Truck Stop Trouble

by Peter Presley

  “Look . . .”

  “Please, Heather. Just do it. I can’t help you if you don’t do it.”

  I don’t know what to say. This guy doesn’t sound like some criminal. I mean, he really sounds like he wants to help me. What is happening with my life? This morning when I woke up, everything was as I thought it would be. Then I get called into central, grilled by the police and put on unpaid leave. Now, I’m supposed to meet this guy in a diner, and he says he wants to protect me. My God, what is happening to me?

  “Okay, I’ll be there. You want me to go there now?”

  “Yeah, right now. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  I’ve never been this nervous in my entire life. Walking down Ashland, I’m looking around me. I feel like I’m being watched even though I know I’m not.

  I walk into the diner and there he is. Is this fact or fiction? Here is this guy, so impossibly cute, sitting in here, wanting to protect me from some men, or, “very bad men,” he had said. What men? What is happening?

  As I reach the table, Alex - I believe that’s the name he told me. I don’t remember in all this excitement - stands and holds out his hand. If I thought his eyes were a gorgeous blue back in the garage, you should see them now.

  “Hi, I’m Alex.” He extends his hand. I shake it.

  “I’m Heather. What is going on here?”

  “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  I take a seat, but I’m hesitant all the same. Our waitress arrives.

  “I’ll take a Miller Lite,” Alex says. He looks at me. “What can I get you?”

  “I don’t want anything.”

  Alex looks at the waitress. “Bring two.”

  Well, I could protest, tell him I hate Miller Lite, tell him I don’t drink, tell him I’m a big girl, and I can order for myself. But that would just be an act. I want a beer; I need a beer, and Alex seems to know it.

  “May I see your I.D.’s please,” says the waitress.

  Alex shows his. I pull mine out of my purse.

  “Heather, I’m sorry you stepped into this,” Alex says to me after the waitress leaves. “But I’m with some people who are involved in a lot of shady stuff. They know you saw me in the garage, and now they’re after you.”

  “You stole that Lamborghini, right?”

  “Yes, me and some others.”

  Tears come to my eyes. “Do they want to hurt me?”

  He puts his hands on mine. They’re soft but strong. “Yeah, they do, and now they know you told the hotel about me.”

  I lean back in my chair and take my hands away from him. I can barely breathe. The tears are increasing now. Where is my beer?

  “Heather, look. They’ll be after me too. I’m supposed to bring you to them, but you and I are getting out of here until it’s safe for us.”

  “What do you mean, we’re getting out of here? To where? I don’t even know you.”

  The waitress brings the beers, and I take a huge swig of mine. Alex isn’t saying anything. He’s just staring at me. Finally, he speaks again. “Heather, sometimes life throws us a curve. I’ve been with this group for a long time, but they’re bad people, and I want to protect you from them. I want out too.”

  “I’m not in so how can I be out?”

  “The moment you saw me in that parking garage, you became a part of this. Life doesn’t always make sense. Now you’ve got to come with me. There’s a safe house where we can go until things blow over.”

  “A safe house? I have a job, Alex. I have a life. I have friends. I have a family.” I raise my voice so loud the lady at the table next to us is looking at me.

  “Heather . . . Heather, calm down for a minute.”

  I just look at him and take another long swig of my beer.

  “Okay?” he says.

  “Okay.”

  “You’re on leave from your job. So you have no job to go to right now.”

  My eyes get big. “You know that about me, too? You know everything about me.”

  “You’ll see your friends and your family again, but not until we get you safe. These guys are going down. It’s all over the news.”

  “Who are they?”

  “I can’t tell you, but what I can tell you is I’m pretty sure their days are numbered.”

  “Yes, I saw the news. They’re serious about cracking down.”

  “And while the cops go after the organization, the organization is going to take down as many people as they can, starting with you and me. They want me to bring you to them, but I won’t do it. I’m here to protect you, Heather.”

  “What am I supposed to do, Alex?”

  “Is there anyone at your place right now?”

  “No. My roommates are at work.”

  “We’ll go back. You’ll pack some stuff, and we’ll be off.”

  I bang the table. “I’m not doing this!”

  “Heather, you don’t have a choice. If you don’t come with me, they’ll find you. Do you understand me?”

  I stare at Alex for what seems like an eternity. My world, my simple little world, has changed. I’m caught up in something I would never have imagined would happen to me.

  “Okay,” I say, but it comes out as a whisper.

  9

  Alex

  I thank God I convinced Heather to come with me. But we’re in deep shit. J texted me, asking me when I’m going to arrive with “the bitch.” I texted him back and told him I’m on my way. But that was 45 minutes ago. If we don’t get out of here soon, we’re gonna be in for it.

  10

  Heather

  Back in my apartment, I grab some clothes, my hair dryer, my toothbrush . . . I can’t think. I’m just throwing stuff in my bag with my heart and my mind racing.

  Alex stands in the living room waiting for me. I have this impossibly handsome man in my living room under circumstances I would never have guessed.

  “Do you have everything?” I hear him shout from the living room.

  “I don’t know. I guess,” I shout back.

