Centaur Rivalry (Touched Series Book 3)

by Straight, Nancy

  The tall Centaur shouted something over the top of Katherine’s truck and waved her forward. Relief filled me. They were let through. Whoever the Centaur was in the State Police uniform had just overridden Willie. No doubt there’d be hell to pay for him later, but for right now, Katherine and the others were safe. Maybe it would be okay after all.

  The two cars in between our truck and theirs both got routed to the right for a detailed vehicle inspection and it was our turn. I could barely see the taillights of Katherine’s truck up ahead of us. I was sure she’d be waiting for us at the next exit.

  The tall Centaur leaned in Gage’s window. “License, registration, and proof of insurance, please.”

  Gage handed his license and rental car agreement through the window. The tall Centaur said, “South Carolina, eh? Whatcha doin up this way?”

  “Honeymoon. My wife is up visiting her college roommate.”

  “Not the best time a year for a visit.”

  “We don’t see snow that often.”

  “Yeah, you can take some of it back whicha.”

  Willie walked in front of the truck crossing to the driver’s side where the tall Centaur stood. I tried to keep my eyes down, but I saw him through the windshield the same time he saw me. Willie shouted angrily, “Jessica!!” In an instant he was leaning in through Gage’s window. “Are you okay? Roscoe’s worried sick! You didn’t come home last night.”

  I’d never been much of an actress, “Hi, Willie. Everything’s fine. Bianca came up to see me for a few days. I told Roscoe I had a friend in town.”

  Willie looked at the other three in the truck. “No. He’s got the boys on every interstate today – looking for you. Go on and step out of the truck; I’ll take you home.”

  Bianca interrupted, “Oh, no. We flew all this way.” She turned around in her seat, “I knew we shouldn’t have stayed up all night playing cards!” She turned her attention back to Willie, “I am so sorry, sir. I was just so excited to see Jessica, and she told me there was a corn palace in Mitchell. Well, we don’t have anything like that back home! Can you imagine? A whole palace made out of nothing but corn? I thought she was pulling my leg, but we looked it up on-line and I told her we had to go.”

  Willie looked at Bianca, “Sorry, miss. She’s an unbetrothed Centauride. She knows better. If she wanted to go to Mitchell, her family would have arranged a proper escort.” That was a slam on Daniel seated right next to me, and it was enough of one that he sat up straighter and scowled wordlessly at Willie.

  The tall Centaur looked at the stream of cars behind us. He looked at Gage and said, “Mr. Richardson, go ahead and pull over to the right. They can work it out over there, we’ve got to get some of these cars through.”

  Bianca’s voice sounded offended. “My husband and I are more than capable of providing escort. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were insulting us. Now, if you want to follow us to Mitchell, you are more than welcome to come with us, but I’ve had about enough of all this. Gage, let’s go.” She sat back in her seat and faced forward as if her statement alone would make the car go forward.

  Willie and the tall Centaur exchanged a look with each other. Centaurides were revered, and since neither had yet been chosen, they wouldn’t want anyone to say they had been disrespectful to a Centauride. The tall Centaur looked at Willie and offered, “If you want me to go with them, Willie, I’ll be happy to escort them.”

  Confusion was all over Willie’s face. “Fine. Don’t let them out of your sight. Call Roscoe and let him know we found her. I’ll do a few more inspections then shut this down.”

  The tall Centaur who had been doing the inspections took a couple steps away from our truck, then turned back to Willie. “What about the others?”

  “The Lost Herd isn’t going to be on the interstate. They’ve been hiding for generations. You think any of them are dumb enough to drive through a checkpoint. Go on. I’ll shut this down and send the boys home. You get your car and stay with Jessica.”

  I was paying attention to see if there was even a moment’s hesitation. No one in the car smiled, giggled, sighed or even changed their breathing. The Centaur dressed as a state trooper turned toward Gage, “Go ahead, I’ll get my squad and be right behind you.”

  Gage drove about fifty feet, then looked toward Bianca, “Where are they?”

  “Two miles up on the right. They’re waiting on the shoulder for us.”

