Page 41 of Escaping the King
I was doing my best to case out a nicer vehicle.I figured the owners were more likely to have the insurance deductible available than if I stole a crappier car.
The problem was that Dani wouldn't be quiet.She hadn't quite learned the way of a thief, yet.A few times, I'd approached a car only to have Dani start yelling or talking to me.
This was definitely easier back before kids.
And then there was the small matter of hiding the car Carlo had given me.I still wasn't sure how I'd do that.
Wasting hours waiting for the exact perfect moment to pounce was exhausting.
Not to mention frustrating.
The longer it took me to find a car, take it, and get rid of the one I was driving—the longer it would take me to get out of this city.
And I didn't want to continue on my journey in Carlo's car.I'd removed the tracking device in it, but I couldn't be certain he wasn't tracking it in some other way as well.
No.
In order to be safe, I needed a different car.
And I needed it two hours ago.
Dani was getting fussy, so I pulled over into a box store parking lot.I parked and grabbed her some food and milk from the cooler.I stretched my legs while she ate and sang.
Trying to stay patient was getting harder and harder as the minutes ticked by.My eyes gazed around at all the cars, but I knew I couldn't take any of them.For one thing, it was the middle of the day.
For another, I knew there'd be security cameras around.It was far too risky.
I'd have to drive around once Dani was done.
A wicked cramp hit me, and I leaned on the side of the car for a minute.This was so freaking ridiculous.
Here I was, battling cramps, and feeding a toddler while she sang about a family of sharks.
And I was conspiring to commit grand theft auto.
What the heck had my life turned into?
The sparkly objects wrapped around my finger stole my attention.
I wiggled my finger around as they shinned, brightly.
Gosh.
I loved these rings so much.And I loved the man who gave them to me even more.
I needed to take them off and pack them away.
Soon.
Arriving in Denver with a set of jewelry like this wouldn't help me in any way at all.Not in the end of town I was traveling to.
“Momma, treat?”Dani called from her seat.She wanted a pack of her favorite fruit snacks.I'd brought a bushel of them along for the trip.
“Okay,” I called as I arched my back and hoped the cramps would stop soon.
It would be better if I took some ibuprofen.But if I took those, I'd probably get drowsy.And being drowsy on the road wasn't something I needed right now.
I walked up to Dani's door and reached over her for the box of fruit snacks.I pulled one out and opened it.“Here, Momma's going to start driving now, okay?”I didn't add that we had to go find a car to steal.
