Our Little Nest - 18. Chapter 18

Penny descended the staircase holding her coat, purse, and car keys.

Chen, who just finished checking the first floor, walked up as he reached the bottom.

“Good evening Miss Bell,” said Chen.

“Good evening, Chen, I will be going out. I need time to myself,” Penny said.

“Will you be taking your car?”

“Yes.”

“Can I suggest taking my brother with you?”

“That would defeat time to myself Chen.”

“Only, with Mr. Jen not here…”

“Jamie is in bed fast asleep. I’ll be back before he wakes. He’s not an infant.”

“Can I at least…”

“Coffee, Chen. I’m going to get coffee and get laid. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she snapped.

“My apologies Miss Bell, I didn’t mean to pry.”

Penny regained her composure not meaning to snap at Chen.

“It’s, all right. I’ve been under a lot of stress.”

“Of course. Please have a safe night.”

“I will, and Chen, I’m sorry for the outburst.”

“Already forgotten.”

Chen did walk her to her car and watched her drive off. Penny drove and hour and half out of town pulling into a rest stop where she parked, turned off the car’s engine, cracked a window, and lit a cigarette. The lot was empty besides three semi-trucks scattered about. Her dashboard clock read 12:30 am. She had her car pointed in the direction of the restrooms that were a few feet away.

She was tired, but not from sleep, but for the incompetence she had to work with. Four attempts and all failures. She didn’t expect a blackmail text message from him asking to meet. How he got her number she had no idea. But he was her last hope to get rid of Jamie. Yuri was getting too serious with the runaway.

She took a long draw on her cigarette, held in the nicotine for a few seconds, before releasing it through her nose. A white cloud circled around her head just as headlights crossed her line of vision.

An SUV pulled up that read WillowMoss Sheriff Department on the door. Penny stomped out her cigarette in her ashtray. She gathered her purse from the floor of the backseat and checked for her small pistol she kept for ‘just in case’ moments.

The SUV parked across from her Sedan shutting its lights off. She stepped out of her car and waited behind the opened door. The driver of the SUV climbed out, wearing his regulated uniform, gun belt, and badge. He approached Penny with a casual stride stopping just at the door she stood behind.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty one,” he said.

“Sheriff Huge,” she said as a question.

“As I live and breathe,” he smiled.” And you are Penny Bell.”

“That is correct.”

“My, so formal.”

“We’re not here to be friends’ sheriff.”

“But we’re here for a common goal. We should, at least be acquaintances.” Penny glanced around and noticed no one around them. She wanted to get down to business not have small talk. She agreed to have a cup of coffee with him inside an eatery for mostly truckers. The place was large, so they were able to find a private booth out of ears reach.

“I’m assuming, your employer informed you about me?” Sheriff Huge asked.

“Yuri has his concerns,” Penny said.

“So much so that he’s willing to hire a PI to investigate me?”

“Yuri had nothing to do with Detective Potter’s actions, outside of body guarding your, son.”

“How is Christopher?”

“Underfoot.”

“And we’re on the topic of our meeting.”

“When are you coming to get him?”

“When I feel he needs me.”

“Do you know he’s sleeping with Yuri?”

“I expect nothing less of him.”

“I want him gone.”

“Gone, as six feet under?”

“I’ll do what I need to do.”

“And I’ll do what I need to do to keep my son safe.”

Penny never wanted to cross paths with the man Yuri describe as a sadist. But when she received an email giving details of her hiring men to harm Jamie, she had no choice but to meet with him.

“What do you want?”

“Yuri Jen’s intentions towards my son.”

“There are none.”

“But he’s fucking him.”

“That’s because your, Christopher, is pushing the issue.”

“I see. This upsets you?”

“What’s with all the questions?”

“Miss Bell, no matter how this all turns out. Yuri Jen will never share your feelings for him.”

Penny stared at Sheriff Huge with loathe, and revulsion that she had for his son.

“How dare you,” she said, through clinch teeth. “You know nothing of my feelings.” She grabbed her purse and rose from her seat not taking her eyes off the sheriff.

He stared back with a smirk as she stormed out. Penny hurried back to her car and ran the motor while she collected her thoughts. She would have to stop her attempts on Jamie’s life for now. She didn’t need a man who had the law on his side after her.

She fastened her seatbelt and pulled off getting back on the road towards home. The dashboard read one thirty. Tension rose in her shoulders as she tried to focus on the road. Head lights were in her rearview mirror as she tried to stay at the lawful speed limit. The car behind her caught up with her and as she braced it went around her without slowing or the driver looking at her.

A sigh of relief washed over her as the driver speeded out of sight. Her heart pound in her chest as she considered pulling to the side of the road to collect herself. When another set of headlights came into view as if the driver just turned them on. The impact from behind was so sudden that Penny, screaming from shock, lost her grip on the stirring wheel for a second.

She regained control of the car just as headlights in front of her suddenly appeared in the opposite lane. The ghost car veered into her lain clipping her front driver side fender pushing her off the road. Her tire jammed up sending her into a jack-knife, then a barrel roll, landing into a ditch. The Sedan landed on its roof, rocking to a standstill. The cloud of dirt made a path to the crash as it settled around Penny’s car that showed no sign of movement.

The two vehicles were long gone. One showing a hard U-turn that followed the other vehicle away from the scene.

At 2:00 am, highway patrol received an alert about a car accident. When they arrived, they found one unresponsive female. The EMTs took her by ambulance to the nearest hospital, in WillowMoss.