“Here,” Stella called to me as we rolled up to the terminal at LAX.
I took the business card she held out to me.
Stella St John
Hell on Wheels
“I’ll get you there early—no matter what LA traffic throws at us!”
Phone 323-867-5309
“I can’t stand on the curb, so we’ll settle up for this part of the ride, but I’ll be over in the cell phone waiting lot until you’re ready for me to pick you up. I’ll give you a discount for the return.” She pulled up to the curb then turned around to squint at me. “I like you, so fifteen percent off the return.”
I blinked a few times then finally shook my head. “Um, okay. It’ll be two of us, and Paige is supposed to have several bags.”
Stella shrugged. “No problem.” She flexed her arm. “I got you both.”
I grinned, charmed despite my earlier fear. “It was nice to meet you, Stella. I can’t wait to see what you think of Paige.”
“I’ll call my daughter while I’m waiting and see if she’d be interested in showing you around FDIM. She can use some good people for friends.”
“Um, thanks.” It felt weird to be set up by a stranger for a friend date, but then nothing about my car ride to the airport had been exactly normal.
“See ya soon!”
I climbed out of the back seat and Stella roared away before I’d even closed the door fully.
“Wow.” I shook my head. That’d been… “Wow.”
With a relieved sigh, I headed inside to read the arrivals board. I found Paige’s flight and corresponding baggage claim carousel number with ease then followed the signs in that direction.
I got maybe fifty feet from the arrivals board when someone grabbed my arm roughly and shoved something into my back.
“Me and you are going to take a little walk.”
It might’ve been a month since I’d last heard it, but I’d recognize Trent’s gravelly voice anywhere.
He pulled my arm sharply. “Come on.”
“Ow,” the protest came out involuntarily when he wrenched my arm.
“Shut the fuck up!” he bit out. “You do get what’s going on here, right? I’ve got a fucking gun.”
I shuddered. “I’m very aware.”
I could feel the cold metal pressing into the back of my dress right between my shoulder blades.
Oh god.
I looked around frantically at those passing around us, but we were just another obstacle in their path.
No one realized what was going on right in front of them.
No one was going to help me.
The weight of my situation slammed into me, and tremors shook my body.
“Come on.” He shook my arm harshly again. “I’ve got a car in short-term parking. We’re going for a little ride.”
