Instead, the car followed me, still keeping at the sedate pace it had been. I pushed as hard as I could, coming up on the pedals and leaning into each stroke, until I was gasping for air. The car stayed with me, the casualness replaced with a sense of animosity and threat. I thought about turning into one of the houses that I was passing, but decided against it.
Thankfully, just as my lungs were beginning to burn, I saw a gas station with a mini-mart up ahead. I whizzed into the parking lot, barely avoiding a pickup truck that was backing out and went inside. The clerk looked up in surprise at the panting, sweaty woman who had nearly torn the door off of its hinges. "You need some water Miss?”
I looked at her and tried pointing behind me, turning to look as the black car rolled by the gas station, not stopping at all. I noticed it was a rental car before it drove out of sight, but that was it. Taking a deep breath of relief, I turned back to the girl, shaking my head. I stood there for a good minute before going back to the cooler and grabbing a bottled water, paying for it at the register. "Hey, how far are we from the High School?"
"Just turn right at the next light, and head up the road. When you see the sign, turn left. It's about a mile."
"Thanks." I walked out, keeping my eyes open as I took out my phone. I knew I might be interrupting practice, but whoever that was scared the hell out of me, and I felt like I'd avoided a possible dangerous situation.
"Hey babe, what's up?" Cam greeted me, and I could hear the sound of squeaking sneakers in the background.
"Not much. Hey, how much time is left in practice?" I asked. "Sorry, your conditioning workout."
Cam's laugh helped relieve my tension, and I felt myself dial it down just a notch. "Maybe twenty minutes or so, why? Are you sure everything's okay?"
"I don't know," I answered. "I know it's weird, but would you mind if I rode my bike back up to the High School and got a ride home with you? I'm at a gas station about a mile away, the clerk said."
“Of course.” Cam asked, concern in his voice. “I can come get you though. I can be there in five minutes. Are you safe?”
I thought that was such a strange question. Was I safe? "Yeah, of course. I'm in the gas station right now. Seriously, Cam, I know I'm just being a nervous Nellie, but I'd feel better if I could just catch a ride with you. Let me get up there, and we can laugh about it on the ride home, okay?"
His voice was still uncertain, but I heard him sigh in agreement. "Okay. Just stick to the main road, if you're at the station I'm thinking of. Are you at a Circle K?"
"Yeah, that's the place," I said. "Don't worry, I probably just got freaked out."
“Okay, I won't. Hurry, and you can have the guys give you compliments again at the end of practice.”
I laughed, my bad feelings forgotten temporarily. “Okay. I love you."
"Love you too babe."
Chapter 18
Cam
When Melina went to bed, tired out from the hard exercise, I got on my laptop.
My laptop never left my sight, ever. If the wrong people ever got a hold of the contents of the hard drive, national security would have been the least of my concerns. If I thought I could have assured my safety by just taking a shotgun to the fucking thing, I would have, but I couldn't. The same thing that was causing me to lose sleep and perhaps even endanger Melina's life was the same device that had the tools I still needed to keep us both safe. If my enemies knew they could safely snatch the thing without harming it, they’d have put a bullet in my head in a heartbeat.
I'd had a connection into the police traffic camera system since three days after I'd moved to T or C. It was, in fact, one of the reasons I'd chosen the city. The town, in an attempt to balance the money that traffic tickets brought in with the cost of a large police force, had long ago used an infusion of cash from the government to install nearly a hundred different traffic cameras at many major intersections. Of course, the police being on older computers, like much of the city, meant that security was a joke.
Using the time code of when Melina called me, I accessed the nearest two cameras, one of which was only a few hundred feet from the gas station that Melina called me from. The second camera was a bit further back, and if her story was as I thought, I didn't know if I'd get a good shot of the situation, but I could hope. Unfortunately, Riverside Drive was one of the roads that didn't have a lot of cameras on it, so I didn't have anything from there.
I started my review from ten minutes before Melina called me, just in case the timestamps weren't synchronized. I sat up closely when Melina came on the screen, hauling ass on her bike. She may have been sensitive about the size of her thighs, but even I hadn't realized just how strong she was, the way her legs were pumping the pedals was impressive. I took my eyes off of her as she pulled into the gas station, looking for the black Lincoln that she said followed her. It was just like she'd said, a late model black Lincoln. When it drove by the gas station I saw the car slow for a second before accelerating toward the camera. Just before it did I froze the image, checking the license plate. It was a long shot, a lot of professionals would pair a rented or stolen car with a false set of plates, or plates lifted from another car, but it was worth checking out.
Panning the image up, I was worried when I saw that I couldn't get a clear image of the interior of the car. I backed it up, frame by frame, but the windshield didn't clear at all, which told me that the car was outfitted with Faraday glass. The invention had a long, technical name that probably took some tech-head a day and a half to think up, but operations folks like me called it Faraday glass. Like the Faraday cage it was named after, Faraday glass prevented electromagnetic energy from entering the vehicle. To anyone who looked at it from the outside, the windshield would look like it was catching a glare from an overhead light or maybe the sun. Unlike a real Faraday cage, though, someone inside the vehicle could look out without any problems at all.
