by Debbie White
woman’s prerogative, you know?” She let out a
laugh and then with her foot she shut the door.
Cody lay across the bed studying the ceiling. He
could hear the shower running, and he knew just
steps away she was naked and wet. He moistened his
mouth. He’d never had a connection with any woman
as strong as this except one other time. He could
hardly mention her name, the hurt was so deep. He
closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep
when the bathroom door flew open.
“There’s a cockroach the size of a small pet on
the wall in there!”
Cody jumped off the bed. He entered the
bathroom. He slid his boot off and hit the large, ugly
insect. Darla could hear the crunching sound against
the tile.
“If that truck isn’t repaired by tomorrow, I’m
getting a ride to the nearest bus station,” Darla said.
Cody frowned. Then he pursed his lips. “That’s
not a bad idea, really.”
* * *
After a breakfast of water and M&M’S, the
couple headed across the street to get an update
regarding the repairs to the truck. They found the
driver–mechanic–store clerk, under the hood,
pounding away. Cody and Darla exchanged worried
looks then Cody approached the mechanic.
“Good morning.”
A grunt came from the man.
“How are we progressing with the repairs?”
The man threw a tool in the toolbox making a
loud thud of metal hitting metal.
“We’re anxious to get on the road,” Cody said.
The man stood up and with piercing eyes and
squared jaw looked at Darla first then Cody. “I told
you that I would let you know when I was finished.
I’m not done yet.”
Cody shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
He clenched his teeth and swallowed hard, trying to
figure out what he could say without making this big
guy angry.
“Where’s the nearest Greyhound bus stop?”
Darla’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe her
ears. He really listened to her last night.
The big guy furrowed his brows. “About a
twenty-minute drive from here.”
“Can you give us a lift to it? I’ll pick up my truck
later. We have somewhere to be.”
The guy slowly made his way around the truck
looking it over as if he’d just saw it for the first time.
Cody and Darla exchanged a puzzled look. They
didn’t know what to think or expect for that matter.
“It’ll cost you to keep the truck parked here after
it’s repaired.”
Cody angled his head. “Really? How much
exactly?”
“Fifty dollars a day.”
“Fifty dollars a day! That’s highway robbery.”
Darla walked up to Cody and placed her arm in
his. “But we’ll do it.”
Cody pulled his arm out from hers. He glared at
her studying her face, looking for some answer as to
why she accepted this outlandish offer.
“Under one condition—there has to be a cap on
it. I need for you to tell me right now how long it’s
going to take you to fix this, and then I’ll let you
know when we’ll be picking it up,” she said, glaring
at the man.
The man balled up his fists. Cody watched his
every move. “I’ll have it fixed by the end of the
week. It needs parts.”
“Excuse us just for a moment,” Darla said,
leading Cody by the arm away from the big guy so
she could have a word with him in private.
“What are you doing?” he whispered through
clenched teeth.
“I can’t stay here at Bates Motel another night.
Let’s find a place up the road. A bigger town, a nicer
hotel—anything but here. We’ll give him the time he
needs, take the bus back here and pick up the truck.
And … we’ll get a highway patrolman to come with
us.”
Cody nodded as he listened to her plan. “Okay.
Now where are we going to go?”
“Get your phone out and let’s find a destination.”
Cody dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone.
The best he could tell from Google maps was that
they were about two hours from Charleston.
“The best I can tell is that we are off of the main
interstate, and we need to get back on track. I say we
head to Charleston. I’ll pay for transport to pick up
the truck when it’s repaired. I’m not coming back to
this place unless I have to.”
Darla grimaced. “I agree. Let’s head to
Charleston. I hear it’s a beautiful city.”
“First things first—let’s get on the bus.”
Cody headed over to where the scary guy stood.
“Okay. We have a plan. You take us to the bus stop.
I’ll send someone to pick up the truck. How much do
you want to drive us there?”
The guy scratched his head. Then he ran his hand
over his face. He took one finger and wiggled it
around his ear. Cody and Darla watched on in
disgust. He looked Cody squarely in the eyes. “Fifty
dollars.”
“We’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” Cody said,
grabbing Darla by the arm and escorting her back
across the street.
“You get the luggage ready and I’ll go check us
out at the front desk. Meet you back here in ten
minutes,” Cody said, releasing her arm and rushing
toward the office door.
