Wanderlove (10 page)

“She doesn’t sound very neighborly towards you,” Detective Vasquez pointed out.

“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Gabe said. “I’ll take this one off your hands, Paco. Just hurry with my report, okay?”

The detective nodded, shooing us out of his office. “Go on. I don’t want to know.” He seemed relieved to be rid of me-much to my further annoyance.

I stormed out after that, attempting a grand, theatrical exit.

“You don’t have to worry about taking me off his hands,” I said to Gabe, while making my way out of the office. “I was finished, anyway.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter,” he told me. “Because I filed the complaint the first time you mentioned the cans.”

I swung around to face him. “And why couldn’t you have mentioned that little detail to me sooner?”

Gabe merely shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”

I shook my head. My temper was at an all-time high, even for my usually calm demeanor. There was something about this man’s arrogance that infuriated me. I knew I should leave before I did something stupid, like hit him in his perfectly chiseled jaw.

“Come on now, don’t be so angry. Let me take you home at least.”

“No, thanks,” I said and turned away.

“Why not?”

“I’d rather walk.”

He followed me outside as I shoved open the glass doors of the station.

“It’s extremely hot,” he pointed out. “And it’s nearly four miles. You were in agony on the way here.”

“I don’t care,” I lied.

And then it occurred to me that he had been watching me, knowing I walked all the way here in the midst of this heat. He’d known I sweated like a pig on my way here because of that awful uniform. I became angrier, if it were even possible.

“You spied on me!”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t spy on you.”

“Cam told me what you can do and I know you spied on me!”

Gabe scanned our surroundings. “Keep your voice down,” he ordered me. “Cam has a big mouth, obviously. But I wasn’t spying. I could see you walking here. So what?”

“Whatever.” I turned my back to him. “You’ll also see me walking away from here.”

I left, heading down the sidewalk.
Stupid beast
, I thought to myself.

And then he called out to me.

“
Lola
.”

For some bizarre reason, I stopped in my tracks. The way he said my name. . .it was so familiar. I’ve heard my name said a million times before by many different people, but hearing him say it was something altogether different. It was almost nice in a soothing sort of way, a way in which I could not even begin to explain.

As I turned around to face him again, I noticed for the first time he was the only one I’d seen at the police station wearing a suit and tie. He looked rather striking. Out of curiosity, I really wanted to ask him why he bothered when everyone else dressed so casually. But then I thought better of it.

“Hey, do you like smoothies?”

“What?” I asked, dazed.

“Do you like smoothies?”

“I heard you the first time. I just didn’t understand the point of the question.”

“We happen to be standing in front of a smoothie stand and I would like to grab one before I take you back to Miriam’s.”

I looked to my right and noticed a brightly colored cart parked across the street with pictures of assorted fruits painted onto it.

“So how ‘bout it?”

I was slightly incredulous. It seemed like he was trying to pretend like my anger didn’t exist. “I told you I want to walk,” I answered. “And I don’t need you to buy me a smooth--”

“All right, fine. I’ll call Miriam and tell her to come get you since it’s so inconveniencing for you to let me drive you home.”

I angled a brow and cocked my head to the side. “You’re going to use blackmail just so you can give me a ride?”

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous. ”

“So does that mean you want me to call her? I have her on speed dial, you know. She
is
my neighbor.”

I sighed, losing my patience. Truthfully, I really didn’t want to walk home in the heat. And I had been in agony on the way here.

I bit my bottom lip, debating. Finally, I gave in. “This doesn’t make up for what you did-- and neither does the smoothie.” I figured I might as well add that last bit about the smoothie since I was already caving. I was thirsty, anyway.

But Gabe looked as if he couldn’t care less what I forgave him for or not. He only seemed appeased that I was allowing him to take me home. I wondered why he even cared, though I supposed he was doing it for Miriam. He could let himself believe he was some sort of Good Samaritan, for all I cared.

I
knew better.

