Page 50 of Sangre
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The night hadobliterated any lingering light when Isla came out of the recording studio. A cool wind from the mountains made her shiver and her skin pebble. A sprinkling of shimmering stars above illuminated the dark, moonless sky. She tugged her cardigan tighter and glanced around the small parking lot in front of the studio; her car was the only one there.Where the hell is the security?She rushed over to her car and slid in quickly, locking all the windows and doors. She started the engine and pulled onto the two-lane highway. As she approached Alina, silhouettes of cacti, brush, and rock formations turned into moving shadows and shapes, which made her insides twist and churn. There wasn’t a car in sight, and she kept her gaze fixed on the road ahead, occasionally looking at the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following her.
When Isla saw the lights of the town, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Relaxing her fingers a bit, she loosened her death-like grip on the steering wheel, shaking out one hand and then the other to get the blood flowing again. Isla took out her phone to call Sangre and ask where the hell the security was but cursed when she saw her battery was dead. She cursed even louder when she realized she’d forgotten to take out the charger from her other purse before she’d left that morning.
“I’ll just stop in one of the restaurants and use their phone,” she said out loud as she turned down Fifth Avenue. All of a sudden, a loud clanging sound echoed around her.Is that my car?She rolled down the window, and the sound was almost deafening. She stopped the car. No sound. She started it up again, and the noise began. “Dammit!This has been such a shitty day. First the flat tire and now this.Shit!” She pounded the steering wheel. If she could just get to Main Street, there’d be a lot of places still open, and she’d be okay.
The car bucked as she pressed her foot all the way down on the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle kept slowing down. It was like the gas wasn’t getting to the engine. She glanced at the gas gauge, and it showed she had nearly half a tank full. “What the hell’s wrong?” Then the car died. “Fuck!” Isla switched the key and all she heard were clicking and whirring sounds, but the engine didn’t start. She waited a few minutes then tried again. Nothing. Looking around, she didn’t see any one.Where the hell is my bodyguard?Mark had been there during the rehearsal and when she’d gone into the studio.Who took the next shift?She picked up her dead phone and stared at it likethatwould make it magically power up.I can’t just stay in the car. Main Street is only a few blocks away.Sighing, she grabbed her tote and got out of the car.
The street was dark and deserted, the only light coming from sporadic streetlights that filtered through the overhanging branches of the trees on each side of the road. Isla moved quickly through the thin lights and shadows, her knuckles white from clutching the straps of her tote. Looking down the street, it appeared to just melt into the darkness. Isla picked up her pace and pushed onward, her soft footfalls absorbed by the pavement.
Then a gust of wind surged through the empty street, moaning like some horror movie opener. Trees creaked, bushes sighed, and cans and papers rumbled, bumping into walls and darkened corners. Isla bent her head down to avoid dust getting in her eyes, and then stopped to button up her cardigan. And that’s when she heard it above the wind’s groan: the clack of heels on the pavement behind her. Blood suddenly rushed to her head. She took a few steps then stopped, and the footsteps stopped as well. Swallowing hard, she walked faster and the steps matched her pace. Again, she stopped… Complete silence. No wind… No footfalls… Nothing but a deafening quiet.
With her body shaking, Isla started walking again, and even though everything inside her told her not to, she looked over her shoulder. Still nothing. No one—just eerie shadows from the trees crisscrossing over the sidewalk and grass. Fear ran through her. Did I imagine it?She didn’t think so. There was someone out there. Shefeltit. Her eyes darted around trying to make sense of the sinister menace lurking in the shadows, and she picked up her pace while continuously looking back. She began to run, sweat pouring down her back as she turned the corner.
Sissss.Suddenly, a loud hiss and her high-pitched scream shattered the pervasive silence. She whirled around and tears poured down her face as she saw a bus pull up to the curb beside her. Several people alit as she ran over to the bus.
“Where’re you going?” she said to the driver.
“The terminal on Main Street.”
Putting her foot on the step, she began to climb into the bus when something pulled her back. She cried out, and the driver threw her a puzzling look.
“You okay, miss?” he asked.
“Where’re you going?” a low voice said behind her.
She turned around and met the brown eyes of Jon. “What the hell are you doing? Leave me alone.”
“Are you coming on, lady?” Impatience wove through the bus driver’s voice.
“She’s not,” Jon said, pulling Isla away from the door.
“No!” She tried to break away from him, but his hands were like vices. “Please. No!” She watched the bus pull away, her heart sinking.
“What’s the matter with you? Sangre wouldn’t like it if I let you go on the bus.”
“Sangre?You’rethe one who’s supposed to be watching me?” When he nodded, fear, anger, and relief blended together to make a volatile mixture. “Where the fuck have you been? You weren’t at the studio, and my car broke down a few blocks from here. I had to walk it alone in the dark. I’m not paying for that kind of service.” People milling on the streets and coming out of restaurants looked at her as if she was a lunatic, and she supposed she was acting like one by cursing and yelling on the sidewalk at a young man who looked like he’d just lost his best friend. But she didn’t give a damn. She’d been scared out of her wits, she was still pissed at Benz, and she was beyond exhausted. All she wanted was to go home and curl up under her comforter and forget about the day.
“I don’t know why you’re so mad. I’ve been following you the whole time.”
“You’re lying!”
For a second, his eyes flashed then they returned to normal. “I’m not.”
“Then why didn’t you help me when my car broke down?”
“I tried to, but you jumped out and ran away so fast.”
She knew what she saw; there wasn’t a car in sight on the street.He’s definitely lying. I know someone was out there.A cold chill spread over her.Why would Sangre have Jon on duty when I told him I didn’t want him? Ever. The guy gives me the creeps. Something’s wrong here.
“I can take you home. All the mechanic shops are closed, so you can deal with your car in the morning.”
There was no way she was getting in a car with him. Before she could answer, Carly and Letty came running up to her.
“Isla!” Carly shouted.
Startled, she just blinked at the two girls for a moment as nothing registered inside her head.