Darla watched as he dashed off then she put the
key in the door and let herself into the room. She
tossed a couple of loose items into her suitcase and
struggled with the baggage as she headed out front to
wait for Cody. Her heart was racing a mile a minute.
She was anxious to get the heck out of this place.
Cody and Darla headed back over to the gas
station for what they’d hoped would be the last time
ever. Cody reached for his wallet and took out the
cash. He handed it over to the big guy and then he
and Darla went to the tow truck and waited for the
guy to follow. Cody looked back once and saw that
he hadn’t moved a muscle.
“We’ll be sitting in the truck ready when you
are,” Cody yelled back.
The ride to the bus stop was eerie. Darla couldn’t
wait to be out of the clutches of this crazy situation.
Just as the man had estimated it to be, they arrived at
the bus stop in twenty minutes. Darla about fell out
of the truck trying to escape the inside of the foul
smelling cab.
Cody looked at his watch. “According to the
schedule here, the bus should be arriving in about
thirty minutes. You might as well get comfortable.”
Darla sat on her suitcase and looked at her
fingernails. Then she stood up and walked around a
bit. She reached down and picked up a rock. She
rolled it around in her hand for a few seconds and
then tossed it into the field nearby. She sat back
down on the suitcase.
“Boy, you sure now how to make life fun,” she
said.
Cody shot her a look. “Fun? You call this fun?”
He sat down on the top of his suitcase next to her.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It is kind of scary out
here,” Cody said.
Darla reached over and lightly touched his leg.
She could feel the muscles under his jeans and the
chemistry she felt was terrifying. She looked up, and
he was still as ever, watching her intently, wondering
what her next move would be. He liked this girl. This
little hippy girl from all over. He took his hand and
laid it on top of hers. He laced his fingers with hers,
and she gripped his hand and gently pulled it toward
her. He leaned forward focusing on her sensual
mouth as he did. He gently kissed her, feeling the
smoothness of her lips. He reached up and brushed
his hand through her golden locks, causing her to let
out a small moan. He slid his hand down her back,
landing just at the bottom of her waist where her hips
began. In the distance, they both could hear a large
vehicle making its way toward them. He opened one
eye to see what it was. He quickly released the kiss
and stiffened his back. “The bus. It’s the bus,” he
said standing up, pulling Darla up with him.
“Charleston, here we come,” she said as she put
her arms around his lean, tight body.
Chapter Eleven
The bus pulled into the stop in downtown
Charleston. Cody rubbed his eyes and tried hard to
see the hands on his watch in the darkness. He
rubbed them again. He gently shook Darla. “It’s two
o’clock and we’re in Charleston,” he whispered.
Darla stretched while seated and then peered
around the seat in front of her to see if folks were
getting off. She could hear people yawning, belching,
and making all kinds of interesting noises after
several hours asleep on a bus. Soon the rustling
sounds of passengers getting up and retrieving their
luggage filled the bus, and Cody and Darla were
soon standing on yet another strange sidewalk.
Cody pulled Darla close. “Why is it that all the
Greyhound stations are in the seedy part of town?
Stay close,” he said.
Darla shook her head. “You think this is seedy?
What do you think about creepsville we just left?”
Cody smiled. “Yeah, that was creepy all right.”
Cody took out his cell phone and used his Uber
app to contact a ride. While the two waited for the
car and driver, Cody and Darla took a seat inside the
station. Besides the clerk behind the counter, there
were three young women with children, one big
stocky guy, and an elderly couple. Darla and Cody
settled into their seats. Darla began flipping through
a magazine that someone had left behind, while Cody
kept watch all around them. Darla could see his
former Marine training in full motion. He was
scanning all directions like the speed of light. She
felt safe when she was with him. The safest she’d
been in a long time. She knew she had to come clean
with Cody. He had a right to know about her past
even if they didn’t have a future.
“Here’s our car,” Cody said, standing up and
grabbing both suitcases he headed for the door.
Cody shook hands with the driver and then
helped Darla into the backseat. “Where are we
going?” the driver asked as he pulled away from the
curb.
Cody leaned over and said something to the
driver, but Darla couldn’t really make it out. She
didn’t care as long as it was clean and in a safe area.
