“Central park,” he says. “Hold onto your hair clip, honey, 'cause this isn’t going to be as smooth as the Land Rover.”
I roll my eyes, he is so lame it isn’t even funny, and his cutesy names for me are wearing me down. The sedan revs to life, and he puts it into gear, pulling out of the parking lot.
Strange noises are coming from the engine almost as soon as we join traffic. “How long until we get there?” I ask, concerned as I spot some smoke coming from the engine.
“About an hour and a half. Why?” he asks.
“I don’t think this car will get us that far,” I say wearily. “There’s smoke coming out the engine.”
Dominic waves a hand. “The owner has been driving like this, so it should be fine. We’ll drive slower and take a little longer to get there.”
I shake my head but settle back and look for my seat belt. There isn’t one. Great! Isn’t this super safe!
After driving for almost twenty minutes, Dominic mutters to himself, “Shit.”
I look over at him. “What is it?”
“Car’s getting a bit hot. We may have to pull over for a bit. I’ll stop at the next gas station and top up the water,” he explains, hitting the steering wheel.
“Can’t you just steal a car that isn’t from a thousand years ago and that actually runs?” I ask with a hint of snark in my voice.
Dominic doesn’t look at me. He stares straight ahead, and I think I see his lips move for a moment.
“Are you counting?” I ask with a frown.
“Counting, so I don’t shoot you myself,” he retorts. “Just keep quiet and stop trying to be helpful. You aren’t helping. You’re just irritating me.”
I look out the window. “Fine, see if I offer any more help.”
“That’s the point,” he snaps. “I don’t want you to. Just shut the fuck up.”
I don’t respond, he’s angry, and I don’t know how far he’ll go before he does snap and does something to me. He’ll make sure my body is never found. I don’t have to remind myself that he’s a killer and a good one at that.
While driving, he takes out a phone and dials a number. “Hey, it’s me. I need a car. Can you get one to me?”
I listen, but I can’t determine what the other end’s voice says.
“I’ll send you where you can drop it once I stop,” Dominic says. “Just get it there. I’ll do the rest.”
He pauses, and the voice gets slightly raised, so he says, “They attacked me, I just… took them out. They’re the ones doing this in public, Alessandro.”
I look at him, confused. Is he getting into trouble for shooting those men? I frown, I know he had to do it to save us, but clearly, someone isn’t happy we just left the bodies there.
“I know, I know. I’ll clean it up once I’ve delivered her. Just relax. I’ll speak to you later.” He hangs up and tosses the phone to me. I catch it.
“Take the sim card out,” he explains. “And break it in half and toss it out the window.”
I start to open the phone. “Why?”
“So they can’t track us,” he says. I break the sim card in half, which is really hard because it’s small, then roll down the window and toss it out. As I finish rolling the window up, the lever for the window comes off in my hand. “This is seriously a piece of junk.”
Dominic shakes his head. “Please stop whining.”
There is a spluttering sound from the front of the car, and Dominic and I look at each other.
“I’m not trying to be helpful. I’m just pointing out the obvious, and it’s obviously not a good sign,” I say, holding my hands up in surrender.
Dominic’s eyebrows knit together, and he growls, “Piece of shit car. Let’s take the next off ramp and find somewhere to stay.”