Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A thunderous rattle woke Erin with a start and she winced. What the…?

Sharp pain knifed through her head and she clutched her skull, frowning, as her stiff limbs protested. Blue-gray hues pushed through a crack of glass that snow hadn't covered. Right. She was in Giovanni Mosconi's car.

Peeling her body off of her snoring companion, she winced. The skin of her stomach was glued to his chest with chilled sweat. She shivered and hiked her dress up, covering her boobs.

"Freezing," Giovanni mumbled, pulling her jacket back over his bare arms and trying to roll his body into a more comfortable position. He didn't get far.

Erin nudged his shoulder. "Wake up. I need my coat. I think I heard a plow go by."

He grumbled and she yanked her parka out of his grip, the lingering warmth from his body fading quickly.

"Here." She tossed him his blazer and coat. "Put these on. We have to start walking."

"What? Walk where?"

"Anywhere." She climbed into the front seat and stuffed her frozen toes into her stiff, ruined pumps. "I need to get to a phone or someplace on this godforsaken mountain with cell reception so I can call and have my car towed out of that ditch." Her car was literally the only home she had at the moment.

He sat up and frowned. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." The car was dark, completely covered by snow, but sunlight slipped through the cracks where the wind left the covering thin.

She dug through her purse for her phone and shivered. No missed calls. "Just after seven. Maybe we can flag down a plow driver and they can give us a lift back to town."

"I'm staying at the Motor Inn up the road."

She frowned at him. "Why? I mean, how come you're not staying with your family?"

He shrugged and didn't answer as he climbed back into the driver seat, but she sensed there was a reason he chose not to stay at his parents'. They were all crazy in that family anyway.

"Shit. My shoes are still soaked. They're ruined." He wrung out his socks and cold dribbles fell into the cupholder on the consol.

She tried to open the passenger door but it was iced shut. "Can you get your door open?" She didn't like small spaces.

He pulled the handle and shoved the door, but nothing budged. He dug his shoulder into it and shoved harder. "It's frozen."

Claustrophobia set in. "Ram your back into it. Use your leg muscles."

He did as she said and shoved harder. A small seal gave way, but the door wouldn't fully open. She began to sweat despite the frigid temperature.

"You've almost got it. Push harder."

"I'm pushing as hard as I can."

Her lungs tightened. What if they suffocated? What if they couldn't get out? How would she pee? The moment she thought about pee, she really had to go.

Twisting her knees together, she squirmed in the passenger seat. "Oh, my God, I have to get out of this car!"

Realizing she was having some sort of fit, he frowned at her. "Are you okay?"

"Just open the door!"

"I can't!" he snapped defensively.

She scrubbed her hands over her face, pushing her hair back and trying not to panic. She couldn't breathe and she was going to pee her pants.

"Jesus, you've got a killer shiner."

Her hand absentmindedly touched the bruise on her cheek and she winced. The heavy rumble of an oncoming truck roared closer and she climbed over him, shoving at the door and accidentally kneeing him in the balls.

" Aurghhh —fuck, Erin!"

"Help! We're trapped in here! Please!" she screamed and slammed her hands on the window.

Giovanni winced and covered his ears. "You're crazy!"

She jerked the handle and beeped the horn, pushing and shoving until the door finally snapped open. Icy snow fell down his collar as his upper body toppled out of the car and she climbed over him, frantic to breathe in the fresh air and be out of that car-shaped coffin.

A plow truck barreled out of reach and she slid onto her feet. Standing in a knee-deep pile of snow, she screamed, "Wait! Come back!"

"He can't hear you."

"How do you know?" She glared at him.

It was no use. The truck hustled down the interstate, disappearing in the distance.

"Damnit!"

"Relax. Another one will be by eventually. The blizzard's far from over."

The wind cut through her clothes and she shivered. Tears of frustration threatened, but she forced them back. She just wanted to go somewhere warm and dry.

At least the road was somewhat cleared. It was still snowing but they could at least walk where the plow had been. There was no point heading back toward Jasper Falls. The exit ramp was too steep and the Motor Inn was probably closer.

But first, she needed to pee. "Turn around."

"What?" He stood beside the car, which looked like a giant snow drift.

"I have to pee and I'm not trekking into the woods. Turn around."

"You're going to piss on the road?"

She really couldn't hold it. "You're seriously the most annoying person on the planet. Can you just give me five seconds to myself?"

He held up his hands and rotated until he faced the car. Several seconds passed in silence. "Well?"

"I…I can't go. You're too close."

He let out an aggravated huff. "If you think I'm trekking into the woods so you can piss in private you're out of your damn mind."

"Just shut your eyes and…put your fingers in your ears."

"This fucking girl," he grumbled and plugged his ears, then yelled, "Okay…"

With her dress hiked up to her hips and her panties pulled aside, she tried to keep her balance. What if another plow came by? She panicked then a slow trickle started, and once she started, she couldn't stop. After hours of drinking and not using a bathroom since she'd left home, she had a lot to get out. Finally, she finished and jiggled her bottom dry.

