Luca touched the gouge, and it stung. “I’m sure I’ve got a few more on me.” He tipped his head toward the back of the room. “I’ll find them when I take a shower.”
“You sure you didn’t see anything?”
“Not buried under a 1979 Monte Carlo. I mean, I heard the noise, but I thought it was the lady on the other side. She’s always getting in a fight with her boyfriend.” Luca forced a smile.
The cop hovered.
Luca squeezed the doorknob.
The cop stepped back. “Alright, sorry to have disturbed you. Have a good day and make sure you have someone take a look at that cut.”
“I will, I promise.” Luca shut the door, and his knees gave out. He sat there with his head in his hands until he could trust himself to remain on his feet.
He finished packing and got the van keys from where Nox had laid them on the dresser with the bags of food. Luca left the motel room. The van was only a few doors down but might as well have been miles. Luca got to the vehicle and shoved the duffle bag through the side door.
The cops chatted with each other while lording over the people erecting tents to cover the breezeway.
Luca was about to open the van door when someone said, “I’m Tammy O’Neal with channel Three news.” A microphone was shoved in Luca’s face. The video light over the camera stabbed Luca in the eyes. He held up a hand. “Were you here last night when the attack happened?”
The blonde pushed the microphone closer.
“No, I wasn’t. Leave me alone.” Luca wrestled open the door and climbed in. The cameraman turned his attention to the reporter who chased another person down. Luca cranked the van and backed out. He took the long way around again, going out onto the road, then coming back into the driveway on the farthest side of the bar. He pulled up alongside the Cadillac.
Nox scurried out and climbed in through the side door. “Go.”
Luca cut across the bar parking lot and pulled onto the street.
Nox opened the duffle bag. “You did good.”
“I lied to the cops.”
“It wasn’t like you could tell them the truth.” Nox took sweatpants out of the duffle.
It was common sense, but Luca felt he’d set off a flare for anyone in law enforcement to see.
“I lost several hundred bucks in my pants pocket.” Nox slid into the passenger seat.
“We’ve got more.”
“I know, but we have no idea how much we’ll need to get into Canada.”
“You make it sound like we’ll have to pay to cross the border.”
Nox moved to the passenger seat. “That’s exactly what we may have to do.”
“Passports.” Luca huffed and bumped his fist against the steering wheel.
“Exactly.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t stay at any more motels.”
“We’ve got the camping gear to weather it outside, but the ground is hard. And the farther north we go, the colder it’s going to get.”
With a compromised immune system, Luca would be more vulnerable. Although aside from everything that had happened, he felt better than he had in a very long time.
“You want me to drive?” Nox watched Luca with a worried expression.
“I’m okay for now.”