Highways & Hostages (9 page)

Billy stuffed his face with more burrito. This girl was too damn nosy. Why couldn’t she just drop it? “We saw you two arguing last night; Stella told us you were her sister. And I don’t know anything about a fiancé.”

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Billy for a few seconds more, then shrugged. She lowered the burrito, unwrapped it, and took a bite. “I never liked him anyway. What’s next?” she asked with a full mouth.

Billy nearly let out a sigh of relief. “Wanna get out of here? I’ve got a sweet condo right off the Strip. We could watch a movie or something.”

Phoebe took another bite of the burrito and swallowed. “‘Or something’ sounds nice.”

Billy was pretty sure their respective ‘or somethings’ were not the same. She was cute, but not cute enough to warrant jail time; that was Finn’s thing. He wondered if he could get in trouble for just making out with her. Who would be the wiser?

“C’mon,” he said, walking to a nearby trashcan to toss the burrito wrapper. He turned back to Phoebe and held out a hand. She stared at his outstretched palm, her top teeth worrying her bottom lip.

“You’ve been hanging out with me all evening. No stranger danger here, remember?” Billy flashed her a wide smile. Phoebe grabbed Billy’s hand, dropping her half-eaten burrito into the trashcan as she passed it.

“Your car is making me claustrophobic,” Finn said for the third time in as many miles. He unbuckled his seatbelt, wiggled around, and then buckled it again.

“We’ve only been on the road for an hour. Besides, beggars can’t be choosers,” Stella said, keeping her eyes on the road. She still couldn’t believe the circumstances that led her to drive this conman across the Southwest. But the money was too tempting to refuse. Oh, and she needed to get Phoebe back.

“Are you discounting the plight of the claustrophobic? Because it is a
very
important issue in this day and age.”

“You are not claustrophobic. Hush.”

Finn tried to roll down the window with the hand crank. It didn’t budge.

“Yeah, that’s broken,” Stella said.

“What isn’t broken on this damn car?” Finn muttered, staring out the window.

“I heard that. Remind me again—why aren’t we taking your car?”

The two sat in uncomfortable silence as they passed strip mall after strip mall and the traffic dwindled. Stella hated awkward silences. And if she was going to be stuck in the car with this guy for who knew how many hours, she’d try and make the best of it. Derek didn’t call her “Stella Sunshine” for nothing. She racked her brain for something to fill the quiet.

“So…why do people call you Finn if your name is Jacob?”

“Only my boss and grandparents call me Jacob. Everyone else calls me Finn.”

“Your parents?”

“My parents are long gone.” Finn stared straight ahead and the car descended into another awkward silence.

“My dad—and Phoebe’s dad—left a long time ago.”

Finn didn’t say anything. Stella sighed and fiddled with the radio. This was going to be a long ride.

A couple of hours and many more awkward silences later, Finn pointed at a roadside motel with a marquee boasting cheap rates. “Let’s stop there.”

“That place looks like a dump,” Stella said, wrinkling her nose. She and her mother had stayed in some dubious-looking places when they were taking a break from RV living, but this motel looked like the Department of Health was past due in shutting it down. After the crumbling, dirty stucco, empty pool, and dead trees dotting the property, Stella was surprised to see two cars in the parking lot. She bet they belonged to the motel’s employees.

“I can’t take another minute in this car. Besides, I’m not exactly rolling in dough right now, are you?”

Finn had a point. Stella bit her lip and turned into the motel parking lot. She cut the engine and she and Finn got out. Finn made a show of kneeling and kowtowing to the ground.

Stella frowned. “Are you done? I’m tired, and it’s really late.”

Finn got up and dusted off his jeans. “I thought you didn’t want to stay here.” He sneered.

Stella walked past him into the lobby. She could practically feel him rolling his eyes behind her back. He nudged her out of his way and sidled up to the check-in desk. Stella thought herself an extremely patient person, but this man was tap dancing on her last nerve.

“Could we get a room for the night?” he asked the well-endowed peroxide blonde behind the desk. A nametag that said “Patsy” clung to her mountainous bosom. She smacked her gum loudly with an open mouth and leaned over the counter, giving Finn and Stella a disturbing view of her endless cleavage. Patsy’s polyester blouse looked like it was holding on for dear life. Stella hoped an escaping button wouldn’t hit her in the eye.

