Falling for Her

by Amy Stephens

  Stupidly, I waited.

  He slowed down when he neared the store, obviously looking for me. I stepped out from underneath the front porch, and I walked out to the street to meet him. He pulled up alongside me and stopped in the middle of the road.

  “Hop in.” He’d rolled down the window and called out to me from inside as I approached the car.

  “I told you, man. I got to get back.” I leaned down and placed my arms against the door.

  “Aw, don’t be a pussy. I got some work for us. Come on, get in.”

  I looked at him, speechless. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, no matter how hard I tried to tell him otherwise.

  “I told you I don’t need anything right now.”

  “Jaime, get the fuck in the car. Now!” His tone was very demanding, unlike anything I’d heard out of him before. He revved the engine, and I knew he meant business.

  I’d barely closed the door before he cranked up the music and sped off. If there’d been a cop nearby, he’d surely have pulled him over.

  “So you want to take the kids to Disney, huh?” he asked after we’d driven a good ways.

  I reached over and turned down the volume. “I don’t know where I’m taking them, but I’ll figure it out. You don’t need to worry about it.” I emphasized again that it wasn’t his problem, no matter how many times he tried to offer a solution.

  “How you going to get there? You planning on taking the bus?” He snickered, and I did everything I could not to reach over and hit him. He sensed the cold, hard stare coming from me and pulled off to the side of the road. Did he want to fight? I was ready to take him on, and I was tired of his smart mouth.

  “Just take me back. Take me back home now,” I yelled.

  “No, mother fucker. We got work to do tonight.” I felt spit hit me in the face as he spoke between gritted teeth.

  “Fuck you.”

  “No, I’ve got a delivery to pick up, and I need you to do it for me. I’ve helped you before, and now it’s time for you to help me.”

  For the life of me, I thought we were good. I thought I’d done enough already to pay him back, and we’d called it even. He’d even said so the last time.

  I saw him reach down between his feet, but didn’t think anything about it until he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me. Holy fuck!

  “Javier, put that away. We don’t need no trouble here.” This was the kind of crap I’d wanted to get away from, to avoid from happening. I wanted my family to get away from shit like this. Drugs made people do stupid things, and Javier pulling a gun on me wasn’t my idea of helping anyone out. He was crazy!

  “You heard me. I need you to help me—now.”

  For a moment, I thought I’d heard his teeth grind together. “All right. What the hell do you need?” I didn’t want any more trouble. “Just tell me and let’s get it over with.”

  Javier proceeded to tell me about a package that’d come in from Columbia, and it was waiting for him down at the marina. The more he talked about it and how much it was worth, it completely blew my mind. We’re talking major bucks there! The package was for a guy named Hansen who’d just flown in from New York. Hansen owed Javier for the last delivery, and before he was going to hand this one over to him, Hansen needed to pay up. Javier was worried he’d try to pull a fast one over on him, so that’s where he needed me.

  I continued to listen to him, getting more nervous the more details he told me. It all sounded shady, and it was giving me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. What I couldn’t understand was why he couldn’t do this himself. Why did he need me to do it for him?

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to drive your car there and do this?” Ah, it was starting to make sense now.

  “Yeah. I need to make sure Hansen has the money first.” He put the gun onto the floorboard of the car, and I wondered if it was even loaded. “You’re going to drop me off at Pete’s, then drive down to the marina just like last time. When you get back, I’ll give you the signal if the deal is a go or not. I’ve got a sneaky feeling Hansen’s going to try to pull a fast one on me.”

  “If you’re feeling this way about him, then why put yourself at risk. What if he tries to start trouble?” The more I tried to figure this out, the more confused I got. The last thing I needed, though, was for him to pull the gun back out on me because I questioned him. “Listen to your gut, man.”

  “What if I go ahead and pay you now? Will that work?”

  I didn’t like what transpired. Something about it just didn’t sit well with me. Not one bit of it.

  “Javier, I don’t—” I tried to sound uncertain, hoping he’d pick up on my hesitation, as if it would even make a difference.

  He cut me off before I could even finish. “Just this one time, man. This will be the last time I call on you to help a brother out. I promise.”

  I noticed we were already heading toward Pete’s so I could drop him off, and he wasn’t giving me any say in the matter. It looked as if I was going down to the marina whether I liked it or not.

  He pulled out his wallet from the center console and opened it. The glow from the street lights showed me way more than I’d wanted to see. His wallet was full of bills. Without shutting off the car, he shifted it into park and then pulled out some money. He counted out ten one hundred dollar bills. Ten of them. One thousand dollars! He folded them in half before he passed them to me.

  “Here. Now go,” he instructed and opened the car door to get out.

  “Wait. I’m not sure I remember how to get there again.”

  My hands shook holding that kind of cash. I’d never had this much before. I immediately thought of Diego, Ricky, Eliana, and Isabel. I thought about what I could do for them with this kind of money. The vacation we could all have.

  He quickly spat out directions how to get there again, and I hoped I could remember without getting lost.

  “Bring my car back in one piece, Jaime,” he joked, then turned to walk inside Pete’s.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered under my breath. I was going to do this for him whether I wanted to or not. He had me right where he wanted me.

