ted to think that he wasn’t going to answer me at all. That didn’t make any sense.
I tried calling him again while I walked back to my car, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t answer the next call either. I peeled out of the lot and onto the freeway. The drive was slow. Traffic was terrible, and I was tense. I kept checking my phone to make sure he wasn’t texting me or trying to call.
This wasn’t okay. Something was wrong. I could feel it. He could be in trouble or sick. Maybe Tony was there with a gun to his head, trying to find out where I was. I didn’t know, and the uncertainty was enough to drive me over the edge.
Once I finally got off the freeway, I gunned it, driving through lights and into the back streets. I had to get there as fast as possible, just to make sure that he was okay. But I still didn’t feel safe. Whatever this was, it was big.
When I pulled up to the gate, the guard walked out of his hut. I rested my hand on the stick. He was younger and bald, with tattoos running down his neck and a teardrop under his eye. He didn’t seem to belong there. He looked me up and down, then walked back into his hut to pull out his phone.
I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I could see him through the front window. His lip was curled up, and he yelled. He slammed his fist down on the table behind the window, hung up the phone, then ran out of the booth. “Who are you?” he demanded.
I faltered and looked him over. I didn’t want to tell him my name at all.
“Look, lady, if you don’t tell me your name, you’re going to have to leave.”
“If you don’t know who I am, you don’t belong here.” I pressed on the brake and put the car in reverse.
He moved closer, his hand resting over his gun. “You need to leave.”
“You need to call Jake right now and tell him that you’re refusing me entry.”
“I need your name.” He stepped closer, close enough for me to catch the scent of his joint.
“Mercedes.” I met his eye. “And you just lost your job.”
It didn’t seem like he cared at all. He just walked back to the guard booth and gave me the finger when I drove past. That scared me more than anything else. Jake wouldn’t let a man like that work for him. He would’ve run him off the property a long time ago.
I looked around while I drove up to the house. A black van sat in front with tinted windows. I slammed on the brake and stared at the van. It didn’t look right at all. It looked like the kind of van people get dragged into in the movies.
There’d be three thugs with zip ties and assault rifles, ready to throw my body in a lake. I had to leave, and I had to do it right away. That guard already told them that I was there, which meant that if I didn’t leave now, I’d probably be killed.
I backed the car up and turned it around just as a car turned into the drive and started heading straight for me. There was no time to check back, the gate was closing, and that thug was standing on the other side, laughing.
It closed just in time for me to slam on the brakes. My phone started ringing. “Hello?”
“Hey, what just happened?” Jake asked.
“You scared the living shit out of me earlier, and now you’ve got a convict working your gate. Did you tell him to lock me in?”
I heard the sound of gravel crunching behind me and screamed. “Jake, what’s going on?”
A hand rested on my shoulder, and I jolted. When I turned back, Jake was standing behind me wearing a white tuxedo. “Could you trust me for a moment?”
“I’m ready to leave. You have gone way too far.” I got out of the car to confront him. “You freaked me the fuck out. Now you won’t tell me what’s going on, or why you’re acting like this, and I’m trapped. Unless I find a way to climb that gate, I can’t leave.”
He hesitated. “Trust me, Mercedes. Just this once.” He took my hand. “I need you to trust me.”
“Why? Why can’t you tell me what’s happening, and what is that guy doing at the gate? He’s blazed out of his mind.”
“Is he?”
“Yes,” I said.
“No wonder.” He shook his head in consternation. “Please, don’t leave yet.”
“I want an explanation.”
He ran off and started yelling at the guard, then pointed down the road. The guard was furious, red in the face, but he did as he was told and left. When Jake came back, he was drenched in sweat, and he couldn’t look me in the eye.