back.  The ideal place was somewhere public and full of people, where I could blend in until Tanner contacted me.

The perfect place popped into my head —
the Sterling Drive-In
.  I could conceal my vehicle with the other parked cars and hide out in the kitchen.  Charlie would appreciate the help, and I could sure use the money.  I laughed to myself as I pulled onto the road, headed for the Sterling Drive-In. 
That’s funny. I just tore up a check for fifty million dollars and I’m excited about $5.00 and hour, plus tips!

To my delight, I arrived to find t
he Sterling Drive-In hopping with customers.  There were plenty of cars in the lot, which would help conceal my vehicle.  I dashed in through the side employee entrance and slung my things in my usual locker.

As I breezed past Charlie’s office, I spotted
Naomi Perkins chatting on the phone.  She was one of Charlie’s older waitresses. Around forty-five, I thought.  She was the only other person at the Drive-In I liked working with, aside from Charlie.  She was tall, sassy, and had the thickest head of hair I’d ever seen.  I wasn’t sure what the correct name for its color was, since her multi-hued locks contained a natural mix of dark blonde, light brown, and even flecks of red.  She had always affectionately referred to it as “piss-burnt blonde”.  Secretly, I suspected something was going on between Charlie and Naomi.  I had caught them passing flirty looks back and forth during their shifts on
SEVERAL occasions
.  Why they didn’t just come out in the open with it was beyond me, but to each his (or her) own.

Naomi popped into the hallway.  “Hey girl,” she called out.
  “Whatcha doin’ here?  Charlie told me he gave ya the week off.  Don’t tell me he asked ya to come in.”

“No, Naomi.  I wanted to. 
I um
…I need the money,” I replied.  That wasn’t a lie —
I did
.  “I’m just going to help back in the kitchen, if that’s okay?  I still don’t want to be around people…if you know what I mean.”

Naomi leaped
over some boxes and gave me a big hug.  “I understand, darlin’.  When my pappy passed, I didn’t want to see or talk to nobody.  Daggone everybody reminded me of him.”  She gave me a firm peck on the cheek and added, “If there’s anything ya need, just gimmie me a holler.”  She turned to the mirror hanging in the hall and gave her boobs a quick, lift & shift.  “Gotta go work on those
tips
,” Naomi called back as she sashayed out the side door.  Tickled by her brazen gesture, I shook my head and smiled as I turned to step into the kitchen.

Charlie was shocked to see me.  “I told you to take the whole week off, Shi.  What are you doing here?” he asked.  Before I could even answer, he glanced at his watch and added skeptically, “School’s not out yet,
is it?”

“
Not exactly
,” I answered evasively.

“What do you mean by, ‘not exactly’?”
Charlie probed while he chopped up a head of lettuce.

No since in beating around th
e bush.  The news of Mike’s ass-kicking will hit the Drive-In by the time the dinner-rush rolls in
.

“I mean, sc
hool’s not out yet…but for someone who just got suspended for
fighting
it is,” I confessed.

Maybe I
should have omitted the “fighting” part.  I felt awful watching Charlie slice his finger open at the startling notion that
I
, “Miss Sweet & Innocent”, not to mention, “easy-going & tolerates everyone”, just got into a fight at school.

Charlie
quickly wiped the blood off his finger with a damp towel and wrapped it in some gauze that he kept handy for such emergencies.  He shook his head and resumed chopping.

“With
who?
” Charlie asked.  “Was it Kara?  I didn’t want to say anything to you, but that girl has run her mouth about you all week.  I told her last night that I’d had enough of it and sent her home early.  I told her that she could come back when she learned some manners.”  Charlie had a proud look in his eyes.  Thankfully someone in this town besides Samuel had my back.

“N
o, it
wasn’t
Kara.  It was Mike…
Mike Riverside
,” I blurted.

I was going to have to take some lessons on
tact
.  At the release of my victim’s identity, Charlie flinched and cut another one of his fingers.

“
Shoot, Shiloh
.  I’d better not let you tell me anymore.  I’d kinda fond of my digits.”  He wiped off his middle finger and wrapped it in the same fashion as the other one.  “
YOU
got into a fight with the town’s
golden child?
”

I
lowered my head and nodded.

