Blaze

Fifty-Six; James

I replay the conversation in my mind over and over on the drive back to Adair. The way here eyes rounded in shock and the sound of her gasp when I told her I loved her. The way I finally felt at peace when she flung her arms around my neck and told me she loved me back. I can't wipe the goofy grin from my face.

I follow her car for hours, but when we get close to the county line, we split apart. She takes the exit before me, taking the back roads to Hummingbird Lane. I take the exit for the bypass and head toward town. My stomach growls and I make the last minute decision to pull into Sonic. I roll my window up after ordering and call Blaise.

"Hey, you," she answers cheerfully. She sounds better than me. I already miss her terribly. 

"Hey. Are you hungry? I'm at Sonic if you want anything."

She laughs. "And you're going to what, just waltz right into my house and have lunch with me and Brenda?" 

"No, smartass, I need to pick Jack up from Martha's. I was going to leave it there for you."

"Oh, that's a great idea, actually. I'm starving. But Sonic kind of turns my stomach. Is Roasters still open?"

I glance at my watch. It's past closing time, but just barely. I look to my left and squint. "The light is still on. Cinnamon latte? Chicken salad sandwich?"

"Yes," she sighs. "That sounds perfect."

I buzz the server and cancel my order, then reverse out of the spot. I do a U-turn and pull into the alley behind Sonic that leads to the rear of Roasters. I only travel a few feet when I see the blue lights flash behind me. I look into my rear view mirror and curse at the sight of the police cruiser. The officer is wearing aviator sunglasses and is really too far away for me to identify, but I get a sick feeling in my gut. I slow, but I don't stop, and he blips his siren. 

I chastise myself for taking the shortcut. I fully intend to pull over, just not in this alley. I flash my lights to let the officer know I see him, just in case it's not Wyatt. I just need to get to the end of the alley and I can pull over on Main.

A second cruiser whips around the corner and stops suddenly in front of me, so close that he almost hits me head-on. I'm trapped, and now I'm certain Montgomery is involved. I feel my adrenaline spike but take a calming breath and try to clear my mind.  I only have six months left of my probation. I can't afford mistakes right now.

A tall, skinny officer with a dark crew cut steps out of the vehicle in front of me and leans against the driver's side door. I look in my rear view mirror again and see Wyatt strutting toward my car, smirking, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. My stomach drops and I take a deep, calming breath. I reach for my phone, put it on video record, and set it back in the cup holder, angling it toward the window to record the interaction. 

I put my hands on the wheel in front of me and face forward, jaw locked and muscles tense. Wyatt taps on the window and I roll it down. I turn, looking him straight in the eye. 

"License and registration."

"I'm going to reach into my back pocket for my wallet." I watch the hand on his weapon the entire time I slowly reach, but he doesn't budge. I pull my wallet out and hand him my license. "The registration is in the glovebox." He nods and I retrieve it. 

"Where you headed in such a hurry?"

I take a deep breath. "I was barely driving five miles per hour."

"I didn't ask how fast you were driving. I asked where you were going." I weigh my options and contemplate staying silent. I know I have the legal right. But I don't know what his intentions are here and I don't want to antagonize him.