Highway scandal(book 1)

Chapter 9

"Okay keep calm Marissa, just keep your head down in case they start shooting, I used to live a few hours away from here, if we lose them we can get to my old house and grab my guns," he said. She shot him a look at a gun showdown? Really!?

"I have never shot a gun, well a big one anyway, maybe a hand pistol but I can't kill anyone," she said nervously. He swallows a lump that had been in his throat. And looks in the rearview again

"Okay they are back enough I can lose them in the back alley, as long as we step on it," he said stepping harder on the gas.

They begin to go faster and speed up. And the SUV begins to get farther away. They take another turn and another until they reach a slim alley. They fit inside. There were dumpsters there on each side. And he had an idea.

He stops the car mid-way and doesn't turn it off. He steps out leaving her puzzled. And grabs a dumpster that wasn't full. He blocks the back end of the car with the dumpster. And comes back to the car with Marissa. She was amazed by him. She liked that he thought smart. That was brilliant.

"Well, that was very clever," she said, "but how did they find us?"

He looked just as puzzled because they followed her twice now. And he didn't understand it. But then he realized she said something about Frank buying her this car with tinted windows. So he steps out again and gets on his knees looking under the car. And as if on key, he spots something blinking red just under the first pipe. It was his well but it was easier to spot than most. And he grabs it holding it up to her.

"Looks like your boss wants to track his employees at all times," he said.

She couldn't believe it. Frank was tracking her. He was a nut job. But why would her boss go through such trouble to get to Drake and put her in harm's way too? Was she just a liability? Did Frank not care anything about her as a person? She fought case after case for him. And she worked for him harder than anyone. She stayed late nights and early mornings and even Sundays. And she was a liability. And he was tracking her. Because he didn't trust her. And she thought he valued her. He was only using her brains and integrity.

Drake had an idea though. He moved the dumpster and the SUV was gone. Maybe circling the block because it showed them in the area. But he placed the tracker under another red car, parked a few hundred feet from them on the curb. And then moves the dumpster. And he comes back to the car. Marissa is in tears. Because she can't believe he would buy her just to keep her on his team. Did he think she would go for the evil things he's done? Paying someone to agree is like paying someone to have a drink with you it isn't the truth.

"Are you okay," he asks hoping in the driver's seat. She wipes her tears and sniffles.

"Yeah I just, can't believe I was just a liability to him, I worried my butt off for him and he just used me as his pawn," she said. He places both hands on the steering wheel and then places his head back. He blows out air. And places a hand on hers.

"Look, Frank is a conman, he doesn't have friends he has henchmen and he uses people around him, if you're smart or have brains, and brawn, he uses you, that's what he does, and I can tell you what happened when we get to a nice room with a bed," he said. She grins at him.

He puts the car in reverse and backs out of the alley. And then drives away. He lived in a small town, Saint Charles Missouri, he lived there before he was in college. His house had been abandoned with the furniture still intact. And was living there with an alias. The one who rented it to him didn't know him. And that was a good thing. It took a few hours to get there. Marissa had already spent 24 hours with this man. And she knew more than most.

He wasn't as bad as he seemed. She found it easy to talk with him. And he liked having the company. And it was a nice change for him. He lived alone. Paying a year advance for rent. His contract didn't end for a few months. And by then he would clear his name he had hoped. They had already been to 2 different states, and that was more than Marissa had seen in her lifetime.

The trip was long and they were tired. But once he pulls into the old house, which was white and two-story, with vines around the white columns only, she steps out and stares in amazement. She couldn't believe that the way he spoke of it, it was still standing strong. He gets their suitcase out of the trunk and the money and walks to the front of her.

"So this is my home, I grew up here they were going to tear it down but I paid up to a year's rent to stay and fixed it up, it also has beds and running water, and we have food," he said. She smiled thinking of the food. She loved snacking but real food sounded so good.

"Shall we," he said. She nods, following him in. The house was like any other. The den and the living room are to the left, the kitchen to the right, rooms upstairs. The staircase was a beautiful oak and solid too. Tables and chairs sat in the section off from the kitchen. The stove and refrigerator looked brand new. It was so warm. Like a fire had been going. And he didn't have a fireplace, not a wood-burning one. The living room had a chair and couch, and an electric fireplace which was white and tall. And beautiful.

"This is so cozy I love this house," she said. He grinned, setting the suitcase down, and going into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to see if there was anything quick he could fix them to eat.

"How would you like a late dinner," he asked. She looks into the kitchen.

"Only if I can help," she asked. He looked shocked by her words and he was. No one had ever helped him not since his mom. And she moved away.

"I guess I could use the extra help," he said. She took her flannel off revealing a tank top underneath. She tied it around her waist.

Cooking dinner was a great way to bond with someone. Especially if you were on the run and finally catching a break. But would it last? Marissa and Drake knew that this house wouldn't see them too long, because just as they would get settled for a moment to rest, Drake knew Frank wouldn't stop until he was dead.