Every Waking Moment

by Brenda Novak

  It was the guy he’d met in the restaurant in Ely. The one who’d said Vanessa was attractive. The one he hadn’t liked.

  Manuel was sure of it. But this man hadn’t come in through the front, or Manuel would’ve spotted him sooner. He must’ve used a side door, which was even more curious.

  The blond-haired stranger glanced over his shoulder, and Manuel quickly stepped behind a pedestal bearing a giant array of exotic flowers.

  A second later, the elevator arrived, and the man got on. When the doors swept closed, Manuel left his flowers on a nearby table and hurried across the lobby to watch the lights that signified the floors above.

  Eight…nine…ten…eleven. The elevator stopped, then began to descend again.

  Hitting the up button, Manuel took the first elevator to arrive. Then, when he reached the eleventh floor, he began knocking on doors. The place was almost deserted this time of day. It shouldn’t take him long to find the man who had to be Vanessa’s accomplice.

  PRESTON HAD LEFT his purchases in the car and dashed through the side entrance of the hotel because it was closest to where he’d parked, worried that Emma and Max were getting anxious. He’d been gone longer than he’d planned. What had started out as a quest to pick up a few basics had become something much more complicated, mostly because Felicia’s enthusiasm had become infectious, and he’d bought all kinds of things. Shorts, shirts, a skirt outfit for Emma, several matching shorts outfits for Max, tennis shoes, toys and books for the car, even a minicomputer so Max could learn how to spell while they drove. Preston couldn’t understand why buying these gifts made him so happy, but after two years with each new day as bleak and unremarkable as the one before, it suddenly seemed like Christmas.

  He whistled as he retrieved the key card for their room. He might have refused the jewelry, but after Felicia had gone back to work, he’d returned to the toy store and bought the bat and ball she’d tried to get him to purchase earlier. He had so many memories of playing baseball with Dallas that it felt like a betrayal to think of playing with Max. But from what Emma had said, her son liked the game. And Max was probably pretty good for his age if he’d had a private coach. Preston thought it’d be good for him to get some exercise every now and then while they crossed the country.

  Today he wouldn’t remember what had come before, what he used to have, who he used to be. He’d concentrate exclusively on here and now and the presents he had in the car for a woman and a child who had nothing. Giving made him feel human again. Certainly he could allow himself a brief respite from the grief that had consumed him since he’d lost his son.

  Slipping the key into the lock, he entered the room. His things were still there, but the television was off, and he couldn’t see Emma or Max.

  “Emma?” He walked to the bedroom, then stuck his head into the bathroom before returning to the living room. He was just beginning to worry that maybe Max had had another insulin reaction, that they’d gone to the hospital, when he found her note.

  P—We’ll be right back.

  But where did they go? And why? How long had they been gone?

  Someone knocked.

  “Thank God.” Crossing the room, he swung the door open, expecting to see Max and Emma. Instead he stood face-to-face with Manuel.

  The man seemed tightly wound, as though he was ready to fight. “Who are you?” he asked, his eyes narrow and accusing.

  Preston wadded the note he still held in one hand into a tight ball and shoved it in his pocket. How had Manuel found them? And so damn fast? “That’s none of your business,” he said.

  “You said you were from Ely.”

  “I am.” He kept his voice careless, unconcerned. “I’m on a business trip.”

  When Manuel bent his head to look beyond him, Preston shifted to fill the doorway and decided to go on the offensive. “Why the hell are you following me?”

  “Following you?” Manuel chuckled humorlessly. “You know what I want. Where’s Vanessa? And Dominick?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by those names. But if you’re talking about the woman and child who asked me for a lift from Ely, I dropped them off at the airport.”

  A muscle twitched in Manuel’s jaw, and Preston prayed to God Max wouldn’t come running down the hall. We’ll be right back.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Believe what you want,” he said smoothly. “But after I left the Hotel Nevada, I saw the woman and child in that picture you showed me. They were standing on the street not far from the Starlight Motel. I told the woman that you wanted to talk to her, but she begged me not to call you.”

  A vein stood out at Manuel’s temple. “So you picked her up instead?”

  Preston shrugged. “I figured whatever’s going on between you two is none of my business and gave her the ride she wanted. I even let her stay here last night.”

  Manuel hesitated. “But she’s gone now.”

  “I told you, I took her to the airport.”

  “If that’s true, you probably won’t mind letting me take a look around.”

  It was a challenge, a test. Preston wondered if Emma might have left something that would give them away. But she had only the clothes on her back, her purse and Max’s diabetes stuff, which Preston already knew she’d taken with her. If she’d left anything behind to indicate she was coming back, it couldn’t be much.

  Problem was, it wouldn’t take much.

  Pasting a confident smile on his face, he stepped back and waved Manuel into the room. He knew it was a bold move, but he thought it just might work—as long as Max and Emma didn’t return in the next few minutes.

  “What kind of business are you in?” Manuel asked, moving purposefully through the suite.

  “I’m a computer programmer.”