After about twenty minutes or so, the car pulled
up in front of a huge house painted a beautiful
seashell pink with white trim. Darla could hear the
waves hitting the seawall across the street. The moon
lit up the sky, and she could see the reflection of the
water along the Charleston Battery.
“This is beautiful. It’s breathtaking,” she said,
pulling her suitcase along the sidewalk. Cody was
looking at his phone. “Yep, this is it,” he said.
Cody and Darla walked up the several stairs that
led them to the front door. Cody entered some code,
and the door opened.
Darla stopped dead in her tracks. “I said I
wouldn’t question anything about this as long as I
had a clean and safe environment. This is clearly
more than I’d hoped for. Are you going to let me in
on the secret?”
Cody laughed. “Secret? What secret? I have
friends, is all.”
Darla scrunched her face up and creased her
brows. “Friends? You have a friend that owns this
mansion?”
“Gabe. Gabe owns it. I called him when you were
throwing one of your hissy fits.”
Darla opened her mouth to speak then she
quickly closed it. “Gabe Mandeni?”
Cody nodded. “The one and only.”
Darla rushed into the house making sure she
slipped her shoes off before going too far.
Darla quickly noticed the décor as being
French—cream colored fabrics with colorful throw
pillows, and soft color area rugs over dark wood
floors. Drapes in bright golds and reds adorned the
large windows. She let out a sigh. “This is so
beautiful,” she said as she walked through the house
to the kitchen.
Cody followed her, dropping their bags at the
foot of the curved staircase.
Darla opened the fridge and peered inside. “It’s
fully stocked,” she said.
“Gabe thinks of everything,” Cody said, pulling
out a chair and sitting down.
“I have to check out the upstairs,” Darla said,
flying past Cody and running down the hallway.
Cody didn’t move a muscle. He was exhausted
and wondered where she got all her energy.
A few minutes later Darla joined Cody, who had
moved to the sitting room. He had his feet propped
up on the glass coffee table. He flashed her a wide
smile and waited for her to tell him all about the rest
of the house.
“I’ll take the room with the lavender bedding.
You should take the one with the blue French toile.
They even have chandeliers in all the bedrooms,” she
said, plopping down next to Cody.
“I need to contact Gabe and let him know we’ve
arrived, but it’s too early. I’ll wait until after
breakfast. I say we get a few hours of shut-eye and
then re-evaluate our strategy.”
“I’m too keyed up to sleep. I need to meditate a
bit, maybe watch a little TV or read. I bet they have a
library just full of books,” she said getting back up
from the couch.
Cody furrowed his brows. “Well, I won’t have
any trouble sleeping.” He got up and stretched a bit.
“Where’s this blue French room you
want me to
sleep in?”
“It’s the second room on the right. Sleep tight.”
Cody creased his brows. He started to say
something to her but just like that she was gone.
After a long hot shower, Cody fell into bed. He’d
been asleep for what he thought was a long time
when she startled him. “Cody. Wake up.”
Cody opened his eyes and propped himself up
against the headboard. “What is it?”
Darla sat on the bed. “I’m scared. Can I sleep
with you?”
Cody’s eyes widened. “Sleep with me? Here?
Together?”
Darla walked around to the other side of the bed
and peeled the covers back and slid in under the
warm duvet cover. She pulled it up to her neck and
casually looked over at Cody. Cody was speechless.
He’d never had a woman be so direct with what she
wanted. He didn’t quite know how to handle her. He
turned toward her and propped his head on one
elbow. He focused on her face, but he always ended
up really focusing on her mouth. It was perfect.
Darla arched her eyebrows. “What?” she asked.
Cody swallowed hard. He moistened his lips with
his tongue. He didn’t know why Darla confused him
so much, but she did.
“Why are you scared?”
“I don’t know, but I am.”
“I’m right next door. We’re in a mansion for
Pete’s sake. I haven’t let anything happen to you thus
far, have I?” He looked at her longingly, wanting to
just grab her cheeks and plant a big wet kiss on her
mouth. Her perfect mouth.
“I feel safe with you. No matter where we are. I
just wanted to be close to you,” she said, batting her
long lashes.
Cody felt the strong need to pull her close into
his arms. He wondered if she would go along with it.
After all, it was her idea to get into his bed.
He took his free hand and reached out to her, but
not quite able to touch her. She looked at his hand
and scooted a few inches closer, then turned her body
toward him. Now they were facing each other, and
