On the run

Veronica POV

I drive for hours. I have no idea where to go or what to do. I am not sure if Mr. David is involved or the detectives, but I know I am not safe. I have to run but to where? I have nowhere to go. Everyone knows me. 

I keep driving until the car lights begin to blink off and on. What the hell is going on? I pull over to the side of the road, and the car stops. The doors lock automatically, trapping me inside the car. I begin to panic, and I cannot breathe or think. 

"Pull yourself together!" I scream as I bang my hands against the steering wheel. 

I look in the rearview mirror and then look ahead. I see a small roadside motel to the left of me just ahead. No one is coming yet, but how will I get out of the car? I pull on the handle, but the door will not open. 

There is one way out if it will work. I crawl into the backseat and pull the seat down. I slide carefully into the trunk. I pull the trunk emergency latch, and it opens. I reach into the backseat and grab my backpack and purse, taking both with me as I exit through the trunk. 

I close the trunk and shoulder my bags. I run toward the small roadside motel. If I can get there and use my fake ID to get a room, just for tonight, maybe I can figure out something tomorrow. I need some sleep. Who am I kidding? There will be no sleep for me tonight. 

I make it to the roadside motel. I see a few more motels past this one. Maybe I should go a little further, or perhaps I should get inside somewhere. I am exhausted. I cannot go any further. 

I walk into the hotel, hoping no one here knows me. I keep my sunglasses on and go straight to the front desk. 

"Hi, I need a room for a few nights," I say to the clerk. 

The young blonde man looks nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea. Does he know me? Please don't recognize me! The young man is shaking as he takes my ID. "Candy Newman," he says, looking at my ID. 

"Yes, I will be paying cash if that is okay," I say. 

He looks behind me. "No car?" He asks. 

"No, I was dropped off," I say. I am not sure what to say, and it just pops out. I take a deep breath. I have a bad feeling all of a sudden. 

"How many nights?" the young man asks. 

"Two," I answer. 

He hands me back my ID and a paper to sign. "your total is 150," the young man says, his voice shaking. 

I hand him one hundred and sixty dollars. He is shaking as he makes the change. He gives me my change and a key to my room. "Room 133 it is out the door and down the left side of the building," he says. 

"Thanks," I say. 

"Be careful," He says. 

I look at him for a moment, hoping for some sort of sign as to why he is nervous. There were here looking for me, and he is afraid they are coming back. I nod and go out the door. 

I stop in front of room 133. I hesitate for a moment. If there were here earlier, maybe they won't be back for a while. Perhaps I can get out of here before they come back. I open the door to my room and go inside. I need rest. I will have to risk it. 

I sit my bag down on the bed. It is not the nicest or grossest place I have ever been. I guess it will do. It will have to do. 

I sit down on the side of the bed next to my bag. Why did my car stop? It had to be reported stolen, but by who? Maybe Mr. David or one of the detectives or someone worse. I wonder who my father screwed over?

KNOCK KNOCK

The knocking at the door sends me into a panic. I go to the door and look out the peephole to see who it is. It is the young man who checked me in earlier. He is shaking and nervous. He is holding towels. I open the door slowly. 

"Yes," I say. 

"I brought you some towel," he says. 

I take the towels from him and close the door. That was odd. I set the towels down on the bed. On the top towel is a note. It says get out of here. My jeep is in the back. Take it. Erza is looking for you. Destroy this, or he will kill me. 

My heart is racing as I rip the note into tiny pieces. I go into the bathroom and flush the message. I grab my bag and open the door. I look both ways to see if anyone is coming and run to the back of the motel. There is a jeep in the back. 

The jeep is unlocked. I open the door and get inside. The keys are waiting for me. I crank the jeep and pull around the front of the motel slowly. I do not want to draw attention to myself. 

As I pull out onto the highway, I see the blue and red lights flashing. The police have found my car. Whoever this Ezra person is, he will be here soon. Ezra must be the man who is responsible for my father going to jail. 

I drive the speed limit. I have to get somewhere, but I do not need to get pulled over. I am back to square one, with nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep tonight. Why did my father put me in this kind of predicament? If he knew something like this was happening, why didn't he get me somewhere safe? Maybe he had planned to, but he ran out of time. 

I see lights ahead of me. They look as if they are coming straight at me. I keep driving and staying focused. The lights are brighter as I get closer to the source. Two or three cars face me on the wrong side of the road. Please be the police looking for the driver of the abandoned vehicle and not the man looking for me. 

I stop in the middle of the road and wait. Two figures start walking toward me. One goes on the passenger side of the jeep and the other to the driver's side. "Veronica," one of the men asks as he looks inside. 

I don't recognize him. I stare at him blankly. "I think you have something that we want," the man says. 

The men open both doors of the jeep. "There is no escape," the man on the passenger side says. 

"Okay," I say, accepting my fate. 

I get out of the jeep. I reach back to grab my bag. "Henry will get that for you," the man closest to me says. The other man grabs my purse and bag out of the jeep. 

"Come on, Mr. Waylen is waiting for you," the man says. He is holding my upper arm, dragging me. 

"I can walk," I say. 

"You can run from me too. That is not happening on my watch, Miss," he says. 

The overly large man puts me into the back of a car and closes the door. I try to open it, not sure why, but it is locked. I cannot escape this. I hear the two men talking, and then a car pulls away. I guess Henry left. It is just the big guy and me. 

The big guy gets into the car and starts it. "Where are you taking me?" I ask him. 

The big man doesn't answer me. He ignores me. I protest. I scream at him. I am stressed out and sleepy. I want to know what the hell is going on. I lash out in uncontrollable screams. 

"Stop it," the big guy says calmly. I stop screaming. 

"Where are you taking me?" I ask again. 

The big guy looks at me in the rearview mirror. "I am taking you to pay for your father's mistake," he grins at me.