Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Emery

T hings should have felt awkward after hooking up with my boss in a dressing room, but the drive to my motel felt oddly comfortable. With Christmas music played softly, he held my hand the entire time, and we both kept stealing glances at each other.

Levi turned into the parking lot of the motel. “Are you going to need a ride tomorrow? I can have my mechanic take a look at your car too if you want.”

“Oh my God!” I fumbled with my seat belt, my heart suddenly pounding as I saw my car was gone from where it had been parked earlier.

The empty parking spot seemed to mock me, the dim light from the motel’s neon sign illuminating nothing but cracked asphalt where my car should have been.

“What?” Levi pulled into an empty spot and as the car stopped, I practically ripped my way out.

“No, no, no!” I spun in a circle, my new boots scraping against the rough asphalt as panic seized my chest.

Maybe my car had suddenly developed magical powers and was playing an ill-timed game of hide and seek. My hands trembled as I ran them through my hair, the reality of the situation hitting me like a punch to the gut.

“This cannot be happening.” The words came out as a desperate whisper, my breath visible in little clouds in the chilly night air.

“What’s wrong?” Levi was suddenly beside me, his hand on my lower back.

“My car. It’s gone.” My voice cracked. After everything that had happened with Levi this felt like the universe’s way of saying ‘you thought you were having a good day? Think again, sucker.’

I sprinted toward the front office. Levi’s footsteps echoed behind me, but I was too focused on my mission to slow down or wait for him. The ancient bell above the door jangled violently as I burst in, probably looking like a crazy person with my wild eyes and hair that had gotten completely disheveled from running my hands through it in panic. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, making everything feel surreal, like I was trapped in some horrible nightmare where cars vanished.

“Gary!” I called out, practically lunging across the front desk where he sat surrounded by his usual collection of conspiracy theory magazines and half-eaten snacks. My voice came out higher than intended, bordering on hysteria. “My car. What happened to my car? Please tell me you saw something!” I gripped the edge of the counter, my knuckles turning white, silently praying that his obsession with watching everything that happened in the parking lot would finally come in handy.

Gary looked up from what appeared to be a book about aliens, adjusting his name tag that was, as usual, upside down. “Oh, hey there, Emery. Yeah, some guys came by earlier. Said something about repo...” He trailed off, squinting at the ceiling like the rest of his sentence might be written there.

“Repossessed?” My knees went weak, and I had to grip the counter even harder to keep from sliding to the floor in an undignified heap. “They repossessed my car? As in, took it away because... because...” I couldn’t even finish the sentence, my brain refusing to process this fresh hell.

“That’s the word!” Gary snapped his fingers with way too much enthusiasm for someone delivering devastating news, his eyes lighting up behind his smudged glasses. “Had all the paperwork and everything. Real official-looking stuff. Though between you and me…” He leaned forward, lowering his voice to a stage whisper that probably carried all the way to the parking lot. “I think they might’ve been government agents. They had those looks in their eyes, you know? The kind that says they’ve seen things. Probably alien things. Actually, now that I think about it, one of them had this weird blue glow around him...” He trailed off, already lost in his latest conspiracy theory.

I was really struggling to stay upright, my legs trembling like I’d run a marathon in heels. “Gary, please. The tow company... do you remember who it was?” My voice came out embarrassingly squeaky, but I was past caring about maintaining dignity.

“Oh, sure. Wrote it down somewhere...” He started rifling through a stack of papers covered in what looked like drawings of crop circles, coffee stains, and what might have been his personal theory about lizard people infiltrating the local grocery store. “It was something with a B. Or maybe an R? Definitely had letters in it.” He nodded sagely, as if he’d shared the secrets of the universe instead of the most unhelpful information possible.

“Gary.” Levi’s voice was calm but commanding, and I jumped slightly, having almost forgotten he was there. “Focus. We need that company name.”

“Right, right.” Gary nodded seriously. “Let me think... Big Bob’s! That’s it. Big Bob’s Towing and Recovery. Got their card right here.” He produced a wrinkled business card from under a half-eaten sandwich.

Before I could even reach for it, Levi had his phone out, already dialing. I watched as he stepped slightly away, his jaw set in a determined way.

“Yes, this is Levi Taylor calling on behalf of Emery Williams.” Levi’s voice was all business. “I’m calling about a vehicle you picked up today from the Extended Stay on Fifth Street... Yes, I’ll hold.” His free hand tapped an impatient rhythm against his thigh as hold music drifted from the phone.

I wrapped my arms around myself, squeezing so tight it almost hurt, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over. The familiar sting of panic clawed at my chest as my mind raced through every payment I’d made. There was no way my car could be repossessed.

This had to be a mistake, some horrible mix-up that would get sorted out with a few phone calls and maybe an apologetic gift card. It had to be, because the alternative meant I was even more screwed than I’d thought possible, and I’d already maxed out my quota of life-altering disasters this month.

Without my car, I was well and truly stranded. No way to get to job interviews once my seasonal position was over. No way to look for a new apartment. No way to afford a new car.

“Here.” Gary thrust something toward me, interrupting my spiral of despair. It was another tinfoil hat, slightly crushed on one side. How many did this man have? “For protection. Those repo men? Definitely equipped with mind-reading technology. Can’t be too careful.”

