Summer by the River

by Debbie Burns

  But now Josie was convinced that Nico had been monitoring Sam’s site all along, waiting until they found one another before he made any sort of move. Even though Sam believed he and Carter hadn’t been followed, she was certain someone had been watching on the grounds of the Gateway Arch and had traced them here.

  At first, she was terrified that the stranger could have pulled a gun right there while they played in the snow. But if Nico wanted Sam dead—wanted her dead too—he wouldn’t send someone to do it for him. He’d come here himself.

  Only Josie wasn’t going to wait around in hopes that wasn’t the case.

  While everyone lingered in their rooms after changing out of their snow clothes and showered—or, in Zoe’s case, played with her animal and fairy figurines—Josie snuck downstairs to use Carter’s computer. Sam had told her that Nico was the sole proprietor of an after-school center for troubled kids in East LA, and a dozen articles popped up confirming it. On the first page of the center’s website was an announcement that the center would be open and serving Thanksgiving dinner to the families of kids in the program.

  She jotted down the number and snuck into the kitchen, blocking her number by dialing *67 before making the call, a trick she’d learned years ago that she hoped still worked. Even though it had her breaking out in a cold sweat, it seemed worth the risk to confirm whether he was still in LA.

  She hadn’t said his name aloud in over five years and nearly froze up when a teenage boy answered with a “’Sup?”

  “Is, uh, Nico there?”

  “Hold on.” A few seconds later, Josie heard the kid scream, “Hey, Nico!” She hung up fast, rubbing her palm like she’d been holding a burning-hot poker.

  That man outside in the snow—she still had zero doubt he was reconnaissance. Sanctioned by Nico. She stood in silence for several minutes, waiting to see if the phone would ring back. When it didn’t, she gradually began to breathe again.

  She didn’t so much as debate for longer than a few seconds whether to tell Carter and Sam. Sam would dismiss her as being paranoid. And Carter, he’d prevent her from doing what was suddenly clear she needed to do.

  Lost in her racing thoughts, Josie feigned exhaustion to explain why she was unusually quiet the rest of the night. After getting Zoe to sleep and staying long enough to savor the gentle rise and fall of her chest, her impossibly thick lashes, and soft cheeks, she pressed a kiss onto her head and left. She headed straight for Carter’s room. He was in bed, reading a thick book by a physicist she’d maybe heard of.

  “I didn’t know you like physics,” she said, curling up next to him but keeping on top of the sheets.

  “I have varied interests,” he said, letting his hand slide down her back to her ass as his lips met hers.

  “You okay?” he asked when he pulled away. “You seemed a million miles away tonight.”

  She swallowed. Face to face like this, it was harder to lie. Instead, she went with a partial version of the truth. “Before I came outside, I had a heavy talk with Myra.”

  Closing his book, he nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”

  She pressed her lips against his cheek, savoring the hint of stubble that had grown in since he’d shaved this morning. “It’s not your fault. Have I told you that you’re a good man?” She planted a few kisses along the ridge of his jaw and earlobe.

  Setting the book aside without so much as a glance as to where it landed on the nightstand, he rolled on top of her, rising to tug away the covers that separated them. Josie knew what he wanted, and she wanted it too. After their clothes came off, and Carter was reaching for the condoms in the nightstand drawer, she wrapped her legs around his hips. “Not yet,” she said, stopping his hand.

  He looked at her sharply.

  “For a little while,” she said, making her intentions clear.

  “You know I’m game. If you’re sure?”

  With two worlds crashing together, all she wanted at this moment was to feel him inside her. She wanted—needed—to know what it was like for their bodies to join together without a barrier. She nodded. “Just pull out, will you?”

  He answered with a kiss that conveyed his eagerness. For the first time all afternoon, her thoughts slowed until it was just her breath and his body inside hers and a rhythm that reminded her of the waves in the ocean.

  When it was over, she cleaned up and dozed beside him until he was in an even, steady sleep. The lamp was off, and the snow-covered trees and gleaming clouds lit the room, making everything glow white blue. She dressed in the dark and pressed the lightest of kisses against his forehead.

