Chapter 8
“We should arrive in Memphis in a couple of hours.”
Eden looked over at Drew and plastered a smile on her lips. “Super.” She then glanced back out the truck’s side window to ignore him like he’d been doing to her. Granted, he had never been a talkative person, but she could tell when she was deliberately being disregarded.
The last time they seemed to be on a friendly basis was that morning after the first night spent at the hotel in Flagstaff.
Since then, he had gone quiet, only answering questions when asked and not engaging in any conversation.
She knew he had to keep his concentration on the road and probably wasn’t used to having a passenger in his rig.
But still, she would think he could be a little more congenial.
They had checked into a hotel in Arkansas last night, and stayed in Oklahoma the night before that.
Both hotels were similar to the one in Flagstaff–breezeway style with a connecting door.
While on the road, they had made stops whenever they needed bathroom breaks.
Even when they grabbed lunch and dinner and ate in secluded areas of truck stops or rest areas, they’d done so in silence.
So, what was wrong with him? Why was he acting moody?
Had she done something to tick him off, or was her very presence annoying him?
She’d heard of cabin fever, and it could be he wasn’t used to sharing his space with anyone.
Whatever the reason, he had a not-so-nice attitude.
And why had he bothered to tell her when they would be getting to Memphis?
Obviously, he was more than ready to get rid of her.
Eden probably should have told him that when she had gone to the ladies’ room at one of the rest stops, a woman had looked at her as if she’d recognized her.
She honestly didn’t think that was possible since she’d been wearing her knitted cap and no makeup.
Regardless, she would have mentioned it anyway…
but given his less-than-desirable mood, she hadn’t bothered.
Nor had she mentioned that the last time she’d spoken to Sophie, when they’d stopped at that same rest stop, and she had fished out enough coins from her backpack to make the call, that Sophie told her that Elijah Tyson had men in the area of every major interstate, as well as major cities surrounding those interstates.
Sophie had also mentioned that her father had hired couples posing as husband and wife, as well.
That didn’t sit too well with her. Eden guessed he was thinking that she might seek help from a couple who looked trustworthy.
Still, since she and Drew would be going their separate ways when they reached Memphis, there was no need to apprise him of anything. She would have to fend for herself somehow.
“When we get to Memphis, I will make sure you have everything you need, Eden.”
She turned to look at him and wished she hadn’t. She had always been taken in by the beautiful depths of his brown eyes, as well as the shape of his lips. To be honest, everything about Drew was easy on the eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. I will prepay your hotel reservation and make sure you have enough cash to tide you over until you leave for Paris.”
“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” She turned back to peer out the window.
“What? I thought you said that you don’t have any money.”
She turned back to him. “I don’t. I called Sophie this morning from the rest stop. She and Mark are wiring me the funds I need. In fact, the first place I plan to go when I arrive in Memphis is the Western Union office.”
He didn’t say anything, but from the tightening of his jaw, she could tell he hadn’t liked what she had told him. That pushed her to say, “I don’t know what your problem is, Drew. You have made it pretty darn clear the past couple of days that you are ready to be done with me.”
He snapped his head around. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your attitude since we left Flagstaff. You’ve been acting moody ever since.”
“I am not moody.”
“Yes, you are.”
He didn’t say anything for a while and then asked, “And how are you supposed to get to Western Union? It’s probably located near town, and tractor-trailers are restricted from traveling on some streets.”
Eden hadn’t thought of that. “Just get me close enough, and I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“And what if you’re seen?”
“I guess that’s a chance I’ll have to take.”
“No, it’s not, and no, you won’t. I have things all worked out,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Last night, from the hotel, I contacted two of my men who are still in the area. One is bringing me a rental car, and the other is coming to drive my rig to Dollywood to make the delivery for me. They will be waiting at the Texaco Truck Stop.”
“Why can’t you deliver the shipment to Dollywood yourself?”
“Because I want to make sure you are safe before I leave you. It was my intent to check you into a hotel and prepay like I told you, but since you don’t need me to do that, the least I can do is make sure you get to Western Union.”
“I’m sorry, Drew. I know I’ve been nothing but trouble. But you’ll be rid of me soon enough.”
**
Drew was glad it was bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-40 so he could glance over at Eden.
Is that what she thought? That he was anxious to get rid of her?
He wished he could tell her just how wrong she was.
If he had been acting moody, it was because he knew their days together were about to end.
Regardless of whether he had wanted it to happen or not, Eden Tyson had gotten under his skin.
He had been waking up happier than usual for the past couple of days, knowing he would see her. And he had never been a morning person.
“You don’t owe me an apology, Eden. What’s happening to you is not your fault.”
“You’re wrong, Drew. It is. For years, I’ve let my parents tell me what to do, never giving it a second thought.
I dressed the way they thought I should, I let them select my friends, and enrolled at the college that generations of Tysons have attended.
Then, the one time I wanted to do something different, something that would make me happy for a change, they flipped.
The only reason Dad is doing this is because he thinks I will eventually fall in line.
I always have. But not this time. I truly want to be a model. That is my passion. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I do. When my cousins Harold and Lester moved from Phoenix to Charlotte, I thought I had lost my best friends, because in a way, they were. They were like big brothers to me, and I had always admired them. Whatever they did, I wanted to do it, too. Lester went to college, and Harold went to truck driving school. After Lester joined the executive team at a huge production company in Charlotte, Harold was hired by the same company as one of their tractor-trailer drivers. The Steeles have always looked out for each other.”