“Just one room?” Patsy asked.

“Yeah, just one room?” Stella asked pointedly, peering around Finn’s side.

He turned and glared at her. “We’ll make it work,” he hissed before returning his attention to Patsy. “Just the one,” Finn said loudly.

“King bed, or two doubles?” Patsy asked.

“TWO DOUBLES,” Finn and Stella chimed at the same time.

Patsy raised one penciled-on eyebrow, glancing from Finn to Stella and back again. Finn pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed some cash to Patsy. She gave him a key and smiled widely at Finn as he and Stella went back outside to Josie.

Finn opened the passenger door and pulled out both his and Stella’s bags. Stella locked the car and let him lead the way to the room. He put the bags down and opened the door, then flicked on the light switch. Stella pogoed up and down behind him, trying to see over his shoulder.

“This place is a total dump,” he conceded. “But it’ll do for a few hours of sleep.”

The room was a dingy beige color, and smelled of stale cigarette smoke despite the “No Smoking” sign on the door. The two sagging double beds were covered in matching dark plaid comforters. The plaid fabric couldn’t hide the stains or burn holes, though. A sink sat in the far corner of the room. Stella wasn’t sure if she wanted to open the door at the other side of the room and see what the bathroom looked like.

Finn picked up the bags and brought them into the room, placing them on one bed. Stella sighed and entered behind him. She grabbed her bag and wordlessly moved it to the other bed. She watched from the corner of her eye as Finn took off his shirt and wriggled out of his jeans, down to his boxers. She had to admit his body was nice.
But not as nice as Derek’s
, she hastily amended.

He glanced up and caught her staring, though she quickly averted her eyes. Stella felt the heat rise in her cheeks as Finn smiled impishly. “Like what you see?”

She whipped her head away. He was such a conceited jerk, like his friend Faux Hawk. Birds of a feather and all that. She rifled through her bag for a tank top and shorts and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him to his own devices.

The small bathroom was only slightly better than the image she had conjured in her mind. There was a decent-sized tub/shower that looked mostly clean, and a toilet with a cracked seat. At least she had a lot of practice hovering over toilet seats while traveling with her mother. Quickly, she slipped into her pajamas and exited the bathroom.

Stella glanced over at the beds to find Finn facedown and fast asleep in one of them. How was he able to fall asleep so quickly? She neatly folded her other clothes and placed them in her bag before grabbing her toothbrush and going to the sink. Over the sound of the running water, she heard faint snoring. After she finished, she scrubbed off her makeup and took her hair down from its ponytail. Stella stood before the mirror for a moment, studying her reflection.

Without the camouflage of her makeup, Stella noticed she had lines forming around her mouth and under her eyes. She thought about her phone background: a picture of her and Derek that was taken not long after they’d first started dating. In the photo, her skin had glowed, and she seemed to radiate happiness. But now, she just looked exhausted.

Stella stuck her tongue out at the mirror, grabbed her toiletries, and went back to her bag. After putting everything away, she pulled back the covers of her bed and inspected the sheets. They looked only slightly cleaner than the comforter, but she was too tired to care. She slipped between the covers and fell asleep immediately.

Finn yawned and wiped the sleep from his eyes. The motel bed was as comfy as the ones in juvie; that was to say, it left
a lot
to be desired. But that didn’t matter; it was time to get on the road. He glanced at the other double bed, half expecting to find it empty. But Stella lay there, blinking back at him. Finn jerked himself into a sitting position. “Jesus, that’s creepy.”

Stella chuckled. “I’ve been awake this whole time—I couldn’t sleep for fear of being attacked by bed bugs. Can we not stay in a roach motel next time?”

Finn ignored her complaints and got out of bed. He stretched. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Stella yawned and pushed the covers back. “The sooner, the better.”

An hour later, Finn and Stella were leaving Phoenix and hurtling down I-10. Finn was behind the wheel, having claimed it would help his claustrophobia. Stella gazed out the passenger window.

Finn cleared his throat. “What are you going to do with the money?”

