Lightning Lingers

by Barbara Freethy

  Dropping his towel, he got dressed and went downstairs.

  An hour later, they said good-bye to Gloria and squeezed onto the bench seat in the cab of Eduardo's pickup truck.

  As they drove down a very long and lonely road, Jake kept an eye out for any sign of the men they'd escaped the day before, but there were no other vehicles in sight.

  Twenty minutes into the trip, Eduardo pointed out the area where he'd seen the fire.

  Jake nodded but had no interest in slowing down. He wanted to get as far away from the area of danger as possible.

  Several miles down the road, they passed a few other farms and small houses and then eventually a village that was little more than a couple of streets and a half dozen houses. But Eduardo kept going, telling them a bigger city would offer more transportation options.

  "Do you think your phone will work now, Eduardo?" Jake asked.

  "Sí," Eduardo said, handing over his cell phone.

  Relief washed over him as he saw the bars light up on the phone. He punched in Rusty's number. "It's Jake," he said.

  "Well, it's about damn time," Rusty said. "Where the hell are you? I texted you back a dozen times yesterday, but you didn't answer after that first one you sent. I thought you fell off a cliff."

  "That's about right. I wasn't getting a signal. I didn't know if the text even went through. Does my mom know I'm all right?"

  "Yeah, Alicia was actually with me when you texted. She was hounding me every second about the search."

  Jake smiled to himself. "I have no doubt. I actually thought she was already back in Miami."

  "I caught her and her fiancé right before they were going to the airport. She texted you too, but you didn't answer. She said if I heard from you to let you know that she would make sure Katherine's mother was all right."

  "That's great."

  "We pinged your phone for your location, but the storms kept the searchers on the ground. Where are you now, Jake?"

  He hesitated. "I'm not sure. I don't have my phone anymore, but Katherine and I are all right. We're getting a ride into some town. You can call off the search now."

  "How are you getting home?"

  "I'm not sure yet. Katherine has something she needs to do down here. When that's done, we'll be on the first plane out, although, I may need you to fax a copy of our passports to the airport down here."

  "You don't have your passport anymore?"

  "No, it's a long story."

  "I'd sure like to hear it. What happened to the plane?"

  "Lightning took out the instrument panel. It was a monster storm."

  "It grew bigger and moved faster than we expected," Rusty agreed. "I couldn't believe what I saw on the radar."

  "Me, either."

  "You can never do this to me again, Jake. I can't go to your mom's house one more time and say those words."

  "I wouldn't want you to."

  "It was rough. Your mom was really shaken up, but she's all right now. She'll feel better when you're home."

  "Yeah. Look, you're starting to cut out. I'll call you as soon as I know my plans to get home."

  "Make it soon, Jake."

  "As soon as I can."

  He handed the phone back to Eduardo. "Gracias."

  "Were they searching for us?" Katherine asked.

  "Yes."

  "It's funny that we never heard or saw any planes."

  "They were probably miles from where we were."

  "But they traced your cell phone."

  "He said the storms grounded them soon after he got the text."

  "That makes sense. Thanks for not mentioning my brother to Rusty."

  "I know what I'm doing. One of these days you're going to believe that," he said with a smile.

  "One of these days," she echoed, smiling back at him.

  * * *

  It was after eleven when they reached Las Flores, a city boasting a population of 6,024 people. Eduardo rented a car for them, provided them with a small amount of cash and wished them well on their journey.

  Jake assured Eduardo that he'd return the money when he got back home.

  After buying some snacks and bottled water for the trip, they got on a two-lane highway that would hopefully take them to Nic Té Há. Jake anticipated the trip would take five to six hours, which should get them there around six. He didn't look forward to spending another cold night outside, and with their limited cash, he didn't think a hotel would be an option.

  Katherine turned on the radio, and the car was flooded with Latin music. He didn't know if she just wanted a barrier to any personal conversation or if she was in the mood for some music, but he was happy enough to listen to the radio and try to enjoy the drive. There was a lot of open space along the highway, and most of it was green and quite beautiful. The storm had ended, and while there were still clouds passing across the sky, the worst of it was over. He hoped that was true for them, too.

  Over the next two hours, his confidence grew. They were making good time. He hadn't seen anyone following them, and in the old Chevy that Eduardo had rented them, they didn't stand out, either. No one gave them a second look.

  Their luck had finally changed.

  That thought had no sooner crossed his mind than the back tire popped and the car swerved out of control.

  Katherine gasped in alarm.

  He hit the brakes hard, trying to steer in the direction of the skid, and they eventually ended up on the side of the highway. Thankfully, the empty road had prevented them from running into any other cars on their sixty-second wild ride.

  As he shut down the car, he hit the steering wheel hard. "Dammit." Then he got out to look at the damage.

  Katherine scrambled out of the passenger side and joined him by the back right tire, which was as flat as a pancake.

  "We must have run over something," she said.

  "Or the old tire just burst." He opened up the trunk in search of a spare, but there was nothing in the empty space but the jack. He squatted down to see if the spare was under the car, but there was nothing. "No fucking way," he muttered. He jumped back to his feet. "There's no spare, Katherine."