“Do I have to
ask
who won?
” my curious boss inquired, looking like he had his fingers mentally crossed.

I hesitated.  “It wasn’t a fair fight,” I muttered.  Charlie tilted his head back, like he was preparing himself for my answer.  “
I did
.  He never stood a chance,” I assured him.  The news floored Charlie.  Good thing he’d put down the knife.

“
So
, you’re on the lam…You don’t want to go home, and you’re wanting to hide out here.  Is that
about right?
” Charlie posed with wise smile.

I flashed him a shameful grin.  “
That’s the plan
. Just for a few hours in the kitchen…If that’s okay?  I could really use the money, too.”

“Say no more,” Charlie replied.  “Throw on an apron and g
rab a hairnet and some gloves…
Rocky
.”

“Thanks, Charlie.  You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

The Drive-In stayed steady for the rest of the afternoon.  It was almost 6 o’clock, and the dinner crowd was now pouring in.  Thankfully the parking lot never appeared empty or even slightly bare.  My whereabouts seemed to be well under wraps.

Naomi came bustling behind the counter.  “Hey, Shi.  I need two Mountain Man burgers with the works, one with fries, the other with rings,”
Naomi rattled off as she handed me her order ticket and whirled around to head back out.  The sassy server stopped abruptly and spun back around.  “Oh, and um…there’s a guy outside askin’ ’bout ya,” she announced, sporting an odd look on her face.

“Did he say who he was?”  I asked as I ran over to the
front window to see if it was Tanner.

“No,”
Naomi replied.  “He just wanted to know
who
drove the Charger parked outside and
where
they were.”

No
sooner than she had finished her sentence, I caught a glimpse of my inquirer.  I gasped and quickly ducked out of sight.

Damn!  It’s the stranger
…

Chapter  21  —  Hail Mary

Startled by my reaction, Naomi
followed my lead and hunkered down right beside me.  “
Umm
… I take it ya know the guy?” my sassy and now eager-to-know shadow inquired.

I stared at her with a blank gaze, not knowing what to say about why my shaky frame was now down here on all-fours.  My silence stirred her pot of intrigue
even more
.  I grabbed her arm when she started to rise and swiftly yanked her back down.

“In a round
about way,” I finally replied.

Crap!  He knows I’m
HERE…What am I going to do?

“What did you say to him?” I asked
, knowing that any attempt to escape hinged upon her answer.

Naomi hesitated.  “Nothin’ reall
y,” she replied.  “I didn’t give ’im your name, but I did tell ’im it belonged to one of our carhops.”  The color began to drain from my face as I sunk even lower to the floor.  “Did I say somethin’ I shouldnta said?  Who the heck is ’e?”

Naomi kept rattling off questions, but my mind
was whirling too fast to answer.  I needed a plan.  I had to get out of here.  Taking my car was out of the question.  I would have to do it on foot.  I turned to her as my strategy began to take form.

“Naomi, I need you to go out there and distract him.  He
CAN’T
see me leave,” I stressed.  “My car’s parked near the side entrance, so you need to get him to move away from it.  Could you do that for me?”

Naom
i gladly agreed.  “But, who is ’e?  What’s ’e wantin’?”

That
was the only thing about sweet ’ole up-for-anything Naomi Perkins.  She tended to be a little too nosey for her own good. 
Think of something
.

“
He might be here to
umm
…
repo my car
.  I’m late on a few payments.”  That one was more than a stretch.  Sucky-bad, in fact.
An old ’69 Charger?  That was my father’s first car when “he” was in high school?  Seriously?

Naomi sprang up like a private who’d just received their marching orders.  “Enough said,” she nodded.
  “I
hate
those bastards!  I’ll get ridda his good for nothin’ rear!”

Well…It wasn’t “gold”, but
she bought it
.

Naomi
looked around the lot and threw me a smile.  “I don’t see a tow truck.  Maybe ya don’t got nothin’ ta worry ’bout?”  She quickly headed out the door to create a diversion while I hurried to the rear of the Drive-In to grab my things.

