Stranded

Katie watched as the passing landscape transitioned from white fields and snow-capped mountains to desert and dry, flat plains. She had never been this far out west before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. It was so dead and void of life. Then again, maybe she would fit in just fine.

Her gas light blinked on and Katie cursed. She had ten dollars in her pocket, but that wouldn’t get her far. Normally she would ‘borrow’ a credit card from someone, but things were different now. She didn’t have anyone covering her tracks like she had in Colorado. If she was going to stay under Teddy’s radar she had to be more careful, and that meant no more ‘borrowing.’

Crap. How was she going to survive?

Katie drove until she saw an isolated gas station on the side of the road. Just as she took the exit, though, a small explosion sent her car skating down the offramp, smoke simultaneously pouring from under her hood. She fought the wheel until she slid to a stop in the parking lot, and leaped out of the car, grabbing her book from the passenger seat, just in case the car decided to burst into a giant ball of flames.

An attendant from the station ran out with a fire extinguisher, expertly popped her hood, and surveyed the damage. “You’re lucky. Nothing’s on fire. Just busted,” the attendant said.

Katie bent over, holding her knees, and breathed heavily. “Yeah. Lucky.”

“Do you have a phone to call someone for help?”

The burner phone sat heavy in Katie’s pocket. “I don’t. Do you have one I can borrow, and maybe the number for a tow truck?”

“Sure. Follow me into the station.” The attendant smiled as he walked, like she was saving him from the boredom that must plague every day of his life. “You from around here?” he asked.

Small talk. Ugh.

“No, just passing through,” Katie said. When the attendant had his back turned, she slipped the burner phone out of her pocket and dropped it into the trashcan.

“Would you like me to make the call for you?” the attendant asked. “I know the guy in the next town over that owns the auto shop.”

Katie nodded, grateful that was one less person she had to talk to. “Sure, I’ll wait outside with the car.”

While she waited, she flipped through Anna Karenina. What was it about that book that kept bringing her back? Was it the betrayal and the constant heartache? Or was it the realization that she lived in a world full of imperfect people—that she wasn’t the only one? Kitty and Anna’s pain helped her feel at home.

A large tow truck lumbered down the offramp, startling Katie out of her thoughts. It came to a stop next to her, and a boy who couldn’t have been older than twenty hopped off the truck.

“You the lady that needs the car towed?”

Katie tucked her book under one arm. “Yeah, that’s me. How far is your shop?”

The boy lowered the bed of the truck. “No more than forty-five minutes.”

Katie nodded, wondering how she was going to pay for the tow. At that distance it would probably be close to two hundred bucks. “Is it all right if I pay for the tow at the same time I pay for the repairs when you’re done?” she asked, hoping she could figure something out by then.

“Sure thing. My uncle won’t mind.”

When Katie stepped around the car, a piece of paper on the windshield caught her eye. It was stuck underneath one of the wipers, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. While the boy was hooking the car up, she swiped the paper and unfolded it.

You’ve made a lot of mistakes, but running will be your worst one.

Katie’s pulse quickened and she tucked her hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. She glanced around the station lot but didn’t see anyone else there.

“You okay?” The boy stood next to the car with a metal hook in hand, staring at her. His forehead was scrunched up in concern.

Katie forced a smile. “Yes, fine. Just worried about the car.”

The boy relaxed and matched her smile. “If anyone can fix it, my uncle can.”

With a nod, Katie hopped into the passenger seat of the tow truck. She gripped the door handle, trying to keep her hands from shaking. Was Teddy here? Had she been in such a rush to leave that she hadn’t seen the note earlier? Either way, Teddy knew she was gone. And he was going to come after her.

The tow truck ambled down the freeway and Katie could feel Teddy getting closer with each mile. She kept glancing in the rearview mirror, but there was no one behind them. Her nerves were getting to her. For all she knew, Teddy had left that note as a warning before she left.

Katie couldn’t take the silence anymore. She glanced sideways at the name sewn on the boy’s coveralls. “How long have you been working for your uncle, Jake?”

Oh, great. Now

she was the one engaging in small talk. She had to get that car fixed and keep moving before these desert folk rubbed off on her any more than they already had.

Jake smiled, as if recalling a fond memory. “For a couple years now. Uncle CJ’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Katie offered him a small smile and then turned her head, regretting starting the conversation. She hoped he’d get the hint that she was done talking for the moment. She watched the cactuses speed by, amazed at the difference between Colorado and this place. Here it was, December, and there wasn’t a hint of snow. She’d even had to take her jacket off at the gas station because she’d been too warm. Katie had made the right choice when she decided to head south on the interstate.

