Page 1 of Wheelie's Challenge
Prologue
Borrego Springs, CA
Ten years earlier
The desert windwhipped into a frenzy, turning the sky opaque and the air rusty brown. Vinyl siding strained against house boards, and any loose objects disappeared in the swirling dust tornadoes that came off the valley floor. It was the type of wind that let sand infiltrate every sealed window and door. The constant howling made nerves jump, pulses race, and skin prickle.
Kendra Elmore stared at the clock above the kitchen table, her insides tightening with each passing minute.Please let him be stranded.It was reasonable that Russ wouldn’t be able to make it to their small house. The way the wind blew and the sand pelted against the windows, Kendra guessed visibility had to be pretty close to zero. The last time she looked out the window, all she could see was dense spirals of twirling dust. She couldn’t even make out the palm trees that lined the streets, and they were only ten feet away.
Kendra opened up the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice. She’d have preferred a glass of wine or a bottle of beer, but her husband had made sure to drink every last drop of alcohol in the house. Plain orange juice would have to do, but it sure as hell wasn’t enough to help forget that Russ may burst in at any moment. She needed something to concentrate on.
Boom!Kendra dropped the carton and it broke open on the kitchen floor. She stared at the pale orange liquid as it spread across the linoleum.Boom!Thunder cracked the sky again. Grabbing a dish towel from a rack, Kendra bent down and sopped up the mess. The pelting rain filled her ears until she thought they would burst. She threw the towel down on the counter, then covered them—if only the noise would stop. She had to think clearly. She had to remember if Russ had acted different that morning. Her life depended on it.
Thrumming her fingers against her lips, Kendra closed her eyes.I should’ve left yesterday.How was she to know that the desert could bring such an awful storm? Ever since she’d been living in this small town in the middle of the Anza-Borrego Desert, she’d only known cloudless skies and an omnipresent sun for months on end. Russ had moved them from San Diego to Borrego Springs three years before, and up until now, she’d never experienced a sandstorm. Rain had been scant, and Kendra chalked up the deluge of water and sand pummeling the house to her bad luck. Something that she’d seemed to have for most of her life.
That night, she was supposed to meet Lloyd and Reva. They were driving back to San Diego for an anniversary party their children planned for them.Thirty-five years? How the hell had they done it?For the most part, they seemed happy. Kendra never saw any bruises on Reva; she never saw the cautious look of fear in Reva’s eyes. She shook her head, craned her neck to see the clock again, and then paced between the kitchen and living room.I’m supposed to be halfway to San Diego.Kendra had been planning her escape for the past six months, quietly ingratiating herself to Lloyd and Reva and acting like everything was okay, even when Russ had beaten her especially hard, and she was pretty sure he didn’t suspect a thing. After six long years of marriage, Kendra was finally ready to throw in the towel. Each year, Russ grew more controlling, more suspicious, and just plain crazier. His latest delusion was accusing Kendra of having an affair.That oneleft a bitter taste in her mouth. If anyone was cheating, it was Russ.And he’s stupid enough to think that I don’t know.She stopped pacing and tilted her head toward the back door and listened: a scraping sound and then rattling.Probably the damn wind.Everyone in town knew that Russ and Destiny were hot and heavy… everyone but Destiny’s dad, Gary—the high school’s baseball coach. Destiny was barely legal, and Kendra wished she’d had the courage to tell Gary about the disgusting things her husband was doing to his daughter, but she was too afraid of Russ to breathe a word, so she kept silent. But her mind wasn’t quiet: It’d been planning her way out of this hell, but the damn storm blew in and ruined everything.
The sound of her phone ringing echoed hollowly in the small room. Kendra cried out and grabbed it off the table, relief washing over her when she recognized Reva’s number.
“Are you doing okay at your place?” Reva’s voice crackled over the storm.
“I’m fine. How are you and Lloyd?”
“We’re praying the wind doesn’t rip away our roof.”
“I hope so too. Are you still planning to go to San Diego when this all dies down?”
“Yes. This craziness is supposed to be gone by tomorrow morning. I’ll call and let you know when we can come by to pick you up.”
Panic seized her, strangling her nerves. “No! Don’t call me,” she croaked, trying to swallow to moisten her parched throat.
“Did you change your mind on coming? We can drop off your suitcase before we head out tomorrow.”
“No. I’m still planning to go. I’ll just callyou, that’s all. Will nine in the morning work?”
“That’s fine. You take care of yourself. Wait… is Russ home?”
Kendra heard the disdain in Reva’s voice when she said his name. “No. I don’t think he’ll make it in tonight. I haven’t heard from him.”He’s either drunk at the bar or shacking up with Destiny at the motel—or both. Either way, I’m glad he’s not with me.
“I’ll hear from you tomorrow. If you need anything give me a call, although I won’t be able to get to your place.” Reva chuckled.
“Stay safe, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.” Kendra erased the call from the phone then went back to pacing. She glanced one more time at the clock: 9:15 p.m.Just twelve more hours before I call Reva and meet up with them. That’s not so bad, especially since Russ isn’t—
The back door flew open and slammed against the wall. Kendra screamed out as a gust of wind surged in and was immediately enveloped in dust as tiny rocks and grit bombarded her body. With her head bent she pushed toward the door, closing her eyes against the onslaught of fine particles. Grasping the knob, she shoved it against the wind, throwing her full weight against it as she tried to close it. The door moved as if she was dragging it through quicksand, but she couldn’t close it. Cracking her eyes open just a bit, she saw a black boot in the doorway keeping the portal from closing. Cold sweat trickled down her back as her hands grew clammy. Pounding heartbeats filled her ears as her gaze stayed steadfast on the boot.
“Stop pushing the fuckin’ door,” a deep voice said into the wind. “Stand back, you stupid cunt.” Russ pushed the door so hard that it sent Kendra stumbling backward into the kitchen table.
Then all at once, a loud slam expunged the sound of the howling wind, which had left dust and sand on the floor, the counter, and the table top upon its departure. Kendra’s eyes burned and began to tear from the irritation, and she rubbed her lower back where she’d hit the edge of the table. Glancing up, she met Russ’ flashing dark eyes.
“Why the fuck were you trying to close the door on me? Do you have someone in here?” He rushed past her and went into the living room. As Kendra picked up a broom and began to sweep, she heard him kicking open closet doors.
By the time he came back into the kitchen, she had just finished wiping down the counters. She turned to him. “I didn’t know if you were stuck somewhere. I thought the wind blew the door open. I’m glad you were able to make it home safely.” Kendra threw the dirty paper towels in the trashcan and walked by him.
He gripped her arm and pulled her back. “That’s a load of shit and you know it. I saw the look on your face when you saw it was me. You were hoping the storm would get the better of me.”
She pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side: his breath reeked of cheap booze and cigarettes. “You know that’s not true. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Liar!” Russ shook her hard like a rag doll. Her teeth chattered and the muscles in her neck screamed out in pain. “I know what you’re planning. You think you’re smarter than me? I know you’ve been fuckin’ Terry. You’re gonna run off with him, you stupid bitch!” He pushed her backward and slammed her against the kitchen wall.
