Page 58 of He Loves Me Knot
ChapterFourteen
As the policeofficer’s blue and red lights clicked off behind them, Callum tried to keep himself from grinding his teeth.
They’d been pulled over for speeding on a mountainous winding road draped in thick fog, with no visible speed limit posted.
The worst part of it was that Callum had been so sure he was going to drive off a cliff that he’d been taking it easy. All the other cars on the road had passed him.
Yet . . .
“Motherfucker. My luck is shite right now,” Callum muttered, his temples throbbing.
They’d managed to get away with bribing the officer. So instead of getting a ticket, Callum had forked over any remaining cash he and Liddy had, and now they were on their way. He’d have to withdraw and exchange more when he had a chance, but they were in the middle of god-knows-where right now, and dusk had fallen.
Even their momentary celebration over finding Sergio’s employer had been met with disappointment—the tour office they’d called was closed for the night. Who knew if they would be open on Sunday? But fortunately, there appeared to be an office in La Fortuna, so maybe they could drop in tomorrow.
“Battery on your phone is at ten percent,” Liddy said in a soft voice as they started driving again.
Callum reached over and glanced at it. He’d asked in the pulperia where he’d stopped for toothbrushes to see if they had iPhone car chargers, but he’d been out of luck there, too. Now he wished he’d stopped at theMas X Menosgrocery store he’d seen while they’d been in Tibás. He might have had a better chance there. The red light of the battery level taunted him.
“Can you put it on airplane mode?” Liddy asked.
He shook his head. “I need the GPS.” He pressed the button for the direction list. They were shoddy, at best. He tried to memorize them, keeping one eye on the road, then powered down his phone.
“I feel like we just went back in time or something.”
“Travel disasters have a way of humbling you like that.”
“You’re not kidding. This has been the trip from hell.”
Even though she was agreeing with him, something about her tone sounded . . .off?She’d been less than enthusiastic since leaving Tibás, especially after calling the tour company had produced nothing.
“You feeling all right?” He didn’t want to pry. She’d been in tears when he’d asked before.
Maybe I was too harsh about wanting to go back.
“I’m just hungry. Tired. The cake and empanadas were good, but I need an actual meal.”
He scanned the road.
Nothing in sight. Just more mountain road, more fog, an occasional cow, lots and lots of green . . . all quickly fading to darkness.
He wanted to be off this road before dusk dwindled, taking any semblance of light with it. There weren’t any guardrails between the narrow road and sheer drop-offs. How locals didn’t have more disastrous car accidents, he didn’t know. The speeds at which some cars and tour buses passed him made him feel like he was eighty years old, hands death-gripped at nine and three.
“I’m hoping we get to La Fortuna soon. It feels like we should have been there already.” The GPS had said they had about a half hour to go before he’d turned it off.
Silence settled between them, feeling heavier like it had when they’d driven from the airport rather than on their more comfortable trip this morning.
He made a few more turns, trying to focus his tired eyes despite the dense fog around them. Was it always this foggy up here? He’d been to Arenal a few times before, but mostly he remembered how carsick the drive had made him.
This wasn’t like driving on the coast where he’d spent more time.
“What I wouldn’t give for a good curry right now,” Liddy said, rolling her shoulders back.
Callum smiled. “Now who sounds English?”
“I think I’ve more than proven my bravery to try foods from other cultures. And I live in London. There’s curry everywhere. I get takeaway to the office at least twice a week. Especially if I’m working after hours.”
“So you’re the infamous curry feaster. I knew someone was bringing it in.”