Gabe walked over to the smoothie stand while I waited for him across the street. Apparently he was some kind of regular there because I could hear the young, female cashier greet him by name. And then she proceeded to giggle over something he’d said to her. I rolled my eyes. Apparently, there were people who actually liked Gabe, maybe even adored him. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. The only aspects of his personality I’d been exposed to were his arrogance and his rudeness. I couldn’t even begin to guess why Annika had fallen for someone like him. I’d admit the man was intriguing, but that was his only decent quality. And it certainly didn’t redeem him for his bad manners.

He walked back over to me and handed me a Styrofoam cup. “This way,” he said as he directed me to the parking lot behind the police station.

I sipped the smoothie, appreciative for anything made of ice. The frozen drink seemed to be highly popular in this state, and for good reason.

“It’s pineapple,” I remarked, surprised.

“Is that all right?” he asked.

“Yeah. . .it’s my favorite.”

He observed me, a strange look building in his gray eyes. “I suppose it was a lucky guess.”

A really lucky guess, in my opinion. But I didn’t comment on it. I decided I might try to sustain from being horribly mean to him on the way home since he’d picked out an excellent smoothie.

Gabe led me to an older, black Ford Ranger, opening the door for me.

Slightly chivalrous-I would add that to my list of possible good attributes.

“What no BMW? No Mercedes Benz? I must say I’m surprised, especially after seeing your mansion.”

“I’m on government salary, remember? And besides, I need room for the board.” He nodded his head to the bright orange, Ron Jon surfboard harboring in the bed of his truck.

“I didn’t peg you for a surfer. Aren’t you on the wrong coast for that?”

I’d come to find out that Florida’s Gulf coast was relatively calm compared to the Atlantic coast. Most surfers preferred to stick to the Atlantic, where the waves were much more likely to exist.

While starting the engine, he told me, “There are some decent waves every now and then. Especially in the winter.”

I’d always wanted to learn how to surf, but I’d never pursued it. I’d certainly had the opportunity, being surrounded by many oceans on many different occasions. But I just never got around to it. Maybe I could attempt it soon, I mused.

We’d pulled out of the parking lot and drove out onto Main Street when I noticed Gabe looking into his rearview mirror for a long period of time.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I think someone’s following us.”

I felt myself tense anxiously as I scouted out the area. “Are you sure?” I asked. “Who is it?” I immediately presumed that Luca and some of my Dad’s lackeys came to retrieve me. The thought paralyzed me with fear. It wasn’t a fear of my Dad’s men. And it wasn’t a fear of being forced to leave. I was ready to go anywhere at almost any time. It was part and parcel of the genes I had inherited. Instead, it was a fear of facing my dad.

I just wasn’t prepared for that yet.

“They’re a few streets down, but they’re driving parallel to us. I could be wrong. We might just be headed in the same direction.”

“You’re probably not,” I informed him, sighing. “I suppose someone had to come looking for me sooner or later.”

He glanced over at me, raising a brow. “Lola, is your family searching for you?”

I shrugged and sunk back into the seat. “I don’t know.”

“Are you afraid of them? Would they hurt you in any way?”

“What?” I asked, caught off guard. “Oh, no. Not at all. Well, sometimes I do feel like a sacrificial lamb.”

I noticed his expression had become entirely confused and so I explained. “My father arranged a life for me that I wasn’t very happy about. It’s the reason I decided to leave.”

“What kind of life?”

I debated whether or not I should tell him. I figured he should understand. Prostitution was very common amongst gypsy tribes. Since the beginning of our ancestries, if a woman didn’t choose marriage, they sought to support themselves in other ways. They lived to pleasure men by dancing, fortune telling or taking them to bed for a few coins. In modern times, the practices hadn’t changed all that much.

I assumed he knew of the traditions and so I finally decided to go ahead and tell him. “He planned to sell me to a madam with a very elite clientele.”

Gabe stared ahead for a moment until it dawned on him what I was saying. At first, he stayed very quiet, which didn’t surprise me. Most people simply accepted that way of life. It was a part of our culture.

