5. Laney
5
Laney
When I opened my eyes, Gideon was still driving. I turned and looked at the clock; I slept for three hours.
“Wow, I can’t believe I slept so long. Was I snoring?”
“Only a couple of times, I elbowed you, and you stopped.”
I chuckled. I could not remember the last time I felt so relaxed. I was always scared Jonah would take Haley and have his men kill me.
“It feels good not to worry. I could never relax, even while I was asleep. Where are we?”
“Colorado. We’ll stop for dinner in the next town and try to get another six hours of driving. We can stretch our legs for a while. What do you want to eat?”
“I’ll take a burger and fries. We can take it to the river, eat our dinner, and see how beautiful it is. Maybe I’ll move us to Colorado.”
“I wouldn’t make any plans just yet. We need to wait and see what happens with Jonah.”
“How are we going to know anything about Jonah?”
“He’s always on the internet. You have to know where to look on the dark web.”
“That sounds scary; I never want to go on the dark web. There is an In-N-Out Burger. We can get our dinner and then sit at those tables in that park by the river.”
He pulled into the parking lot, and we got out, used the facilities, and washed up. I filled Bear’s water while Gideon ordered for us. Gideon carried three bags across the street, where Bear and I admired the beautiful, roaring river. Bear had three hamburgers and ran around in circles; he was so happy to stretch his legs.
“Did you have any animals you had to leave behind?”
“No, not this time. When my mom died, I had a cat. I don’t know what happened to her. I asked the first people I lived with if we could go to my home and get my cat. The lady said animals weren’t ever allowed. I was just so sad for so long. No one asked me about my mom, and I wanted her to come and get me.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. People can be insensitive sometimes. I think some people like helping the foster children out, but then you have probably have half of them who want only the money.”
“I think it’s more than fifty percent. There are the nasty weirdos, and the rest are indifferent as long as they get their money. I know it would be hard to raise another person’s child, and it’s good the children get a warm bed to sleep in. But honestly, the fucking government needs to investigate these people who are allowed to take children into their homes.”
“You should run for Congress or write a bill and see if you can get it passed,” Gideon said, taking a bite from his hamburger.
I raised my eyebrow, “Are you forgetting that I have the head of the Mob trying to find me? He wants me dead, and he wants my child. I can’t do anything until he’s gone from this earth.”
“He won’t always be around. He has more enemies than anyone I’ve heard of. One of his enemies will kill him. Hopefully, it’s sooner than later.”
“That would be nice. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready. Bear, come on, it’s time to go,” Gideon called out. I watched as Bear barked and ran for the river, barking the entire time.
“What’s he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Gideon said as he ran toward the river, and I ran behind him. Bear had jumped into the river and held onto a bag, trying to get it to the bank. Gideon jumped down there and grabbed the bag. I watched as the bag moved.
I stood back as Gideon ripped the bag open. There were baby kittens and a mama cat. Someone tried to kill these poor babies. I looked at Gideon and smiled because he looked like he just opened a big can of worms.
“What are you going to do with them?” I asked.
“What should I do with them?”
“I don’t know. Should we take them with us and give them away when they are old enough to be given away?” I said, picking one up and returning it when the mama cat hissed.
“I guess we’ll have to take them with us. Cats don’t like riding in a vehicle. We’ll have to get them a carrier, and they can stay in the back seat with Bear since he’s the one who found them.” As soon as Gideon spoke, Bear ran up and shook himself dry. I jumped up, Gideon fell backward, and Bear jumped on top of him. He was so wet.
I laughed so hard I had to hold my side. I saw Gideon get up and come to where I was laughing. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed all of that wet dog on me. I still laughed until he stopped and stepped back.
“You better watch your back, Gideon. I always get my man.” Why the hell did I say that? I glanced at him; he was smiling. “You know what I mean. I didn’t mean that you’re my man. I meant I’d get you back for rubbing all that dog water on me.” I shut my mouth as his grin widened.
I turned to the kittens, picked them up, and carried them to the truck. Spotting a woman nearby, I asked for directions to Walmart. She obliged, and as I turned back, I heard cursing. The mama cat was clawing Gideon’s shirt. He tried to get her claws out of it. I winced, imagining the scratches beneath.”
“How the hell are we going to get this cat to Walmart to buy something to contain her? Gideon asked, exasperated. My heart fluttered momentarily, but I quickly dismissed it.
“Come here, cat,” I said, taking the cat from Gideon, who watched me closely. “I’ll put them in the back seat. They should be fine, but they all need a bath.”
He shook his head and disposed of our trash. “Are you getting in the truck, or planning to run alongside?” he teased.
“No need to be a smartass. I won't get in until you do. I can’t let this crazy cat go until all the doors are closed.” I noticed his grin and heard his chuckle, then looked down and smiled myself.
I was holding the cat’s four legs in my hands, andher head was tucked under my arm. “She’ll bite me if I let her go. Look what she did to my arms.” I released her front legs to show him, and before I could react, she scratched my neck. I screamed.
Gideon swiftly took the cat from me, but she turned on him, jumping onto his back as he reached for the kittens. I sat on the ground, laughing so hard I nearly cried. He placed the kittens by a tree, and the mother rushed to them.
“Are you getting into the truck, or should I carry you to your seat?” he asked.
“I laughed so hard I needed to pee.”
“There’s In-N-Out Burger. Can you make it there without an accident?”
I chuckled as I walked across the street and smiled when I entered. After using the restroom and freshening up, I found him waiting with a soda and a chocolate bar.
I smiled as I took them. “How are your scratches?”
“They sting; maybe when we stop and get the carrier, we’ll get something to put on our scratches.”
“We aren’t getting any carrier; the cat’s owner came to get them. Their neighbor tried killing them because the cat had her babies in the neighbor’s yard. That’s them over there. As you can see, the cat is damn happy to see them,” He put his arm around me, “Let’s get you to Haley.”
I felt a pang of sadness about not caring for the kittens, but I brushed it off. We stopped to get ointment for our scratches before continuing our journey.