Heat

by Gwendolyn Grace

  “I’ll get you the money.”

  My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and my jaw fell wide open. Before I could even think about it words were flying out of my mouth.

  “Wh-what? What do you mean?” I stood up hesitantly yet ready to throw my arms around him for not saying he would rat me out. I had to process one thing at a time. “You would just give me money? Why?”

  “Do you need the money or not?”

  “Yes.” I found myself replying without thought. “But how?”

  “I’ll get it.”

  “Look, I appreciate the offer but even if I did take your money, I can’t pay you back, H. I’m strugglin' as it is.”

  “We’ll work something out.”

  “Really, I can’t take your money…”

  “You will, and you’ll do it for your kids. Attempting what you just did proves that.” My shoulders sagged in defeat and I met his eyes. He was right, I didn’t have a choice. I needed that money.

  “Okay. Fine. We’ll work something out but nothing strange, you hear me?”

  “Strange?” H huffed out a short laugh and lifted a dark eyebrow. “Strange like what?”

  “Anything other than me paying you back in actual cash.” I planted a hand on one hip and put on the sternest face I could pull together. The one I gave the boys when they were acting up.

  “Don’t try to intimidate me with the “Mama” stare. Doesn’t work anymore for my own mother and it won’t work for you now.” I suppressed the urge to laugh as I thought of how the look didn’t seem to work all that well on my boys either. Instead, I took a deep breath and pushed my hair away from my face.

  “So what happens next?” I asked, not sure how this was supposed to go. “Do we just sign a note or something.”

  “Don’t have the money yet but I’ll get it. Meet me out back after your shift tonight.”

  “H…” I started to say not feeling too good about him not having it but getting it. “If it means trouble, then I— “

  “I’ll get it.” He repeated firmly. “Now, get out of here and let me concentrate on erasing the tape before Donnie gets back.”

  Tape? My eyes went immediately to the black surveillance camera in the corner of the office. It was the first time I’d noticed it.

  Oh shit.

  Moments earlier, H walking in on me was the worst thing I could've imagined but I quickly realized it was the best possible outcome. That beautiful man saved me that night, not only from myself but from making the worst decision of my life.

  Chapter Eight

  I wound up back at my motel room because I wasn’t sure where else to go. I no longer felt safe there but had no other options. My money was gone and I was nearly broke. While taking a long hot shower, I cried my eyes out.

  Stealing? Really? That was the person I had become?

  I dried off and wrapped myself in my thick robe while I thought of a way to convince Mama to pick my boys up from the Davis’ house. I knew I couldn’t make the five-hour round-trip drive to Haventown and back before my shift started that night. Besides, what would I do with the boys while I worked then went with H wherever it was to get the money?

  I was relieved to learn that Mama had already picked them up. To her credit, she even sounded remorseful. She said that she'd only meant for them to stay for a few hours while she went grocery shopping.

  “Annetta Lynn, you know how those two can be a handful especially out in public. I just wanted a little time to myself, plus I thought they would enjoy some play time with the Pastor's children.”

  I asked her why Mrs. Davis made it sound like the boys would be living with her, a question she couldn't come up with an answer for. The unspoken truth was that she'd planned to send them over there exactly as the pastor's wife said. However, it was enough that she had changed her mind all on her own. I loved my mother and it infuriated me that I couldn't trust her. I told her I'd found a place to live and that I would be picking them up in the morning. No matter what. Even if this thing with H and the money didn't work out. I would figure out another way. My kids belonged with me and I was never going to be without them again.

  The entire night when by in a blink. H was in his usual spot at the table acting as if he didn't have a care in the world and all I could think of is what sort of plan he was working on. Would it be illegal? Could we go to jail? I even avoided Donnie. Maybe the guilt was eating at me and I couldn't stop feeling like maybe he'd known what happened. I wasn't sure if the tape had been discovered. H said he would erase it but I still worried. So basically, I was a total mess of nerves and guilt for eight hours.

  At two in the morning, I was standing out back in the dark waiting for him when I heard the familiar rumble of a car engine. H rolled to a stop in front of me, leaned over and opened the passenger door. I stood there staring at him for a second, not having any clue what I was about to get myself into.

  “You coming, or did you change your mind?” He asked, his face not giving away whether he cared if I got in or not.

  “Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I'm coming.” Then I got in and sat down on the smooth leather seats and pulled the door shut.

  “Ready?” H asked.

  “No.” I replied and then giggled nervously. He threw his head back and laughed as he peeled out of the parking lot. There was a hell of a lot of power in that car, so much so that I clenched my jaw together involuntarily as I clicked my seatbelt into place.

  We roared through the night, leaving the city lights far behind us as we headed for the unknown, or at least it was unknown to me.

  Chapter Nine

  I had no idea where we were. H had slowed to a stop on the side of a dark road. When he got out he walked up to another white car parked a little further ahead then spent a few minutes talking to the driver. They must have reached an agreement because they shook hands before H walked back to me.

  “Will two grand be enough?” He asked as he got into the Camaro.

  “Uh…yes.” I replied hesitantly with my eyes darting around the area as I tried to figure out what was about to happen.

