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During the drive I'd watched and collected the information I was nervous about having. I'd committed the two abductors to memory. The driver was tall, dark haired, a scar on the back of his left hand above the knuckle of his forefinger. Brown eyes, dark brown hair, pretty unnoticeable nose, thin lips. He was in shape but not in great shape. He was average. He could disappear in a crowd.
Shotgun had red hair, which I always find surprising on a man. His temperament was that of a thoroughly pissed off pigeon. He looked like he could fly into a rage, all feathers and incomprehension, and he had beady little eyes. If he'd hissed at me I'd have been less than surprised. His name was Theo, which I knew because the driver, Chad, wasn't smart enough to keep from saying it.
I knew Chad's name because Theo retaliated.
We drove into outskirts of what didn't look like a particularly large town. I got the impression Arizona was a lot like Nevada – a couple large metro areas and a lot of rural. The outskirts passed seedy bars, boarded up churches, and convenience stores that looked like a good place to buy a fifth of bourbon and a vial of crack, and sell your soul before deciding you wanted a bag of chips, too. I rolled my shoulders and tried to kick off the fear. I wanted to notice everything, from the stubby cactus plants moving their way toward town as if determined to take it over to just how old the rusted out beater cars were. The streets we were on had a long way to go before they'd be gentrified.
"I need a bathroom," I said. Probably that sounded like a ruse. It wasn't. I didn't want to escape. I just wanted to pee. Stupid meat puppet. The body went on with the stupidest demands no matter how much the brain tried to fill it in on Danger.
The request made Chad grumble. "We're almost there."
Almost there wasn't going to cut it. "How close?" My voice shook.
"You don't need to – " the driver started.
"Twenty minutes," Theo interrupted. "You sick?" Little ratty eyes stared at me.
I shook my head. "I need to pee."
"Jesus," the driver exploded.
Shotgun just said, "I do too and once we get there, there won't be time. Stop at the Grab N Go."
I didn't think Chad would but he did. Theo opened my door, uncuffed my hands. He slid the cuffs through his belt and let his shirt settle over them. Then he took my arm and said in a low voice, "We're husband and wife. I walk you to the bathrooms. You wait for me or I wait for you like any couple. Try anything funny and we're going to be delivering faulty merchandise. Got it?"
I felt tears behind my eyes. I was in over my head and out of my depth and the thing was it was not having backup or a clue.
We stopped. The Grab N Go looked a lot like the convenience stores that were already out of business. The bathroom was sure to be a treat. Theo unlocked my door and helped me out. My legs were shaking so hard I could barely stand. He didn't say anything, just held onto me until I could walk.
"Thanks" I finally took a shuddering breath and allowed him to walk me into the store, his hand on my elbow. We made an odd couple when I saw us reflected in the door.
Inside the shop was so normal it was jarring. No slot machines because we'd crossed over into Arizona. People hanging around looking at drinks in the cooler. People at the franchised burger spot that took up a corner. People paying for gas. Sunburned tourists in tank tops that didn't show off their assets to their best advantage. Pale people who lived there and already considered this to be a winter season. They wore sweatshirts.
Back corner the rest rooms, through an arch into a tiny alcove with two doors. Once there'd have been a payphone there, because there was still an alcove within an alcove between the two doors, with a low shelf and a second shelf under that where the phone book would have been chained. Even if such things still existed, they wouldn't do me any good.
The bathroom was a pleasant surprise. Clean and smelling of some lemon cleanser or deodorant. I peed and met my eyes in the mirror over the sink as I washed my hands.
Oh, Erin, what have you gotten yourself into this time?
Erin. Lily. Annie. Mark's fiancé. Cole's chew toy. Undercover cop. Fentanyl addict.
I went back out before Theo could pound on the door. He bought three bottled waters, three corn dogs, three small bags of chips and accompanied me back to the SUV.
"What's all this?" Chad demanded. "We having a picnic? We're supposed to deliver her, not entertain her."
Theo shrugged. "I'm hungry. Road trips make me hungry. It's gonna take forever when we get there. Shut up and eat. And let her eat." He hadn't put the cuffs back on me. I was trying to decide if I needed to make a stupid break for it. A fake break. As in Catch me, I'm running! But without them knowing that was the subtext.
When I'd pulled back against him, bucking before he forced me into the SUV, he caught my arm and I saw the gun tucked into the front of his jeans.
Good to know. Not that I didn't assume they were armed. I wasn't too sure of Chad's IQ but Theo wasn't stupid.
I ate my corndog and chips, drank sparingly on the water, and looked around with interest. The area we were in was run down but established. The building with the store was old, the corners kind of shabbily rounded. Sickly looking willow bushes stood around the edges of the property. People came and went like this was just part of road trip ambiance.
"Can we stop fucking around now?" Chad demanded when Theo finished, but I noticed he'd eaten everything he'd been given.
Theo nodded, took the trash to the bins, came back and slammed the door. He took a good look at me, opened the door again just as Chad started to move. They both swore and glared at each other.
"What the fuck," Chad said.
