Chapter Three
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” asked Peter.
After driving for five hours, getting lost three times, and growing closer to starvation by the minute, they passed a sign signaling they were approaching their destination. The only problem—they were literally in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but open fields in every direction, no sign of a five-star hotel or steakhouse. Why would Calloway send one of his best lawyers and two paralegals into the boondocks?
“That’s what the GPS says,” said Shelly from the front seat.
Robyn knew her friend was on her last nerve. From fighting traffic getting out of the city to the multiple near misses with wild animals, including a stubborn cow, she was definitely in a less-than-stellar mood.
“There’s something up ahead,” said Robyn, pointing. It wasn’t much, but she could see the outline of multiple buildings in the near distance. She hoped it wasn’t just another run-down ranch. Shelly was right, this was Hicksville in its finest, and Robyn couldn’t wait to get back to civilization.
“It better fucking be!” Shelly hit the accelerator and clouds of dust billowed out from behind the SUV. She’d stopped putting on appearances for Peter hours ago.
Peter leaned into her space to look out the window on her side of the SUV. He made a disgusted grumble after taking in the endless wheat fields. “Calloway owes me one,” he said. “You must be hungry?”
“I think I forgot about my hunger an hour ago,” Robyn half joked. In truth, the whole trip made her uneasy. She wasn’t good with changes in her routine. That one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city might not be much, but it was her safe haven. And even though her nights were lonely, at least she had a place to call home. Her hardened exterior started in childhood, grew tenfold on the job, and was solidified by high societal expectations. It wasn’t easy being a woman trying to move up the corporate ladder.
“Oh thank God, I think this might actually be it,” said Shelly as they neared the buildings. It appeared to be a drive-thru town with no structure over two stories high. Robyn knew they were coming to farming country, but not this far off the grid.
“Let’s just find this Longhorn Steakhouse before the sun sets. I don’t see any streetlights out here.” Peter appeared more uneasy than she felt. And if he was expecting upscale dining, she had a feeling he’d be sorely disappointed.
Shelly parked the SUV and they all got out, looking around like they’d landed on the surface of Mars. Her friend pointed at the wooden building just ahead. The mangled sign read Meg’s Longhorn, but it wasn’t a restaurant. On its best day it could be called a truck stop. She felt dirty looking at it.
Peter shifted his briefcase from one hand to the other. He looked like a fish out of water, his eyes narrowed as if insulted just standing in this so-called town. “What’s the contact’s name?” he asked. “I’ve never wanted to get documents signed faster than today.”
“Marla Winters.” Shelly read from a piece of paper as she stepped up onto the wooden plank walkway. “But we were supposed to be here hours ago. I doubt she’s waiting.”
Robyn followed along, careful not to get her stilettos stuck in the cracks on the walkway. The air was dry and hot, with the scent of fresh-cut hay. With the sun low on the horizon, night wasn’t far off. Her skirt suit made it difficult to walk, but she found her sexuality an asset in the courtroom. Since they were meeting a woman, it would probably work against her. At least she was getting points with Peter—she hoped. He was everything she’d ever wanted, if only she could convince him she was worthy of his attention. It seemed she’d been trying to prove herself in one way or another since she could walk.
If Shelly gave her the green light, she’d do everything in her power to get in Peter’s good graces.
As Peter pushed open the door, old-fashioned bells clanged against the glass. The diner had a few mountain men at the counter in dusty plaid shirts. There were also some people eating at one of the far tables. It smelled like bacon grease. As she walked, her heels clicked on the tiles, garnering them the full attention of everyone in the diner.
“Can I help you?” asked a middle-aged waitress from behind the counter. She looked like she’d smoked all her life, her skin coarse and weathered.
“Yes, we were supposed to meet a woman here a few hours ago. Would you happen to know a Ms. Winters?” asked Shelly, tossing her perfectly coiffed blonde curl behind her shoulder.
The woman shrugged. “There was some lady in a suit here earlier. She had a coffee, read the paper, then left.”
“Do you know where she lives?”
“Honey, I wouldn’t know that. I can tell you she wasn’t from around here.”
Robyn looked around the room. Many tiles on the floor were cracked, the grout filthy. Just about everything was in some state of disrepair—from the tables and chairs to the blinds and ceiling fans. A small, out-of-date television playing sports sat high behind the cash register. The guys at the end of the counter stared at her. Her skin crawled.
Shelly turned to Peter. “I have a contact number. Does your phone get any reception out here? Mine doesn’t.”
Peter pulled a new iPhone out of his breast pocket, every move smooth and unrushed. “Only one bar.”
“What are we going to do?” Robyn whispered. They couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. The sun was starting to set, a streak of pink already making its appearance beyond the windows. Where would they sleep? What would they eat?
“We’ll have to call Ms. Winters and have her come back,” said Peter. He turned around to face the counter again. “Excuse me, do you have a public phone we could use?”
“Sorry, no phone.”
“Of course not,” he muttered, turning back around.
“Let’s talk in the truck,” said Shelly.
They left the diner and gathered outside the SUV. “Look, this isn’t what I signed up for,” said Peter. “This place would never pass a health inspection in the city, and I have a court case to prepare for. One of us should wait here, while the others drive until they get reception. We need to get this Marla woman to come back to the diner so I can sign off on this deal.”
Robyn was more confused than ever. From what she understood, they were supposed to work out a deal that could take at least a few days. Peter made this sound like it would last two minutes—if they could get in touch with their contact.
