“See! Much better,” Gwen said. “In a bed this small, spoons are the only way to go.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of experience with small beds.”
“My dorm bed wasn’t much bigger than this.”
“Your roommate must have loved that.”
“I think she did—she was the one in bed with me.”
Annie didn’t respond, and Gwen could have kicked herself. It was one thing to flirt and flatter, but she hadn’t actually come out until now. Still, Annie didn’t move away or tense up again, so that was a good sign. Judging from her choice of bars in El Paso and her behavior there, Gwen was more than certain Annie was gay or bi—that act in there had been a little too practiced, too natural, as if she’d been on a date there before. She’d noticed other, less obvious signs all day today, and Gwen had fairly accurate gaydar. And even if Annie didn’t swing her way, cuddling in this little bed together clearly didn’t repulse her. In fact, at least for Gwen, it was pleasant—comforting, really.
They were both dozing when Tom climbed inside. He slammed the truck door and, speaking almost under his breath, said, “The trailer is finally loaded. I’m moving over to hook up. There’ll be some final inspections, and then we’ll be on the road—twenty, thirty minutes. I’ll close the curtain the rest of the way when I get out. My boss will pop in to check the mileage and the brake lights.”
Neither of them replied, and the truck rumbled to life a moment later. They were insulated from the engine a little by distance, but Gwen was surprised by how loud it seemed. The bed was shaking, and she was reminded of road trips to Phoenix as a child. Once, her family had stopped at a motel somewhere in New Mexico, and the bed she shared with her brother had something called Magic Fingers. They’d spent the evening begging their parents for dimes and giggling as the bed shook them hard enough to rattle their teeth.
The truck shifted into reverse, and Tom slowly backed up, a loud beeping alarm announcing the move. Eventually, they moved forward, then backed up once more. Tom closed the curtain, plunging them into darkness, but he left the truck on when he got out. Soon Gwen heard and felt as the trailer was attached. Something slammed into place, jarring them, and shouts came from behind the wall of the cabin outside. The men’s voices, laughing and calling to each other, were too indistinct to catch any words, but she could occasionally make out Tom’s voice in the hubbub.
The driver’s door opened again, and a stranger was laughing as he climbed inside. Annie tensed under her arm, and both of them held their breath.
“—You old son of bitch! Let’s see what we have here,” the man was saying. Gwen heard the sound of a pen scribbling something. She heard something else—movement of some kind. “How’s that?” the man shouted. He turned off the engine and climbed out again, slamming the door behind him.
Gwen let out her breath and heard Annie do the same. “I think we’re going to be okay,” she whispered. Annie didn’t reply.
The wait seemed endless. Gwen could only imagine that they were doing some kind of inspection out there, as nothing seemed to happen for a long time. After what seemed like hours, the driver’s door opened again, and the cabin shifted a little with, she hoped, Tom’s weight. He closed the door, the truck thundered to life, and then they were moving, slowly at first, turning at one point, and then with more and more speed.
“Stay quiet a little longer back there,” Tom said. “My boss said one of the other drivers hit a police barricade outside of town. Let’s hope they’re just doing visual inspections.”
It wasn’t long before she felt the truck slow again. “In line at the barricade now,” Tom said. “Doesn’t look too bad—maybe ten or fifteen cars and trucks in front of me.”
Annie was trembling in her arms, and Gwen gave her a reassuring squeeze. Gwen closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and catching the hint of something flowery and sweet in Annie’s hair. Despite the prison break this morning, she had apparently taken the time to wash it before she left.
The waiting was worse this time. The truck would move a few feet, stop, and then move again, and each time it did, Gwen wondered if this was the end. If the police did any kind of inspection beyond a very casual visual check of the main cabin, they’d be caught. If they had dogs, for example, or if they asked to check back here, they wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Who would she call after she was arrested?
The investigations firm she worked for kept a lawyer on call—she’d had to contact him herself a few times—but she wasn’t sure they’d let her use him for something like this. She had some money saved, so she could hire someone, but she had no idea how to go about it. Tom would be in trouble, too, and as for Annie, she would probably be back in prison by daybreak. All of this was starting to seem like the stupidest idea of all time. The fact that the woman Annie spoke to on the phone had suggested it did nothing to ease her mind.
The truck crept forward again, the brakes and transmission hissing in protest. This time, Gwen heard the window roll down.
“Hello there, Officers,” Tom said. “How’s it going?”
The truck shifted as someone climbed up on the step to look inside. She saw a flash of light on the other side of the curtain as it swept the cabin.
“Fine,” a woman said. “Where are you headed?”
“Albuquerque first, then up into Colorado and Wyoming—Denver, Cheyenne, and a few other stops.”
“Can I see your permits and inspection logs?”
“Sure.”
Gwen heard some rustling and pages were turned.
“Here you go,” the woman said, and stepped down again. “Have a good night. Drive safe.”
“Thanks, Officer.”
They were moving soon after, and again, Annie was shuddering in her arms. Gwen heard her sob.
“Shh,” Gwen whispered. “We’re okay now.”
“I can’t b-believe it,” Annie said, her voice choked and almost indecipherable.