  She paused at the door, losing her nerve. A part of her wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep beside him and pretend she’d not seen what she’d seen.

  Gradually, the energy to keep going snaked upward from her feet. “I’m going to fix it. I promise.”

  She snuck back into her room, made a quick job of packing some things in a weekend travel bag that wouldn’t be noticed as missing and slipped out, pausing by Sam’s door. After confirming that he was snoring softly, she headed inside and swiped his cell phone off the nightstand. She left a note on the dresser that said she borrowed it and to call her using the house phone. She crossed her fingers he didn’t find out until morning.

  Unlike the journey that brought her and Zoe here from LA, she wasn’t leaving empty-handed. She headed to Myra’s Crown Victoria parked in the garage loaded down with her weekend bag, a purse, Sam’s phone, over five hundred dollars in cash, and one of Myra’s credit cards. Just in case. She also took time to pack the trunk with a coat, gloves, a flashlight, a shovel, Myra’s gun, and a bag of cat litter, courtesy of Creampuff.

  Her hands had broken out in a cold sweat, and she needed to make several attempts to get the ignition to turn over. The old car was nearing seventeen years old, and Josie could only hope it would stand up to the over nineteen-hundred-mile journey.

  She wished she’d gotten around to more of Carter’s driving lessons. She’d taken four so far and was getting confident on uncrowded roads. She’d never driven in snow, though, and even though she knew how to conceptually, the idea of doing so terrified her.

  Proving she had every reason to be worried, she fishtailed twice in the first mile. But being able to pull out of it and keep driving gave her a bit more confidence. Fishtailing didn’t necessarily mean skidding out of control. And, like every time she’d driven before, she kept well under the speed limit—this time even more so.

  She said a prayer that, once she made it to US 151, the roads would be plowed, and driving would be easier.

  Spying the cleaner roads ahead, she fishtailed again turning onto the ramp to US 151, this time enough to get the back tire stuck in the embankment. Once she got control of the wave of panic flooding her, she put the car in neutral and got out to throw some cat litter under the wheels and push, something she’d done more than once to get Myra unstuck over her years here. She was soon joined by a man who’d been clearing the roads with a big diesel plow truck. With the two of them working, they had her mobile again in a few pushes.

  “I don’t know what kind of early-morning deal you’re hoping to find, but if you ask me, no Black Friday sale is worth traversing these roads.”

  The man’s assumption gave Josie an idea that might buy her much more of Friday than she’d hoped for. The last thing she wanted was Sam coming after her. With any luck, she’d be in and out of LA before he realized what she was doing.

  What exactly are you doing? an inner voice chided.

  “I’ve got nineteen hundred miles to come up with a plan, so cut me some slack, please,” she answered it aloud.

  After merging onto the highway, she breathed a sigh of relief. As she’d suspected, the wide lanes were better plowed, and there were thick strips of clear pavement where cars had traversed.

  At regular speed, Google Maps put her trip aro
und thirty hours of drive time. The first few hours of imperfect roads and the occasional swirling snowflakes forced her to stay just below 40 mph, adding even more time to her journey.

  By the time she reached Des Moines, the snowflakes had dried up completely, the roads were better, and she was feeling like a seasoned highway driver. She stopped at a gas station, refueled, and bought a large coffee and a doughnut. She chose a chocolate long john, one of Zoe’s favorites.

  As she was heading out, it occurred to her that Nico could have gotten his confirmation and already be on the move for Galena.

  Returning to the car, she fished Sam’s phone from her purse. Nico had been in jail for two years. What reason did she have to think he’d still have the same cell number? After giving it some consideration, she decided she was too afraid to attempt to block the number on Sam’s cell. Instead, she fished out as much change as she could find and headed over to the gas station’s grimy pay phone. Holding her breath, she dialed it.