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine. Now hurry up. We’ve got to go.”

  11

  Alex

  Heather sits in the front passenger seat, silent, staring at the road in front of us. I try to comfort her by putting my hand on her arm, but she feels tense and she’s probably terrified. I don’t want her to be scared, but this whole situation is fucked up. So I expect her to be scared.

  J tried to call me, but I never picked up. Now he’s sent me a text that says it all - six feet under. We gotta get to the safe house, because if they find us, we’re finished.

  The car I’m in isn’t mine; it belongs to the owner of the safe house. In a few hours, we’ll be there. No Kocan knows where the safe house is, and none of them can ever know.

  Heather looks at me with tears in her eyes. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’m taking you somewhere safe, somewhere we both can be safe from these people. You’ve got to trust me.”

  “I don’t even know you. How can I trust you?”

  “You just have to. Now, try to relax. I’ll get us there as fast as I can.”

  We’ve arrived at the road that will take us to the safe house. It’s a narrow dirt road that passes through a field. I no longer look around me as I’m driving. I know the Kocans will never find us out here, even though I know damn well that we can’t stay out here forever.

  12

  Heather

  “Okay, Heather. We’re here.” The way he looks at me, with those blue eyes, it’s like he knows I’m scared and he’s sorry for having to put me in this situation.

  I have no idea where we are, somewhere in Wisconsin. He took a dirt road to get to this place, and we’ve landed at a little house set in the woods. We’re out in the middle of fucking nowhere. Farm city. But every time I think about having to sleep here tonight and about how horrible my situation is, it’s tempered a bit by the handsome guy to my left. I mean, this is so fucking weird. I’m in a car, on the
run, and the guy sitting next to me is the hottest thing I’ve seen in years, hotter than Doug. I can see that now that I’ve gotten a good look at him.

  My heart has stopped racing a mile a minute. That’s good. I guess I’m at the point where I just have to go with it. I don’t believe this guy is going to hurt me. I truly think he wants to protect me. I don’t think he’s lying to me.

  “So this is it?” I ask.

  “Yeah, this is it. Let’s get inside.”

  I need to go in, but now my nerves are shot again. This guy wouldn’t hurt me, would he? I just don’t think this guy would hurt me, even though he’s got himself hooked up with a bunch of bad men.

  “Okay, I’m going in. I need my bag from the trunk.”

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll get it.”

  I stand by the trunk while he gets my bag. I wish I could tell you I’m not staring at his body, especially his butt, as he reaches for my bag, but I am. Why does this guy have to be so hot? It’s seriously fucking with my head. I don’t know what to think anymore.

  “Come on,” says Alex. “I’ll show you around.”

  “This place is small, isn’t it? There’s not much to show me, is there?”

  “Well, it’s small, but cozy, I guess.” He says it with a slight smile, but not a creepy one. He’s nice to me; he’s hot, and he’s someone I’d probably want to spend time with in a cozy home. I’m sorry, but it’s true.

  He takes a key out of his pocket, opens the door, and steps inside as I follow him. He flicks on a light and then closes the door and locks it. I’m in here with him, and there’s no turning back now unless I unlock the door, open it and run out. But I don’t feel like I want to run out, not at all.

  I look around. The place looks a bit run down from the outside, but that’s not a good indicator of what it’s like on the inside. Inside, the place does look homey and cozy. Over to the right is a kitchen area, with wooden cabinets, a refrigerator, stove, coffee pot and a knife rack on the counter. There are a few grocery bags filled with groceries on the counter, too. Alex must have gone shopping before he brought me here. There’s a dining room table and four chairs. On my left is the living room that has a sofa, a chair, and a TV. There’s a fireplace, nature pictures on the wall and a large cotton rug on the hardwood floor. In front of me is a small hallway where the other rooms are.

  The way the place looks outside doesn’t match the way it smells in here either. It smells clean and a bit woodsy. I notice he has a couple of the windows slightly open. So it’s not too stuffy in here, either.

  I step away from him and check out the other rooms. They are a closet, a bathroom and a bedroom.

  “You can have the bedroom,” says Alex, standing in the hallway watching me. “I’ll sleep in the living room.”

  I don’t want to think about the sleeping arrangements right now, not with some good-looking guy in this house with me. This whole situation is entirely fucked up, and I need to get my head straight. “This seems like a nice place, nice and clean,” I say as I go back into the living room. “Is this your house?”

  “It belongs to a friend.”

  “Does this friend know you’re in trouble?”

  “He lives in Germany. He doesn’t know exactly what I do, or, what I did. But he knows trouble could hit me eventually. He gave me this house to stay in whenever I need it as long as I keep an eye on it while he’s in Germany.”

  “Well, I see the lights work. I guess the plumbing works, too, huh?”

  “Yeah, everything works.” Alex walks into the kitchen. I follow him.

  “So it looks like you bought some food?”

  “Yeah, I got some stuff before I talked to you. This place is stocked for at least the next two weeks.”

  “Two weeks?” I step back. “I’m not staying here for two weeks.”