  “One Centaur shouldn’t be an issue. What’ll we do with him?” Gage looked in his rearview. I didn’t need to turn around and look; I knew he was behind us.

  Bianca answered Gage, but directed her question to me. “I don’t know. He’s an enforcer, right?”

  I knew most of the enforcers, at least the ones who worked for Roscoe. “I’m not sure. I don’t know him. Most of the enforcers stop by my bar from time to time – I’ve never seen him before.”

  Bianca smiled, “Cami says Katherine’s got an idea. Pass their truck and pull off on the next exit. Find a parking lot that’s a little secluded if you can.”

  The minutes ticked away slowly. I didn’t want anyone to put themselves in jeopardy over me. No doubt Willie had already talked to Roscoe. How had Roscoe set up checkpoints all over the place? I knew a few of his enforcers had jobs as small town cops, but there was no way they should have been able to block all the interstates. Maybe he could have pulled it off closer to home, but we were hours away. Maybe someone above Roscoe had ordered it, and Roscoe just had his men there looking for me, too.

  Gage’s foot eased off the accelerator as he steered the truck onto the exit. I wasn’t familiar with this area of the state, so I was pleased to see a truck stop from the top of the exit with an enormous parking lot. Gage put his turn signal on and our “state” escort did as well. I glanced further back and saw Katherine’s truck right behind him.

  At the very back of the lot was a truck pulling a U-haul trailer. No other cars were in sight. Gage pulled into a parking spot, but left the truck running. The Centaur in the police car pulled up beside him, rolled his window down and asked, “Is there a problem?”

  “No, no problem. We’re just meeting a couple friends who wanted to see the corn palace as well.” Alarm didn’t register with the Centaur, he picked up his phone and seemed to be checking messages. Katherine’s truck had parked on the other side of the police car. Cami, Drake and Brent stayed inside while Katherine leaped out of the truck and walked over in between Gage and the Centaur.

  She wore her best smile, “Well, hi. You look familiar! Weren’t you just at the vehicle inspection area?”

  “Uh, yeah. New assignment. Do you need assistance, ma’am?”

  “I’m a friend. My name’s Katherine, what’s yours?”

  “Bill Blankenship.”

  Katherine squatted down, both her elbows rested on his open window. I could hear her perfectly through Gage’s open window. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Bill. I’m sorry, but yer gonna be in big trouble.”

  “Big trouble, and why’s that?”

  “Because ya lost Jessica Baker. Roscoe Baker is gonna be furious with you. It’s a good thing you work as a state trooper because you won’t be an enforcer much longer.”

  “What are you talking about? She’s right there.” His finger pointed directly at me.

  “That’s not Jessica Baker. Jessica just hopped in one of the eighteen wheelers headed for Montana. Didn’t cha see her? Were you too busy reading messages on your phone ta notice?”

  “Look, Katherine, or whoever you are. Jessica is right there in the back of that truck. I’m not sure what you’re trying to pull, but drop it or I’ll have you hauled in for interfering with police business.”

  “Right. I thought Jessica had blonde hair? The woman in the back seat of this truck has jet-black hair.”

  Officer Bill’s eyes stared at me through Gage’s open window. He squinted several times as a look of panic started to show.

  Katherine didn’t let up. “Jessica
Baker’s only twenty-three, the woman in the back seat is at least forty.”

  Bill rubbed his eyes with both hands, then his head jerked toward the interstate, then back to Katherine. “Summabitch! Which truck?”

  Katherine gave a relieved smiled, “I’m not sure – it had Montana tags and was really dirty.” The Centaur flicked the switch for his lights and siren and roared out of the parking lot in the direction we had come from. As soon as his car was out of sight, Katherine collapsed against Gage’s truck. Daniel jumped out of the back seat and caught her before she could hit the ground. I got out of my side and ran around to where Daniel was supporting Katherine.

  “How did you do that?” Daniel asked.

  “I can hide Centaurs, but I remembered my mom talking about how she was able to make Centaurs see things that weren’t there. I’d never tried it before. It’s a good thing he was a Centaur – that never would have worked on a human.”