  “Okay, see that tree right there?” He pointed to a large tree right next to the car.

  “Yeah.”

  “Go stand there and don’t leave that spot until I come back for you.”

  “Um…okay but where are you going?” I asked, not feeling too thrilled about being left out here alone.

  “Just up the street in back.”

  “Up the street?” I looked into the direction he pointed but didn’t see anything but dark road ahead. Wearily, I got out of the car.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “Sixteen seconds. Tops.”

  I stared at him for a moment in complete confusion. Sixteen seconds? Odd. I still got out of the car and stood by the tree just like he asked. When he pulled forward onto the street, so did the driver of the other car.

  When they lined up evenly beside each other, I knew they were going to race.

  Wait.

  Were they going to race for money? For two grand? What if H lost? Would he have to pay the other guy the money? Oh, shit. He didn’t have that kind of money! If he’d had two grand, he wouldn’t be here trying to win it, right? My stomach immediately started twisting in knots. It felt like such a bad idea. I knew nothing about racing and what was involved. Did H just have to be the fastest to the finish line? Was that all there was to it?

  Looking around, I realized I was the only spectator apart from another guy who was standing in the middle of the road in front of both cars. He waved each driver forward with a hand encouraging them to inch up a little until he was satisfied they were lined up evenly. My gaze went to H's car. All I could make out was the outline of him sitting in the shadows. The road ahead was dark, and no street lights meant that we were pretty far away from town. The only sound was the rumbling of both engines as each driver pumped the gas, partly to intimidate as well as in preparation for the race ahead.

  T
he man standing in front of the car pulled out a red piece of material meant to be a makeshift starting flag and raised it over his head. My heart jumped to my throat and I held my breath in anticipation. Before I could even register that the man had dropped his arm and lowered the flag both drivers were screeching forward in a cloud of white smoke. I ran to the middle of the street to watched the red tail lights disappear into the distance.

  Breathless, I stood there for what seemed like forever and a lot longer than sixteen seconds. I shot a glance over to the guy holding the red flag.

  “What happened?” I asked. He looked over to me and shrugged. I scowled at his unhelpful response. Did H win? What if he didn't? Would we have to make a run for it? I sized up the guy standing next to me and thought I might be able to take him with my mean right hook. While I considered my fighting skills, both cars were approaching with H in the front. The wide grin on his face when his eyes met mine told me that he'd won.

  I hurried over to the driver's side of the Camaro while it was still rolling to a stop.

  “Did you win?” I blurted out the question, unable to contain my excitement but needing verbal confirmation.

  “Yeah, darlin’. I won.” He put the car in park then opened the door. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck.

  “Thank you! Thank you!” I pecked kisses in the side of his face. Unaware of just how heavy the weight of worry over my future was until that moment. I felt a thousand pounds lighter and it was all because of him.

  “Here's your money, you son of a bitch.” The man said from behind us. When I turned I saw that he was grinning. “Goddamit, Heat. I thought I had you this time. There was a dip in the road towards the end that fucked me up. I should have chosen the right lane.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Save the tears and pay up, Risto.”

  The man called Risto handed over a big wad of cash.

  “I'm coming for you next week, Heat. That Camaro can't be number one forever.”

  “You've haven't been able to catch me yet, Rich Boy.” H shook his head and stuffed the wad of cash into his jeans pocket.

  “You ain't gonna count it?” Risto asked with amusement.

  “Nah, I know which fancy house you live in.” Both men shook hands and chuckled before parting ways. It was clear they held a mutual respect even if they were competitors.

  Once we were settled in the car I couldn't resist talking about the bit of information I'd just learned.

  “Heat? H stands for Heat? Did your parents not like you or something?”

  “No, that's not what my Mama named me. It's a racing name. I didn't choose it. That has to be earned.”

  “Earned? How long have you been racing?”

  “A while.” He answered but didn't seem like he was going to provide me with any more information.

  “So your plan all along was to meet up with this Risto guy and race for the money? What if you lost?”

  “I never lose.” He stated flatly and I rolled my eyes at his overly confident remark. “He’s been whining about racing me for a week. He just got that new car so he wanted to test it out. I wasn’t worried about losing, that car still needs lots of work to be any threat to me. A lesson he just learned.”

  “Yeah, but what if you did lose? What would we have done since we didn't have the two grand to pay him.”

  “I never said I didn't have the money. I just couldn't access it on a Sunday and you said you needed it first thing Monday morning.” He pulled the wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it to me. I stared at the money for a moment, trying to make sense of it all.

  “Why, H? Why would you just give me this kind of money? You barely know me.”

  “Because you needed it and I know you'll do what you said you would with it. Besides that ain't my money,” he nodded down to the cash in my hands. “It's Rich Boy Risto's. He's got plenty of it and judging by the way he keeps losing to me, he likes parting with it.” He threw his head back and laughed as he increased his speed.

  As I sat there with the two grand that would help me start my life over I couldn't take my eyes off him. His smile, the control he had over a car going nearly a hundred miles an hour down a dark road or maybe it was the leftover adrenaline from his wild stunt. Either way, I'd never been attracted to anyone this much before. I allowed myself to soak in the brightness that surrounded him and hoped to one day find my own light again.