  Nico answered on the fourth ring, his voice still very much the same. “Yeah,” was all he said into the line. For a second or two, she was frozen, his voice burning her ear like acid. Then abruptly she hung up, slamming the receiver into its base loud enough to draw a man’s attention who was walking past into the gas station.

  She got back in the car, locking the door and shoving her hands under her thighs. The last snowflakes disappeared into nothingness before her hands stopped shaking enough to drive again.

  She was going home, and Nico was waiting for her. He’d been waiting a very long time.

  Chapter 35

  Josie was getting drowsy again when Sam’s phone rang out, causing her to jerk reflexively. She’d made it the whole night without him calling. She pulled over to the side of the highway and shut the ignition, answering just before it was lost to voicemail.

  “Hey, what the shit?” It was nearly nine in the morning in Galena, and by the sound of Sam’s voice, it was clear he’d just woken up. “Why’d you take my phone?”

  “Because I don’t have one, and it’s Black Friday,” Josie said, trying to seem like she had more energy than she felt. She was going to have to find a safe place to pull over and nap soon. “I decided to shop last minute, and I didn’t want anyone getting worried.”

  “Yeah, about that, I keep meaning to ask you. Why the hell don’t you have a cell phone? It’s like you’re one of those people who dropped off the grid or something. Oh, wait, you were.”

  “Is Zoe around? Because you’re not watching your language if she is.”

  “I’m in my sissified room all alone missing my phone.”

  “I’m sorry. I won’t take it again.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Where are you? I’ll join you.”

  “You can’t; I’m Christmas shopping.”

  “Fine. I’ll play Uno or Lincoln Logs with Zoe. I can’t believe I didn’t pack my Xbox. I should never have let my buddy have it when he was packing up my stuff. It’s weird not having anything to obsess about or anything to distract myself from obsessing.”

  “Uh, you and Zoe playing together, want some advice or just want to figure it out?” Not to her surprise, Sam was pretty much just Sam regardless of who he was around. Unlike Carter, her, or Myra, he didn’t understand how to set up a six-year-old for success.

  “I’ll figure it out, Mommy.” He was clearly unconcerned, and Josie figured if Zoe had a meltdown, one or both of them would grow from it. “Hey,” he added, “so, uh, don’t answer my phone for any number but Myra’s. You really don’t need to hear what the freaks sound like who call wanting to talk about how you’ve probably been pulled into the illegal sex trade.”

  Josie shuddered. They’d decided to keep the site active in case Nico or any of his friends were monitoring it. Only now it seemed it no longer mattered. “You don’t need to convince me of that.”

  He told her to stay safe before hanging up.

  “I’ll be as safe as I can,” she said aloud after the connection ended. “I have every reason in the world to be.”

  Twenty minutes later, the phone rang again, showing Carter’s number on the caller ID. This time, Josie opted not to pick up. Instead, she pulled off at an exit ramp to find a safe spot to check the voicemail a few minutes later. She tensed upon hearing Carter’s voice, calm and steady with just the slightest hint of concern bleeding through. “Hey, Jos, Sam said you’re Black Friday shopping, which is great. I figured you were down in town, but we noticed Myra’s car is missing. I’m having a hard time deciding which is more likely—it having been stolen or you taking it.” After a long breath, he added that, if she’d taken it, to enjoy her day and finish shopping, but to give him a call before heading back. He and Sam could drive together and pick her up. “I’ve been in the car with you every time you’ve driven, Josie,” he finished. “You don’t have a license yet, and in that car with this much snow, you’d be asking for trouble you don’t need.”

  To buy more time, she texted back.

  Got your message. All fine here. Yep, I drove but your idea makes sense. Will call this afternoon. And technically, I have a license.

  Putting the phone down, Josie stepped out of the Victoria to stretch and get her blood circulating before getting back on the highway.

  She had a feeling that, somehow or another, Carter and Sam would put the pieces together soon enough. She needed to put as many miles as she could between her and Galena before they did.