Faraday glass is expensive, plain and simple. It's cheaper to build the whole damn car to be bullet proof using the latest ceramics instead of putting in Faraday glass. It was also a highly protected secret, which narrowed down the people who may have been tracking Melina, or more likely me, down to one of two groups.
Tapping the computer, I pulled up a chat program. I pinged my target, waiting for him to get back to me. It was just after midnight Langley time, but I hoped he was still awake.
My wife is wondering what the hell I'm doing out of bed at this hour to answer a text message.
I smirked, he’d always been a grumpy pain in the ass. Not my FP.
Long time, youngster. What brings you to my smartphone tonight?
Faraday glass.
What about it?
Friend of mine was scared today by someone driving a car with Faraday glass windows. I only know two groups that have access to that stuff.
What are you saying?
Don't bullshit me, Senpai. Do you know of anyone on our side that isn’t understanding the rules of my retirement?
The cursor blinked for a long time, and I was beginning to wonder if I'd lost my connection. Then, the text started up again.
I don't know. I'll check around, but it'll take me a few days.
Three. And tell anyone you even suspect, if I find someone harassing her again, there will be consequences.
She must be a very special friend.
I snorted, frustrated at my mistake. I shouldn’t have let him have enough information to make the connection that I was talking about a female friend. Good night, Senpai.
When are you going to stop calling me that? I'm not Japanese, for fuck's sake.
About the same time you stop calling me youngster. Good night.
I shut down my computer and went to bed, first checking the security system and making sure I was prepared for the night. I pondered for a moment, Was this a mistake? It’d been so long, and I thought I was in the clear. Should I have stopped myself from getting so close?
Melina's body made a soft lump unde
r the blanket, and I snuggled in behind her, promising myself that I’d protect this woman with everything I had.
* * *
"What is it, Javier?"
Javier was a kid on the team. I’d been impressed with his work ethic since I put him in his place. He was always skilled, but now he was showing something more important than just raw talent. He was showing me grit.
"Coach, I know you don't want me slacking off, but I'm struggling."
I nodded. I noticed that over the past few days he'd been taking longer to warm up, and his performance was dropping. I’d hoped he was just getting through a late summer cold, but if he was saying something, I had to take it more seriously. "What's the problem, Javier? I noticed you've been going to your left less than before. Is your left leg giving you trouble?"
He nodded and winced. "My big toe's been hurting me for two or three days."
"Well, I'm no doctor but let's take a look at it," I said. Javier sat down and unlaced his shoe, which I noticed were pretty worn down. "How long have you had those shoes.”
"Beginning of last season," he said simply. I didn't say anything else, understanding. His family had moved to town because his father got downsized in Albuquerque, but was able to get a job with one of the hot spring resorts in T or C. The family was hardworking but wasn't rich by a long shot. Then again, most of Truth or Consequences wasn't. Javier most likely got the shoes as part of a team booster club deal in Albuquerque and had worn them ever since.
Peeling off his sock, I winced at what I saw. His big toe was red and inflamed, probably from being jammed against the rest of his foot while his feet were being crushed in the now too-tight and worn down shoes. "Jesus and you said this has only been the past few days?"
"Well, I mean it would ache a little after most pickup games and stuff, but yeah, it just started hard the past few days."
I nodded. "All right. Do you have any other shoes you can wear?"
He looked a little grim. "I've got some flip flops. But I can't play ball in those."
"You're right, you can't. I'm not asking you to. But what you are going to do is throw these shoes out. See if you can dig up something to wear to practice tomorrow, but you’ll just be lifting and stretching, no running. I’ll see what I can do about some shoes.”
Chapter 19
Melina
“I’m so glad you’re back. I did a little decoration while you were gone, god knows this place needs it!”
Cam chuckled and nodded. "Okay. Show me, I'm prepared to be impressed."
I actually hadn't done much, just adding a bit of color to the living room curtains with a new topper, and I changed out the tie rope that was used. "I was thinking of changing the blinds, maybe go with a different color, but I didn't know for sure, and I didn't know what color you'd go for."
It wasn't all I'd done, but I was worried that I was overstepping my bounds. I mean, I'd been here less than a week, and here I was already changing the decorations, or lack thereof. I wondered if there was an inner Bridezilla lurking inside me, but I dismissed it the moment it came to mind. We were nowhere near that, were we?
Cam looked over the curtains, then nodded in approval. "All very nice. I guess I was living a pretty monochromatic life, wasn't I? I've never been very good at interior decoration."
He turned to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and kissing me on the cheek. "It's great, Melina. And don't sweat it."
I wrapped my arm around him and squeezed, enjoying my hunk on my arm. "Sounds great. Uhm, before dinner, do you mind if we just go for a walk around the neighborhood? I'm feeling a bit of cabin fever, not knowing the town or anything."
"Sure, let me change my shoes."
Five minutes later we were walking down the street, holding hands like any other couple.
