Honeymoon

Chapter 41

THE GUY SPED OFF and I immediately began to work my phone. I had the number for every airline, hotel chain, and rental car company already programmed in. It was a job prerequisite.

I called Hertz. After suffering through a minute of automated prompts, I got ahold of an available agent.

“And when will you be needing the car, sir?” she asked.

“In five minutes. Maybe less.”

“Oh.”

She promised to do the best she could. In case it wasn’t good enough, I told the driver he might be spending some more quality time with me.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.

Nora’s shuttle driver had a helium foot. With him puttering along, we actually passed the bus before we got to the lot. By the time Nora climbed into a silver Sebring convertible, I was behind the wheel of my minivan. That’s right, a minivan. I mean, who’d ever expect to be followed by someone driving one of those?

Just the same, I was sure to keep a little distance between us. That was until Nora made it clear she was no shuttle bus driver. Formula One racer was more like it.

The more I gunned it, the faster she seemed to go. Instead of blending in with the other cars, I was forced to blow by them. So much for my inconspicuous minivan.

Shit.

A red light. I’d already sailed through an earlier one, but this one was at an intersection. Nora made it through and I didn’t.

As she became a speck in the distance, I could do nothing except curse and wait. The thought of having flown all that way only to lose her was turning my stomach.

Green light!

I hit the gas and my horn at the same time, tires screeching. The game had changed to catch-up and I was in serious jeopardy of losing. I glanced down at my speedometer. Sixty, seventy, eighty miles an hour.

There! I spotted her car up ahead. I drew a sigh of relief, slowed down, and tried to pull closer. I had two lanes to work with and the traffic was cooperating. I could move back and forth without being too obvious. Things were looking up.

If only I’d been doing the same.