afraid I was dead or missing.
By the evening of the second day, Jared’s phone buzzed. “Ryel.” Jared listened for a moment, gave a quick affirmation, and then hung up. “The investigators expect the results of the dental records any minute. It won’t be long.”
“Well, that’s good news, I guess.”
Sasha’s family learning that it was her remains the police had found inside of my vehicle wasn’t a good thing, but it was a means to an end. It all was. The true good news was that I could finally call Beth.
Claire was right, within the hour, she texted a confirmation. When Jared gave me the go ahead, I dialed Beth’s number.
“Where in the hell have you been?” she wailed. “I thought you were dead!” Her breathing quickened until sobs developed in her throat, followed by a pause in the form of muffled noises before Chad came on the line.
“Uh…hello?”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I left a note. I thought everyone knew I was gone. Jared and I needed some time away, so I turned off my phone. I feel awful.”
The last bit was true. I could hear Beth sobbing in the background; hearing Chad try to comfort her only made me feel worse. Between consoling her, he tried to fill me in on what had happened. He described the scene at Titan, the police tape, the lines of employees waiting to be questioned, and the blackened asphalt where my BMW burned into the night.
Before long Beth took the phone back and put it to her ear. “My life has been miserable. Everyone at Titan either spread rumors, or spontaneously burst into tears, or alternating between irritated and hateful. Did you know Sasha is missing, too? It’s insane!”
“Missing?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. The guilt weighed on me with every lie I told.
“Oh my…oh my God, Nina. The last person to speak to Sasha was her mother. She said Sasha was working late at Titan the night she went missing. Do you think it was her in your car? I mean…if it wasn’t you, then who?”
“I…I don’t know. Maybe you should say something to the investigators.”
Beth began to cry again. “That poor girl. You should call your mother, and then call Providence PD and tell them you’re okay. You’ll probably have to come back right away.” She sniffed again. “I’m sorry in advance if I smack you upside your head for scaring the beejeezus outta me.”
I laughed once. “You’re forgiven.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay. As much as I loathed that woman, I hope it wasn’t Sasha, either. That’s an awful way to die…Nina?”
“Yes?”
“Someone put a bomb on your car.”
“It certainly appears that way.”
“But…doesn’t that…doesn’t that bother you?”
I sighed, resolved to tell her at least some of the truth. “I’m used to it, Beth. Why do you think my father hired Jared?”
Beth didn’t speak for a long while, and then finally managed a whisper. “I guess I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry. I remember Mr. Dawson, but I…I didn’t know things were so frightening for you.”
“I’m at the beach, Beth, and I’m married to my bodyguard. Don’t worry for me, okay? We’ll talk when I get back.”
Beth blew a deep breath of relief into the phone. “Please hurry. I need to see you.”
“Jared is already packing.”
I sat in the truck, dreading the long car ride home while Jared checked out at the front desk. He jogged to the Tundra, and slid into the driver’s seat, leaning in to kiss me. “I know it was stressful, but I cherished these last three days with you. When we go away, it’s easy to forget about the rest of the world.”
I grabbed his hand, holding it tight. He knew as well as I did that our return would stir a hornet’s nest. We had just enjoyed our last few days of peace, and now we would be fighting for our lives. I touched my stomach, and Jared reached over to touch the same spot with his free hand.
His blue-gray eyes darkened, and his brows pulled in. I nodded, knowing exactly what was on his mind. He leaned in for a kiss, soft and slow. His lips pulled at mine the way they did when we first met, as if it could be the last time. He pulled away, and then pressed his forehead against mine. We sat there in silence, in our emotional embrace. Neither one having the courage to cry or speak, just in case it became overwhelming.
Jared put one hand back and wheel and shoved the gear in drive. “Okay,” he sighed. “Back to Providence.”
The drive home seemed to take less time. Jared made me repeat the story we would tell the police over and over. I had recited the words dozens of times when the twinge hit.
Jared immediately looked down to my stomach, and then his eyes met mine. “Are you okay?”
I grimaced. “Maybe we could pull over for a moment. I should walk, I think.”
The Tundra made a gentle turn to the left, pulling into the gas station we had stopped at on the way to Virginia Beach. A familiar group of transients idled in the parking lot. Jared opened my door, and kept close as we made our way into the store. To escape the eyes of the quiet group as we walked past, I kept my eyes on the asphalt, noting the grease spots and wads of old gum. I wasn’t sure if it was their presence, but something seemed off, and I could tell that Jared felt it, too.
Jared held the door open for me, and even though I let out the breath I’d been holding, the heavy feeling only became worse. Apart from the cashier, we were the only ones in the store, but I still couldn’t
Meandering in the aisles with no real goal, I stretched my back and neck, picking up a package of something and then setting it back onto the shelf. A roach crawled from behind bags of crackers and then disappeared. I lurched back my hand, and glanced around. I didn’t recall the store being quite so filthy the last time we were in, but my memory consisted of a quick trip to the bathroom.
One of the fluorescent lights blinked and buzzed overhead. From my peripheral vision, I could see that the man behind the counter was staring at me. He was of small build, and dark-complexioned. His lack of expression made me instantly nervous. I’d seen that look before.
I heard the cooler doors shut, and then Jared rounded the corner with two large bottles of water and a forced smile. He held out his hand, pulling in his fingers twice to signal me to come to him. The air around us felt stale, and my heart began to thump loudly against my chest.
“You don’t have long,” the man behind the counter said, glancing to my protruding belly.
I instinctively touched my stomach with my free hand.
Jared cautiously approached the cash register, keeping me a safe distance behind him. He took another step and paused. “Are you okay?”
The man was panting, his body swaying in a rhythmic movement. Sweat glistened across his face and neck, and dampened his white polo shirt. The darkened circles under his eyes made his sunken eyes seem even more alarming.
When offered no response, Jared took a step back and threw a ten-dollar bill onto the counter. “That should cover it.”
The man looked down at the folded bill before him, and then closed his eyes. He pressed his fingertips onto the counter, and then his body vibrated for a few moments before he snapped straight. He peered up at Jared. His eyes had changed; now obsidian orbs bulging from their sockets.
Jared put his hand on my chest and nudged me toward the door. “It’s time to go.”
I stumbled back, reaching blindly for the glass door behind me. The small man jumped into the air and landed in a crouch on the counter. “I’m going to gut her like a fish.” The sound of his voice was terrifying; a combination of a small child and the hiss of a snake.
I pushed open the door and ran head first into one of the large men that belonged to the group of bikers in the parking lot. He had a long, gray beard, and wore riding leathers. Forgetting my new strength, I plowed over him, knocking him to the ground. The man looked up at me with shock and confusion. Within seconds, all expression left his face, and the blackness of his pupils spilled into his irises, and then to the whites of his eyes.
I scrambled away from him, and then Jared grabbed my arm, pulling me to the Tundra at full speed. The passenger door slammed in my face, and then Jared was next to me.
