“Really?”
“Yes, you didn’t have to go through all of this, involving your friends to be with me. I thought you were so cute. I’ve always thought you had that shy innocent look and I like that.”
“What are you saying, Nat?”
“I’m saying, if you get me free from these men, I want to be with you.”
“You won’t turn me in?”
“No,” she lied. She knew if a convincing role ever had to be played, this was it. Her life depended upon Rudy buying it.
“But what if we have to go into hiding? Will you go with me?
“Yes.”
“And then we can be together, forever, and we can make love anytime we want?”
“That’s what you did before in the warehouse, didn’t you? You weren’t raping me. You were making love to me, weren’t you?”
“Yes!” he agreed and looked at her feet. “I was.”
“And it was beautiful, Rudy,” she said and delivered the punch line with a subtle smile. “I got afraid for a few minutes. That’s why I pushed you away at the end, but it was beautiful. You get me away from Tony, and I’m yours.”
“I will,” he said and looked up at her smoky eyes again. “I will, no matter what.”
Natalie turned toward the store where she hoped to see how Tony was doing. She knew she would only have seconds to get back into position under Hank once he finished. He wasn’t in sight.
She wondered what kind of plan Rudy had in mind. So far all she had seen him do was sit there and act like a wounded pup. He couldn’t save her with his tail between his legs but she needed to string him along.
“Tell me about your plan.”
“Well, it’s not much of one yet,” he admitted. “If I can find a way for Tony to trust me, maybe I can use that to get us away from him.”
Natalie realized this was a plan to fail. “I’m not sure you could ever earn that, Rudy.”
“But what else is there?”
“I don’t know and I’ll try to help you, but what I do know is we may not have much time. Hank isn’t doing well. He needs a doctor, now.”
“But Tony says we can’t do that.”
“You have to stop listening to Tony and start thinking for yourself or neither one of us will survive. Look, if Hank dies, Tony’s made it clear he’s coming after me. And once I’m out of the picture, do you think he is going to let you live? Tony’s a survivor, and he’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve seen it in his eyes, Rudy. He has no soul, he feels no guilt, and he respects no one, not even himself. Allowing Hank to get medical attention would threaten his freedom, so letting him die is proof.”
“I just don’t know what to do,” he said and Natalie recognized his desperation. “I’m so tired I can’t think. I just wish I could go home.”
“There‘s no going back, Rudy. Once you crossed that bridge in LA, you sealed your fate. But if I survive with your help, it’ll go easier on you when the police do catch up with us. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
Natalie saw Rudy’s eyes drift toward the store. She followed his glance. Tony walked up to the counter and placed his coffee and an arm load of food on the counter. He pointed toward the van, she assumed an indication he would pay for the gas. The cashier began to ring everything up and bagged the groceries as he went.
“You better get back in place, Nat,” Rudy said. “Tony’s about done in there. I need to get you tied up again.”
“Okay, but remember not too tie tight.” She scrambled back into position on the cold, uncomfortable, steel floor and placed Hank’s head back on her thighs.
Rudy leaned around between the front seats. He wrapped her ankles and wrists with the shreds of the bedspread and tied them in loose knots. When he finished, he whirled back toward the window. He watched Tony as he handed a credit card over to the male teenage clerk. After he swiped the card through the reader and returned it, Tony grabbed the bag in one hand and the coffee in the other. He started toward the door and as he reached for the handle, he stopped short. Rudy, in the full light of the setting western sun, saw Tony’s face through the glass door turn as pale as the midnight moon.
Tony dropped the coffee, reached to a newsstand and grabbed a newspaper. Then, he spun back toward the clerk and pulled the gun from his belt. Through the window Rudy watched as the nervous boy immediately raised his hands in surrender but Tony waved him towards the cash register. The terrified clerk reached in and handed Tony a wad of money.
“What the hell?” Rudy shouted.
“Wha … wha what’s going on?” Natalie screamed.
“Tony’s robbing the place.”
Rudy’s mouth fell open as he watched aghast. He hoped the silver barreled menace wouldn’t belch another deadly lightning bolt like in Reno. Tony waved the boy to the floor behind the counter, out of his sight.
“No, no no!” Rudy screamed but the flash erupted and filled the area around the counter with a moment of unmistakable luminosity.
_____
©
Jearl Rugh 2012
All
Rights Reserved
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