Quietly, I pushed the side door o
pen, just a fuzz.  The stranger was still there, hovering like a hungry buzzard around my car.  I spotted Naomi gathering up a tray from off a royal blue Mustang parked beside it.  The sassy server whipped around purposely and crashed into my stalker — spilling the leftovers all over him.  It was evident by his scowl.  He was
not
happy.

I
thought she might just flirt with him a little, but that works, too…Good diversion, Naomi!

“Look what you did you
stupid,
BACK-WOODS
TWIT!
” the creepy stranger raged as he tried to wipe off the mess.  His long, intimidating black leather coat now looked like something a preschooler would bring home to tack up on their mom’s fridge, what with all the ketchup, mustard, and milkshake splattered and smeared all over it.  His rubbing just made it worse.  My hands flew up to cover my mouth.  I couldn’t help but giggle.  Naomi’s performance was quite entertaining.

“I’m
sooo
sorry, Sir!” Naomi exclaimed.  “I don’t know where ma head’s at this evenin’!”  She took him by the arm.  “Here, sugar.  The little boys’ room’s this-a-way.  Let’s see if we can’t get ya all spiffy again.”

“I
’ll do it MYSELF!” the creepy stranger growled as he jerked his arm away from her.  “
DON’T
touch me!”

The stranger disappeared from my view, bound for the restrooms on the other side of the Drive-In.  Naomi
kept her eyes on him and then made a subtle “okay” gesture with her hand.  I waved bye and waited until she was out of sight.  When the coast was clear, I dashed into the woods behind the Drive-In with breakneck speed and headed as far away from here as
supernaturally
possible.

The light
was fading around me as I barreled up and down the dark, mountainous terrain.  I couldn’t even take pause to enjoy the last few minutes of the blazing sunset lingering in the sky.  I had to keep moving, though I still didn’t have any idea where I was going.  There were too many clues as to “who” I was, and “where” I would likely turn up.  Home was definitely out of the question.  One thing was for sure — I had to find Tanner.

Where is he and what could be keeping him?

The sun had now officially set, and the night sky looked like a starless sea of black.  I could vaguely make out my surroundings, but the farther I traveled the more confident I was about my location.  Up ahead, I saw a bright cluster of lights. 
The football field
.  I slowed to a halt and decided to hang back behind a large tree, safely out of sight.  Sure enough, there was Golden Knights Stadium, nestled in a small clearing between two mountains.  It looked like their practice was winding down for the evening.  Guys were pouring out of the team’s locker room and heading straight for their cars.  They had one more game to play next Friday against Logan High before their season would officially come to a close.

This doesn’t seem like a bad spot.  I could hang out here for a bit
.

While
I gazed down at the field, my guilt began to rear its ugly head.  Our team would have to play without Mike, their star quarterback.  No offense to Tommy Reynolds, the team’s backup, but he passed a ball like he was playing pin the tail on the donkey. 
Hit or miss
.  And Mason Evans, their third stringer, had as much “skill” as a bag of hair.  The team’s undefeated season would surely come to an end.  I couldn’t let that happen, even if it was
Mike
.  I would have to heal him before next Friday night, no question about it — at least his
internal
injuries.  But not for “him”— for our school, as well as the town (and
YES
, to alleviate some of
my
guilt).

That is, if Mike
will even let me near him again
.

From o
ut of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving around the edge of the field. 
Ty
.  He was running laps.  I looked over at the team’s locker room.   Everyone had cleared out.  Ty appeared to be the only player left.  I was still nervous about what to say to him, but knew I really needed to say something.  There was so much I wanted to clear up.  With all the crazy things he’d witnessed, surely he had to think I was nuts.  Kara’s nasty rumors probably had him thinking I was a
slutty
nut.

I told myself,
Suck it up and get down there
. 
What’s the worst that could happen?
  My voice of doubt quickly spoke up and urged,
He might not be able to kick your butt, but he sure could rip out your heart!