  “Thank you, H. You have no idea what you've done.”

  “It's nothin’, darlin’.” He replied without taking his eyes off the road. “The name's Hal Fox. Call me Hal.”

  Chapter Ten

  Things couldn't have gone any better the next day. Following the race, H drove me to the motel so I could gather all of my stuff. He insisted I wouldn't spend another night there. Then after getting a good look at my old beat up Corolla, he drove me straight to Haventown in the Camaro. To him it was a hell of a lot safer.

  Mama answered the door at six in the morning, with curlers still in her hair and a bathrobe tied into place.

  “Annetta?” She asked looking a bit bewildered. Her eyes shifted between me and H, but her gaze stayed glued on him. “What on earth?”

  “Mornin', Mama. I'm here to get the boys and take them to their new home.” I announced proudly.

  “Oh,uh…well, good.” she said, still looking at H. “Who's this?” Her voice came out shaky as she clutched her robe tighter around her chest.

  “This is Hal.” I glanced back at him and smiled, a gesture he returned then gave my mother a small wave. Anxiously, I pushed through the space between Mama and the door then headed to the backroom where the boys were sleeping. I stuffed all of their clothes and toys into their suitcases then handed them to H, who was standing outside on the porch and ignoring Mama's weary looks as she stayed planted firmly in the foyer. Satisfied that I'd had all of their belongings, I carried my oldest boy, still sleeping, to the car and fastened him in.

  “Annetta!” Mama hissed and stomped her foot as I walked past her cradling my youngest in a warm blanket. “Who is that man? Do you even know?”

  “I told you, his name is Hal and he's a good friend of mine.”

  “A friend, huh? Oh Lord, we'll see how long that lasts,” she snorted and threw a sideways glance at H who was sitting in the car. “I hope he doesn't turn out to be another one of your mistakes.”

  “Things are different with me now, Mama. These kids are my everything. All I want is to see them happy.” I kissed my sleeping baby's cheek. “As for Hal,” I glanced in his direction and whispered on a sigh. “I hope he never sees me as one of his mistakes.”

  ****

  Later that night I closed the door to the boys’ new bedroom and quietly backed away. They were exhausted from a day of activity. We'd picked up the keys to our new home after visiting a second-hand store for furniture, followed by a discount store for a few household items. My last stop was the supermarket so I could make us all a big pot of spaghetti, their favorite. In fact, by the end of the day, we were all exhausted.

  Hal hung around the entire day. I thought we would part ways after he took me to my car at the motel. When I returned with groceries, he had all the beds set up, as well as the dining room table and chairs. I knew he'd arranged for fast delivery of the furniture but I didn't know that he'd plan to stick around in order to get everything put together. Realizing there was no way I could have done it alone I was grateful he was there.

  He stayed for our messy spaghetti dinner and even helped me clean up afterward. Once the boys were bathed, I'd put them to bed. They had no problem getting to sleep and I hoped it was a good sign that they were happy in their new home.

  When I came out to the living room, Hal was fast asleep on the pile of blankets I'd placed on the living room floor for sitting because the sofa wouldn't arrive until the following day. I'd forgotten he'd been up all night and hadn't slept. After driving to Haventown, and then around Columbia he never once complained that he was tired or lost patience after spen
ding hours with cranky toddlers who'd missed their naps. There wasn’t anyone in my life who had ever been so amazing to me.

  But he's not for you, Annie.

  I knew I'd figure out a way to screw it up. I only brought out the worst in men, who in return brought out the worst in me. I’d let myself get carried away with the idea of love, something I once felt for my sons’ father until it festered into hatred. The kind of hate that made me want to see him dead.

  I used to think Jimmy Bishop hung the moon. He was all I could have ever wanted, wrapped in a dreamy heart shaped box. Handsome, mischievous… and twenty-two. This combination made him irresistible to a teenage girl hell bent on rebelling against her bible-thumping mama.

  I skipped school all the time to be with him and was equally absent as much as I attended classes my senior year. By the grace of Mama’s God, I graduated. Before the ink was even dry on the diploma, I threw a couple of bags full of my stuff in the back of Jimmy’s car and left Haventown, South Carolina and didn’t look back.

  Jimmy loved to ride, to just get in the car and go. We stayed on the road with no particular destination in mind. We could never afford a motel. A spare room at a friend’s place, the couch of an acquaintance, and even the back seat of the car would be where we called home. It was fun and wild, romantic and rebellious.

  We earned money the best way we could though I was the one who usually picked up jobs. Singing gigs or working as a waitress were the easiest to land and the fastest way to earn money. Jimmy had to get much more creative. He’d had plenty of run-ins with the law, so nobody wanted to hire him with his criminal record. It didn’t stop him from coming home with pockets of cash every night. He knew people in just about every state along the east coast. He’d go and meet with an acquaintance and we’d spend a few days while he “worked”, then we moved on. I knew whatever Jimmy was mixed up in was bad news, but I trusted him enough to know what he was doing. Either way, it didn’t matter. We were happy.