“Sí.” Cassie leaned over and picked up the laundry basket. “I put in laundry room.” It took every ounce of her control to move slowly around them. Her back felt like a target with the agent’s eyes boring into her.
“Wait one second.”
Cassie stopped. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst.
“What did you say your name was?”
She turned slowly, trying to stay calm. “Maria. Maria Ortiz.”
I.C.E. man scrutinized her. He nodded his head, looking like he was trying to decide if he believed her or not. She didn’t want to wait and see. Cassie turned and continued walking with her back straight and her head erect.
She hurried down the back stairs. When she made it to the laundry room, Cassie shoved her valuables into the laundry bag and continued to walk out the kitchen door to the truck. José waited for her with the passenger door open. She slid into the seat while he put the truck in gear. By the time she adjusted the bag and buckled her seat belt, they were cruising down the street.
Two blocks away from the house, her body started to shake uncontrollably. The reality of everything descended upon her. It wasn’t until they were back on Sunset Boulevard that her heart stopped pounding.
“Miss Cassie, we got trouble. I see same truck like before.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sí.”
“Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick.” Cassie stuck her head out the window, taking in quick deep breaths to stop the nausea. “I’ll be okay,” she assured José. “Is the SUV still behind us?”
He nodded looking in the mirror. “But far back.”
“Can you make a left at the light, then make another left, and pull into the alley? You’ll see Dumpsters for the stores and a concrete block wall. Park between them if you can.”
“Sí.”
Several times in the last couple of months, Cassie thought vehicles were following her. She’d lose them by slipping into the alley and parking between the concrete block walls.
“Maybe it’s a coincidence?” She glanced over at him.
His look said he didn’t think so.
Chapter Two
Other than her heart sounding like an unending drumroll, they waited and watched in silence. After twenty minutes, Cassie said, “I think we can get going again.”
“You okay now, Miss Cassie?” José inched the truck back into traffic.
“I’ll be fine. We need to find a spot to drop you off.” Cassie kept vigilance while José drove down Sunset Boulevard.
“Here is good.” He pulled into a gas station with a mini-mart and stopped at the pumps. José reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of twenties. “Señora said to fill you up.” He smiled kindly and handed her the bills.
“Thanks. I’m going to use the bathroom and get something for us to drink.”
Cassie felt the clerk’s stare immediately when she entered the mini-mart. She watched Cassie’s every move. Did she expect her to steal? She carried a six-pack of diet cola, a big bag of potato chips, and a bigger bag of Cheetos, all of her favorite stress foods, up to the counter with the wad of money showing. The tattooed, nose pierced, spiked haired babe of a clerk sneered at her and asked her if she was getting gas.
Cassie answered yes and asked for the key to the toilet. The clerk didn’t hesitate to lie, “They’re out of order.”
She started to say she’d just seen a person leave the bathroom, but one look at the clerk’s face and she decided it wasn’t worth the bother. It took every ounce of her restraint not to put the babe in her place, but Alexa said to leave no trail.
“You fillin’ up?”
“Yes.”
“Then give me eighty.”
The clerk took her twenties and then turned on the pump. She stood there chewing her gum, continually snapping it, watching Cassie like a hawk. The clerk didn’t move until José finished. Finally, the clerk rang up her items and handed Cassie her change. She didn’t thank her nor did she bother to bag the items.
Cassie started to exit the mini-mart. She stopped. Screw it. She’d had enough of everyone’s bigoted attitudes. The clerk no more expected her to speak English so why bother? Her feisty grandmother’s Gaelic version of swearing trembled on her lips ready to explode, but the surveillance camera checked her. Instead, she bit her lip and pushed through the door.
José waited by the truck, blocking the license plate from cameras and observers. A gob of dirt covering much of the lettering had mysteriously appeared along the route. She smiled at him, he winked. Under her breath she said, “I don’t want to drop you off here. Let’s drive a block or two up.” He didn’t ask why.
A half a block away, José pulled into a strip mall with a Mexican food restaurant and parked. “My brother will come and get me, and we will eat.” He reached under the truck bench seat and pulled out a white envelope. “Señora wanted you to have this.”
“Thank you, José, for everything. You are a good man.” Cassie extended her hand, he looked surprised, but then he shook it.
“Miss Cassie, be very careful.”
“I will.”
“One more thing, check Old Blue’s oil when you get gas. Extra oil is in the back, in the box.” He tipped his head and left.
Panic gripped her. She watched José walk across the parking lot, leaving her completely on her own. Cassie waited until he entered the café before she walked around to the driver’s side and settled in. It was time to go, but she didn’t know where. Tears formed one by one and slid down her cheeks, leaving ungodly streaks.
“Honest to God, I don’t know what to do.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
She glanced to the left from where she came and cringed. There was only one other choice: out of the parking lot, back on Sunset Boulevard, heading toward the Pacific Ocean.
At Highway 1, Cassie found herself in the left lane but wanted to go right. She missed two lights trying to merge over. Cars honked, people yelled, the finger salute was given. Finally, someone tapped their horn and motioned for her to go in front of them. She waved a thanks and headed north up Highway 1. She hit the gas hard, and the truck paused as if it were gasping for a breath.
