Honeymoon Read Online Free Page A

for directions. Safe to
     
say, this wasn't her first trip to Logan Airport.
     
She walked outside and came to an abrupt stop -- look-
     
ing around. What for became clear after a few minutes.
     
It wasn't a cab and it wasn't a friend's car. It was the shut-
     
tle bus for Hertz.
     
As soon as she hopped on, I made a dash for the cab line.
     
Taxi!
"Take me to the Hertz lot!" I barked at the back of the
     
     
driver's head.
     
He turned around, an old-salt type, his face a road map
     
of wrinkles and creases.
"What?"
     
"Take me --"
     
"No, I heard you just fine there, pal. What I'm saying is,
     
they have shuttle buses for that."
     
"I don't like waiting."
     
"Neither do I." Jabbing his finger, he pointed out the
     
back window. "You see that line of cabs behind me? I didn't
     
wait in it for no three-dollar fare."
     
I looked up ahead at Nora's shuttle bus getting farther
     
and farther away. "Okay, give me a number," I said.
     
"Thirty bucks. That's my final offer."
     
"Twenty."
     
"Twenty-five."
     
"Deal. Drive."
     
     
----
Chapter 41
     
THE GUY SPED OFF and I immediately began to work my
     
phone. I had the number for every airline, hotel chain, and
     
rental car company already programmed in. It was a job
     
prerequisite.
     
I called Hertz. After suffering through a minute of auto-
     
mated prompts, I got ahold of an available agent.
     
"And when will you be needing the car, sir?" she asked.
     
"In five minutes. Maybe less."
     
"Oh."
     
She promised to do the best she could. In case it wasn't
     
good enough, I told the driver he might be spending some
     
more quality time with me.
     
Thankfully, it didn't come to that.
     
Nora's shuttle driver had a helium foot. With him putter-
     
ing along, we actually passed the bus before we got to the
     
lot. By the time Nora climbed into a silver Sebring convert-
     
ible, I was behind the wheel of my minivan. That's right, a
     
minivan.
I mean, who'd ever expect to be followed by some-
     
one driving one of those?
     
Just the same, I was sure to keep a little distance between
     
us. That was until Nora made it clear she was no shuttle bus
     
driver. Formula One racer was more like it.
     
The more I gunned it, the faster she seemed to go. In-
     
stead of blending in with the other cars, I was forced to blow
     
by them. So much for my inconspicuous minivan.
     
Shit.
A red light. I'd already sailed through an earlier one, but
     
     
this one was at an intersection. Nora made it through and I
     
didn't.
     
As she became a speck in the distance, I could do noth-
     
ing except curse and wait. The thought of having flown all
     
that way only to lose her was turning my stomach.
     
Green light!
I hit the gas and my horn at the same time, tires screech-
     
     
ing. The game had changed to catch-up and I was in serious
     
jeopardy of losing. I glanced down at my speedometer.
     
Sixty, seventy, eighty miles an hour.
     
There! I spotted her car up ahead. I drew a sigh of relief,
     
slowed down, and tried to pull closer. I had two lanes to work
     
with and the traffic was cooperating. I could move back and
     
forth without being too obvious. Things were looking up.
     
If only I'd been doing the same.
     
     
----
Chapter 42
     
I SHOULD'VE SEEN the split coming, where the road di-
     
vided. I was too busy staring at the big Sealy mattress deliv-
     
ery truck ahead of me, preparing to overtake it.
     
Bad decision.
     
With my right foot pressed to the floor, I pulled up along-
     
side the truck. It blocked my view of Nora. Edging forward,
     
I strained my neck to see where she was.
     
But it was something else I saw. Big, bright yellow
     
drums! The kind they fill with water and stack before con-
     
crete dividers so instead of going
splat,
you go
splash.
     
I looked over at the delivery truck. We were neck and
     
neck, the driver peering down at me.
     
I glanced at those big yellow drums. They were getting
     
very