by Unknown
“Coffee is ready if you want a cup.”
Carla sat down on the couch and folded her legs beneath her. “Thanks but I don’t drink coffee.”
“What do you like? I have to make a store run for food,” he said sipping the hot brew.
“I drink natural fruit juices and plenty of water. I’m not a big eater either so don’t worry about getting anything for me.”
He raised his brow. “That explains a lot about you.”
She frowned. “What are you surprised I didn’t ask for bacon, ribs, chicken wings or other unhealthy foods that black people are known to eat?”
He stuttered, “I-I didn’t say that. Why are you trying to make me out to be a racist?”
“I’m not making you out to be anything. You are who you are. Anyhow, is there a television to watch?”
“Sorry, no TV.”
“What do people you stash here do for entertainment? Am I supposed sit and stare at you for that? If that’s the case, I’ve gotten more enjoyment from watching a sock puppet show.”
That’s it! He lost his temper and shouted. “Hey! You aren’t exactly amusing me either! So why don’t we just stay out of each other’s way. I’ll sit on my side of the room and pretend to play a game on my phone, and you stay over there and do whatever you can find to entertain yourself.”
She shouted back at him. “Fine! I’ll sit here and make believe to play pin the tail on the donkey. I’ll pretend you’re the ass! How does that suit you?”
“You have a big fucking mouth to be so little! You need to check it,” he said storming outside. Zach locked the door and got in the car. Now was a good time to go shopping. He needed to get away from her for a while.
Chapter Four
Carla looked out the window fuming as she watched mud spit from under the tires of the old car as Zach sped off. She ran to the backdoor yanking on the doorknob. It wouldn’t open. “Darn it! He locked me in.” Hitching up the oversized shorts, she sat in a kitchen chair contemplating. Even if the door wasn't locked, what would she do? She didn’t know where she was or, have any money or the keys to her apartment if she had a way to get home. Basically, she was stuck with an unlikable babysitter until he decided they could leave.
Her stomach growled painfully. She rubbed it knowing that starvation would eventually win out over her being stubborn. It had been hours since her last meal, and her head was hurting to reflect that fact. Pouting she got up and opened the fridge taking out the pot of pasta to warm on the stove.
She looked down at herself and realized how she was dressed. Athletic but slender legs ended with bony feet. It didn’t take much for her to drop weight. During her EMT training, she scored high marks on everything but the ability to lift objects heavier than herself. “No wonder he made that comment about me. I look like a sick chicken in this outfit.”
Turning the stove on low she went to the bedroom to find something else to wear. Sitting around half-naked in front of a strange man was not an option. Looking through the closet of the second bedroom she found more women’s clothing but again the sizes were too big for her. Carla took a bright red sleeveless sundress off a hanger and held it next to her body thinking it would work and looked better than the baggy shorts and tank top.
She took a quick bath. She changed the bandage on her hip, combed her hair and slipped on the dress using a man’s tie as a makeshift belt to keep the dress from dragging on the floor. Viewing her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. “Not bad. I’m covered up and it’s kinda cute,” she said twisting her body to look at herself from different angles.
The pasta was hardly warm when Carla returned to the kitchen. She dished out a plateful despite that. Her stomach was protesting the lack of food and begged to be fed immediately. She sat at the table and put the first bit into her mouth and gagged. “Oh, yuck,” she said shuddering and spitting the bland pasta in a paper towel and rinsing the taste down her throat with water. “He definitely doesn’t know how to cook.” Searching the cabinets the scant choice of spices were outdated and clumped inside the bottles. “Ugh,” she groaned closing the cabinets.
She spotted a bookcase in the corner of the living room. “Ah, can’t go wrong with a book.” She picked a suspense book to read. Settling on the couch she cracked open the book. The rain outside had not eased as thunder shook the walls of the cabin.
Carla raised her head from the book as the lights dimmed and then brightened again. A cold shiver ran down her spine. It just hit her that she was alone, locked in a cabin and none of her family had any idea where she was. She bit the tip of her fingernail thinking what if the man chasing them was out in the woods somewhere? What if he had followed Zach to the store and another fight ensued only this time Zach was killed?
Panic raced through her body causing her shake. She heard a scratching on the wood at the front door; she started to hyperventilate. Afraid to move from the couch she swallowed as the scratching got louder and began to sound like a digging. Whatever was outside was working hard to get inside.
Carla jumped off the couch and ran to the bedroom, closing the door. She closed herself in the closet hiding behind the clothes. “Ouch!” She cursed grabbing her foot. She didn’t have on shoes and a splinter from the wood floor had embedded in her foot. Too afraid to move from the confines of the closet to check out her foot, she sat there and waited for whatever was outside trying to get in, to find her.
*****
Zach opened the door and smelled the burnt odor of food. “What the heck is that?” He dropped the bags on the table when he saw smoke rolling from under the lid of the pot on the stove. He turned off the stove and put the smoking pot in the sink and ran water in it.
“Carla!” He called in an angry voice. “Carla! Are you trying to burn down the place? You left the pot on the stove.”
She didn’t answer.