  “Heather, calm down. Things need to blow over and, in the meantime, we need to figure out what to do.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah, we. You’re in danger. I’m not sure when you’re going to realize that. Now, I’m going to go double check the bathroom. Make sure everything’s cool. I’ll be right back.”

  He’s left the room. Now is the chance for me to run out if I want to. But, instead, I grab a knife from the knife rack and stick it in my purse. I look for my cell phone, but it’s not in my purse. I must have left it back at the apartment in all the rushing around. Shit!

  Alex comes back in the room and takes two cell phones out of his jacket.

  “Hey! That’s my phone. I was just looking for it.”

  “I couldn’t take any chances of you trying to call anyone. So I took it while you were packing.”

  “I want it back!”

  “No.” He walks over to a small safe in the living room and puts my phone in there.

  I pull the knife out of my bag. “I have this, you know!”

  Alex sits on the couch and just looks at me. He doesn’t seem angry. He just seems exasperated. “I’m not going to hurt you, Heather. I’m here to help you. We’ll hang out here and figure things out.”

  “Figure things out? Exactly how are we going to do that while we’re out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “You need me, Heather. Hopefully, you’ll realize that soon.” I’m still holding the knife, but he couldn’t care less. He just walks past me to the kitchen and starts putting things away.

  I feel silly. That’s all I feel right now. I walk into the kitchen and put the knife back in the knife rack. Alex looks at me, smiles and returns to putting groceries away.

  “Do you want some help?” I say.

  “Sure,” he says, handing me two cereal boxes. “Would you put these in the cabinet for me?”

  13

  Alex

  I made Heather some soup, a Polish recipe I got from my mom. We’ve finished eating dinner, and now she’s watching TV. I’m not sure what she’s watching, but she looks chill on the couch under the blanket.

  The text messages from J have gotten worse, way worse. He says they’re looking for me, and when they find me, they’re going to kill me.

  I knew that already.

  Stefan, my buddy in Germany, knows something serious is going on. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in his house. He said if I wanted to come and hang with him, I’m more than welcome. I don’t want to leave Chicago to live in Germany, but I will if I have to.

  14

  Heather

  I’ve changed clothes, and after watching a series of mindless television shows, I’m tired. Alex made me some soup. Apparently, it’s a family recipe. It was delicious. I mean, this guy is not only hot; he’s a good cook. He’s been on his phone checking out what our situation is; at least I guess that’s what he’s doing. I can’t believe I’m saying “our.” How did I get into this mess?

  I sit up. “I’m going to bed.”

  Alex looks up from his phone. “Okay, the sheets are all clean. Everything’s cool.”

  “I’m not going in there. I’m staying right here. Right here on this couch.”

  “You’ll be more comfortable in the bed. I’ll sleep here on the couch, okay?”

  “Suppose I plan to escape. Then what? I’ll just sleep here.”

  “We’ve been through this. You know it’s not wise for you to leave this place.” Alex goes back to looking at his phone.

  “You think you know so much about me, don’t you? You think I’m just going to do everything you say?”

  Alex shakes his head, but he doesn’t look angry. He’s just got that exasperated look on his face again. He places his cell on the table. “Heather, you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. I can’t lie about that. But I just want to be your friend. That’s all. I’m not here to hurt you. I promise.”

  I close my eyes and decide not to answer him, even though I’m still savoring him telling me I’m beautiful.

  “Do you like eggs?” he says.

  “What?”

  “Do you like eggs? I’ll make you an omelet for
breakfast tomorrow. How does that sound?”

  “Yes, you’re a good cook, Alex. You’ve proven that. But you’re not going to make me feel any better by cooking for me.”

  “We both have to eat, right?”

  I nod my head and look at my lap. “Yeah, we do.” Here’s a guy who’s hot as hell, who gives me compliments and he cooks. It’s all so surreal. Maybe I should stop being such a fake. And sleeping on a bed sure would be good over this couch. I saw the bed, and it looks comfy. And who am I fooling? I’m not leaving this place. First of all, it’s out in the middle of fucking nowhere, and second of all, those guys, whoever they are, are after me.

  I throw my blanket over to the side and stand. “Okay, I’m going into the bedroom.”

  Alex smiles at me. “Right on! Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  I walk to the bedroom, but I look back at him a bit as I do it. He’s sitting there in the chair, shirt off with just his tank. A large eagle tattoo decorates his huge bicep. His chest and stomach are firm and fit, and his long legs are covered with jeans that look great on him.

  Alex is hot, and he’s nice to me, and, he’s not out to hurt me. Not at all. This is a guy who wants to protect me. But that doesn’t make the situation any better.

  In the bed, I just lie here in the dark staring at the ceiling. I know Melanie and Amber must be freaking out by now. I’m sure they’ve called my parents and I’m sure my parents have called my brother.

  It’s been at least an hour, and I still can’t sleep. I can’t say I’m worried about any of the bad guys finding us here. You should see this place. It really is out in the middle of nowhere. But, I’m nervous all the same.

  The light is still on in the living room. Alex is still up, I’m sure of it. I don’t want to be in here by myself. I want Alex in here with me. Yep, that’s what I want.