I threw caution to the wind and hiked down through the woods until I came to the top
row of bleachers on the visitors’ side.  Slightly overheated from my run, I slipped off my jacket as I slowly trotted down the metal steps.  The entire stadium was quiet, so the vibrations from my movements alerted Ty to my presence.  He had just made another sluggish lap around the field, but his pace quickened the second he spotted me.

Huffing and puffing,
Ty stopped on the field directly in front of me.  He didn’t look too bad considering Mike had slammed him face-first into a stainless-steel water fountain.  Even slightly swollen and bruised, his hotness couldn’t be denied.

“
Shiloh?
  What are you doing
here?
” Ty asked.

Since he seemed more surprised than anything else, I took that as a good sign.  I couldn’t necessarily tell him the real reason, so I opted for
partial
disclosure.

“I need to talk to you…
You know, about all the
crazy things
people have been spreading around…about
me
.”

“Just the
rumors
, or are you going to fill me in on some of your ‘crazy’ behavior?” Ty questioned.

Crap! 
He does think I’m nuts
.  Without hesitation, I stared aimlessly at the field, avoiding any and all eye contact.

Ty hopped over the chain-
link fence and climbed up the bleachers.  He was by my side before I knew it.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,”
Ty said as he gently turned my face to his.  “
But
, this has been one crazy week…don’t you
agree?
” he asked matter-of-factly.  “I know the past several days have been rough on you, but I wanted you to know that I was here if you needed me.  I sent you a couple of texts, but you never answered them.  I thought I might get a chance to talk to you after the funeral, but you disappeared.”

There was no denying anything he’d just said. 
Straightaway, I tossed my things onto the bleachers and sat down.

“Where do you want to start?”
I asked with a compliant sigh.

Ty
flashed me a curious grin.  “
Seriously?
”

“Fire away,
” I insisted and motioned for him to sit.

Ty started to
lower himself down, but he paused abruptly.  “You’re not going to run off,
are you?
”

After a direct roll of my eyes,
I grabbed his arm and then jerked him down beside me.

“I guess I’d better,” Ty acknowledged with a grin.
  “I would hate for you to
kick my ass
.”

I
flashed an uncomfortable smile.
I suppose I deserve that one
.  He seemed to want to make Mike topic Number One.

“What was up with that anyway?”
Ty asked.

“I was just giving
Mike a little payback for what he did to you,” I replied defensively.

Ty
nodded and smiled.  “Yeah,
but
…how did you know
what he did?
  You
weren’t
in the locker room.”

Think fast
…

“
No
…But I saw him wiping some blood off his hand when he came out.  Good assumption?”

Let’s see how that one flies
…

Ty let that one roll a
round for a few seconds.  “Okay,
maybe
…but Shiloh…when I got to the gym floor, you didn’t just shove him like a typical girl would,
um
—
no offense
— you tossed him like you were throwing a wadded up paper ball into a trash can.  There was
no effort
. 
I
couldn’t have done that.  Not even with the weight-training program I’m on.”  He continued to shake his head.  “
HOW
did you do it?”

“A rush of adrenaline?” I replied innocently.

By the look on Ty’s face, I could tell he was fighting a battle between wanting to believe me, and his own cynical reality.  I knew what side I wanted to win.

“
Possibly
,” Ty speculated.  We sat for a moment in silence.  I assumed he was debating about “what to ask me next”.

Ty nudged my shoulder.  “You know…
I heard his nose is
broken
.”

I
cringed on the spot.

“Oh,
and a couple of his ribs are cracked, too,” Ty continued, forcing my head to lower in shame.  He patted my back.  “Don’t
beat yourself up
over it.”

I
shook my head and pursed my lips after hearing his playful, yet warranted jab.

“
Personally I think his busted lip looks the worst…especially with that missing tooth,” Ty added.

Without delay
, I whipped my head up and around. “I didn’t lay a finger on his
mouth
,” I insisted.

Ty grinned.  “No…
But I did
.”

My mouth dropped open.

Ty chuckled.  “Come on, Shi.  I had to get in at least one jab for the way he jumped me like that.  Why do you think I’ve been out here running laps for the past two and a half hours?” Ty bragged.