“Oh, for crying out loud, what in the hell is going on? I think Alexa has spoiled you, you old heap.”
The old truck rumbled along well, just not fast. If Cassie forced the speed up to sixty, the truck shimmied. Fifty-five seemed to be the optimal speed, so fifty-five it was with the window down and the vents open.
While she drove, she tried to formulate some sort of plan. Nothing really came to mind, other than change her clothes and wash her face. Though she had nothing to change into other than what she had on under Maria’s uniform.
Alexa’s lecture of getting real about her situation kept repeating in her mind. No longer did she have Sergei’s limited amount of credit card spending; therefore, she needed to find some basics at good prices.
Not until she got to Highway 101 in Oxnard, did she find what she was looking for at a strip mall. Everything she needed was right there, from a McDonald’s to a discount clothing store, with everything else tossed in. Finally, she was far enough away from Sergei’s house that she felt safe enough to toss her disguise.
Cassie backed the truck up next to McDonald’s Dumpsters, allowing some privacy but more importantly, shade. She propped open the passenger door and used the space to strip off Maria’s uniform. What was left were the yoga workout shorts, a Lycra tank top, the god-awful thick black shoes with the bunched up white socks, and hideous make-up. Walking into McDonald’s looking fashion-odd was one thing, but two-toned skin was another. Something people would remember.
Trying to remove the professional stage make-up with a Kleenex proved messy. She hunted around for something else and spotted Alex
a’s spa duffel tucked behind the bench seat. Cassie pulled it out and hoped for something good to use.
Her eyes misted when she looked inside. “Oh, thank you, dear friend,” she murmured.
Sitting right on top, cradled in an upside down baseball cap, was a jar of face cleanser wrapped in a soft wash cloth. Definitely a must, she thought. Cassie tucked up her braid and slipped on the cap. Next, she searched through the bag and found a box of her favorite protein bars, a baggie filled with hotel sample shampoos and conditioners, toothbrush pack from the dentist with floss, oversized T-shirt and flannel sleep-shorts, flip-flops, a California road map, and a flashlight. Why a flashlight? Did she think she would be camping? Maybe she did. Obviously, she had a better grasp on the situation than Cassie.
A ring tone designated for Sergei broke the silence. Her body tensed. She tried to take a deep breath to calm down but couldn’t. Sergei must have made bail. Before she could locate her phone, the ringing stopped. Cassie ran her hand down the back crease of the bench seat looking to see if it had fallen down. The old truck didn’t have that many spots to lose a phone. The ringing started back up. She remembered she’d stashed it in her purse under the seat. For a moment, she stood paralyzed wondering what to do. Alexa told her to get rid of everything linking her to Sergei. The cell phone was bought and paid for by him. He could trace her through the usage and had this past year. If bruises and broken ribs could talk, hers had plenty to say.
Rage filled her thinking about the last several months. She reached down, yanked out her purse, and shook the contents out on the seat. As if to taunt her, the cell went off again. An inner sense of power flooded her. Cassie grabbed the cell phone and threw it down with all her might onto the asphalt. Taking her heel, she stomped it over and over until it was a handful of technology waste.
“Screw you, Sergei Koslov. You’ve screwed me over for the last time. You’re nothing but a Viagra-addicted asshole who can’t even get it up on your own, you jackass.” A nervous laughter escaped her, but a release and lightness she couldn’t explain invaded her. Cassie smiled. It felt good. She picked up the flattened mess and threw it in the Dumpster where he belonged.
With the stage make-up removed, Cassie returned to the truck, ready to tackle the clothes situation. She had removed the socks with the money but kept the shoes on. Without the neon sign of bunched socks, the shoes wouldn’t be so noticeable. Cassie studied the layout of the strip mall and zeroed in on the discount clothing store. With her guard up, she drove around and around the entire parking area, checking for anyone remotely connected to Sergei. Not seeing anything that made her anxious, Cassie parked and headed into the store.
Never in her entire life had she shopped so fast. No longer caring about her special brands, she was in and out of the store in record time. She sprinted to the truck, left the strip mall, and got back on the highway, heading north.
The breeze off the Pacific Ocean kept the inside of the truck cab tolerable. Her heart had stopped racing, but sweat still formed on her skin. Obviously, José hadn’t minded the lack of air conditioning, but boy, she did. As the afternoon wore on, so did her exhaustion. More than anything, Cassie just wanted to pull over and take a nap, but she knew she couldn’t. Not until she felt safe and far enough away from Sergei and anyone he might know.
The lack of suspension in the truck played havoc with her butt muscles. Alexa might be right in that Old Blue could take her anywhere, but would she be able to sit once she got there?
She drove easily through Santa Barbara before late afternoon traffic took over. It was time to stop somewhere and come up with a plan, but where? Continuing to rely on Old Blue to be her guiding light was ridiculous. Why her friend would even suggest it was beyond her. Trucks couldn’t think. She didn’t understand her friend’s fondness for this old heap.
