Honeymoon - James Patterson [32]
As soon as she hopped on, I made a dash for the cab line.
Taxi!
“Take me to the Hertz lot!” I barked at the back of the driver’s head.
He turned around, an old-salt type, his face a road map of wrinkles and creases. “What?”
“Take me—”
“No, I heard you just fine there, pal. What I’m saying is, they have shuttle buses for that.”
“I don’t like waiting.”
“Neither do I.” Jabbing his finger, he pointed out the back window. “You see that line of cabs behind me? I didn’t wait in it for no three-dollar fare.”
I looked up ahead at Nora’s shuttle bus getting farther and farther away. “Okay, give me a number,” I said.
“Thirty bucks. That’s my final offer.”
“Twenty.”
“Twenty-five.”
“Deal. Drive.”
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.
Chapter 42
I SHOULD’VE SEEN the split coming, where the road divided. I was too busy staring at the big Sealy mattress delivery truck ahead of me, preparing to overtake it.
Bad decision.
With my right foot pressed to the floor, I pulled up alongside the truck. It blocked my view of Nora. Edging forward, I strained my neck to see where she was.
But it was something else I saw. Big, bright yellow drums! The kind they fill with water and stack before concrete dividers so instead of going splat, you go splash.
I looked over at the delivery truck. We were neck and neck, the driver peering down at me.
I glanced at those big yellow drums. They were getting very close, very fast.
The lanes were about to split. I was in the left one, Nora in the right. I needed to get over.
The goddamn truck!
As soon as I nosed out in front, the driver sped up. I jammed on my horn while flooring the accelerator.
Up ahead, Nora passed the yellow drums and shot off to the right.
I was still stuck in the left lane and running out of real estate. Fast.
Fuck it.
I slammed on the brakes. If I couldn’t cut in front, I’d duck in from behind. All two tons of the minivan began to swerve wildly as I watched the Sealy mattress truck—an easy ten tons—start to veer. That’s when I realized he wanted into my lane.
I couldn’t hear the horns behind me.