  It’d been a long time since I’d driven a car, but it was sort of like riding a bicycle. Once you learned how to do it, you never forgot. I backed out of the parking lot, then turned left. Damn it, it’d been dark the last time, and the one thing I didn’t need was to get lost, knowing Javier would be checking his watch while patiently waiting for me to return.

  Suddenly, it hit me about the gun Javier had pulled on me. I ran my hand around underneath the seat, curious if he’d left it or taken it with him when he’d gotten out of the car. As I brushed over the top of the gun’s cool metal, I quickly jerked it back. The car swerved, and I snatched it back across the middle line. Thank goodness nothing had been coming in the other lane. Dear God, please help me through this. Please just get me out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into.

  I turned down a road I thought was the right one, but the farther I drove, the more I realized I’d made a wrong turn. There were boats lined on both sides of the highway instead of just the one side like the one we’d driven down previously. Up ahead was a bridge, and I knew for sure then that I’d taken the wrong turn. I pulled off to the side of the road into a clearing and hoped there’d be enough room for me to make a U-turn so I could head back. Just as I was about to pull onto the road, I noticed oncoming headlights. It was hard to believe I’d not passed a single car after I’d turned off the main road, and now one was coming in my direction. I quickly got into my lane.

  As the car neared, blue lights came on and… Shit!

  I immediately looked down at the speedometer, knowing I was going well under the posted speed limit since I’d just turned around and pulled onto the highway.

  I panicked. What do I do now?

  I realized I’d still had my lights on high beams since the roads had been so dark, and I’d forgotten to swap them over when
meeting with the oncoming car. No wonder blue lights had been flashed at me.

  Stupidly, I accelerated to a speed that I honestly didn’t feel comfortable driving, especially down an unfamiliar road. Looking in my rearview mirror, I noticed the patrol car had done a turnaround in the middle of the road and was quickly coming up behind me. If I could make it out to the main highway, I just might be able to get away. Did I think I could outrun him?

  A flashing caution light came into view, alerting me that the stop sign for the main highway was up ahead. I slowed the car down just enough to make the turn, but it was too late. I made a right turn and drove directly behind another vehicle. I made an attempt to pass the car, but it was no use. By now the cop car was on my bumper. He flashed his headlights at me, and the siren was ungodly loud.

  The car in front of me pulled off to the side, and I considered trying to make a getaway. I looked up and noticed another set of blue flashing lights approaching head-on. It was no use; I was screwed.

  I wished to God Javier hadn’t put me in this situation. Damn you, Javier. Damn you.

  I pulled over, and just when I was about to open the car door, I heard the sound of shoes running on the gravel rocks.

  “Do not get out of the car. Stay where you are,” a male voice shouted, loud and clear.

  I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. My emotions were all over the place. I’d never done anything that was against the law before. Well, other than be with Javier the last time. And, well, then there was the time I took that package to Pete’s and dropped it off. Oh hell, what did that say about me? Was I a drug dealer now, too?

  As the one cop came up alongside the car, I watched him in the side mirror. He had his gun drawn and aimed directly at me. That was twice tonight I’d had a one pointed in my direction. Fuck, I’d forgotten all about it still being there underneath the seat! What if he searched the car and found it? Or, what if I pulled it out on him? I’d completely lost my fucking mind.

  “Sir, I need your license and vehicle registration,” he commanded. The other officer stood a safe distance back, ready to jump in if necessary.

  I looked at the cop, now standing outside the window with the gun still drawn. I heard commands being said from the radio that was attached to a clip on his shoulder. “Officer 2175 requests backup assistance on Cooper Highway mile marker 211.”

  ”Backup unit is on its way,” echoed from the device.

  “Officer, this isn’t my car. It belongs to a friend, Javier… I can’t remember his last name.” I fumbled over my words, my mind drawing a blank.

  “Sir, I need you to hand over your driver’s license.”

  I patted my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. The officer shined his bright flashlight inside the car while holding his gun with the other hand. By this time, the dispatched patrol car had pulled up behind us and the officer was coming up to assist. Damn, he’d responded fast. Three damn cops!

  I passed my license to the cop and listened as the other one read out the tag number and vehicle description to the person on the other end of his radio.

  I kept telling myself to stay calm. Everything was going to be okay. I couldn’t believe I’d done something so stupid like forgetting to dim my lights. Had it been warranted enough to pull me over? I wondered if I could apologize to him and we could put this mishap behind us all. Surely he’d understand I’d gotten scared, right? I’d always been told the truth would set you free.

  “Can you please step out of the car?” he asked.

  I did exactly as he requested. If I cooperated and didn’t give them any trouble, surely they’d let me go. I stepped out and stood next to the car. My knees were wobbly, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

  “Place your hands on top the car and do not move them. Do you have a weapon or anything on you, sir?”

  “No, sir.” Please, God, don’t let them find the gun.

  “Officer Petty is going to search your car. Is there anything he’s going to find?”

  “I told you, it’s not my car. It belongs to a friend.”