I took the hat, because honestly, what else could I do when faced with Gary’s earnest expression? My fingers traced the uneven edges of the foil as I tried to summon up an appropriately grateful response that wouldn’t encourage further conspiracy theories. “Thanks, Gary. Really appreciate the... thought.” My voice only wobbled slightly on the last word, torn between hysterical laughter and renewed tears over my car situation.

“Don’t mention it.” He leaned forward, his eyes darted left and right behind his glasses. “But don’t wear it outside. That’s what they’d expect.” He tapped the side of his nose knowingly, as if we were sharing state secrets.

With a nod of acknowledgement, I sank into one of the lobby’s plastic chairs, carefully setting Gary’s tinfoil hat in my lap, and wondered if this day could get any more surreal.

“What do you mean the owner took possession of it?” Levi came to stand in front of me, his eyes full of questions and something that looked dangerously close to pity. The lobby lights cast harsh shadows across his face, making his expression even more intense than usual.

The owner? Josh wouldn’t... would he? But even as I asked myself that question, I knew deep down that yes, yes, he absolutely would. After everything else he’d done, why wouldn’t he take the car I’d been faithfully making payments on for the past year and a half?

“The car is in Josh’s name.” I sunk further into the plastic chair that squeaked in protest at my dejected slump. My fingers twisted nervously in my lap, picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. “I made all the payments, but technically...” Technically, legally, officially—all those stupid words that meant I was completely and utterly screwed because I’d trusted the wrong person.

“That son of a-” Levi cut himself off, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The muscles in his jaw ticked as he paced the small lobby. “He can’t do that. The payments, you have proof of them?”

“It doesn’t matter. His name’s on the title.” Another brilliant decision in the long list of stupid choices I’d made regarding Josh. My credit had been bad at the time, and it was either put the car in his name or have an interest rate that was predatory. “I trusted him.”

“Oh!” Gary’s exclamation made me jump, and I nearly dropped the tinfoil hat. His eyes were wide, and he was bouncing slightly in his chair like he was about to share the location of buried treasure. “That reminds me. Something weird happened last night with your car.”

After the day I’d had, weird was the last word I wanted to hear about anything, especially involving my only means of transportation. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I was doing my usual patrol, checking for any suspicious government activity—you know how those black helicopters like to sneak around after dark.” Gary was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Gary, focus.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest, his exasperation clear in the way his shoulders tensed. I couldn’t blame him—Gary’s tangents could make Alice’s trip to Wonderland seem like a straight path.

“I saw someone hanging around your car. Tall person, kind of skulking, definitely giving off those government agent vibes. And then—you won’t believe this—there was this bright light! Like, really bright. Like someone opened a portal to another dimension right there in the parking lot. Had to be aliens. I’ve seen enough science channel specials to know the signs, and this was definitely giving off major extraterrestrial energy.”

Levi stopped pacing. “What time was this?”

“Around midnight.” Gary scratched his head. “The light lasted maybe five minutes. Classic alien reconnaissance technique.”

“Or someone using a flashlight to look inside the car.” Levi’s jaw ticked. “He probably disabled it somehow so you couldn’t drive it before they came to get it.”

The pieces clicked into place. Josh hadn’t just taken the car—he’d planned it and made sure I’d be stranded. “Why would he do this?”

“Because he’s a controlling asshole who can’t stand that you’re moving on.” Levi’s voice was tight with anger. “Give me his address. I’ll handle this.”

“No.” I stood up, wobbling slightly. “It’s not your problem. None of this is your problem.” The weight of everything—Josh, the car, the motel, my precarious employment situation, and now whatever was happening with Levi—suddenly felt overwhelming. “I appreciate everything you’ve done today, but-”

“Emery.” Levi stepped closer, his hands coming to rest on my arms. “Let me help.”

“You already have.” I gestured to the parking lot where his car was with my shopping bags. “More than enough.”

“Come on,” Levi said softly. “Let’s get you to your room.”

I nodded, too exhausted to argue. After saying goodnight to Gary, who insisted I keep the tinfoil hat, and collecting the bags from the car, Levi walked me to my door.

“Thank you.” I fumbled with the key. “For everything today. The clothes, the... everything.” My cheeks heated remembering exactly what ‘everything’ included.

“We’ll figure this out.” He set the bags inside my door, his eyes scanning my room. “The car, Josh, all of it.”

I wanted to believe him, but I’d done that before with Josh, hadn’t I? Trusted someone else to have my best interests at heart?

“Goodnight, Levi.” I managed a small smile that probably looked as forced as it felt, my lips trembling slightly with the effort of holding myself together.

He hesitated like he wanted to say more, his eyes searching my face with an intensity that made me nervous. Then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering. “Goodnight, Christmas Spirit. Lock up behind me.” His voice was gentle, tinged with a protectiveness that made my already wobbly emotions threaten to spill over.

I waited until his footsteps faded before closing the door and sliding down to sit on the floor. I grabbed the tinfoil hat Gary had given me and wadded it up, throwing it across the room in frustration.

At least if someone or something were reading my thoughts right now, they’d be getting one hell of a story.