A chilly silence fell over the cabin. He removed his gun and continued to look for her. He checked the bathroom; it was empty. He looked inside his bedroom, and it was empty. Slowly, he raised his gun before opening the door to her bedroom. “Carla, where are you? I need you to come out if you’re hiding. It’s me, Zach. You don’t have to be scared I’m back from the store.”
He looked under the bed, nothing. Then he saw the doorknob on the closet turn. He swallowed keeping his finger steady on the trigger. He didn’t have an itchy trigger finger, but he was fast on the draw. That’s how he was able to drop both men once he had a gun in his hand.
Carla limped from the closet with her hands raised. “Don’t shoot me?”
Zach lowered the gun. “What are you doing in the closet?”
“Something was trying to get in the front door. I’m locked in this damn place so I hid in the closet hoping you would come back before they found me.”
“Stay here,” he ordered. He went to the living room and unlocked the front door. There weren’t any muddy human footprints on the porch but prints from a small animal. He went back inside and saw Carla standing in the middle of the room, shaking. If Patty were present, she’d be yelling at him to offer her comfort. Thank goodness she wasn’t here. “Hey, it was a small animal and not a bear. It must have smelled the food burning on the stove. You have to be more careful.”
“I’m sorry, I freaked when I heard the noise at the door.”
“You were lucky this time, it’s not like a fire department is down the street,” he said going to the kitchen to put the food away.
“Who or what is down the street, Zach? I have to know if this is a prank someone is pulling on me.”
“What? You seriously believe someone would go to this extreme to pull a prank on you?”
“I want to believe that this isn’t real!”
He raised his hands up to ease her fears. “Carla, you’re having a meltdown. Sit down and take a deep breath.” He pulled out a chair for her to sit.
“No, I have to know why I’m a target. Why does that man want me dead, Zach? I’ve never hurt anyone in my life. D
espite what you see, I’m a nice person. I really am.”
He looked at her and realized by the expression on her face, that Carla was frightened and afraid to admit it to him. “Carla, I’m a real FBI agent, not an actor.”
“I know, I know!” She paced the floor. “I’m scared for myself and my family, Zach. If that idiot can’t get to me will he go after my mom and sister?”
“You don’t have to worry about them. I got a message from my commander that your mother and sister are safe. Apparently, Paula left you several messages yesterday. Did you look at any of them?”
“You know my sister’s name?” She waved her hand dismissively. “Of course you do and no I didn’t get a chance to look at my phone. I was too busy ducking bullets.”
“Paula and your mother are on a Caribbean cruise for seven days. They left this morning.”
Carla slapped a hand to her forehead. “I forgot they were going on that cruise today.”
“Well, they are on the ship and both are okay. Our tech sent a message on your behalf wishing them a safe trip. We didn’t want them to worry about you.”
“Okay, I feel better knowing that.” She turned to leave the room.
“Carla? I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t. I know what I’m saying won’t ease your worries but my SAC is on top of everything and keeping me informed. I should have you out of here in two, maybe three days tops. You’ll be free to go about your business and forget this ever happened.”
“Why can’t I believe that, Zach? If you want to help me, tell me what have I done?”
He couldn’t stand to see her sad eyes and turned his back. “Why do you think you’ve done anything?” he asked as he put fresh fruit in the fridge.
“Why else would the FBI be concerned about my safety?”
Zach rubbed his temples. He felt a headache coming on. “Look, I’m not supposed to tell you anything. But maybe you can help me. What can you tell me about your cousins Tyrone and Phillip?”
She released a deep breath. “Ty and Phil are my first cousins. My dad’s sister’s kids actually. Why are you asking about them?”
“Do you know where they are?”
She shook her head. “I assume they are home or doing what they do. I haven’t talked to either one of them in ages. Again, why are you asking about them?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just asking you some questions.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not stupid. You know who they are and that I’m related to them. So, is this about them?”
“You’re making this hard for me,” he said sighing.
“Well, let me make it easier. Ty and Phil are black men that have had trouble with the law in the past. The FBI and that creep from the shelter are looking for them. Are they wanted for doing criminal activity and you all think I have something to do with it?”
He pointed a finger at her. “You know you really have a bad habit of throwing race into everything.”
“Yeah, I do and recent events cause me to do that. Come on, you aren’t blind to how justice works for black people, Zach.”
Zach leaned against the sink and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I’m not going to play dumb about that. Obviously, I am looking for them. Carla, they are involved in some seriously dangerous shit and it has to do with why you are in my custody.”
She arched a perfect brow. “What am I being charged with? You have no idea where to find them so I’m going to jail for their crime? What kind of crap are you pulling?”
“You are not under arrest.”
“Yes I am! You just said I was. I want a lawyer. I have a right to one.”
“Yeah you do but I haven’t arrested you for anything. You’re jumping to conclusions, Carla, and hearing what you want to hear.”
“You don’t have a right to keep me here. I want to go home and I demand you take me there this minute! I will have your badge for unlawful detainment.”
“Carla, you need to calm down and listen to me. Your life is in danger.”
“No, you want to use me as a bargaining chip for Ty and Phil; I’m not doing that!”