But then Gabe began cursing-loudly, and in Romanian. I wasn’t fluent, but I could comprehend some of what he was saying. If I was translating it correctly, I heard him shout an expletive that meant ‘
always hell’
. I didn’t really understand why he said that, but I didn’t ask, either. Then, startling me, he banged on the steering wheel a few times with his fist.

When he calmed down, he glanced over at me.

My eyes were still wide with shock at his outburst. After a moment, I said, “Well, that’s pretty much how I felt about it, too.”

The angry expression he bore turned into one of surprise and then completely melted away as he softly chuckled.

“Sorry,” he said while sighing. “I just hate the backwards practices that continue to happen.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me.”

“I’m glad you stood up for yourself and decided not to go through with it,” he said. He sounded like he genuinely meant it. Who was this person? I found myself wondering what happened to the abominably rude man I met on the docks.

“I think I’m going to take a few odd turns and back roads, just in case we are being followed,” he told me.

The rest of the drive was quiet. But even through the silence, I was completely absorbed by Gabe’s presence. I tried closing my eyes, tried forgetting he was there. But it was no use. I remained on edge for the rest of the ride home.

Soon enough, we pulled into the driveway. I immediately unbuckled my seatbelt and hopped out of the car.

I grabbed my school bag and turned towards the house when I realized Gabe was behind me. I paused for a moment. “Thank you for driving me home,” I said, waiting for him to get back into his car and leave. He didn’t leave. All he said was, “No problem.”

“Have a nice day,” I said, attempting another
obvious
dismissal.

But he walked directly in front of me, towards the front door. Miriam left it open at this time of day, letting the ocean breezes flow into the house. Gabe walked right inside, as if it were his house.

I couldn’t help but feel aggravated by the level of comfort he must feel for Miriam. And, well, if I was being truthful, I was more annoyed at the level of comfort he must feel because of Annika. I cursed myself silently.

I had no idea where this delusion I had been harboring, the one that made me feel like I held a claim over Gabe, had ever come from. But I was determined to return to sanity as quickly as possible. With that thought resolute in my mind, I dismissed Gabe from my sight and headed upstairs towards my bedroom. I didn’t care why he decided to come inside or who he wanted to talk to. And honestly, I
shouldn’t
care.

I would simply distract myself until he left. Homework, I thought to myself. There is tons of homework to do.

Emptying my school bag onto my bed, I filed through my notebooks. Pausing, I heard myself sigh. I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

Why was he still here, anyway? What did he want? Was he looking for Annika? I gulped, realizing the possibility that they may have made up. I lifted my pillow to my face and groaned into it.
What was going on?
My mind screamed.

I needed to find out.

I headed back downstairs, looking for Gabe. I walked through the empty living room and heard voices coming from out back. Miriam was in the backyard attending to her garden. I moved towards the sliding glass door. It had been left open and so I peeked through the blinds. It seemed I’d been doing so much spying these days, it was starting to come naturally.

Gabe had his back to me. His hands were in his suit pockets. I couldn’t see his face to read his expression, but I could tell the conversation was serious by the hard lines in Miriam’s face. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress, with blue stripes and a matching blue scarf. It was a cheerful outfit. She must have been in a good mood before Gabe approached her.

“I can’t say I approve of whatever it is you’re doing,” I heard her say to Gabe. Her voice was low and tense.

“Miriam, you know I never meant to hurt Anni.”

Though they spoke quietly, I could still make out some of their muffled conversation.

Miriam shook her head, sighing. “What good do you think could possibly come from this?”

“What is it, Miriam? Do you think I harbor some sort of secret yearning that she might remember me?”

Miriam merely shrugged.

“Well, you would be absolutely right. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth.”

Miriam stopped watering her stargazers and looked up at him now, frowning. There was a passion in Gabe’s voice and demeanor I’d never heard before. It was intense, and a little frightening.

“I pray every single day of this semblance of a life that she will wake up and remember she’s in love with me.”