He stopped talking to look at the road, moving his truck up a little.
He glanced back at her. “During the summer, I would ride with Harold when he made long-distance deliveries. Back then, there weren’t the same rules and regulations as there are now.
It was during those summers, riding with Harold, that I discovered I wanted to be a truck driver, too.
So, I understand how it feels to want something badly. ”
Traffic began moving a little steadily now, so he looked back to the road.
He understood exactly what she was feeling.
For years, driving trucks had kept him sane, especially during those times when he returned home to see his parents and realized nothing had changed.
He had wanted so much for them, and to persuade them to move to Charlotte headed the list. But they had refused.
They had said Phoenix was where they had been born, and it would be where they would die. In the end, it had been.
A few hours later, they saw the huge marker indicating they were leaving Arkansas and entering Tennessee. The truck stop was only thirty minutes away. It looked like his time with Eden was about to come to an end.
**
Eden remained in the truck while Drew got out and spoke with two men who looked to be in their mid-twenties.
Both had been waiting at the truck stop when Drew’s rig had arrived.
A few minutes later, Drew returned to the truck, opened the passenger door, and helped her out of it.
He then introduced her to each man by their trucker’s handle ─Firecracker and Cool Breeze.
Once they had switched vehicles, she and Drew got into the rental car and sat there watching as they pulled away. “I’m going to miss that truck,” she said.
“Why?”
She wanted to tell him it was where she’d spent time with him, but didn’t. “Over the past few days, it’s been my home away from home.”
He chuckled. “That’s how I feel after spending days in my rig. For me, there is no place like it.”
Before long, they arrived at the Western Union office, situated not far from Beale Street. She knew it was time for something she was dreading ─saying goodbye. When she turned to thank him for everything, he said, “There’s no parking anywhere on the street, so I’ll circle the block and come back.”
“You’re not leaving?” she asked, surprised.
“Not until I make sure you’re in a hotel somewhere.”
She nodded, accepting that she’d been wrong. He was a knight in shining armor. Her knight. “Thanks, Drew. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Take your time. I’ll just keep circling until I see you come out.”
“Alright.”
She got out of the car and quickly rushed inside the building, and moments later, she’d signed for the funds.
She was surprised when the man at the counter told her that the sender of the wire transfer had requested the recipient call her immediately after she received the cash.
He offered her a private phone to use in another section of the room.
When the call was answered, Eden asked, “Sophie, what’s wrong?”
“Mark recently discovered that one of your father’s hired people spotted you at a rest stop and has been following you and the trucker. Chances are, they know you are in the Western Union office and might even be in there with you as we speak.”
The hair on the back of Eden’s neck stood up as she glanced around. The first person she saw standing with a man was that same woman she had seen in the ladies’ room at the rest stop. Damn… She told Sophie what she suspected.
“What are you going to do, Eden? Are there any police officers around who could help you? You are a grown woman. That couple can’t make you go with them.”
She could hear the anxiety in Sophie’s voice and knew one of them needed to keep their cool.
“I’d rather not get the police involved.
Thanks to you and Mark, I’ve got the money I need, and I’ll calmly walk out of here.
I doubt they will make a scene inside, and if they try to grab me on my way out, I’ll make sure I get away.
You’re right, they can’t force me to go with them.
” She let out a sigh. “Thanks, Sophie. I’ll call you back when I’m in a safe place. ”
Eden stuffed the envelope with the money in her backpack. She hoped and prayed that Drew was outside. She had just cleared the door when the woman grabbed her arm and said, “Your father needs to see you.”
She tried pulling her arm away, only for a man to take hold of the other one. She glared at them. “I will scream for the police. This is kidnapping.”
“We have our orders, Miss Tyson. We’re taking you to that car that is parked right there.”
Eden knew now was the time to resist and was about to start using whatever self-defense techniques she could against the two, when suddenly both the man and woman were shoved aside. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed by someone else ─Drew.
“My car is blocking traffic, so let’s run for it,” he said.
They did and quickly got into the rental car. The couple, who had obviously been caught off guard, moved quickly to get into their vehicle to follow, but a pickup truck had pulled up and was blocking their way.
“Are you okay, Eden?”
“Yes. Thank you. When I picked up the money, the man at the counter said that Sophie had asked me to call. She told me that I had been seen at one of the rest stops. When I glanced around Western Union, I recognized that lady from this morning.”
“What lady from this morning?” Drew asked. He had been zig-zagging in and out between cars and was now stopped at a traffic light.
“She was in the ladies’ room at that second rest stop. I got a funny feeling when she looked at me. I figure the reason she didn’t try to grab me then was that there were others in there, too.”
“I bet they have been tailing us the entire time,” he said. “I wish you had mentioned your suspicion to me.”
Eden wished she had, too. “What good would it have done? You needed to make it to Dollywood on time, and I didn’t know for certain she was working for Dad.
He usually only hires men.” She figured now was not the time to tell him what else Sophie had told her, about her dad arranging for ‘couples’ to find her.
“Your father is worse than a tyrant. He’s a controlling ass.”
She couldn’t disagree. When he hit the interstate, heading away from the city, she asked, “Where are we going, Drew?”
He looked over at her and said, “You’re going with me to the Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge. There’s no way I’ll let you stay in Memphis now.”