  Drake, Brent and Cami had all gotten out of the truck just in time to hear Katherine’s explanation. She turned toward them, “One of you is going to have to drive to Omaha. That wore me out. I need to recharge.”

  Smiles erupted in all directions. We needed to get out of here and quick. Katherine didn’t know how long her “suggestion” would work, but she was confident he’d be able to remember where we’d pulled off, and since he had been following Gage’s rental, the license plate would be on his dash camera. We hoped all the cops would be more interested in looking for a phantom semi with Montana tags instead of trying to piece together who I was with.

  Chapter 15

  (Camille, Airport in Omaha, Nebraska)

  Drake parked Katherine’s truck in long-term parking. Gage returned his rental. Drake and I found a shoe store where he bought something to cover his toes. We all met at a coffee shop inside the terminal.

  Brent had intended to take off on his own, but after much prodding, Daniel convinced him to go to Las Vegas with the other three. I didn’t know what to make of Brent. This morning he had seemed pleased that his Centauride hadn’t changed her mind and his betrothal was intact.

  Brent had feelings for Katherine, too – that was obvious from their interaction, or lack thereof, on the drive here. Maybe he was mad at himself for comforting a human, or Lapith, or whatever. He had always seemed to take the “no touching” policy to the extreme but had been openly affectionate with Katherine in the tunnel last night. Every time Daniel did anything remotely flirtatious with Jessica, Brent looked like he would explode. I wondered if Brent had a thing for all three women?

  We had twenty minutes before our plane boarded. Now might be the last time I could talk to Daniel for a while. The last time we were in an airport together I’d pretty much accused him of doing something awful to Drake. In my defense, I had just flown in from Florida, and Daniel was being super secretive – but deep down I knew he’d never hurt me like that. As I stood up from the table, Drake stood up on reflex, but I motioned for him to sit back down and looked toward my best friend. “Daniel, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  He glanced across the table at Drake then stood up. “Sure.”

  Drake looked like he was ready to protest, but this wasn’t something that was up for discussion. It was my goodbye to Daniel; I needed to do it on my own. We started walking toward baggage claim, and I thought of all the times it had just been Daniel and I in the world. My friend, my cheering section, my rock – Daniel. Daniel was so much a part of me, could I tell him goodbye?

  As we approached the escalator toward the first level of the airport, Daniel took my hand. It was warm and strong. I missed the comfortable friendship we’d shared for so many years. He squeezed my hand gently and asked, “You’re sure about all this?”

  “Am I sure about Drake?” He nodded and without hesitation I answered, “Yes.” Words escaped me. There was so much I needed to say. I wanted him to know that no one would ever replace him. Every happy memory of my childhood was tied to him. The woman I’d grown into had a lot to do with our friendship. Nothing. I couldn’t force any of the words out of my head.

  “I still think he’s a loser.”

  “I know you do. But could you try to be happy for me?”

  It was colder downstairs as the frigid temperatures tried to force their way in from the outside. Daniel kept looking out the revolving doors. I could read his thoughts without even trying. He wanted more than anything for the two of us to go home, to hit a “reset” button and go back in time. I’d had the same wish many times in the recent months.

  “I’ll always be here for you, Cami.”

  Emotion threatened my eyes. “I’m counting on it.”

  Steel arms wound around me and crushed me into him, his voice leaking the pain he felt, “He loves you. Not as much as I do – but he loves you.”

  My body ached. It wanted the easy friendship we’d shared for so long – not professions of love or promises to stay in each other’s lives. It wanted volleyball on the beach, snow skiing at Big Bear, surfing in Carlsbad, and movie premieres in Hollywood. All the time we shared, none of it was wasted. It was a part of me I’d carry with me every day for the rest of my life – but they were memories. Reality seeped in that Daniel, too, would soon be just the memory of a life that was never to be again.

  I gripped him hard around the neck and buried my face into the crook of his neck. “I’ll never forget you,” were the only words I could choke out.

  “Me either.” He loosened his arms from around me and arched his back away from me, giving me one last long look at his face. “If you need me, just call. I don’t care if it’s twenty years from now. You call me.”

  I nodded as a tear rolled down my cheek. “Ditto.”

