Bosom Bodies (Mina's Adventures) (23 page)

Something didn’t feel right
with the car
as if
it
slowed down
for no reason
. S
he pushed the gas pedal, a brief
acceleration
, then nothing. Mina panicked. T
he Bug didn’t respond
. I
nstinctively
,
she steered toward the safety lane at about the same time the car coughed and died
. At least the spot was bright, right under the big green sign pointing to the exit ramp to Irvine Avenue. Were they headed to Irvine? Bizarre. She flashed her headlights hoping Diego would see she
wasn’t following him
,
then
tried to start the engine again. The battery fired up and
that was that
. What could be wrong? Her Bug never left her stranded before. She heard cars beeping,
and
when she looked up
,
a
single
headlight was
coming
i
n her direction
, heading straight at her
.

Oh, m
io Dio.
It had to be Diego’s Harley. He drove on the safety lane,
against
traffic.
She figured anyone with a car phone was dialing 911 and any moment now the Highway
P
atrol would come calling.
Every cop in Orange County would know where her Bug died.
So much for not attracting attention.

“What happened?” Diego put the kickstand down on the hard surface, shifted
into
neutral and jumped off the bike. She got out of the
car;
he didn’t seem too happy about that.

“I don’t kno
w

my car just died, but the lights still work.”

Diego went around and looked inside
.
“Are you out of gas?’

“There was plenty of gas when
DeFiore
took my car
,
and you can see the little arrow shows full.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, look.”

Diego turned the ignition key
. W
ith his head inside the car
,
he tapped on the gasoline gauge. He turned off the key, tapped again. “It’s stuck or broken.”

“It was working just fine I tell you
. I
t’s all
DeFiore
’s fault.”

Diego wasn’t listening
. H
e looked around
. H
is face had taken on that same expression she remembered from the night she had tried to get his gun.

Edgy and aloof.

She watched
,
horrified
,
as he bent down, retrieve
d
the gun from his boot and placed
it
somewhere on his back.
He never glanced in her direction.
H
e removed his helmet
and
handed it to her.
“Here, put i
t
on. Hurry.”

“What? Why?”

“Don’t
argue. P
ut it on.” He picked up the paper bag from the passenger seat, hesitated then gave it to her. He
patted her cheek,
checked the helmet strap under her chin. Something in his eyes frightened her. He unzipped his leather jacket
.
“Put this on also.”

“I’m not cold, and what
…
”

“Mina, do it. Now.”

The jacket was huge on her, even over her clothes. Before closing the zipper
,
he placed the bag with the uniform inside the jacket. She felt the lump against her chest when he zipped her up.

“Let’s go
.
” He straddled the Harley. “Get on the bike. Hurry.” His voice harsh and pressing.

Mina sat
behind him
, circled her arms around his waist
. H
e felt small against all her padding. In spite of the layers of clothing a shiver rushed the length of her spine. He revved the engine
;
the Harley moved
,
and they reached the Irvine exit just when the first flashing lights appeared from the north side of the
f
reeway. What had just happened? She turned to send a mental goodbye to her poor car
. T
he headlight
s
were still bright
,
and her left blinker throbbed in
unison
with Mina’s heart.

Diego drove like a maniac
. S
treet lights zoomed by
. C
ars looked like props on a Disney set, small and fast. From behind the protection of the helmet
,
Mina felt like a spectator, watching the unknown unfold at full speed. Where were they headed? An inner fear built in her bowels bringing back memories of her mother’s death. Did he sense it? His gloved hand patted her bare one. She had a hunch Diego was checking his side mirrors often
.
What was he seeking? She stretched her torso, trying to peek in the same direction
.

“Don’t look back
,
”
h
e shouted.

“Why?”

“We are being followed.”

“By whom?” With that helmet on
,
she felt like a bobble head.

“Mina, I don’t know, but regardless, they can’t be good people. Don’t turn around
. Y
ou’ll expose yourself. Keep you
r
head down.”

“Expose myself to what?” Like an answer to her question, something zipped pas
t
her helmet.
It s
ounded like a bee on a caffeine rush. A bullet? She doubted it.

“Fuck.
Twelve
gauge.” Diego accelerate
d
the engine so hard, it felt like they went airborne.

“Are they shooting at us?”

He didn’t answer. This wasn’t possible. This was Newport Beach, a town of civilized, wealthy people. Where were the cops?
Now the streetlights were fewer and f
urther
apart, no more cars
. S
he wasn’t sure where they were but sensed a body of water somewhere at the bottom of the cliff edging the road. More flying objects whizzed close to her helmet. She couldn’t see what it was,
but
she sensed it and heard Diego cu
r
s
e
again.