Stella turned toward him and then gazed back out the window. “I have a wedding to pay for and rent on my trailer. All the bills that come with said trailer…”

“Why isn’t lover boy paying for the wedding?”

Stella’s head whipped around. “His name is Derek,” she said through clenched teeth. “And we’re partners. I don’t expect him to pay for everything; this is the twenty-first century.”

Finn lifted his hands and hunched his shoulders in surrender. “Jeesh, sorry.”

“Keep your hands on the wheel!”

Finn rolled his eyes and replaced his hands. “When’s the wedding?” he asked after a few minutes.

“Next fall. Derek wants to find a time that works for all of his family members, and when his work schedule isn’t so busy.”

“And what about
your
family?” Finn asked.

“My mom has been living in Italy with her boy toy, Paolo, for the last five years. When I called and told her I was getting married, she gave me an hour-long lecture about how it was a terrible idea, and how I’d regret it when he left me for a younger, newer model,” Stella said.

Finn hazarded a glance at her before returning his attention to the road. “Wow. Sounds like someone’s a little jaded.”

“Well, I don’t blame her. She and my dad were married for fifteen years. Then one day he tells her he’s leaving her for a woman he met on one of his business trips…who is pregnant with his child.”

Finn gave a low whistle. “So, Phoebe…”

“Is my half sister. She was born when I was eleven, but I didn’t meet her or see my dad again until I was fifteen.”

“Well, Phoebe lives with you now, so I’m guessing you guys are close?”

Stella barked out a laugh. “Phoebe’s a spoiled princess, and she’s used to people giving her what she wants. She’s only in Vegas for the summer so we can get acquainted with one another.”

Finn continued to drive, eyebrows arched. “Well, then.”

“We should go on
Springer
, right? Do they even still film that? What about your family? I bet you’ve got some crazy in there.”

Finn swallowed and focused on the road ahead. The silence began to stretch into awkward territory. Stella opened her mouth to fill it, but Finn spoke.

“My dad left before I was born, and my mother was an alcoholic. I was raised by my mother’s parents.”

“I’m sorry—”

“There’s no reason to apologize; it is what it is. My grandparents were awesome; I never lacked for anything. When I was in my teens, I was resentful because I felt abandoned by my parents. I did a few stints in a juvenile detention center. It was only in my twenties that I realized the huge sacrifices my grandparents made for me. And by then it was too late to tell my grandfather. I was such a little punk.”

Stella remained silent, and Finn realized he was grateful. He was glad to finally be able to tell someone his story. Alex and Billy wouldn’t have understood—they couldn’t. Something about Stella made it easier for him to open up.

“I’m trying to make up for it now…I pay for my grandma to live in this really posh retirement community in Florida that she loves. And I send her extra money for shopping and whatever else she needs.”

“Do you visit?”

“Erm…”

“She’d probably love for you to visit her.”

“Maybe. But enough about me; let’s hear about your fiancé.”

Stella looked down at her engagement ring, the ruby winking in the morning sunlight. “Derek is a good guy. He works as a business consultant, so he travels around the country analyzing businesses and helping companies come up with marketing strategies.”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”

“Um, well. He likes video games…and has some weekly board game thing with his friends.”

“Okay, he’s a nerd. Got it.”

Stella’s head spun in Finn’s direction again. Finn decided he wouldn’t pull over if she got whiplash; it would be her own fault.

“Don’t talk about him like that. You don’t even know him.”

Finn lifted his shoulders in obeisance. “Sorry.”

The silence in the car was tense and stretched on. Stella fumed in her seat, twisting the ring on her finger, before posing an entirely different question. “What about you?”

“What
about
me?” Finn asked.

“Is there anyone special in your life?”

Finn emphatically shook his head. “Nope. I am married to my job.”

Stella shifted in her seat until she was facing Finn. She folded one leg beneath her. “And what is that, exactly?” she asked, her tone sharp.

Finn glanced at her and sighed. “You’re going to get mad.”

“Oh God, you
are
a drug mule. What did I get myself into?” Stella moaned, dropping her head into her hands.

“No, no, no,” Finn said, beating the steering wheel. “I acquire art pieces from a seller and then deliver them to either my boss or someone who has purchased the piece.”