  “And you’re in town for…”

  “A convention.” Preston’s eyes skimmed all the surfaces. He couldn’t see anything of Emma’s. His bag sat in the living room. His computer waited on the coffee table. His phone…

  He glanced back at the counter. His charger was there, but his phone was gone.

  “Excuse me, I’ve got to make a call. When you’ve seen what you want to see, go ahead and let yourself out.”

  Manuel marched into the bedroom as Preston sat on the couch and dialed his own number. Which went directly to voice mail.

  Come on, Emma, pick up.

  He called again—and sagged in relief when she said hello.

  “Barbara?”

  “Preston?” she replied, obviously recognizing his voice. “It’s not—”

  “I know. Listen, I’m running a little late. Do you mind if we meet in an hour or so?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Great. Sorry for the inconvenience. Some guy just came to my room, looking for his wife and kid—” He glanced up to see that Manuel had left the bedroom and was watching him. “Hang on,” he said, and made a show of covering the mouthpiece. “All done?”

  Manuel’s gaze raked over him. “Did you touch her?”

  The other end of the line fell silent as Preston let his eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”

  “Did you have sex with my wife?”

  Who the hell did Manuel think he was? Preston wanted to beat him to a pulp, to vent his rage over everything Emma had told him. But he needed to get Manuel out of here. “Listen, pal, I’m on a business call here.”

  “Did you touch her? Answer me and I’ll leave.”

  “You’ll leave anyway.”

  “Preston, be careful,” Emma said.

  “I’ve got to go,” he told her. “I’ll call you right back.” He hung up and stood so Manuel would know he was willing to enforce his demands. “I’ve been more than accommodating. Now get out.”

  Manuel didn’t move. “What airline did she take? Did she say where she was going?”

  “Go to hell. I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

  That muscle twitched in Manuel’s cheek again, and
his eyes nearly glowed red with rage. “You’d better hope we don’t meet again.”

  Preston held the door. “Yeah, next time I might not be so nice.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  SITTING IN ONE of the stalls in the restroom located off the main lobby of the Hilton, Emma hugged Max tightly. She’d been about to step onto the elevator when Preston called. If she and Max hadn’t spent so much time at the Maverick Mini-store, picking out his sucker…

  “Mom—”

  She immediately covered her son’s mouth. “Shh.” Luckily, they were alone in the restroom. The hotel was experiencing the usual midday lull between checkout and check-in.

  He pried her hand away. “But I’m hungry,” he whispered loudly.

  Emma knew it was his way of pressing her for the sucker she had in her purse. He wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave it to him.

  She stopped worrying about making him eat lunch first and handed him his treat. She didn’t want his blood sugar to go low—especially now. And she thought having something in his mouth would keep him quiet.

  “Why are we sitting on the toilet if we don’t have to go potty?” he asked as he eagerly accepted her offering.

  Because sitting on the toilet was better than sitting on the floor, which was their other option.

  Preston’s cell phone rang, giving Emma a good excuse not to bother with an explanation. She hurried to silence the noise. “Hello?” she murmured softly.

  “He’s gone.”

  “Are you okay?” Her words were barely a whisper because she feared Manuel might be standing outside in the lobby. He always seemed to be a half step behind her. Why? How? It was uncanny how he dogged her every move; it undermined her confidence.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “And you?”

  She released her breath. Preston was safe. After what Manuel had said to her on the phone…“We’re okay.”

  The elevator was just a few feet from the bathroom. She heard the bing, bing of the bell and imagined Manuel getting off. Had he left the building or only their room? Was he hovering right outside the door? Hiding behind a potted plant? Lurking outside in the lobby?

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Preston.

  “Don’t apologize. Listen, he could still be in the hotel, so stay away.”

  “Stay away? We’re trapped in the lobby bathroom,” she murmured, terrified that Manuel might somehow be within earshot.

  “Good.” There was a pause. “Okay, stay there. Wait fifteen or twenty minutes, then meet me at Temple Square. It’s right in the middle of town, within walking distance. If you haven’t heard of it, ask someone on the street. Almost anyone can direct you. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  “I’ll be waiting at the entrance on North Temple. I can’t remember if there’s more than one gate, but if so, go to the one farthest west.”

  He’d told her to wait fifteen or twenty minutes, but she sat in the bathroom for another half hour, just to be safe. Then she led Max cautiously through the lobby and out a side door, onto the street.

  THE SPIRES of the Mormon temple rose up from the block called Temple Square, which served as the very center of the city. Inside the gates, Preston glimpsed beautifully manicured trees, lawns and flower beds, as well as several elegant buildings. But he had eyes only for the two figures huddled outside the square, near the stone fence. Finally, Emma and Max had arrived. Preston had circled the block fifteen times already—until he was crazed with worry that Manuel had caught up with them, after all.

  Pulling to the curb, he opened Emma’s door. “Get in.”

  “Hi, Preston!” Max acted as though they hadn’t seen each other for days.

  “Hi, Beast,” he murmured. “Put on your seat belt, okay?”

  Emma made sure Max obeyed, then climbed in the front, and Preston merged into traffic.

  “You okay?” he asked, glancing over at her pale face.

  She nodded. “What did—” She lowered her voice. “What happened?”