  The cop approached me and lifted my shirt, obviously looking to see if I had a weapon or anything tucked into my pants. He lifted both pant legs next, then patted my ankles before checking the rest of my pants.

  I got to thinking, what if there was something else in the car I didn’t know about. Would I be able to explain myself out of it?

  God, if they find anything, I’m screwed.

  I survived the pat down, but that was as far as it went. In a matter of seconds, the first cop started reading me my rights, and the cuffs were brought out. I tried to resist, which was the wrong thing to do, and I found myself slung to the ground. My face was pressed into the concrete, and the pressure from the cuffs squeezing my wrists sent a sharp pain up my arms. The cop wasn’t gentle at all, and I knew this was just the beginning of hell.

  Chapter Six

  I LOOKED AROUND the holding cell I’d been placed in, and I felt so alone. There were men covered in tattoos, some wearing shirts, while others had on nothing but a pair of jeans. They were a rough-looking group, to say the least. I wanted to sit, but the only seats were already taken, and I wasn’t going to risk anything by asking for a chair. They stared at me, and I couldn’t help but stare back.

  I rubbed my wrists from where the cuffs had been too tight on my arms. They were sore and already bruised, but I was just thankful to have them off. I was sure they’d put them back on again as soon as they were ready to transport me to wherever it was they were taking me.

  From the way it looked, though, I could be there for a little while until everything was sorted out. Maybe a couple more hours. I didn’t know for sure, but hopefully I wouldn’t have to spend the night there. Not with those guys.

  The cops had searched the car and the details of what they’d found left me stunned.

  The thousand dollars in my wallet that Javier had given me ahead of time for “doing the job.”

  The loaded unregistered handgun under the seat. Yeah, that had really freaked me out.

  The bottle of pills in the glove box.

  The duffel bag in the backseat.

  The two duffel bags in the trunk.

  And not to mention, the car wasn’t even registered in Javier’s name.

  I ducked my head, ashamed. As I mentally went over the list of everything they’d found again, I shook it in disbelief. The car was a traveling drug mobile.

  No matter how much I tried to beg and plead with the officers, it was no use. My story only caused them to laugh and roll their eyes because they’d heard all of those excuses hundreds of times before. There I was, thinking I might be out by morning. Who was I kidding? If I ever saw outside those four walls again, it’d be a miracle.

  In all honesty, I was scared shitless. I didn’t belong there. Part of me vowed to kill Javier as soon as I could get my hands on him. The other part kept saying he wasn’t worth it, and I’d only end up back in there again if I caused any trouble. The son of a bitch would pay for this. Some way, somehow, he’d pay. He’d talked me into doing something I hadn’t wanted to do in the first place, something I knew was wrong and wanted no part of. It almost felt as if he’d set me up, as if he’d known something was going down.

  Once I’d been booked and placed into a room for questioning, I’d been allowed to make my one phone call. I was at a loss who to contact at this time of the night. My family didn’t have a phone, and neither did any of our neighbors. Sadly, Javier was the only one I could think of. Call me crazy, but the son of a bitch needed to know the situation I was in.

  I punched in the numbers and listened for him to pick up. I was sure he was pissed because I hadn’t come back with his car by now, but then again, maybe he didn’t care since it hadn’t belonged to him anyway. He’d been so sure I could make the delivery in less than an hour, but that hour had now turned into several. In just a short while, the sun would be coming out.

  I listened as the phone rang and rang. Was he out looking
for me? Had he found out about my arrest?

  Suddenly, I heard a click, and then a recording started to play. I was all set to leave a message, for him to come get me, but what I heard on the other end only saddened me.

  “The cellular number you are trying to reach is no longer a working number…”

  Fuck! I slammed the phone down, causing both guards to jump. I should have known. The son of a bitch had hauled ass. His goddamned phone being cut off was all the evidence I needed to know he’d tucked his tail and ran.

  Could I blame him, though? Wouldn’t I do the same thing if I knew it was only a matter of time until the authorities were hot on my trail?

  Time was crucial for him once the cops started piecing things together, and I was confident it was only a matter of time until I’d see his face again. Yes, I was pretty sure of it. Right there, behind bars. We’d see who laughed then when they asked him questions.

  They would catch him, wouldn’t they?

  The fucker needed to pay for this. If nothing else, for what he’d done to me. I was sure my family was worried sick about me since I hadn’t come home yet. He had to suffer just like me. There was no way he could be free while I was locked away behind bars.

  The cop escorted me back to the holding cell again. Just as before, all gazes were glued to me. I leaned against the wall in the back corner, then eventually squatted down. I really wanted to sit, but the floor was filthy. I wondered how often they cleaned it. It was obvious some of the guys had urinated, and I was pretty sure the other foul smell came from vomit that had dried. It was a horror story there, and the State should be ashamed at the conditions of the place.

  Right then, all I wanted to do was cry. I didn’t belong there. I wasn’t a criminal. Sure, that was what they all said, but I hadn’t done any of the things I’d been accused of. None of the stuff they’d found was mine. It’d all belonged to him, to Javier. Well, almost all of it, if you didn’t include the money he’d paid me up front.