Page 21 of Jameson: Mayhem Makers

Elise and I looked, and a man raised his glass to us. He was the cute kind of nerdy with dirty-blonde hair and dark eyes rimmed with glasses, and he looked a few years older than us.

My best friend and I made eye contact, and she shrugged. “He’ll do.”

The following morning after we checked out, we had breakfast at a local diner, then got on the road. I was not looking forward to twelve hours on the road, but I wanted to put as much distance between my father and me as possible in the shortest time.

The longer I was gone, the more likely I would be able to stay gone. Or at least that was how it worked with kidnappings and runaways.

“We should reach Vegas a little after ten tonight,” Elise said as she tapped on her phone. I had taken the first driving shift, so she was navigating. We’d lost our paper map somewhere along the way. “Well, probably closer to midnight if we stop to eat.”

I nodded. “We should’ve stocked up on more snacks. It would’ve saved us time and money.”

“True, but stopping lets us have a true road trip experience. More stops, more new places,” Elise countered.

I chuckled. “I guess you have a point there.”

We stopped at a gas station with a sub shop to get gas and lunch, then got back on the road.

“I can’t wait until we get there. Then we won’t have to drive for a few days,” Elise said as she rolled her head around, stretching her neck.

Even though I wanted to take a break and have some fun, the thought of my dad catching up to me made me nervous. “Yeah, it will be nice to relax,” I said.

Elise’s eyes darted from me to the road. “I know that look. You’re anxious.”

I replied with a nervous chuckle. “I’m fine. We’re going to have a great time.”

“You’re damn right we are. We’re going to Vegas, baby!” Elise cheered, honking the horn several times.

I couldn’t help but laugh. My nerves started to dissipate, and for the first time since we left home, I allowed myself to be optimistic.

I just hoped everything continued to go the way I planned. Sometimes things were too good to be true.

Iwoke up to my phone buzzing on my nightstand. Grumbling, I opened one eye and answered, “This better be good.”

“The girl is on the move again. And I have the map of her route right in front of me,” Nodin answered.

I sat up, both eyes flying open. “What? How?”

“Their road map fell out of their car when they were loading up, and they didn’t notice. So I picked it up after they drove off.”

A small grin tipped my lips. “Sounds like it’s my lucky day. Where are they headed?”

“I’ll take a picture and send it to you, but it looks like their next stop is Roswell.”

I let out a gruff chuckle. “Let me guess, then they’re going to the Grand Canyon and Vegas after that.”

“Yep,” Nodin answered. “Pretty typical tourist road trip.”

I lay back down. “Sounds like they’ll be here in two or three days, then.”

“Yeah, I think so, too. I’ll let you know for sure tomorrow.”

I yawned before responding, “Thanks, brother.”

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed with a text. I opened it to see the photo of the road map and briefly studied their route. After Vegas, she was going through Cali, then up the coast to Seattle.

Too bad she wasn’t going to make it.

Guilt started to creep in, but I was pretty sure Miguel already had his own men trying to find her. One way or another, she was going to be taken against her will. But once we negotiated our deal, that wouldn’t be my problem.

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