Glimpsing at the side mirrors
,
she saw headlights, far back
. T
he car with the shooter?

“Mina, I want you to get that paper bag with the uniform and throw it up in the air as high as you can so it can be seen from the vehicle following us. Quickly. If that’s what they
’
re after
,
they’ll leave us alone
.
” Diego’s order came in
an
icy, controlled tone. Mina wished she could feel as calm.

“Okay, got it.”
Okay nothing
. She unzipped the leather jacket, pulled out the bag with one hand, then bent down and grabbed a corner of the shirt between her teeth. Holding firm on the shirt she lifted the hand and the bag and let it go. Stuffed the
tee
back against her chest and zipped up the jacket.

Diego must have been watching the car behind them
.
“Good job Mina, they are slowing down. Now listen, we
’
re coming to a narrow bend on the road
.
I
’
ll decelerate and I want you to jump off toward the cliff side
. D
on’t worry
. I
t’s not
a real cliff. Don’t just jump. Y
ou need to tuck your head into your arms and roll. Pretend you are a ball, roll
. W
hen you stop, don’t move, and don’t call out. Regardless if people are looking for you, only respond to Dan
DeFiore
. We are running out of time
. T
hey’re catching up. Your legs are going to be the tricky part
. I
t’s coming up. Hurry, get ready…
be brave.”

Paralyzed by fear and mistrust, she couldn’t find her voice. “But what about you?” Her heart cried out.

The Harley tilted and slowed at the same time, Mina f
elt
herself falling.

“Go.” Diego’s voice. Diego pushing her off. No more bike, no more holding on, only free fall into the unknown. Her hands instantly went to cover her face, rested on the helmet. She hit the ground hard with her shoulder first
, i
nhaled dust and
the
scent of grass while tumbling and bouncing over uneven surfaces. Time or place no longer mattered
. S
ky and earth blended in the terror of the now. Her whole body
became
a pounding muscle fighting to stop the spiraling. She landed against a bushy tree
. H
er shoulder hit the trunk at full force
,
and she bit her lip to kill the scream. All was quiet. Quiet and dark. She looked up
at
the sky, toward the top of the hill she fell from. Not a sound, not a light. Without moving her body, she turned her head
. I
t felt safe in the sturdiness of the helmet. Diego had headed south. Was he mad at her? Just then a ball of fire seemed
to rise from somewhere on the s
outhern horizon. A loud explosion and then a bright light.

Was it Christmas?
L
a cometa di Natale
.
Could it be the Christmas comet?
No bells ringing
.

H
er mother’s voice
called from
up the hill.
"
Signorina.
"
Must be something important. B
etter pay attention. Then all went black.

A voice called her name. A woman’s voice. It wasn’t her mother. Mina remembered Diego’s warning
.
“Only respond to Dan
DeFiore
.” Not
DeFiore
either.

But it was so close, a whisper in her ear. “Mina, you awake?”

Diego didn’t say she couldn’t open her eyes. Margo’s smile was the first greeting.

“Margo? Where am I? What happened?”
There were
colorful flowers in glass vases
everywhere,
and helium balloons
floated above Margo’s head,
that said something like…get well soon…they were for her, Mina. She understood. This was a hospital.

“Girl
,
you need to stop playing tricks on people. What the hell were doing in that ditch?”

“Ditch? What ditch?” Her mouth so dry, she tried to remember how she ended up in the hospital.

A nurse came in, all smiles
.
“Nice to see you awake
. H
ow is your leg?”

“My…what leg?”
O
nly then Mina realized
her
left leg
was bandaged
. She didn’t feel any pain. “What happened to my leg? I don’t remember.”

“Major scrapes, no stitches. You were lucky you wore that heavy leather jacket
. I
t cushioned your fall and the helmet saved you from a serious head injur
y
. Smart girl.”

Smart girl?
She wore Diego’s stuff. Where was Diego?

The nurse checked her temperature and her blood pressure, “How about some food
?
Are you hungry?”

“Hungry? I don’t think so, but I’m so thirsty
. M
y mouth is very dry.”

“It’s probably the sedative wearing off. You slept a long time. That’s good. I’ll get you some water and maybe some orange juice. Are
you
up to receiv
ing
visitors? They have been waiting.” She must have noticed the puzzled look on Mina’s face when she glanced at Margo
. "W
e let your cousin in because she is family, but the rest of them had to wait.”

Margo stifled a smile and
winked
.
Her cousin
?

A couple of
minutes later Paco and Adams came in. No Diego. They explained how the police found her below Dover Drive
. S
he had fallen down the short slope and landed against a tree
i
n Castaways Park
. S
he was lucky to get away with minor bruises and scrapes.