  She stared back at him in dismay. "Well, what are we going to do?"

  "How the hell should I know?"

  The flat tire was suddenly the last straw. He kicked the tire with his shoe, not once, but twice, then three times and a fourth for good measure all the while shouting every swear word that came to mind.

  He hit the back of the car with his fist, making sure both his foot and hand were aching with pain before he finally backed off from assaulting the vehicle.

  Katherine had moved away from him and stood with her arms crossed as she waited for his anger to cool down.

  "Are you done?" she asked. "Do you want to smash a window? Maybe pull the door off and throw it across the road?"

  "How can you be so calm? Do you realize that we are once again stranded with no transportation, very little food, and even less money? We haven't seen a car in the last thirty minutes."

  "Someone will come along."

  He eyed her in amazement. "Really? That's what you think? You, the biggest worrier of all time, are going to just wait for someone to come along?"

  "We don't have a choice, and we're on the highway. I'm sure there will be another car soon."

  "Maybe, maybe not." He slammed the trunk shut. "I thought our luck was changing. How stupid was that? We either have no luck or it's all bad."

  Every stress-filled moment of the past two days fueled his anger. He did want to smash a window, and if he didn't have to keep the car intact to use as possible shelter, he would have done just that.

  "I hate Mexico." He leaned against the car and folded his arms across his chest.

  Katherine walked over to him and surprised him by putting her hands on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes. "It's going to be all right, Jake."

  "You sound so sure."

  "I am. And you'll think that, too, as soon as you get o
ver wanting to kill the car."

  He reluctantly smiled at her words. "That tire was the last straw."

  "I know. I get it. I might have done the same thing if you hadn't gone off like an angry rocket."

  "Who doesn't put a spare in a rental car?"

  "Maybe that's why the rental was so cheap. How far away from your great-grandmother's do you think we are now?"

  "Three hours. We were making good time until this. I thought we'd get there before dark."

  "We might still be able to do that."

  "You're being surprisingly optimistic."

  "After what we've been through, things don't seem as dire as they did yesterday."

  "Not yet anyway," he said darkly. "So what's the plan, Miss Calm, Cool and Collected?"

  "Stay with the car until we get a ride."

  "We're going to be an easy target if anyone is looking for us."

  She frowned. "We're pretty far away now, Jake. I think we've lost them."

  "Really? I have no idea what to think. My brain is blocked."

  "That's because you're pissed off. We need to get you in a better mood so you can start thinking again."

  "Oh, yeah? How do you intend to do that?" His heart pounded against his chest when he saw the answer in her eyes. "Seriously? Here?"

  "Just a kiss. No big deal, right?"

  He didn't have time to answer because her sweet mouth was on his, and every bad feeling slid out of his head. He didn't really care about anything except the fact that Katherine was kissing him. The rest of the world could go to hell. He'd just stay in this moment, with this woman.

  But, of course, as luck would have it, the rumble of a car broke them apart.

  Despite the bad timing, he was thrilled to see a farm truck lumbering down the road in the direction they needed to go. There was a man and a big dog in the cab, and several crates of chickens in the bed of the truck.

  Katherine stepped out in the road and waved the truck down. The driver motioned toward the back of the truck.

  "I guess he's giving us a ride," Katherine said. "But not in the front."

  "I'll take it." He grabbed their bag of food and water and then helped her into the back of the truck. As the truck lurched forward, they sat down in the middle of the bed, surrounded by crates of squawking chickens.

  He smiled at Katherine, and she grinned back at him.

  "So, what do you think—best ride ever?" she asked, having to speak loudly to be heard over the chickens.

  "I couldn't have asked for more," he said dryly. "You, me, an ancient truck and some pissed-off chickens."

  "It's an adventure. At high school graduation, you told me that we were going to have an adventurous life. Do you remember that?"

  "Vaguely," he grumbled. "I said a lot of stupid shit back then."

  "Stupid or not, I'd say you achieved that goal."

  "The last thing you wanted was adventure, Kat."

  "You're right. I didn't want to take any risks. I just wanted to be safe and for everyone around me to be safe. I didn't want to make a friend and lose them the way I did with Hailey. After her death, I worried all the time. It became a habit as familiar and as necessary to me as breathing."

  He nodded. "I get that, but you sound like something has changed."

  She laughed. "Everything has changed. Over the last few days, my life has gone upside down, spun around, and turned inside out. I have absolutely no control over anything that is happening right now. I think I finally just realized that."

  "You don't seem as upset about it as I would expect."

  "I've finally let go. I've surrendered."

  He smiled. "Surrender has always looked good on you."

  She laughed again. "That is the worst line you have ever said to me, and you've said some really cheesy lines, Jake."

  He shrugged. "It wasn't a line; it was the truth."

  "Right."

  "I'll give you some more truth. You look a lot like the old Kat right now, and I'm happy to see her back."

  She shook her head. "I don't want to be the old Kat or even the old Katherine. I want to be someone new—someone who doesn't worry all the time, who doesn't have tunnel vision, who lives more in the moment and less in the future or the past. I just don't know how to change."

