Page 35 of Love Me Carefully
His body was warm against her side. The night had grown chilly, and her thin leather jacket wasn’t doing the job. Both the darkness and the realization of where they were being taken made her nervous. Leakin Park was notorious for the number of dead bodies the authorities found there year after year. Struggling not to panic, Leah leaned into the comfort of Terrell’s outstretched arm and wondered what would happen next.
When the truck suddenly stopped, both Leah and Terrell held their breath. Eyes on their kidnappers, they waited for whatever was to come next. Sensing their nervousness and experiencing a flurry of emotions himself, Donald stepped out of the truck first, with the driver immediately following him.
* * *
Rounding the vehicle, the two men stood near a small opening that led deeper into the park. “What now?” Cable pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and proceeded to light up.
“We need to do something with them until I can find out what they know.” With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Donald stood with his back to the truck.
Blowing smoke into the brisk night air, Cable shook his head in disagreement. “I say we just get rid of them now. It’s too risky to take any chances. You heard what Slick said. Ray Ray’s gonna be looking for us by morning. We can’t afford any more delays. Rohan won’t like that.”
“No, I don’t want any more bloodshed.” Donald looked back at the truck. Terrell. The look of sheer contempt in the young man’s eyes when they’d first met had caused him to consider inviting him outside to settle their differences. But something in Terrell’s eyes had stopped him. The man was simply protecting his mother. Donald couldn’t begrudge that. But now he’d crossed the line. He’d poked his nose into one sticky can of worms and it was Donald’s job to handle it.
Rosie had underestimated her son; they both had. Now he had to take care of the situation.
* * *
“What do you think they’re saying?” Shifting in the backseat, Leah tried to scoot closer to the driver’s side window to get a better view of the two men.
“I don’t know. They’re probably trying to figure out the best way to handle us.”
Abruptly sitting back against the seat, she asked, “And that is?”
“I hope it’s not what you think it is, but that seems like their MO.” He felt her shiver beside him. Grabbing her hand, he shifted so that he could look into her face. Fear etched her hazel eyes, and her small lips were pressed into a thin line as she tried to think of something other than her possible impending death. Guilt-stricken and remorseful, Terrell spoke from his heart. “I’m sorry, Leah. You were right, I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.”
“Ms. Rosie’s my friend, Terrell. I care a lot about her. I guess, deep down, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t making a mistake, either.” Terrell’s dark eyes were full of regret, and his shoulders sagged with despair. She wished she could make it better for him, but there wasn’t much either of them could do at the moment. “Besides, you didn’t hold a gun to my head to get me to come downtown,” she mumbled as an afterthought.
“Considering our present situation, I don’t think that was a good phrase to use.” His lips curved into a bleak smile.
“I guess not. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I made the decision to come so, in a way, I’m just as responsible as you are.”
“But had I listened to you in the beginning, none of this would be happening.”
“Yeah, then your mother would be marrying a drug dealer involved in murder. Get real, you did what you thought was right, and now we just have to deal with whatever comes next.”
She was so optimistic. Tanya would definitely have been crying, in a state of panic by now. Yet this woman was offering him words of comfort. He was liking her more and more.
“You know Leakin Park is known for the number of dead bodies they find here each year?” The fact she’d been thinking a few moments ago just rolled right off her tongue, giving birth to a fresh wave of fear. They’d been stopped there for about fifteen minutes, and not one car had driven past. Donald and his friend could shoot them both right now, roll their bodies down the incline, and go on about their business. There would be no witnesses, and their bodies probably wouldn’t be found for at least a week or two. It was rumored that police made regular inspections of the park for just that purpose. Leah hoped it wouldn’t take that long. Not that it would matter, because she’d be dead anyway.
Dead, she thought morbidly. Was she ready to die? There was so much she hadn’t experienced, so much more she wanted to do. Take her business, for instance. Leah wanted to expand, maybe branch out into a full-scale event planning company. She wanted to buy a house and to travel, to finally get out of Baltimore for a while. Although she loved the city and would never dream of living somewhere else, there were a few places she’d like to visit.
Considering her words about dead bodies, Terrell frowned. “That’s good to know.” His tone was bland as he faced thoughts of impending death. If this was how he was going to die, then he hadn’t lived much of a life. When he was younger he’d thought going to college and maintaining a secure and profitable career was what life was all about. Of course, in those days he’d envisioned a wife to share everything with. But now, at thirty-three, he was facing death. His career had certainly been profitable, even though he hadn’t yet reached the level he’d originally aimed for, but he was alone, without a wife or even a girlfriend for that matter. And to top it off, his mother, the one person in this world he loved above all else, would most certainly marry this man who was bad for her. Closing his eyes, he laid his head back on the seat, seeing no possible way out of this situation.
“Terrell?”
Slanting his head in her direction, he opened his eyes slightly, enough to see her worried face. “Yeah?”
“I’m scared.” The words lodged in her throat as tears began to well in her eyes.
Stunned at her admission and angered by his own helplessness to make it better, he tightened his grip on her, resting his chin atop her head. “We’re going to be okay. I got us into this, and I’ll come up with a way to get us out.”
* * *
“Good morning, baby, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be getting packed.” Greeting Donald at her front door, Rosie paused for a brief second in surprise.
“I’m already packed. I just wanted to see you before I go.” Pulling her into his arms he let her soft, cushiony body relax against him.
“Well, I thought you weren’t leaving until tonight.” Loving the feel of his bristly beard on her skin, Rosie remained engulfed in his arms. He looked a little worried this morning, and she wondered if something was wrong. Donald didn’t talk about business with her, so if that was the source of his worries, she wouldn’t even bother to ask.
