Because of knowing he had to break the bad news to Jenny, Hugh had been subdued during the ride and dinner afterward.
Later, when snuggling on the couch, Jenny said, “Hugh, what’s wrong? You’ve been awfully quiet today.”
Hugh got right to it. “I heard from Jake at Freightliner this morning. My truck will be ready around noon tomorrow.”
“But that’s good news! Why the grumpy face?”
“Jenny, this time, and I really mean it, you can’t come with me when I leave here.”
“Wait a minute! Back up, buster!” Jenny said. She withdrew herself from Hugh’s arms, and sat up to look at him straight on.
There she was, the short-tempered Jenny Hugh remembered.
“We’ve been through this already. What’s going on with you?”
“The problem, Jenny, is the decision has been taken out of my hands. Because of the accident, and probably a lawsuit, I am under a microscope right now. The company has told me for the time being it would be inadvisable for me to have a passenger. Actually they were a bit more direct than that.”
Hugh explained to Jenny how this decision had come about.
During his first conversations with Gordon, the safety officer, Hugh had told him his fiancé had been riding with him, and she had been with him when the accident had occurred.
Gordon had said that although Hugh was a contracted owner-operator and had some leeway as far as what he did with his truck, he was covered by WestAm’s insurance provider, and they didn’t want the added complication and liability of Hugh having a passenger right now.
He had said the insurance company insisted Hugh send his fiancé home for the time being, and WestAm had agreed. Gordon said it wasn’t a direct order from Hugh’s carrier because Hugh wasn’t an employee, but the trucking company could choose to cancel Hugh’s contract.
Jenny was instantly mollified and sank back into Hugh’s arms. Much to Hugh’s relief.
“I’m so sorry, Hugh. But I do understand.”
“Thank you, honey. I’ve been agonizing over this. I didn’t want to tell you earlier because I didn’t want to spoil the wonderful time we’ve had here.”
“This is our last night together for who knows how long,” Jenny said. She held him even tighter. “Would you want to … you know?”
“Yes, I want to, more than you can know. But we can’t. I know you understand.”
Jenny sighed. “I do, Hugh.”
The mood in their rooms in the villa the next morning was somber and subdued. Hugh and Jenny had gone through the rooms, packing to go their separate ways. There had been little talk. All had already been said.
Jenny had to be first out the door, as she had a 10 a.m. flight out of Sky Harbor. Hugh had arranged for the resort’s courtesy airport shuttle to pick Jenny up at eight.
“Honey, I’m going to miss you. I’ll let you know as soon as all this is over, and you can rejoin me.”
They were standing outside the resort hotel’s front entrance waiting for the courtesy van to swing through. She had only a carryon, because most of her things would remain with Hugh in his truck.
“I know. It’s such a disappointment. Us being apart.”
The van arrived and, like all courtesy van drivers everywhere, once he had put Jenny’s bag into the cargo hold in back, he was impatient to leave, which didn’t encourage or allow for a long goodbye.
A brief kiss and a hug, and Jenny was gone.
At the same time, three Rico Investigations operatives were with Charlie in her hotel room finalizing the plan for today’s “accidental” meet up with Hugh.
“Our WestAm insider says the trucker has a pickup this afternoon in North Las Vegas,” the leader said. “We’ll have Kent waiting for him to show up. We know the trucker will be parking after that at the truck stop near there.”
Kent waved a gesture and nodded.
“Hello again,” Charlie said. She recognized the speaker and Kent as the two who had first approached her in her condo.
All three men were fit, looking to Charlie like former military, or cops. Large guys. Close-cropped hair, tight muscles, clothes designed for action.
“We’ll have Kent on the phone. He’ll follow the trucker out of the manufacturing plant, and keep us informed as to his ETA at the truck stop,” the leader, William, continued.
“After the trucker exits the freeway, he’ll make a right turn, and then another right turn. That second right turn puts him about a quarter mile from the truck stop entrance. Jason and I, and you, Charlie, will be waiting in a van on a wide spot on the dirt shoulder about halfway to the entrance.”
Jason nodded toward Charlie. Jason was the third member of the team that would be helping Charlie get aboard Hugh’s truck.
“Charlie, you’ll have a bag over your head, and have your hands tied behind your back. As the trucker rounds the corner and starts coming toward us we’ll all be out of the van struggling with you.”
Charlie didn’t care for the “bag over the head” bit, but so far she was intrigued by the plan.
“The trucker will see what looks like two guys trying to kidnap a woman, and trying to get her into the van. From what you have told us about this guy, he’s a sucker for helping women in trouble,” William said.
Charlie nodded.
“We’re counting on that. We’re sure he will stop his truck and try to rescue the kidnap victim. The important thing is we have to make sure he succeeds. We’ll have to pull our punches, so to speak,” William said.
Charlie raised her hand. “I have a question.”
“Go ahead,” the leader said.
“Are there going to be only the two of you guys kidnapping me?”
“Why