  "You'll figure it out," he said, meeting her gaze. "And I like the sound of that woman."

  "Me, too."

  The truck jerked, and he put his arm around her to protect her from slamming into the side. "You okay?" he asked.

  "I'm fine. Where do you think we're going to end up, Jake?"

  "You mean today or forever?"

  She stared back at him. "I'm trying to live in the moment, remember, so let's stick with today."

  "We'll know when the truck stops, and he tells us to get out, but I'm hoping that won't be for a while since we're going in the right direction."

  The truck jerked again and the chickens started a squawking roar. "Damn," he muttered.

  Katherine grinned. "Like I said, best ride ever."

  Twelve

  Forty-five minutes later, the old truck turned off the highway, kicking up a cloud of dust that sent Katherine into a coughing fit. She wiped her teary eyes as the dust cleared enough for her to read a sign.

  "Looks like we're in Valle Verde," she said.

  "It doesn't look like a green valley," Jake commented as the truck came to an abrupt stop.

  He was right. It looked more like a desert pit stop. While she was happy to see a town of any sort, Valle Verde did not appear all that impressive. There was a bank, a market, a liquor store, and a couple of cafés all within reach of a courthouse and medical clinic.

  Jake helped her off the truck. He was always such a gentleman, she thought. Even when he hated her, he was still very conscious of making sure she was all right. She hadn't really appreciated that until this trip.

  "Thanks," she said.

  Jake let go of her hand to reach into his pocket and pull out what little money they had left to offer to the driver of the truck. The man waved the money away and pointed to a building across the town square that was obviously an auto repair shop.

  "Gracias," Jake said.

  She added her thanks as the man got back into his truck and drove away.

  "Are we really going to the auto shop to see if someone can fix the tire on the rental car we left miles back on the side of the highway?" Katherine asked. "That will take way too long."

  "I agree. Let's see if we can find a bus station."

  She tipped her head toward an old bus making its way down the street. "Let's see where that's going."

  They found a small bus depot a couple of blocks away. The clerk spoke enough English to tell them the next bus to cities in Chiapas would leave at three o'clock, in approximately ninety minutes. They could exit the bus at Guadalupe and take another bus into Nic Té Há as there was no direct connection to the village.

  With that information, they bought tickets and then wandered down the street to a café. "Do we have enough money for food?" she asked hopefully.

  "Just enough."

  They ordered tamales and rice and sat down at a small table in the front patio to wait for their meal. Looking around the square, Katherine was reminded that there was a normal world going on and that they were finally back in it. The last few days had been surreal, but they were getting back on track to what they'd come here to do.

  The waitress brought them their food and for the next ten minutes they concentrated on eating. "That was the best tamale I've ever had," she told Jake.

  He grinned. "Let's see—you've had the best chocolate, the best homemade bread, the best soup and now the best tamale. You're on a roll."

  She wadded up her paper napkin and tossed it at him. "I'm just more appreciative of food because it doesn't appear very often. But even if I wasn't starving, that would have been good." She sat back in her chair. "I feel better now. By tonight we should be at your great-grandmother's house, and hopefully she'll be h
appy to see us, or at least you."

  "No one is ever unwelcome at her home. I'm glad you're going to finally meet her."

  "Finally?" she queried.

  "I told her a lot about you when I was here last. You were fresh on my mind."

  She frowned at that piece of information. "So she's going to hate me on sight. Great."

  "No, my great-grandmother sees past everyone's outer wall. She sees their heart. She's going to know instantly that you're a good person. She'll probably wonder why the hell I was ragging on you all those years ago."

  It was nice to know that he thought she was a good person now, even though he hadn't always thought that.

  "We should get back to the station," Jake said. "I don't want to miss the one and only bus to the end of the world."

  She would have said he was being dramatic calling Nic Té Há the end of the world, but at this point it certainly felt that way.

  They paid the bill, used the café restroom and then headed to the bus. They waited in a line with a large family; a mom, dad, grandmother, and six children under the age of ten. The kids were obviously excited at the prospect of a trip. Katherine couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but it was clear by their expressions that they were very happy.

  She couldn't help thinking how different life was in this part of the world, how the simplest of pleasures meant so much—even when that simple pleasure was getting on a dirty, stinking bus. She wrinkled her nose as the bus lumbered into the station.

  Jake laughed at her expression. "Hey, it's better than riding with the chickens."

  "We'll see," she said darkly.

  "As long as it has wheels and goes where we want it to go, I'm good."

  "I think it's good you've set your expectations low."

  "I've surrendered…just like you," he reminded her.

  She reluctantly smiled. "Right. I gave up control. Whatever will be will be."

  "Right now, it's going to be this bus."

  They found a seat toward the rear of the bus as many of the passengers did not get off at the stop. It was clear most people were making a long journey as they had suitcases and pillows, and some were sleeping on the uncomfortable seats.

  As the bus rambled down the road, Jake put his arm around her shoulders, and she couldn't resist leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Maybe when she woke up, a miracle would have occurred, or the nightmare she was living in would have ended. She'd be safe, back in her room in Houston, her brother TJ working at his job like a normal person and Jake…