After passing a sign indicating Gaviota State Beach Park up ahead, Cassie decided to stop. Even though it had been years since she’d been to this area, she had some fond memories of it. Soon after she and Alexa arrived in Hollywood to pursue their dream of fame and fortune, they discovered the state park. Often, they headed out to a beach to get out of their stuffy, tiny apartment and breathe fresh air.
The park hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d been there. She followed the drive down to the main parking lot. Since it was a Wednesday, there were very few cars about. She parked and shut off the engine. Finally, she felt like she could let her guard down. The sounds of the Pacific Ocean and the warmth lulled her into a relaxed state.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” The truck’s hood vibrated in synch with the voice.
Cassie jerked awake and let out a yelp. Her heart slammed into her ribcage.
A park ranger smiled and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but the park is going to be closing soon. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh. Yeah. I was just trying to figure out where…um.” Leave no trail. “I was just trying to figure out why my air conditioner won’t work, and I must have dozed off.”
“These old Fords are reliable, but the air, well…you just might want to keep the windows open.” The ranger nodded and started to walk off but then stopped. “You know there is something you can do that doesn’t cost you much money.”
“What?” Finally a solution to something.
“Take one of those handheld water sprayers that have a little fan attached. You’ve seen them, where people mist themselves trying to stay cool. Take one of those, fill it with ice cubes and a little water, and Velcro it to the dashboard. Keep the little fan going and push the handle when you need a shot of cool mist.”
She looked skeptical.
“Hey, it works. We’ve rigged up a few of our old trucks with it. It sure beats boiling.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.” Cassie watched the ranger walk to his truck and leave.
How long had she been asleep? Her butt and back ached. She grabbed the map and headed to the nearby picnic table. At least she could stand and stretch her legs to get some of the aches out while she studied the map. She’d never been north of the state park, but she felt reasonably certain she could get an inexpensive motel somewhere along the way. Her eyes kept focusing on Morro Bay. Did Sergei the Scum know anyone in Morro Bay? Hopefully, it was too classy for that schmuck. Damn, she wished she had a cell phone to call and ask someone, but who would she call, the Chamber of Commerce?
Cassie could hear it now: “Oh, by the way, do you know Sergei Koslov, the grandiose pirate of illegal DVD movies? Or maybe you don’t know him by that name, but Yuri Sergslov, the biggest exporter of stolen Mercedes Benz parts and a few BMWs? Oh, you don’t, gee, I don’t either.” Cassie didn’t even know he’d used another name. She should have though. After all, it was Hollywood.
She left the state park, continuing north. Dusk had settled in when she reached the outskirts of Morro Bay. Cassie meandered her way around the town looking for a place to spend the night. Experience dictated the further she went from the water, the less expensive the cost, so she turned and headed up the hill. Three blocks up, a vacancy sign shined in the window of a rather nice, clean-looking motel. At this point she no longer cared about the cost. She pulled in and parked. The vacancy light dimmed and then shut off. Cassie jumped out, slammed the truck door, and ran to the office door. It flew open and she tripped in.
“I was just about ready to lock up when I saw your headlights. Do you need a room for the night?” an older woman asked, smiling.
“I do.” Cassie gasped, trying to catch her breath.
The woman closed the door and walked over to the registration counter. “You’re in luck. I’ve got one room left before the Art Fair starts on Friday. After that, I’m full until Monday. Will you be staying until Friday?”
“I’m not sure. Can I let you know tomorrow?”
“Sure. Fill this
out.” The woman handed her a clipboard with a registration form. “Do you have a Triple A card or AARP?”
“No.” AARP? Then she remembered the gray streaks in her hair.
“That will be $75.00 a night. It is a nonsmoking with a king. Cash or credit card?”
“Cash.” Cassie studied the form, trying to figure out what to do. What address?
“Just your name is fine and the truck’s license plate number.”
“I left my wallet in the truck. I’ll be right back. I still need to catch my breath.”
Cassie coughed a couple of times and kept her pace slow, studying the truck’s license plate. Once she felt she had it memorized, she retrieved her wallet and returned to the office. With the transaction complete, Cassie thanked the woman and turned to leave.
“Have a good evening, Alexa, and thanks for stopping at the Bayside Inn.”
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned…
Chapter Three
The rapping on the door echoed throughout the room. “Housekeeping.” More rapping. Cassie groaned and forced her eyes open. Bright light streamed through the crack in the curtain. What time was it? With every muscle aching, she hobbled to the door and peered out. Housekeeping was next door. She took the Do Not Disturb sign, hung it outside, closed the door, and shuffled back to the bed where she collapsed. Too lazy to look for her watch, she rolled over, reached for the phone, and hit zero for operator.
“Yes, dear?”
“What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock. Will you be staying another night with us?” the cheerful woman asked.
“Yes.” No way could Cassie get back in that truck. Not until she got some sort of pillow to sit on.
“Would you like Maid Service now?”
“No. No, thanks.” Please, just ten more minutes, she thought.
Deep Into The Night (Hartz Island Series) Page 2
