Now fully sitting upright, Byte could see where they were and was confused.
“We’re in San Antonio. Why? I mean, I love the city, but I thought Kyle lived in Austin.”
“How do you know Kyle?”
“Oh, because he was searching for me. I know when anyone is looking for me.”
“So you went to buy chocolate?”
“I was having a craving. Hey, where is my bag?”
When the man didn’t answer, she kicked the back of his seat. “I’m not playing. Where are my Doves?”
“I have no idea what that is, but unless it was on your body, it’s still with your bike.”
“Dang it! I had put it under the seat. All that yummy chocolate is going to melt in this Texas heat by the time I get back.”
The man’s chuckle had Byte asking him what was so funny.
“You think you’re going back. My boss will not let you go once he has you.”
“Is this about money? I could pay you double what he pays you, even get you a fake passport, if you just let me go.”
“No, thank you.”
“Really? You’d rather work for someone else than be your own boss? I mean, I get having friends, but to have someone yelling at me about every little thing… Personally, I’d take the cash.”
The man remained silent, so Byte continued. One thing she’d been good at while in foster care was knowing how to push someone’s buttons. She’d keep needling until she found his.
“What’s your name?”
Silence.
“Alright, since you’re not going to give me something to call you, then we’ll stick with butthead. Did you ever watch Beavis and Butthead on MTV? It was hysterical; of course, you have to have a twisted kind of humor. I mean, how many times can someone say ‘cool’ or ‘sucks’ in one sitcom. Right?”
Silence.
“Hey, that’s Six Flags. Yay, we’re going to an amusement park. I wish I’d known, I would’ve worn shorts. Hey, do you have any rubber bands? I need to braid my hair; otherwise, I’ll have blue dye ruining this shirt, and I really like this shirt.”
“Do you ever shut up?”
“No, not really. Not unless I scream, but I already told you that.”
“Try.”
“To scream? Okay, you asked for it.” As Byte began to scream, the man slammed on his brakes, making her roll onto her side. “Ouch! That hurt.”
“We’re here.”
“Do you want to ride Batman with me? I don’t know, you might be too tall since your legs would have to dangle. How tall are you?”
“We’re not riding roller coasters.”
“Oh, well, that’s a bummer. It’s probably for the best. I’m sure your legs would get beat up. What are you… six foot five?”
He grunted and then offered up the truth. “Six two.”
Nice, Byte thought. She now was able to give someone a description of her kidnapper… provided she escaped.