Rocky Road: Sequel Book Three

Chapter 8

Mike & Elena

Mike

“Dude, Malone is getting antsy. We’ve been covering for you all week. When are you coming back?” Donovan is beside himself.

I peek around the corner from the alley next to a hardware store to watch Elena observe a sundress in the window of a clothing shop across the street. She walks inside to touch the fabric on the manikin. “I’m leaving tonight. Be there tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank God. She keeps asking for you and I keep telling her that you are on stakeouts and the only reason why you aren’t taking her calls is because you have no new information. I don’t know if I can trust her. She scares the crap out of me.”

Yeah, I’m not really listening to his whining. “That’s fine. Keep her believing that.” My girl picks up the tag hanging on the side of the dress, scrunches her nose, then touches the dress again. She’s trying to decide if it’s worth the price. Rachel comes up from behind her to show her a bedazzled, light, jean jacket. Elena’s face lights up as her best friend holds it up to herself.

“Hey, Mike…” Donny trails off.

“What?” I ask, albeit a little annoyed.

“You’ll keep your promise, right? You won’t kill him? I know he’s a lunatic and a murderer…but… he is my dad.”

As I remove my aviators, I pinch the bridge of my nose, thinking the plan over once more. I do kind of owe him one for helping me out at prom so I could have a moment with my love…

According to Intel, Randall is supposed to be getting on his private jet in two days’ time. Jace is to make sure that the pilot doesn’t leave the runway. Jace and I will already be on the plane – Danny is supposed to get me through undetected before his dad shows up. Malone is to be at the end of the runway with her cavalry to arrest him when the plane stops. He’ll be vulnerable on that jet because he won’t have many men with him, plus his son will be there – on my side, too. If all goes to plan… no, I won’t kill him.

Unless he gives me no choice. Or I just feel like it.

I lift my cap a bit to readjust it. “No, I won’t – s**t!” As soon as my eyes open and take in the view across the street, I see Elena staring right at me. Throwing myself against the brick wall out of sight, the aviators fall to the ground from my fingers as I look around for a way out of this ally.

“s**t what? What’s going on?” Darren pries with anxiety.

“s**t, s**t, s**t!” I mumble under my breath thinking of a way out.

“What?” He asks again.

“Elena saw me.”

“s**t! What are you going to do?”

Not sure, i***t!

I hang up without a response, put the phone in my back pocket, then grab the duffle-bag from the cement and haul it over my shoulder. A way out. I need a way out.

Hugging myself against the brick wall, I glance around the corner to see Elena walking out of the shop right towards me with determination.

Dadgum shitballs!

No, no, no!

My heart rate is skyrocketing, I can hardly hear myself breathe. This is it; this is how I really die.

Palms and face are sweating, my chest is beating wildly - that’s when I see it. A fire escape to my left.

Perfect. I rush over to the escape and pull it down. There’s a honk of a horn coming from the street, I’m sure it was for my girl to get out of the damn road.

I jump a foot or two to pull the ladder down to reach the first rail, then climb like my life depends on it – which it does.

Her life, too.

Rail after rusty rail, I climb. Just as I make it over the threshold of the roof, I hear, “Hello? Is anyone there?” Her voice carries through the shadowy empty alley.

You should never walk into a dark alley by yourself, sweetheart.

I stay molded to the roof of this hardware store, out of sight from anyone not in a helicopter and hold my chest as I calm my breathing.

That was way too close.

“Hello?” She yells again – this time she sounds unsure.

“Elena! What were you thinking going through four lanes of traffic like that?” Rachel’s voice booms from below.

“I’m sorry, I… I thought I saw…” Elena trails off.

“Oh, don’t tell me. You’re seeing him again?” Rachel sounds concerned.

“I-I don’t know; I don’t know what I saw. Maybe I’m only imagining someone because I miss him so much.” She sniffs as I hear Rachel say, “Oh, honey.”

I’m an ass. “But this is the only way, sweetheart. I’m sorry. So sorry,” I whisper with a boulder weighing down my chest to the girl who is sobbing in her best friend’s arms. My pulse picks up again when I realize my sunglasses are down there… she’ll recognize them.

Dagflabbit.

*******

Elena

While packing up the last of my belongings and sealing my mini shampoo and conditioner bottle in a Ziploc baggie to prevent air pressure spills from the plane ride, I hear, “I feel like you just got here.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” I turn to see a pouty Rachel in the doorway of her room.

“How has it been a week already?” She walks up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. Her floral perfume engulfs my nostrils. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

As I hug her, I pat the curly, dark hair on her head. “I’m going to miss you, too. You have no idea.” Pulling away from her, I say, “Thank you for letting me stay with you. I really needed the getaway.”

“No problem! Whenever you need an escape, you know where to go.” My best friend smiles and rubs my arm with a light touch.

“Hey, uhm. Elena, this came for you.” Paul walks into Rachel’s room with a brown package in hand.

Rachel and I look at each other, perplexed. “Who is it from?” I ask, hesitating to reach for it.

Paul shrugs. “Just take it. I promise you, it’s nothing bad.”

“Do you know what it is?” Rachel asks of her boyfriend.

“No.”

“Then how do you know?” Rachel places a hand on her hip giving him sass.

He sighs and shoves the package in my direction. “I just know, alright? You should read the card.”

In taking the package, I take a deep breath as I remove the card from under the twine. It reads in typed print: You know you wanted it. XO.

My hands start to shake, and air gets stuck in my throat as I open the brown paper. Then I feel it. The silky texture of the dress from the manikin that I saw yesterday. “What?” I whisper aloud as I hold it up.

Rachel’s mouth gapes and Paul looks bored… almost pissed off. Why would Paul be upset about this? He clears his throat then leaves the room. “We’re leaving in ten!” he shouts from down the hall.

“Who gave this to you?” Rachel asks taking the card.

Shaking my head, I look at her so confused and in need of figuring out what is going on. Who keeps giving me gifts? “I have no idea.”

A secret admirer?

Is it a member of Marcus screwing with me?

My ghost?

The sunglasses I picked up on the side of the hardware store suddenly become heavy in my light spring jacket. I picked them up because they remind me of Mike – he had a pair just like it.

Without a conscious effort, my eyes dart to the empty doorway - Paul knows something; it’s going to be a long plane ride for him.