The dragon lady is back. “This is damn ridiculous. I’m wasting my breath and time trying to explain shit to you. I see what my partner was saying. Talking to you is like pulling my own teeth.” He placed a hand on his chest and said, “If you have a man in your life, he has my deepest sympathy. There is now way in hell I would deal with a woman like you on purpose!”
It slipped from his mouth before he had a chance to catch it; he’d insulted her and knew it. Zach cringed as her lips crushed tightly together. He expected her to shoot off a round of ‘four-letter’ words at him. Instead, she turned on her heels and stomped away like a child remanded to their room for the rest of the day.
He slammed his hand on the formica countertop showing his frustration at how he was dealing with Carla. He finished putting the food away and stepped outside the cabin. Removing his cell phone he called his sister; he needed advice on how to be more sensitive to the woman in his custody.
“Hey, Patty, are you busy?”
“I’m never too busy for my little brother. What’s going on that you’re calling me at work? Are you okay?”
He sighed watching the rain continue to fall heavily. “Yeah, I’m still kicking. I need some advice about a woman.”
“Oh? Who is she and has my little brother finally fallen in love?”
“Not a chance in hell of that happening. I’m having a problem with a woman I have in protective custody. I keep saying the wrong shit to her. I think I hurt her feelings this time.”
He heard the breath leave Patty’s lungs. “Zachery what did you say to her?”
“I’ve said a few inappropriate things to her. Starting with calling her a big mouth and ending with a speculation that she might be unlovable.”
“Wow, I’m shocked. I know you have a phobia when it comes to commitments, but you’ve always been respectful to women. Especially, if she has long blonde hair and dark blue eyes with that ‘come hither’ look in them.”
He had to look around before he spoke to make sure Carla wasn’t in earshot. “She isn’t white. Patty, she’s black. I’m not used to dealing with black women. She talks back to me and doesn’t hold her tongue when doing it. She’s called me an asshole so much I’m starting to believe I am one.”
“Zach, she’s still a woman no matter what her race. She has feelings and emotions just like white women. Anyhow, why would you call her unlovable to her face?”
“I don’t know. I guess it was the stuff Rodney told me about black women. The more she fussed, the more she fit his profile.”
“Rodney is an idiot when it comes to women and you know that. You can’t take what he says about any woman to heart. He’s bitter because his wife left him for another man and now all women are beneath him. Well, let me see if I can help you fix this. What is this woman like?”
“Patty, really? You want me to describe her?”
“Give me a profile like you would a criminal.”
Zach walked to the far end of the porch and sat down on the worn rocker. “Well, she’s young—not yet 30. She has a strong personality but I get the feeling her toughness is an act to hide her fears. She worries about her family, especially her mom and sister. She also hasn’t shed any tears, Patty. She saw me take out two men. Why isn’t that bothering her?”
“She won’t break down in front of you, Zach. You’ve made yourself appear unapproachable so she doesn’t have that comfort level with you. You have to repair that tear because it’s not good for her to harbor what she’s seen inside of her. She needs to talk about it and not let it incubate inside of her and grow into a bigger issue later.”
“Patty, I’m not a shrink like you. What am I supposed to do if she has a nightmare or goes off the deep end?”
“First you apologize for your behavior then you make yourself appear pleasant and approachable. You’re her protector; she needs to feel that
from you.”
“You’re asking me to do the impossible, you know that? This woman is not a wimp by any means. Finding a soft side of her is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.”
“If that were the case you wouldn’t have called me for advice. Sweetie, I know it is hard for male FBI agents to shed their icy shell and show the human side of themselves. However, in my professional opinion; I think your problem is you fear you can’t relate to her because she is black. So you’re absent-mindedly keeping her at a distance by pissing her off. You might as well draw a line down the middle of the room and take sides because the tension will only get worse if one of you don’t give in. And that has to be you since you are the authority figure.”
“She thinks I’m a racist, Patty. I don’t dislike her because of her color. I don’t know how to deal with her attitude. A man, I would just curse out and not give a damn how he felt afterward, but I can’t do that to her.”
“Zach, stop putting emphasis on her color and relate to her as you would any other woman. A little niceness goes a long way.”
He used the back of his hand to wipe away sweat beading on his forehead. Although, it was raining, it was very humid outside. “I’ll give it a shot. Before I let you go, I have another question. She isn’t eating. She claims she isn’t on a hunger strike, but she hasn’t touched any food since we got here last night. How do I get her to eat, so she doesn’t pass out on me?”
“Well, that’s her preference if she doesn’t want to eat. Is she a healthy size girl?”
He chuckled. “A brisk wind would blow her into the next county. She’s an inch-high, tiny human with a mouth the size of the Grand Canyon.”
“I’m dying over here,” she laughed. “Zach, you’re a six-foot hunk of a man that outweighs her. Don’t sit on her and break her.”
“I wish I had your humor, Patty. And for the record, I’m 6’2,” and a sleek 185-pounds. You know I’m sensitive about my height and weight.”
“Yes, for a man, you are a tad vain. I have a patient arriving in a few minutes, so I have to run. If you need any more advice, call me at home later tonight. You do remember you have a niece and nephew that would like to see you more than once a year.”