Page 57 of Truck Up
Edge looks back at me with something that almost resembles a smile. I think he finds my mom’s fear amusing.
“I need to place an order,” he says. He may look like he’s capable of tearing this place apart with little to no effort, but his voice is calm and respectful. It puts me at ease.
“Do you know what you want, or would you like to look at one of our catalogs?”
“Tulips,” he says. “Red ones.”
I narrow my eyes. There’s something odd about the way he said that. “Okay, that’s easy enough. Do you want any accent flowers or foliage?”
He shakes his head. “Just tulips.Fourteenshould be good.”
I furrow my brows at the number and the way he said it. It’s an odd request, but I don’t question him. I’m not scared he’ll hurt me, but this is Edge. No reason to tempt fate.
I grab an order form and write down what he wants. “Do you want to pick out a vase? We have a wide variety over there.”
I point to a shelf along the side wall. He walks over to it and picks up the first one he sees. “This one.”
I stare at him. Confused by his actions. He doesn’t seem the least bit interested in the flowers. And he keeps saying random words with emphasis. Maybe they aren’t so random after all.
“Okay.” I add it to the order while he returns to the counter. “When do you need this ready?”
“Nine days.” His answer is clipped, and it causes me to snap mine up to meet his steely stare.
There’s something about the way he’s staring at me that causes me to pause. Maybe these words aren’t so random after all.
“Is this for a special occasion?” I ask.
He widens his stance and crosses his arms over his chest. “A friend returns innine days.”
My heart pounds so hard, it causes my ears to ring. Is he trying to tell me something? “A friend?”
He gives me a single nod. Then he raises one brow. The look on his face suggests he thinks I should have already known that. Does he know where Christian went, and is this his way of telling me Christian will be back in nine days? They’re friends, but I thought he kept his whereabouts to himself. I hope he’s not in trouble.
Unable to look at him for fear I will see a different answer, I focus on the order form. “Will you be picking these up or do you want us to deliver them?”
“I wantyouto deliver them.”
My hand is shaking when I pick up the pen to complete the order form. “Address.”
He lays his hand over mine and gives it a gentle squeeze. His tone is soft, and the words are more than a whisper when he answers me. “You know the place. The one that very few have ever seen.”
My eyes sting with tears, and I quickly squeeze them shut. He knows about Christian’s cabin in the woods.
I pray Darlene can’t see how emotional I suddenly became. She’s across the room and keeps looking in my direction.
I clear my throat and take a deep breath. “What time?”
“Late,” is his only reply as he digs his wallet out of his pocket. He pulls out two crisp hundred-dollar bills and tosses them on the counter.
I stare at them with wide eyes. “This is too much.”
When I look up, he’s already heading to the door. He’s outside and on his bike before I can even wrap my head around what just happened.
Did I just receive my first secret message? And why did I have to hear it in code?
What the hell, Christian?
Darlene walks over to the front window and stares at the three men as they start up their bikes. The same loud roar that announced their arrival signifies their departure.