Page 13 of Sinned

“The best your sister has is a group with The Pussycats. Charlie isn’t that bad.”

“She was teased about that as a kid.” He shook his head.

“See, I was right. What about you?”

“Until recently I don’t think anyone ever teased me about my name.” He glanced over at me and smirked.

“Well then it was a long time coming, Father Charles,” I said.

“I told you, you don’t have to call me Father when I’m off duty.”

“Then how else will I remember you’re a priest? You’re much too good looking to be one, you know,” I said.

“Are you flirting with me?”

My words caught in my throat. I didn’t even realize I was. As my heart beat wildly in my chest I swallowed hard and forced myself to smile.

“Maybe? I didn’t mean anything by it though,” I squeaked.

Dammit, Ava! You really are an idiot.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. The store manager, Miguel, a man in his fifties with straight silver hair, rolled the generator out with a hand truck and met us at the curb.

“Good seeing you again, Doctor Abrams,” Miguel said. “Are you planning to stay overnight in the city?”

“No, with the storm coming we’re heading right back to Amaru.”

“You better hurry then. It’s due to land early. Once the desert road gets flooded, you’ll be stuck.”

“Stuck?” Charles asked.

“The land in this area is too dry. When there are storms like these the risk of flash flooding is high, making it too dangerous to drive.”

“Then we’d better get going.”

With the generator in the back of the Jeep, we drove out of town. The sky grew dark as the rain clouds moved in, covering the sun. Charles looked up and shook his head.

His foot pushed the gas pedal further down and we sped down the road, kicking dust up behind us. A drop fell onto the windshield and I bit my lip, nervously. Outside I heard something familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I looked around the truck, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from until I saw a grey storm cloud ahead of us.

“Slow down,” I said. “We’re heading right into it. That sound is the rain just ahead.”

We drove into a curtain of water and Charles slowed down. He turned on the lights and leaned forward as he shook his head.

“What happens now?” he asked.

“We have to find a safe place to pull over.”

“There aren’t any safe places, no one will be able to see the car. Plus the rain is coming in through the roof.”

We continued driving slowly, but the rain got heavier, lessening our visibility even more. The fabric roof was buckling under the weight of the water and our clothes were dampening from the leaks.

“I think I see some buildings up ahead,” I said. “We might be in Lejos. It’s a small town, but there should be a place for us to stay.”

He nodded, keeping his focus on the road ahead of him. I pointed to an old ‘rooms for rent’ sign lit by a single light. He parked the Jeep and turned to me.

“Stay here,” he said. “You’ll be dryer waiting in here than coming in with me.”

“I can go in and you can wait.”