We walked in a soothing silence, just enjoying the time with one another. Reaching the turn off to the river, Cam glanced over. “Try the river again? This time, we could go all the way down to it if you want."
I nodded. "Sure. It has to be better than the main road."
We walked down to the river before having a seat on a large, flat piece of sandstone. "The river will swell again in the spring," Cam said contemplatively. "When the snows melt and fill the Elephant Butte reservoir. Melina, this may sound a little deep and out of nowhere, but have you ever done something you really regret?"
What a strange question. "Well, of course. Hasn't everyone?"
Cam looked over at me, nodding. "Yeah, I guess. What’d you do?"
I looked out at the river and smiled, thinking of the incident. "Well, back in High School, I did happen to go out one time with a friend of mine. It was a party, I'm sure you know the type."
"Of course. House party?"
Shaking my head, I laughed lightly. "No, a field party. We'd get everyone together at one of these big fields, usually either a corn field or vegetable patch, during the non-planting season of course. But, what went on was pretty much what you'd expect from your typical teenage party. Half-rave, half orgy, lots of alcohol."
"Ha, I know the type. So what was his name?" Cam asked, looking at me knowingly. "Most people regret a who, not a what in these types of situations."
"Hey, I'm the one telling the story, okay? And yes, it was a who. Peter Givens was his name actually. He was insistent on only being called Pete, and never last name first. He wasn't the most popular guy in school, but he was certainly with the in crowd. I got more than a little drunk, and so I was more receptive to his advances than I should have been.”
“Well, it could be worse,” he said, sobering again. "I guess mine is a little more grave.”
“Whatever you want to tell me, I’m willing to listen. I’m not one to judge. You’re an amazing man and nothing you can say will make me think otherwise.”
Cam squeezed my hand, looking into my eyes. “I don’t know about that.”
"I've spent the past few days with images of my future running through my head, the far future even. And you've been there in each of them."
"I'm not as amazing as you think I am," Cam said quietly. I felt strange, like he’d suddenly become a different person.
"You saved me from a life of boredom and unhappiness. Now I have a chance at a new life that few women get. About the only thing that makes me sure that this is reality and not a drug-induced fantasy is the fact that our daily life is rather dull. No offense, but most girls don't fantasize about living in a town of eight thousand and being married to a high school English teacher."
I blushed and shrugged. "Sorry, a slip of tongue. I don't want to sound like I'm going too fast."
Cam pulled me into a hug and kissing me. "Who says you're going too fast? There’s no other woman I’d like to spend the rest of my life with.”
His words made me blush again. “Well, let's take things one step at a time. And right now, the next step is dinner, then hitting up Netflix. You're treating me to an episode of Jessica Jones."
"Then Daredevil," Cam added. "If we're going superheroes, we're going all the way."
Chapter 20
Cam
Interstate 25 is a north-south road, and the biggest artery for travel in New Mexico. Starting in El Paso on the New Mexico border, it runs practically through the middle of the state, up through Colorado and eventually all the way to Wyoming. However, if you want to go anywhere or do anything in New Mexico, you were most likely going to use I-25. It connected Las Cruces to Albuquerque and Santa Fe to the north.
"And I thought the drive down from Ohio was dull," Melina said as she watched the miles of desert pass on either side. "How in the hell do people live out there?"
"To be honest, they don't," I replied. "The people who do try to make a living out here, they tend to be rather intense types. You see those mountains to the left? On the other side of those is White Sands Missile Range. It's the biggest chunk of military property in the country. A lot, and I mean a lot of New Mexico is owned by the Pentagon."
"I see. And w
hat sort of games does the military play over there?"
I shrugged. "From what I've heard it used to be the place they could do live test firing of things like Patriot missiles, but now I think they let the tanks run around out there. But we don't see them much. You don't even see guys in uniform unless they're National Guard guys getting ready for their two weekends a month type stuff."
We drove on, and pretty soon we started seeing the outskirts of Las Cruces. It's not much of a city itself, with only a hundred thousand people, but compared to T or C, it was huge. We drove over to the east side of the city, where we could go shopping easiest. "So did you decide what shoes you’re getting that young man on the team?”
I nodded. "I'm not getting him Jordans, if that's what you're asking. We’ll see what's on sale."
It was sweltering outside, and I could tell it was getting to Melina. “It'll be cool inside," I said as we walked towards the doors.
The mall was crowded, as you'd expect on a Saturday morning, but not too bad. Melina decided that before we did any shopping, we should take care of the footwear situation, so our first stop was the sporting goods store that was one of the anchors of the mall.
We were able to find Javier two pairs of shoes actually rather quickly, and for less than I'd anticipated with the sales that were going on.
Next stop was the fitness area. They had everything ranging from from boxing to weight training to spin bikes. Melina looked everything over. "When you said work out at home, what were you thinking?"
"Like I said, I'll probably do any heavy weight lifting at school, but there's some things that I'd like to do at home too," I replied. "What about getting some kettlebells, maybe some adjustable dumbbells, and a couple of spin bikes?"
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