An exit sign loomed ahead.

“Amor,” she read aloud. “Is that the city we’re going to?”

The boy nodded. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t call it a city. It’s pretty small.”

“What does the name mean?” she asked, craning to see her first glimpse of the town as they traveled along the offramp.

He made a left onto a small road lined with adobe-style homes. “Love.”

                                                                                 * * * * *

Katie jumped out of the tow truck, careful to avoid tires and other odd parts that were strewn over the dirt parking space. A few cars were parked haphazardly around the garage, but otherwise, it was strangely quiet for an auto shop. “Do they work on cars around here, or do they just park the broken ones?”

Jake laughed. “I take it that you are from a big city.”

Katie hesitated. “You could say that.”

Jake raised an eyebrow but didn’t push the subject further. “My uncle CJ is usually up front, but he has a friend helping him out today.”

Katie held her book against her chest. “He needs more than you for help?” She glanced around. No one was driving on the streets. Not a single person was on the sidewalks and the porches were empty.

“It’s a different kind of situation,” Jake said without further explanation. “Oh, there he is.” He led Katie to the back of the garage. As they grew closer she heard two men talking, though they were hidden by a raised truck.

“The cameras should be here around two o’clock. I hope that’s not an inconvenience,” one of them said. His voice was strong but friendly.

“You mean the inconvenient free publicity?” The second man laughed. “No, that’s all right by me. This afternoon we have a few appointments, so that will work out well.” That must be Uncle CJ.

Cameras? She’d better be out of there before then. There was no way she could be hanging around the auto shop if there were cameras. What were they doing, a TV ad or something? The two men stepped around the truck, nearly running into Katie.

“Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry,” one of the men exclaimed, sidestepping around her as she stumbled back. He had graying hair and laugh lines around his eyes. “Are you all right?”

Katie leaned against the truck and held her chest, her breathing ragged. She gave a small laugh. “Yes, you just surprised me.” She held out a hand. “I’m Katie. My car was just towed in.”

“Yes, of course.” He shook Katie’s hand. “I’m CJ, the owner of this fine establishment.” He nodded to the other man, who stood just behind him. “And this is my associate for the day, Sam.”

Katie dropped her gaze when Sam nodded in greeting. She couldn’t explain it, but he made her nervous. It was something about his eyes—they were dark, but still so full of life and warmth. His olive-toned hands weren’t blackened with grease like CJ’s were. And there was something else that seemed off—

Katie’s gaze lifted, a smile tugging up. “Is that glitter in your hair?”

Sam cursed. “She said it would come out in the shower, but it’s only spread.” He turned to CJ with an accusatory finger. “You said it was gone—that I had gotten it all out.”

CJ let out a belly laugh that seemed to shake his whole body. “Would me telling you the truth have made a difference?”

Sam ran a hand through his dark hair. “I guess not.”

What rabbit hole had she fallen down to end up in a place like this?

“So…about my car,” Katie said.

“Oh, of course,” CJ said. “Let’s go check it out. I heard there was a bit of smoke involved.”

Katie followed him through the garage and to where Jake was lowering her car off the truck bed. She sneaked a peek at Sam while they waited. The sun reflected off the glitter that speckled his face and neck, while highlighting his eyes at the same time. They were mesmerizing. Those eyes turned toward her and caught her gaze. Katie snapped forward, her full attention now on her car. Her cheeks warmed at having been caught staring at the mechanic.

“I’m going to need some time to get a better feel for what we’re dealing with here,” CJ said, wiping his hands on a cloth that hung over his shoulder.

“Is there a place I can get lunch around here?” Katie asked, remembering she hadn’t eaten much since leaving Colorado.

“There’s a small cafe just around the corner,” Sam said. “Why don’t I join you?”

Katie’s stomach somersaulted. She found herself liking the idea of getting to know Sam better.

She stopped herself, not allowing that thought to travel any further. There was no way she could allow Sam, CJ, or anyone else in town to get too close. It was too small of a community for something like that and it would only invite trouble. Katie needed to have the car fixed so she could get out of there. She wondered where the next big city was—somewhere she could disappear and no one would care.

Then Katie remembered the ten dollars she had in her pocket. Maybe she could get Sam to pay for lunch and prolong her destitution for a little longer. Just because she got to know Sam a little better over a hot meal didn’t mean he had to get to know her. Besides, she would feel safer if she wasn’t by herself.

Katie nodded. “That sounds nice, thank you.”

She had spent years mastering the art of evasion, using misdirection against some of the richest men and women in Colorado. Surely she could handle a small-town mechanic.