The Fast Lane

Chapter 19

Back in the car.  

I almost couldn’t stand it.  The fast lane was making me dizzy at this point. Harry’s driving this particular ride was making me insanely sick, but I had a garbage bag with me that I would throw up in because we didn’t want to stop.  I felt bad because I knew it was gross, but Harry didn’t really seem to notice. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about how Harry had flipped a table when I told him they had my sister.  He stood up and started throwing anything he could get his hands on really - from pictures to glasses of wine to TV remotes - and when he finished throwing small things he began to flip bigger objects like the tables and chairs in the house. 

He yelled.  He shouted at the top of his lungs, just letting it all out I guess.  While we threw our stuff in our suitcases and packed back into the car, he ranted.  Not really to me or at me.  It seemed like he was just talking for his own sake, to let it all out.

"I just don’t understand why those fucking bastards are messing with her instead of me.  Fucking christ."  He gritted his teeth as he threw the car in reverse and flew backwards down the gravel driveway.  "This is MY fucking deal, it has nothing to do with you.  Fucking assbags."  I had never heard that one before.  Assbags. 

I probably would have laughed if I wasn’t so scared.  Harry was fuming as he veered in and around the cars.  He was going so fast that I gripped the sides of my seat.  Harry didn’t have his seatbelt on but I didn’t dare say anything. I just silently cried to myself as I thought of my poor sister with all of those greedy, dirty thugs. 

Harry sped along the dark highway. I was worried that, since it was late at night, more cops would be out to catch the crazy speeders.  But like any other time I had ridden with Harry, I didn’t see a single police car and he didn’t get pulled over. 

Right when we got outside of Charlotte, Harry ran out of gas.  He filled up quickly at the nearest gas station and climbed back into the front seat, but he didn’t put the car in gear or start to drive. 

"I don’t know where to go," Harry finally admitted.  I didn’t either.  I didn’t think about it.

I thought for a moment.  His apartment was trashed and it was too risky to go back there.  ”Why don’t we start with Jenna’s house?  Maybe look for clues or a note?” I know that was risky too, but I couldn’t think of anything else.  I guess Harry couldn’t either because he nodded slowly, biting his lip, and began to drive.

He didn’t say anything as I gave him directions to her house outside of Charlotte.  Her house was a small kind of farm house in the middle of a field.  It was about 4 o’clock in the morning when we got there. 

I looked at the dark house from the car as Harry pulled into the dirt driveway and suddenly got a chill down my spine.  Even in the dark, I could see that the front door was cracked open.  I looked over to Harry who was staring at the house himself, and he too got the goosebumps.  The hair on his long, tan arms stood up as he looked around the dark fields around us. 

"Okay…." He breathed, turning the car and the lights off. "I am going to go scope out the house…" He whispered slowly.  I could tell he was trying to convince himself to do it just by saying it aloud.  "Please, stay in the car." 

I shook my head quickly.  ”What if someone is in there?!” 

Harry looked at me, his green eyes filled with worry.  He reached down into the pocket of his car door and pulled out the small handgun that he bought a little while before.  Then, to my surprise, he pulled out a second one. 

"I bought you one too… Have you ever shot a gun?" He asked, handing it to me. 

I shook my head again, a small but hurried movement.

"It’s on safety now.  I don’t want you to shoot anyone; we’ll just use it to scare them… maybe."  He watched me as I held the gun away from me.  "Just keep your finger off the trigger, Love."  He began to quietly open the door and slide out of the car.  

I began to cry.  ”Harrrrry,” I whined, my voice shaky.  He crawled back into the front seat, grabbed my face and pulled me into a hard kiss.  I could feel his hands shaking as he pulled his tense body away from me and got out of the car again.  I watched his dark figure as he made his was up to the front porch and disappeared through the cracked door.

I almost didn’t breathe as I waited for his dark figure to reemerge.  I listened for anything - a voice, a whistle, a gunshot… anything.  After 5 minutes, I was beginning to really get anxious.  I slowly and quietly climbed out of the car and stood next to it.  I was too antsy to sit.  

I began to walk toward the house when suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me.  I shrieked and whipped around, throwing my hands out in front of me and pointing the gun into the dark.  Harry was instantly on the porch, flipping on the light.  ”TRISTAN.” 

I could see the shining eyes of the creature in the field.  I didn’t know what it was.  Probably a dear or something.  Whatever it was, it scared the absolute shit out of me and I began to cry.  I sank down to the ground, dropping the gun and putting my hands up to cover my face.  

Harry ran off the porch to me and got on his knees in the dirt too.  He engulfed me in a hug and pulled me onto his lap, kissing, shushing, and rocking me as I wept.

"Oh god Harry I can’t do this.  I can’t handle this.  It’s too much for me," I sobbed into his arms.  He held me tighter and waited for me to calm down before speaking.  

"Why don’t we go inside? I looked under every bed and in every closet.  No one is here.  I’ll just park the car behind the house and we won’t turn on any of the lights.  We both need to lay down and relax for a little bit, at least until the sun comes up.  Then tomorrow we can look for clues and maybe I can teach you how to use that gun."  He picked it up out of the dirt, checking to make sure it was still on safety before sticking it into his belt.

He wrapped his arms around me again and waited for me to respond.  I turned my head sideways into his chest, and out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand on my shoulder.  I could barely see the cross that was tattooed above his thumb on his hand.  Oh dear God, I thought.  Please give me some strength. 

I took a deep breath and pushed myself up, glancing down at Harry in the darkness.  The shadow that the light from the porch cast on his face gave his handsome jawline the illusion of so much more definition, and I traced it with my thumb as he stared up at me, his green eyes glowing. 

I kissed him on the forehead and offered him a hand to help him stand up. Once he was on his feet, he led me into the dark house, gripping my hand tightly and still being cautious around each corner and in every dark room we entered.  When we got to the guest room, he locked the door and turned to help me remove my shirt and shorts and finally removed his own.  He held up the sheets for me to climb into the small bed and crawled in behind me, covering me with his whole body. 

In that moment, I felt safer than ever.  It was like Harry was my guardian angel.