More than Distance

33

I lay down on the couch. I wouldn’t be sleeping much anyway.

* * *

We didn’t speak at all the next morning. We didn’t even look at each other. She’d been right, of course. I was sore as hell from lying on that too-small couch all night.

Carla snatched the keys off the table. “I’m driving.”

We waited in the lobby with the other teams until it was our turn to go, exactly fifteen minutes after the first team left. Chuck handed us our scavenger hunt list, wished us luck, and we set off.

Challenge Location: Petrified Forest

1) London Bridge

2) Meteor Crater

3) Standin’ On The Corner Park

4) Tire on side of road

5) The letter Q

6) Someone picking their nose while driving

Carla drove away from the hotel while I studied the map. There was actually a bridge in Arizona called the London Bridge. Who knew?

I folded the map up. “We need to skip the London Bridge. It’s too far out of the way.”

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “It’s the first location. We talked about this yesterday.”

“Yes, I know. The safest thing is to visit the first location, but not this time. It will take us an hour and a half longer if we go there, at least. We can’t afford to lose that much time.”

“No, we can’t afford to skip it.” Her voice was angry, her tone suggested she wasn’t backing down on this. But I wasn’t going to back down either. Not when I was right.

“Doing it your way worked out the first time, but you can’t always stick to the plan if you want to get ahead.”

“Plans work! That’s why we make them!”

“And how has that worked out for you so far?”

She was practically seething now. “Fine! We’ll do it your way this time. But if we don’t come in third or better, we’re going back to my plan next time.”

“Fine.”

We sank back into tense silence. She was pissed with me, but I was okay with that. Hell, she probably hated my guts after last night. Fine with me. Her anger was easier to deal with than her desire. She had no idea, no idea, what it was costing me to keep my distance.

For the next hour we drove through the stark desert and it seemed like we wouldn’t see a single scavenger hunt item. Carla tapped her nails on the steering wheel in an irritated pattern. I refused to admit that skipping the first location was a mistake, but I grew more stressed with each passing minute. s**t, what if I’d made a huge error by taking this risk? She’d never let me live it down.

I spotted something ahead that made me sit up straight. “Get off here.”

“Here? Now? Why?”

“Just do it!”

She quickly changed lanes and got off at the exit at the last moment, barely making it. Right off the side of the road was a gas station called the Quickee Mart. I snapped a photo of the Q on the sign. Finally, one item on the list down.

“Good catch,” she grudgingly said.

“Might as well refill the tank and grab some snacks while we’re here.”

She parked the car in front of one of the gas pumps. “Thank goodness. I’ve had to pee for the last half hour.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want us to lose any time.”

The blond Barbie couple was refueling their car a few aisles over. Carla waved at them and they waved back with big smiles.

I held out my hand for the keys. “Go. I’ll take care of this.”

She tossed them to me and took off. I got the gas rolling, then hit the bathroom myself. Inside the shop, I bought her favorite snacks (Fritos and sour gummy worms) and some bottled water, plus a better map of Arizona and New Mexico. I made it back to the car first and turned it on so we could drive off immediately. The blond couple’s car drove away, getting ahead of us, but we wouldn’t be far behind.

When Carla didn’t return after a few minutes, I began to wonder if she was okay. Maybe her stomach was upset or she’d gotten her period or something. Maybe she was avoiding me because I was such a d**k. I checked the time and got out of the car to clean the windshield, which was covered in bugs and dirt.

Ten minutes later and she still wasn’t back. Something was definitely wrong. I went into the store and looked around, but didn’t see her. I poked my head into the bathroom and called her name, but no one was in there. I asked the clerk if he’d seen her and he shook his head.

What. The. f**k. Where the hell was Carla? Had she ditched me? No, she’d never do that. We’d be disqualified. I’d watched every one of the episodes she’d sent me for research and that had happened on one of them. Besides, no matter how mad I made her, Carla would never leave a friend behind.

I stood outside and looked around the dusty old gas station, but there were no other cars in sight. A cold lance of panic struck me. Had someone taken her? Oh f**k no. If she’d been kidnapped, I didn’t know what I would do. No, that wasn’t true. I’d track her down no matter where she was or how long it took. I’d find her somehow.

I ran around to the back of the building, searching everywhere for clues. I was in a total frenzy now, my adrenaline spiking. Then I heard banging.

“Carla?” I yelled, spinning around.

“Ryan!” Her voice was muffled and came from behind a plain metal door. A shiny new padlock was on it. The area smelled of piss, rotten food, and trash. I yanked on the padlock but it wouldn’t budge. Then I spotted a bright silver key in the dirt near my feet.

I bent and grabbed the key. “Hang on, I’ll get you out of there.”

“Hurry, please.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.