“It’s going to be okay. We’re safe.”
Annie turned, hugging her tightly, and, after her initial surprise, Gwen hugged her back, running her hands in little circles on Annie’s shoulders and making soothing sounds.
“You ladies okay back there?” Tom called.
“We’re fine,” Gwen said. Annie was still crying.
“I want to make some miles before I drop you off, if that’s okay. It might be better for you to wait until right before my first stop in Albuquerque. I could leave you at a motel or something.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“You guys want some light?”
Gwen felt Annie shake her head under her chin. “No—we’re good. Gonna try to catch some shut-eye. Long day.”
“No problem. I’ll wake you up in couple of hours when we’re closer.”
Gwen was afraid Annie would cry the whole time, but it wasn’t long before the tension seemed to suddenly leave her body. A few minutes later, she was breathing deeply, almost as if someone had turned off a switch.
Gwen thought she’d be forced to stay up, her nerves still jangling with spent adrenaline, but she drifted off almost at once, the delicate scent of Annie’s hair filling her, comforting her.
Chapter Nine
“Jesus, Annie, don’t you have a coat?” Tom asked.
The rise in elevation and the trip north had turned a chilly night downright cold. Even in her jacket, Gwen was uncomfortably cold, and Annie, with her bare arms, was shivering hard.
“Didn’t get the chance to pick one up,” Annie said, her teeth clattering.
Tom climbed back into his truck and pulled out his jacket, handing it to her. It hung on her like a blanket, the effect making her seem even smaller, younger than before.
“And you’re okay for money?” he asked again.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll be okay, Tom.”
He frowned and chewed his lip, clearly reluctant to leave. He’d parked on the street in front of a motel. They were off one of the first exits for Albuquerque, the motel
the first in a series of run-down businesses near the ramp. When he’d woken them some twenty minutes ago, Gwen had asked to stop near a used-car dealership, and she saw one down the block from the motel, exactly the kind she’d wanted—older cars of various makes and models.
Annie hugged him, her arms circling his waist. He stared at Gwen as she did this, his eyes dark and distrustful. She understood this antagonism. He had no reason to trust her, likely thinking she was part of Annie’s mess. Which, as she thought about it, she kind of was.
“What are you going to do, Annie?” he asked when she stepped back. “What’s your plan?”
“I can’t tell you that, Tom. If they catch up to you, it’s better…” She lifted one shoulder.
He was clearly hurt but nodded. “Yeah. I get it.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll get in touch with you once things settle down a little.”
“Okay, Annie, but make sure you call me if you need anything. I check my messages every day, and the police can’t listen to those.”
“Okay, Tom—I’ll call if I have to.”
“What should I tell her? When I call her?”
Annie threw Gwen a quick glance and shook her head. “Don’t tell her anything. I don’t want her mixed up in this. It’s already bad enough that you’re in it.”
Tom sighed. “You know I don’t care about all that, Annie, and she wouldn’t either. I know you. You’re a good person. She knows that, too.” He frowned. “She asks about you all the time. You really should call.”
Again, Annie glanced at Gwen and then shook her head at Tom. “I can’t. I won’t, Tom. I hope she understands why.”
He shrugged. “Maybe she does, but that still doesn’t mean you have to pretend she doesn’t exist.”
Annie squeezed his hand. “I’ll phone her, okay? Once all this is over. I promise. You can tell her I will.”
He gave her another hug and then held out his hand to Gwen. “Nice meeting you.” He clearly didn’t mean it.
“You, too.”
“Take care of my girl, okay?”
“Will do.”
“See ya, kiddo.”
“Bye, Tom,” Annie said.
“Get a coat, for God’s sake. You look like you’re wearing your daddy’s jacket.”
They watched as he climbed back into his truck and stared out the window at them in silence before starting it. Then he gave them a quick salute and slowly drove away, reentering the interstate at the on-ramp a few blocks away. Annie had tears in her eyes, and Gwen walked away to check out the motel while she collected herself.
The office was dark, but Gwen found an after-hours button next to a glass window, pushed it, and waited. Annie joined her long before anyone appeared, and Gwen could hear someone cursing inside and the sound of something breaking, followed by more cursing. An older man finally appeared from a door in the back of the lobby, looking disheveled and upset. They’d obviously gotten him out of bed.
He frowned and actually slowed his pace as he walked across the small lobby. He took his time collecting some paperwork before finally opening the little window. No one spoke for a moment, the man clearly above a simple greeting.
“We need a room,” Annie finally said.
“Might be a problem there,” he said.
“What? Why?”
“We’re remodeling.”
Gwen almost laughed. The place clearly hadn’t been remodeled since it was built—sometime in the fifties, judging by the look of it.
“So what does that mean?” Annie asked. “You don’t have any rooms?”
“Oh, we’ve got a room, but you two don’t want it.”
The guy was giving them a hard time, judging them entirely by appearances and circumstances. He hadn’t seen them get out of the truck, but it was obvious they hadn’t driven here themselves—there was no car behind them. It was the middle of the night, and they were on foot—that meant they were likely homeless or sex workers or both. Gwen couldn’t exactly blame him for his rudeness, but she didn’t have to like it.
