“Excited to get this over with. Where is this place you’re taking me?” I start heading to the passenger side door. The sooner we start, the sooner it’s over.
“It’s a spot I heard about a bit out of Palms Springs near Joshua Tree.”
This stops me dead in my tracks. “You’re fucking with me, right? I’m not driving all the way out there with you. Pick somewhere else.” At minimum that would be five hours, most of which would be in the confined space of his car. And though I hate to admit it, the sight of the older car throws me off balance.
“Nope. They have a spot for us.”
“Fine. Then I’m driving myself.”
A muscle in his jaw tenses and I think he’s going to fight me on this, but instead he lets out a resigned, “I’ll send you the directions.”
The address Wes sent isn’t even a real place, just coordinates. Outside is an expanse of desert, dotted by wobbly-limbed Joshua trees and spiny yucca. His car is a dot in front of me, but still, I’m not so sure about this. So, after another fifteen minutes, I call him.
“Are you sure we’re heading to the right place?” I ask.
“Yes, you’ll know it when you see it.” His voice pours through the speakers
Beneath me, the car jolts and bumps as I hit a pothole. Reflexively, my fingers clench the steering wheel harder.
“This better be worth it.”
There’s another dip, followed by the sound of rapid slaps against the pavement, the car canting to one side. A hazard light flares to life on my dash.
“Shit,” I hiss, pounding the wheel with my palm as I pull off to the shoulder and park. “Something’s up with my car. I’ll be right back.”
I hop out and walk around the front. Sure enough, the front tire on the passenger side is done for, the rubber pooling around the base of the rim. I check the other tires too, but they all seem fine.
The display on my dash shows that Wes hasn’t hung up as I slip back into my seat. “I’ve popped a tire.”
“Do you know how to change it?” Up ahead he’s made a U-turn and is headed back my way.
“I could try if I find a video.” I’m already pulling out my phone to check.
“Please don’t.”
Wes hangs up just as he pulls in front of me, kicking up a plume of dirt as he hits the edge of the road. He’s wearing this shit eating grin that I get a clear view of as the driver side window rolls down. “Need a ride?”
“How far out is the restaurant?”
“About two miles,” he says.
“Great. See you there.” I start walking. Along the horizon, the sun is starting to melt across the mountains. Probably enough for thirty more minutes of light. I should be able to make it there by then.
“Where are you going?” Wes shouts. Footsteps pound behind me as he races to catch up.
“To the restaurant.”
“Let me drive. You don’t even know what it looks like.”
“What happened to you’ll know it when you see it? I’m not getting in a car with you.” A stubborn attempt to regain some thread of control over this situation.
The footsteps stop. Good. I’ll go along with this stupid night, but I’m sure as hell not making it convenient.
The low rumble of a car starts from behind me. I expect Wes to drive past me and head back down the road, but he slows to a crawl, matching my pace as he rolls down his window. “Just get in. It will take three minutes to get there.”
“No thanks. I’ve been wanting to stretch out my legs after some idiot convinced me to drive out to the middle of nowhere. You go on ahead.”
“I’m not leaving you out here.”
