Blanco County 04 - Guilt Trip by Ben Rehder Page B

the effect it had on Stephanie. Made her a wildcat, all sexed up and ready to go. And he had half a dozen tablets in his suitcase.
    “Steph, you know we oughta hold off on that. Least while we’re on the road.”
    “I don’t see any reason why I can’t do some. I’m not driving.”
    The thing was, she had a point.
    He cut a glance at her from the corner of his eye and it made his heart thump. God, what a wonderful face she had. There were times when Lucas felt he could stare at it for hours, just get lost in it and forget all his troubles. He almost expected to hear harps playing when he was around her, like she was an angel straight down from heaven.
    She belched and said, “Where the hell are we, anyway?”
    “You know how, when you’re looking at a map, Florida hangs down into the ocean like a big ol’ dick?” he asked.
    “You’re so gross,” she said, giving him that look where she was trying to frown but was about to laugh.
    “Well, we’re about halfway down it.”
    She yawned and lit a cigarette, and they bounced along the narrow county road for a few miles. Staring out the passenger-side window, she said, “Lucas, you really think we’re doing the right thing?”
    “Hell yeah. You know how you love the ocean and everything? Well, Key West’ll be a hell of a lot nicer than Port Aransas, I promise you that.”
    She looked at him with no expression at all. Lucas had dealt with her mood swings before. Just a few days ago, she was thrilled about this spontaneous adventure.
    “What’s wrong?” he asked.
    “Nothing.”
    “You miss your mama?” he asked.
    She scrunched her face up, thinking about it. “Not really.”
    “What, then?”
    “It’s just riding in this car. I’m gettin’ sick of it. When the hell we gonna get there? You told me two damn days.”
    “Don’t snap at me, Steph. It’s only been two days.”
    “And we’re not there yet, are we?”
    “Yeah, but we’ve been mostly sticking to the back roads, and it’s a lot slower. I didn’t account for that.”
    “Plus, I’m sick of staying in shitty motels.”
    “ You know what? Anytime you wanna get out and walk, just let me know.”
    She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever.”
    He hated when she got all cranky, and he hated it even more when he didn’t have the backbone to give it right back to her. This time, he’d stood his ground. With a girl like Stephanie, that’s what it took sometimes. Otherwise, she’d bend you around her finger like a piece of baling wire.
    A few miles down the road, she caught his eye and stuck her tongue out at him, all playful. He ignored her.
    “Oh, Mr. Tough Guy,” she said. She swung sideways, her back against the passenger door, her long, tan legs draped over into his lap. She began to work her foot along his zipper. “Let’s see how tough you really are.”
    Later, after he pulled back onto the road, she said, “What if they come looking for us?”
    “Who?”
    “The cops. Who else?”
    “I told you they won’t.”
    “How do you know for sure?”
    “They won’t have any reason to look for you. Not too hard, anyway. Me, there’s nothing to connect me to him, really.”
    Lucas was just trying to put Stephanie at ease. They’d look for him, all right. The question was, would they be able to find him? The Corvette, too, would be a problem. He’d known that from the start. That’s why he’d decided to sell it—and Miami was probably the best place to do it. Find a chop shop and unload the damn thing. Far enough away from home that the cops wouldn’t be watching for it.

6
     
    “IF YOU DONT mind, Mr. Pritchard, just start from the beginning,” Bobby Garza said. Marlin noticed that the sheriff was looking tired this morning. Garza had a sweet little three-year-old boy, but the kid was currently battling the stomach flu. It had probably been a long night at the Garza household. Garza was a good-looking guy with thick black hair, but today he looked nothing short of