  Preston checked over his shoulder to see Max staring curiously out the window at people moving along the wide sidewalk surrounding Temple Square. “He came to the room.”

  “How?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He wanted to know where you were, of course.”

  “How did you respond?”

  “I told him I gave you a ride from Ely and that you stayed with me last night.”

  “You did?”

  “I wasn’t sure what he already knew, so I wanted to keep as close to the truth as possible.”

  “How’d you get rid of him?”

  “I told him I dropped you off at the airport. I even let him come in and nose around, hoping to convince him that I didn’t have anything to hide.”

  Relief eased the tautness in her face. “That was smart.”

  He turned right on State Street. “I’m not sure he bought it completely, but it was plausible enough to get rid of him for the time being.”

  “How did he know we were in Salt Lake? How did he find the room?”

  “I thought maybe you could tell me.” He stopped for a light, then turned pointedly to her.

  “What?” she said.

  “You’re not playing games with me, are you?”

  Her horrified expression answered that question. “You think I’m leaving bread crumbs? Wanting him to follow?”

  He sighed. “No.” He didn’t believe that. Or he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to help her. “I just can’t figure out how he’s following our every move.”

  Emma shook her head. “It has to be Rosa. There’s no other way.”

  “Juanita’s sister?”

  “I’ve been calling her. You know that. I’ve never left a message, but I suppose she could’ve gotten my number off caller ID.”

  Preston scowled as he opened his window for a little fresh air. “And gave it to him.”

  She sighed. “Juanita said I could trust her. Anyway, it was a risk I had to take. Juanita helped me escape, and now she’s gone missing. I couldn’t keep running and not look back! I feel responsible!”

  “Sounds like Rosa’s not as interested in your well-being as Juanita was.”

  “I know she wouldn’t have done it unless she had to.”

  They were traveling past block after block of numerically named streets—200 South, 300 South, 400 South. He couldn’t remember how to get to Interstate 80 from this part of Salt Lake, but he knew they couldn’t be far from an entrance to the freeway. He’d checked MapQuest this morning when he’d opened his trading accounts. Evanston, Wyoming, was only eighty miles away. The route had seemed so clear he hadn’t bothered writing down directions.

  “What can you do to help Juanita?” he asked.

  Biting her lip, she retrieved a piece of paper from her purse. “More than you think. Juanita gave me this. I found it in the glove box of my car before the police took it away.”

  He shot her a meaningful glance. “The same car that was stolen?”

  She gave a quick shrug. “Would you have let us ride with you if I’d said the man I used to live with reported me for kidnapping his son?”

  “Good point.” He took the paper. It was a list of names and numbers, along with a few addresses. At the bottom he found some writing in Spanish. “What does it say?”

  “If he finds you.”

  “Don’t tell me this has to do with what you mentioned earlier, about Manuel and his family’s ‘import’ business.”

  She lifted her chin. “How’d you guess?”

  “It wasn’t hard,” he said. “I just dreamed up the worst-possible scenario, and bam—there you go. Worst-possible scenarios seem to be a given with you.”

  He thought she might bristle at the sarcasm in his voice, present him with the argument he was looking for, give him some reason not to like her. The concern he felt for her and Max bothered him. He couldn’t afford to care about them. He didn’t know whe
re he’d be in a few months.

  But she gave him no argument. When she spoke, her voice was somber. “You’re right. It’s not fair to drag you into this. Manuel might decide to hurt you. And I couldn’t bear—” Her eyes met his but darted away.

  She couldn’t bear…what? Part of him wanted her to finish. The other part insisted he was better off not knowing. He couldn’t let himself soften where Max and Emma were concerned, or at least no more than he already had. He had to stop Vince.

  “We should part company,” Emma stated decisively. “Take me and Max to a used-car lot. I’ll buy a car and continue on alone.”

  He doubted she’d get much for her earrings. Considering how he was feeling, he thought she’d do better with what she’d volunteered at the pool in Ely. But he certainly didn’t want her to make that offer to anyone else.

  “Preston?” she said when he didn’t decelerate. “Are you going to stop?”

  “No.”

  She watched him for several seconds. “Why not?”

  He knew he should, but he couldn’t. Now that they’d come this far, he had to keep her and Max safe. Probably because he’d been too blind to protect Dallas. At least he had a clear enemy this time. He knew Manuel wasn’t his friend. If only he hadn’t trusted Vince…

  Eventually, it would’ve happened to someone else’s child, he reminded himself. Vince couldn’t obtain the hero worship he craved any other way, or he wouldn’t have repeated the crime he’d committed in Iowa. Which brought Preston right back to square one. Vince had to be stopped.

  “Are you going to answer me?” she asked.

  “I said I’d take you to Iowa, and I will.”

  A road sign pointing to the freeway came up at the next light, and he turned right. He was fairly confident he could catch Interstate 80 if he headed south on I-15.

  He handed the paper back to her. “Does Manuel know you have this?”

  She busied herself folding it into a neat square and didn’t reply.

  “Emma?”

  He heard her sigh. “He does now.”

  “How?”

  “I called him from a pay phone and told him.”

  “That’s where you went this morning?”