  Daniel released me completely from his embrace, looked at his watch and said, “You need to get back. Your plane boards soon.” Daniel took my hand and led me back to the escalator. I couldn’t see through the tears and stumbled onto the first step. His arm caught me, righted me, and a gentle hand wiped the tears off my cheek. “Stop it, or I swear I’ll take you back to Cali right now.”

  My smile stretched wide against hot cheeks. “And face Pops after all this? No thanks. I’m staying as far away from your dad as I can.”

  Daniel laughed, hard and loud, “Yeah, good call. He hates you as much as he does me.”

  For the first time I understood why his father never wanted me in Daniel’s life. All the times he found things for Daniel to do around the house so he couldn’t meet me, or refused to let me talk to Daniel when I called the house – I got it. I finally knew why he wanted us apart. “He never hated you. He just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  When we emerged at the top of the escalator; I could see Drake watching us from the table where we’d left him. Daniel leaned down to my ear, his voice like gravel against it, “It was worth it. All of it. I love you, Cami.” Daniel’s lips brushed my cheek in a final wordless goodbye.

  Drake was at the other end of the hallway, but through our betrothal connection, he shared my pain, the ache in my heart. Drake felt me coming apart at the seams, but made no move in my direction.

  My words were hollow, I didn’t believe them as they tumbled over my lips, “This isn’t goodbye. We’ll see each other again as soon as all this Lost Herd stuff is over. Drake and I’ll find you.”

  Daniel led me by the hand back toward the others. I didn’t mean to, but listened into his thoughts: he didn’t believe me. He was sure we would never see each other again. I wanted to argue with him, stop him in his tracks and tell him this was just for a few weeks, but I couldn’t. If we failed in convincing the Centaur Council – this might be the last time I’d ever see him.

  As we approached, Drake stood up from the table and began walking to meet us halfway down the hallway. When Drake and Daniel stood eye to eye, it was Drake’s voice that broke the awkward silence. “Thank you for everything. I promise you, I’ll never let anyone hurt her.”

  Daniel let go of my hand. His hand cupped Dra
ke’s shoulder, “I know. Love her enough for both of us.” His gaze fell on me, “Goodbye, Cami.”

  That was it. Daniel walked away and didn’t give us a second look. I kept watching to see if he’d look over his shoulder – he didn’t. I wanted to run back to him and tell him we’d be back, we were going to make it, everything would be over soon. I didn’t. I watched him walk away. My feet wouldn’t move no matter how hard my heart protested.

  My childhood left with him. Images of bonfires on the beach, hot chocolate on the ski slopes, sharing a tube behind a ski boat with the wind blinding us – everything I loved about being young walked away. My lungs emptied as my voice screamed down the hallway, “Daniel!”

  He stopped. Hundreds of sets of eyes looked at me, but he didn’t turn back. He stood in the middle of the hallway as people dodging him headed to their gates. The statue of a man refused to look at me. He was letting me go – giving his blessing to go on without him. “Turn around, Daniel. Please turn around,” I begged him.

  Seconds passed, my eyes fixed on his back. He straightened his shoulders and continued walking away. That was our final goodbye, and my body wanted to shut down. It was Drake’s strong hands that kept me from collapsing as he pulled me into his chest. Drake let me implode in his arms – he didn’t say a word.

  We said our goodbyes to Brent, Jessica, and Katherine and promised each other we’d meet back at this same coffee shop in two weeks – if it was safe. Brent had seen my goodbye with Daniel. He swore he’d stay with Daniel until he heard from us. For anyone who didn’t show up back here in two weeks, the others who did would work out a plan to help them. Something inside told me two weeks from now, no matter what happened in Africa, Daniel wouldn’t be here. He’d go to Vegas with these three, but I wouldn’t see him again.

  We had all come together just over twenty-four hours ago. Finding Katherine and Jessica had been an amazing coincidence. If Drake hadn’t have found Katherine’s motel when he was on the run from Cameron’s house, I hate to think what would have happened to us – to all of us. I was grateful to them and hated that we were parting ways, but Jessica didn’t have her passport with her, and she wasn’t too keen on leaving the United States.