stuck her head out into the hallway, cautiously, looking first to the left and then the right. Anyone who might have seen her would have thought it was a scene from a movie,
Getting past the guard would be the hard part, but she had a plan. Her nerves were in a shambles, but nothing was going to keep her from going through with it.
“Damn,” Angelica said as the phone began to ring. That was her first signal. Ten minutes had passed and she had only twenty minutes left to get past the guard. It was now or never.
She walked halfway down the circular drive and pulled out the book of matches she had thrown in her purse while at El Conuco. With amazing swiftness, Angelica tore two matches from the book, lit them and threw them into a nearby bush. A flame erupted and climbed the bush, catching a whole row in one gulp. Angelica ran to the guard and pointed to the fire.
“Fire, fire,” Angelica screamed, coughing as she continued to run toward the gate. “Look over there,” she pointed.
“Yes, ma’am, I see it,” the guard said. “Move to the sidewalk while I call the fire department.”
“Maybe turning on the sprinklers will do it,” Angelica suggested, looking at her watch.
“Go to the sidewalk, ma’am. I’m calling the fire department and I’ll see what I can do.”
“All right,” Angelica said, walking through the open gate.
She watched the guard run in one direction while she ran in the other, locating Ari’s friend in a car sitting off on a side street halfway down the hill. Her lungs were full of air, and she coughed uncontrollably but found enough strength to knock on the window.
The gentleman looked over at the passenger window and unlocked the door. Within seconds, Angelica jumped in the car and put her head down for fear of being seen. This was deja vu. There was a time five years ago when she was bent down in Jefferson’s car and bullets were raining all around them, yet she survived.
“Hello,” the gentleman said, trying to keep from laughing at the sight of her.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Angelica. A little paranoid at the moment, but once we’re out of here, I’ll be all right.”
“I’m Nicholas, or Nick, as my close friends call me. Ari and I go way back. Our families were close, and there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for each other. But I knew you were Angelica the moment I saw you running down the hill. You
“Ari said that?” Angelica was surprised.
“He did.”
“Well, I don’t know whether to be flattered or take that as an insult, but seeing as how I’m all scrunched down in this car, it really doesn’t matter. Please tell Ari thank you for me.”
“You’ll be able to do it yourself. We are going to meet him in Queens, and then we’ll take you to Jersey and the freeway to help you start your journey. My car is parked at a hotel in Jersey, and Ari and I will pick it up and ride back to Manhattan. He must really like you.”
Angelica was silent. It was hard to believe that he would do all of this for her after the way she had hurt him. If she could ever turn her life around, Ari would probably be the one person she’d like to be with.
There was very little chatter until they reached the outskirts of the city. Planes were flying low overhead, and Angelica knew they were in the vicinity of an airport. Before Angelica could react, Nick followed the signs to LaGuardia; however, instead of going to the passenger/ticketing terminal, they followed the signs to baggage claim. Standing on the median outside of the American Airlines terminal was Ari, dressed in his work uniform.
Angelica smiled, and Ari hopped in the back, beckoning for Angelica to do so as well.
“Ari, thank you,” Angelica said softly.
Ari held Angelica’s face and kissed her passionately. There was no fighting the urge as Angelica kissed him back. To the casual observer it appeared that CPR was being administered, although there was no clue as to who was resuscitating whom.
“You could have waited until I pulled off,” Nick teased.
“No time to waste,” Ari said in between kisses. He looked into Angelica’s eyes.
“Did you mean what you said when you told me you didn’t want to leave and that you were feeling something for me?”
“Yes, I meant every word of it,” Angelica said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I thought to myself that, if my life wasn’t in such a shambles, Ari would be the man I’d like to be with.”
“I’ve thought about nothing else but you. I don’t know what kind of hold you have on me, but I like the way it feels. It has nothing to do with the wonderful sex…”
“Not for my ears,” Nick shot back.
“You’re not supposed to be listening,” Ari said. “Drive the car.” They laughed.
“Ari, we didn’t have sex,” Angelica began. “We made love to each other. I’ve not felt that way with someone in a long time. You were warm and tender. I felt safe in your arms.”
Ari looked at her and kissed her again. They held each other and kissed until they reached their destination.
“I hate to leave you, baby,” Ari said with a smile on his face. “I’m sorry I acted the way I did.”
“You don’t owe me an apology, Ari. I probably don’t deserve all that you’ve done for me, but I’m so thankful that you didn’t close the door completely. I hope this isn’t the last time I see you. I’m having mixed emotions, but I know I must get to North Carolina.”
“This won’t be the last time, I promise. Angelica, I feel something for you. It may be love. For sure, whatever it is, it has kept me from eating and sleeping-it’s kind of what people say when something gets in your system.”
“I’m falling for you, too, Ari. Ever since leaving your house, you have consumed my thoughts. It’s not infatuation because I already know what that’s like. I do…love you.” Angelica put her arms around Ari’s neck and cried.
“I wish you would have flown, but you know best. It’s time. The days are longer, but I still worry about you on the road. Call me if you need me, but for sure let me know when you’ve reached your destination.”
“I will,” Angelica said.
She and Ari got out of the car first. They leaned on the car like love-struck teenagers. They embraced and found each other’s lips and kissed like there was no tomorrow. Ari let his arms roll down her shoulders, her back, and her backside, holding her nicely shaped behind until he had to make himself release her.
Nick stepped from the car.
“You need to let her go, Ari,” Nick said. “She needs to get as far from New York as soon as possible because, when the boyfriend discovers she’s gone, it’s going to be hell to pay.”
“You’re right.” Ari turned to Angelica and kissed her lips softly. “This won’t be the last time.”
Ari reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here’s a couple hundred dollars to help you on your way. I see you don’t have the pretty luggage you brought to New York.”
“I can’t take this, Ari. I’ve got money left from the time I worked. You’ve done so much for me already,” Angelica said as she tried to hand the money back to him.
“When was the last time you worked, Angelica? You may need it for an emergency. You can repay me later.” Ari smiled.
“Thank you,” Angelica said and kissed Ari again.
“Okay, here are the papers for the car and an atlas should you need help navigating,” Nick said. “It was a pleasure meeting you, but we really must go.”
“Thank you,” Angelica said and got in the car. Nick and Ari got into the other car and Angelica followed them to the New Jersey Turnpike. Angelica waved when they turned off, crying softly as she headed away from the bright lights of New York.
37
Several fire trucks had trampled the grounds. The firefighters were able to contain the fire to a relatively small area, considering the size of the grounds and the amount of foliage surrounding the house.