  * * *

  Carter was sitting cross-legged on the parlor floor finishing up a game of Candy Land when Zoe’s giant yawn reminded him it would be her bedtime soon. Myra was on the couch, working on a piece of embroidery under the light of the side table lamp. Tidbit was curled up next to her, and Buttercup was stretched out next to him, taking up the rest of the couch. The cat, Creampuff as he was being called against Sam’s preference, was on the floor next to Zoe and Carter, lazily batting at their game pieces whenever they advanced across the board.

  In the ten hours that had passed since they’d talked to Josie, she still hadn’t given them any idea where she was so they could drive out to meet her. He hadn’t expected her to be gone this late into the day, but the snowplows had done a pretty thorough job throughout the course of the day. The truth was, if she took it carefully, she could make it back on her own. Besides, it wasn’t as if his rear-wheel drive Mustang handled great in the snow either.

  Mumbling to himself, Sam walked in and grabbed Carter’s phone off the side table, shoving it Carter’s way for him to insert the code. Sam was tapping his fingers erratically on the side of his leg, and Carter figured he wasn’t the only one with tension mounting.

  “What’re you texting her?” Carter asked, unlocking his phone and offering it back to Sam.

  “That, if she doesn’t pick up my calls soon, I’m going to kick her a—pple,” he added after a glance at Zoe, who was watching him intently.

  Ten minutes later, as Carter was packing away the game and Zoe was rolling around on the rug with her body long and her arms straight overhead, reminding him of a rolling pin, the house phone rang. Zoe, Sam, and Carter all jumped for it at the same time. Sam, who was pacing the room, got to it first.

  “Dibs,” he said, grabbing the receiver and turning his back to them. “What the shit, Josie, you’ve been gone all day.”

  Gritting his teeth, Carter waited through a string of complaints and a few expletives of Sam’s that Zoe didn’t need to overhear. “That’s not cool,” Sam said as the short conversation ended and before passing the phone to Zoe. “Zo, your mom wants to say good night.”

  The first thing out of Zoe’s mouth was to ask when her mom would be home. After that, as she started relaying the highlights of her day, Carter looked to Sam.

  “What’s up?”

  “She says she’s staying the night at some hotel. Next to the mall. That she’ll come home tomorrow.”
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  “What mall?”

  “The flipping Mall of America.”

  “The Mall of America,” Carter repeated, dumbfounded. He pulled up his phone. “That’s five hours from here. You’re saying she drove five hours in the snow to go shopping? After only having driven four times? That doesn’t sound like Josie.”

  “It doesn’t.” Sam stopped walking and drummed his fingers rapid-fire over the thin line of his tightly smashed lips.

  Zoe asked her mom if she could sleep in Carter’s bed, since she wasn’t going to be home.

  After a pause, Zoe looked his way and asked, “Will you sleep in my mom’s bed, so I’m not scared?”

  “Sure thing, Zo.”

  “And can Buttercup sleep on my bed?” she added, still looking at Carter.

  “Ahh, maybe. He’s kind of a space hog.”

  Zoe was saying good night and repeating she would pass the phone to Carter when Sam shook his head abruptly. “She doesn’t do anything on a whim. And she doesn’t break the law, not even driving without a legit license—for very good reason, at least.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Suddenly, Sam smacked his palm against the mantle. “Oh, shit no.” He strode across the room and swiped the receiver straight from Zoe’s outstretched hand.

  “You’re telling me the truth right now, do you hear me?” Sam sputtered. “You’re going back, aren’t you? That car yesterday—who the hell was that? I saw you looking after it. I saw your face go white. I figured you were just being paranoid. But you saw someone, didn’t you?” After a short pause that Carter took to be silence on Josie’s end, Sam added, “Well, you’re not doing it! You’re turning around. Do you hear me?” Sam went silent again, listening. “Josie? Josie!”

  He hurled the receiver at the wall, smashing it to pieces. Zoe burst into tears and ran to Myra, burying her head in Myra’s lap.

  Carter pointed a finger at Sam. “Get it together right now or get out of sight.” He pulled out his cell and dialed Sam’s number. It rang forever and then went to voicemail. He called again three more times to receive the same results.