“So what do you have?” Gwen asked, trying to keep the anger from her voice.
“One room with a king bed. That’s all.”
Gwen could see by the little sign on the window that it was the most expensive room they had, and she almost laughed at his guile. Only one car sat parked near the motel itself, so unless only two rooms were available at any given time, he was obviously lying and knew they knew he was.
“We’ll take it,” Annie said.
“Cash up front,” the man said, harsh and clipped.
“Of course,” Annie said. She was clearly reading him the same way, her impatience obvious. He gave them a price well over the one posted on the window, but Annie paid without complaint. He seemed surprised and then pretended he couldn’t break her hundred-dollar bill. They both threatened to walk away and find another place, so he finally caved, giving them slightly less money in return than he owed them, sighing and complaining as if they were robbing him. Still, as he didn’t ask for an ID or a credit card, Gwen thought they’d gotten a pretty good deal. The whole situation was promising, in a way, as in the unlikely circumstance their faces were on the news here, or if someone managed to track them here at a later date, he’d be less likely to report them because of the extra money he’d pocketed.
The room was almost as bad as the one they’d been in yesterday afternoon, but Gwen was far beyond caring about niceties now. Despite the three-hour nap in the truck, she felt, if anything, worse than before. Now that they were relatively safe, her exhaustion was finally taking over. She threw down her bag and flung herself on the bed, facedown.
Annie, however, seemed to have found her second wind, and she fluttered around the little room like a caged bird. Gwen was almost able to ignore her—she could feel the welcome drag of sleep trying to pull her down, but she sighed and flopped onto her back, slipping off her boots and scooting up to the pillows. Annie, oblivious to her activity, was still pacing. Gwen watched her a while longer, wondering if she’d eventually notice her gaze, but she was in her own little world, her eyes focused inward, her expression worried and scared.
“Take a load off, lady. You’re making me nervous.”
Annie flinched and stopped, staring at her as if she’d forgotten she was there. She glanced around before perching on the one chair in the corner of the room.
“What’s the matter?” Gwen asked. “Why are you so freaked out? We’re out of Texas—that’s the main thing.”
“No—not really. It’s the first thing. And Tom was right. I don’t know what happens next. I guess I never really believed I’d make it this far. I wanted to try—I had to try, but I didn’t think I’d get out.”
Gwen scooted up a little more on the bed, her prone position too comfortable for her to focus. She rolled her neck a few times, trying to loosen some of the stiffness in her shoulders, and slapped her cheeks lightly to wake herself up.
“What was your plan? Earlier? I thought you said you had one. Something about getting the rest of your money.”
“But that’s what I mean!” Annie said, almost leaping to her feet. “Someone set me up. Someone wants me to be caught again.”
“So why help you get out of prison? Why bother with all that? Why not leave you in there?”
Annie stared at her. “So I won’t talk—won’t give them away. I…know things. Things that would get me a reduced sentence if the police had names, information.”
Gwen rubbed her eyes. “Let me get this straight. You think the people that helped you break out are the same ones that called the police on you? That woman on the phone?”
Annie frowned and then nodded. “It has to be her. Or the other one—the one that hid the envelope. She told me he wasn’t in El Paso, but she could be lying.”
“Call me stupid, but I don’t get it.”
Annie sat down on the bed by Gwen’s feet. “Think about it. The people who break me out, the ones that put that envelope there, they were watc
hing, waiting for me to show up in that parking lot. They knew I was going there—she told me where to go to get it. No one else knew where it was but the two of them. They had to put it there, just in case, so the envelope was actually waiting for me, but all they had to do was make a simple phone call once they saw me get out of the car with you.”
“Why not tell the police where you were? In the building with the envelope? Wouldn’t that have been even easier? If the police had gone there first, we would have been caught for sure.”
“That would have been going too far. By calling in the car, they could still cover their asses. If they’d told them which building I was in, it would give them up entirely.”
“I still don’t follow. Walk me through it, Annie. What’s their motivation?”
“The money, of course! If I told the police about them, they’d lose all that money, whatever’s left, anyway. And, of course, they’d be arrested.”
Gwen’s confusion must have been obvious, as Annie sighed. “Okay, listen. Four years ago, I was desperate for money. A lot of it—more than I could ever earn at my job at the bank. With my position, I could make something happen if I found people who could hide the money. Certain things led me to this woman. She said hiding the money was a sure thing.”
“How could you believe her? Surely you must have known you’d eventually be caught.”
Annie shrugged. “She said they’d never be able to trace it. I’m pretty sure I knew better, but I went along with the plan anyway. I had to have the money. It wasn’t a question of want. I needed it, and desperation doesn’t really begin to explain how much. Then, when I was caught, she made me a deal.”
Gwen suddenly understood. “Ah. If you took the fall, they’d break you out. They’d hide the money and give you your share if you didn’t reveal their names to the police.”
Annie nodded. “Exactly. A few of the others were rounded up—they had to be, but the two…masterminds went scot-free. I got more prison time than the others, because I worked at the bank and admitted to planning the whole thing.”
On the Run Page 9