Righting her dress, she stood. "Okay, I'm done." He remained still with his fingers plugged in his ear, so she nudged him. "I'm finished. You can turn around now."

He rolled his eyes. "My turn." Without waiting for her to look away, he unzipped and shot a stream of pee into the snow bank.

"Oh, my God, how about a warning?"

"I gave you one."

"You're disgusting." She started walking in the direction of the Motor Inn.

The soles of her heels glided like ice skates over the thickening layer of slush, salt, and newly fallen snow. Her exposed legs were frozen to the bone after ten minutes. Luckily, the Motor Inn wasn't too far up the road. But she prayed for another plow truck to pass.

Giovanni caught up to her, his breathing heavy and his sniffles steady as he bunched his shoulders under his coat. "Remember when snow used to be fun?"

She didn't answer, mostly because she didn't remember snow ever being fun. Snow kept people trapped inside. Sometimes, snow even caused stores to close. When the hardware store closed, her dad got angry. When her dad got angry, he got violent.

Nothing was worse than getting hit on top of a day old bruise. Blizzards were battle zones. She'd never been a great student, but she loved school for the simple fact that it provided sanctuary from the hell she faced at home.

When the sign for the Motor Inn appeared up ahead, she could have cried with relief. She'd tried her cell several times along the walk but still couldn't get a signal. She vowed the moment she moved out of Jasper Falls she was moving directly next door to a cell tower. This entire county was a cyber black hole.

"You never told me why you're staying outside of town," she said, trying to pass the time as her stiff legs worked to reach the motel.

Again, he shrugged. "I wanted privacy."

"How come you didn't stay at the new Brick Hotel? Fancy new comedian, shouldn't you spring for a suite? You're like Jasper Falls' first celebrity resident." She was poking at him, well aware that he had a long haul to reach celebrity status.

"Maybe I was avoiding the paparazzi."

"Oh, okay." Her sarcasm was unmistakable. "What kind of money do comedians make, anyway?"

He glared at her.

"I'm just saying, the Brick Hotel isn't cheap. Gage King built it. He owns the chain Kings Construction. Very expensive taste."

She knew all about Gage King because her father feared the man might put their store out of business if he opened up one of those ugly box stores in their little town.

There was a time when she wished someone would force the hardware store to close. Then her father would have nothing to boast or complain about. But in the end, Gage King just ended up moving here and marrying Perrin Harris, now Perrin King. Perrin was so damn beautiful, the rest of the single women in Jasper Falls never stood a chance.

The moment they set foot on the Motor Inn parking lot, Giovanni sped up his steps. "Finally." He dug out a key on a single, diamond-shaped charm that told the number of his room. "Well, see ya."

He veered off toward the row of doors and she stopped walking. Glancing at the lobby doors, she sighed and headed that way.

The lobby was more of a musty-smelling den decorated like a dusty old hunting lodge. A metal coffee pot sat in the corner, plugged into the wall. Not seeing anyone at the desk, she grabbed a cup and tipped over the pot, frowning when thick sludge seeped out.

"That coffee's no good." A man with greasy hair peeking from the back of an oil-stained ball cap appeared behind the desk, wiping his nose on a dirtied bandanna. "Been sittin' since yesterday."

"Do you plan on making more?"

"Eventually." He shoved the bandanna into his pocket and sucked at his teeth, making a loud squeak with his tongue. "When the power comes back on."

She glanced around the lobby, registering how dim the room was and that the dated television in the corner was off. Shit.

"Do you have a phone I can use?"

"Phones are out, too. Big tree fell in the storm last night and hit a transformer. They're sendin' someone out as soon as possible, but they got problems all over Center County."

"Great." She checked her purse and pulled out a credit card. "I guess I'll take a room."

"Just rented the last one. Would have lit the NO-VACANCY sign, but the electric ain't workin'."

This could not be happening. She pinched the bridge of her nose and winced when she inadvertently upset her bruised cheek.

"I could keep ya company."

She stopped breathing, her gaze dropping to the soiled kerchief half-buried in his front pocket. "No thanks."

She pushed out of the lobby and sucked in a sharp breath when the cold cut to the bone. She glanced at the door Giovanni had gone into.

Shutting her eyes, she debated walking. But where would she go? She'd never make it back to Jasper Falls.

The parking lot was full of semi-trucks and cars covered in snow. Flurries clustered on her eyelashes, wetting her cheeks in a way that would disguise tears. Maybe now was the time to cry.

The door to Giovanni's room opened and he stared at her. He didn't wave her over, but he silently acknowledged that she had nowhere to go.

Shivering, she crossed the lot and approached his doorway. He had already showered and changed into dry clothes. He looked incredibly cozy and warm.

"It's no Brick Hotel."

She shut her eyes, regretting picking on him earlier. She was an asshole with regrettable social skills. "Can I come in?"

For reasons she didn't understand, he stepped back and let her through.