In Too Deep(27)

"Sex kitten, huh? I think I can live with that."





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Dropping Cam off at the high school, I had an hour before my shift at the pharmacy, so I drove down the street to Walmart. I was never too big into fitness before, but now I had a reason to. I wanted to look good for my man.

I went to the back where the sporting goods were, and looked at what was available. I had to laugh inside at the overall goofiness of what was in stock. After a minute or two, an employee came by, a rarity in most Walmart stores I’d been to. "Hi, is there anything I can help you with?"

I looked up at the cycles in the display racks. "Yeah, I'm just looking for a bike, nothing fancy. What do you recommend?"

The man, who I didn't expect to have much to say, actually looked interested. "Well, it kind of depends on how much riding you did before. New in town?"

I nodded. "Just moved here from Ohio. And not really a lot of riding recently. I figured though that since I was in a place with such good weather, I'd get outside some more."

"I see. Well, you could go with either a twenty-four or a twenty-six inch wheel, it would just affect the gears you use. Are you looking for a single speed, ten-speed, or more?"

I shook my head. "I had a ten speed bike back in junior high, but I don't think I used more than three or four."

“Well I’d say a mountain bike would be best around here. How about this one?"

One hundred and seventeen dollars later, I was loading the bike, along with a new helmet and a bike lock just in case, into the back of Cam's truck. The man was even nice enough to roll it out of the store for me.

"Be careful along the main roads, there's a lot of people who don't really give bicyclists the amount of respect they deserve. But have fun, and hope to see you around."

After work, I drove Cam's truck back up to the high school. Leaving it in the parking lot, I gave the keys to the secretary in the office who said she'd put them in Cam's teacher box. Even though I was in jeans and a plain old shirt, I figured I was dressed well enough to ride back home, maybe do a little sightseeing. Cam told me he wouldn't be home until nearly five thirty, so I had plenty of time.

Getting home, I felt good, so I dashed inside and changed into more appropriate shorts and t-shirt for a real workout, then headed off for the Rio Grande. Finding Riverside Drive was actually easy, and once there I turned left, heading upriver. The Rio Grande itself wasn't much in my opinion, with parts of it barely qualifying as a stream. Then again, I'd grown up near the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, so my expectation of what a big river should be are different than a person who grew up in New Mexico.

As I pedaled, I kept my eyes peeled for traffic, but the road was pretty clear. When a black Lincoln pulled up behind me, I edged over to the side, giving the driver plenty of room to pass me on the right. When he didn't, I glanced over my shoulder, but couldn't see much because of the sunlight in the glass. Waving with my arm, I gestured him to pass me, but instead he just stayed there, seemingly content to tail me. I turned my head back around and pedaled harder, wanting the idiot off my butt. I took the next left turn I could, hoping that by turning back towards the main road and part of town that I would be out of his way.

Instead, the car followed me, still keeping at the sedate pace it had been. I pushed as hard as I could, coming up on the pedals and leaning into each stroke, until I was gasping for air. The car stayed with me, the casualness replaced with a sense of animosity and threat. I thought about turning into one of the houses that I was passing, but decided against it.

Thankfully, just as my lungs were beginning to burn, I saw a gas station with a mini-mart up ahead. I whizzed into the parking lot, barely avoiding a pickup truck that was backing out and went inside. The clerk looked up in surprise at the panting, sweaty woman who had nearly torn the door off of its hinges. "You need some water Miss?”

I looked at her and tried pointing behind me, turning to look as the black car rolled by the gas station, not stopping at all. I noticed it was a rental car before it drove out of sight, but that was it. Taking a deep breath of relief, I turned back to the girl, shaking my head. I stood there for a good minute before going back to the cooler and grabbing a bottled water, paying for it at the register. "Hey, how far are we from the High School?"

"Just turn right at the next light, and head up the road. When you see the sign, turn left. It's about a mile."

"Thanks." I walked out, keeping my eyes open as I took out my phone. I knew I might be interrupting practice, but whoever that was scared the hell out of me, and I felt like I'd avoided a possible dangerous situation.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Cam greeted me, and I could hear the sound of squeaking sneakers in the background.

"Not much. Hey, how much time is left in practice?" I asked. "Sorry, your conditioning workout."

Cam's laugh helped relieve my tension, and I felt myself dial it down just a notch. "Maybe twenty minutes or so, why? Are you sure everything's okay?"

"I don't know," I answered. "I know it's weird, but would you mind if I rode my bike back up to the High School and got a ride home with you? I'm at a gas station about a mile away, the clerk said."

“Of course.” Cam asked, concern in his voice. “I can come get you though. I can be there in five minutes. Are you safe?”