“I’ll drive south until I get reception,” said Shelly. “You two can wait here and get a bite to eat.”
Robyn could hear the hint of resentment in her friend’s voice. She grabbed Shelly’s arm and dragged her a few feet off. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“What?”
They moved away from the SUV. “Did I do something to piss you off? I didn’t ask Peter to sit beside me, Shelly. That’s the problem, isn’t it?”
Shelly subtly rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. We’re not in high school, Robyn. He obviously likes you, so it’s fine. I’ll get the next one.”
“Forget it, I’ll wait here. Take him with you for the drive. He’s not even my type.”
“Bullshit.”
Robyn groaned. “He’s a pretty boy—definitely your type.”
“You sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. Rock his world,” she teased. “Just don’t come crying to me if he forgets your name tomorrow morning like Trey.”
“Shut up.” Shelly couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
After sorting out a few details, Shelly and Peter took off in the SUV in search of cell phone reception. She supposed they’d make the perfect couple, both inhumanly beautiful and refined. Shelly had had three elective surgeries in the last two years, and she planned for more. Perfection, it seemed, was an addiction. Robyn had to wait at the diner for the contact in case Shelly was able to reach her. She hadn’t really thought of the consequences of offering to stay in the town alone. All that had mattered at the time was preserving her friendship with Shelly, even if it cost her a potential relationship with any paralegal’s wet dream. Now she had to go back into that creepy little diner. Alone.
Robyn decided to waste as much time as possible outside. If she had any luck, they’d be back in a few minutes. She looked for a clean spot on the wooden walkway and sat down. The warm breeze made the dust on the road swirl like mini cyclones. She lost herself in thought.
Every time she lifted her eyes to the sky, it seemed to have grown darker. She made patterns in the dirt with her heels, her mind drifting. Why couldn’t her life be easier? Most of the women she associated with had it all, while she struggled just to keep up to par. It wasn’t fair. The odds had been stacked against her from an early age, and no matter how hard she worked, or how hard she tried to be accepted, it was never enough. Sure, she’d molded her image and put on a good front, but that was all it was. Sitting here in the middle of nowhere, the evening chill creeping in with the darkness, made her realize how lost she truly was.
Her stomach growled.
She began to think they’d forgotten about her, and desperation started creeping in. The sun had been replaced by more stars than she’d ever seen in her life. If she wasn’t so terrified, it would have been beautiful. When she heard the rumble of a vehicle and saw bouncing headlights approaching, she almost laughed out loud with relief.
It wasn’t a rescue. Two trucks raced by, leaving her in a cloud of dust and exhaust. Another came soon after, braking in front of the diner with only inches to spare. Four men got out of the pick-up truck. They were rowdy and obnoxious, and she was thankful they didn’t notice her sitting by herself in the dark. Walking the downtown city streets as night didn’t feel nearly as daunting as her current situation.
She checked her watch, thankful for the glowing hands. Shelly and Peter had been gone five minutes short of two hours, and she had to pee. Her phone was dead and she’d lost all hope, that familiar sense of abandonment blackening her thoughts. How could Shelly just forget about her? It was impossibly dark beyond the glow of the diner, the drone of crickets deafening. What was she supposed to do with herself? She had no way of communicating with anyone and no vehicle. She also couldn’t decide if it was safer to stay where she was on the edge of darkness or brave the jerks in the diner. If things got ugly, there wasn’t even a public phone to rely on. Were there even cops way out here in nowhere land? How long would it take them to show up if there was a problem?
Her mind whirled.
When Robyn felt herself crumbling apart, her defenses took over. She had to keep strong. Her next decision was made when she heard coyotes crying in the near distance. She bolted to her feet and trotted to the entrance of the diner. Her heart raced just imagining all those creepy drunken eyes on her, but she had little choice. There was nowhere else to go in this micro town.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, those damn bells announcing her entrance. Luckily for her, the raucous patrons and loud game playing on the television drowned out the sound. The atmosphere had changed since she’d first entered.
Robyn approached the empty end of the counter, trying to appear invisible.
“You’re back,” said the waitress. “You find who you were looking for?”
“No, actually.” What else was she supposed to say? Her friends abandoned her in this backwards town? “Is there a restroom here?”
“Sure. Around the corner, honey.” She motioned to the right. “Can I get any food started for you?”
That was when Robyn realized her purse was in the backseat of the SUV. Fuck me! Her face must have blanched because the waitress suddenly started doting, setting a glass of water in front of her. She focused on her breathing. Surely Shelly would come back at some point. Maybe they had car trouble. Or maybe they’d shacked up at a five-star in the city. It wouldn’t be unlike her friend to put a one-night stand above their friendship. Robyn seemed to come in second for everyone in her life.
She escaped into the bathroom. The tiny unisex room had two stalls and one sink. It was in worse disrepair than the actual diner, piss stains galore, but right now that was her last concern. She turned on the tap and splashed water on her face. Robyn studied her image in the mirror. I look like shit. Worse than shit. She looked tired and drawn out, her perfectly styled hair now flat and lacking any luster. Forget touching up her make-up, because all her supplies were in her purse. It was much harder to keep up appearances now than when she was in her twenties.
Her mind kept creating different escape scenarios, anything to get her out of this nightmare. She kept coming up empty. Without a working phone, money, or a ride—she was royally screwed.