Page 58 of Longest Ride

Travis threw up his hands. “I fuckin panicked, Billy. I figured it would be best for them with me screwing up every way possible. I’m a shit parent. Just look at Tammy. She’s completely out of control and that has to have a lot to do with me.”

“Don’t think so,” said Billy. “All her crazy stuff started with her being snatched off the side of the road. Since that happened, she shot the kidnappers and ran for it. Then she kidnapped Bobby Prescott twice. Something snapped, Travis. She ain’t right since that trauma. Before that, there wasn’t a damned thing wrong with her.”

“What if there was?” asked Travis. He sat holding his fork in the air. “What if there was something out of whack ever since Tibor, and the second time around clinched it and pushed her right off the track.”

Billy thought about it and nodded his head. “Yeah, I can see where that’s a possibility. Those five years she was held prisoner by Tibor Garrison could have already done serious damage to her brain.”

“Yeah,” said Travis. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Shit,” said Billy.

Lake Charles. Louisiana.

I walked out of the Big Wheel restaurant with breakfast and coffee for me and Bobby. Balancing the food and the coffee tray, I made my way through the cab of the truck to the sleeper.

Eldon’s brown eyes were open, and he gave me a funny look—like I was a stranger to him. “Where are you taking me, Tammy?”

“I heard guys talking in the convenience store and the bayou is a great place to hide out when the cops are after you.” I unwrapped my fried egg sandwich and took a bite out of it.

“No, Tammy. There is no great place to hide from the cops. No matter where we go, they’ll find us.”

“There are places,” I mumbled. “I heard about them.”

Bobby struggled to sit up a little so he could drink his coffee and Tammy didn’t offer to help him. “I don’t feel much like eating.”

Tammy turned and stared at Bobby like he wasn’t even there.

“Tammy, listen to me. I want you to call the cops and tell them to come and get me. I’m just starting to heal, and I need to be in a hospital. You’re going to kill me out here on the road.”

“Shut up, Eldon. I’m the one in charge.” She pulled colored brochures out of her jacket and shoved them at Bobby. “This is where we’re going. It will be safe there and you’re going with me. I’m doing this for you.”

Bobby glanced at the pictures. “This is a fishing camp in the swamp.”

“You like fishing, don’t you?”

“I guess it’s okay. Only fished a couple of times.”

“Eat your breakfast. I need a smoke. Be back in a minute.”

If I could get out of this truck, I’d be gone. Tammy has lost it and she’s going to get us both killed.

Death by fuckin cops.

I jumped out of the truck thinking Eldon was acting weird. Why would he say a stupid thing like we should call the cops? He was losing it.

Down the row from where I was parked, a couple of drivers were smoking and talking. I figured if they knew Louisiana, they would know good hiding places in the bayou.

“Hi, guys.” I stood close to them and lit up a smoke. “You guys know any good spots in the bayou where the cops won’t find you?”

One of them laughed. “Why are you asking that, little girl? Are you an outlaw?” They both laughed and that pissed me off. My hand wandered to the gun in my waistband, and I thought about shooting both of them for laughing at me. I could hardly keep from doing it.

“What if I am?”

More laughing. “You don’t look like much of a badass, little girl.”

“You done laughing? Where should I go?”

The guy with the big beer belly hanging over his belt buckle chuckled and said, “There are lots of places between here and the Gulf where people have gone, and nobody ever heard from them again.”

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