Princess, Without Cover (11 page)

Marge gripped her shoulder, appearing out of nowhere. 

“Sydney, are you alright?”

Her rough voice was hesitant and as soft as Sydney had ever heard it.  She looked up to find Marge’s wrinkled face peering over her shoulder in concern.  She felt a rush of warmth for this crusty old woman because she hardly ever showed her gentle side.  In fact, Sydney hadn’t even known that she had one.  When she had first started, Marge had instantly disliked her.  She had been afraid that Sydney would take all of the tips. 

“I’m okay.  Thanks,” Sydney murmured and then smiled at her.  Marge hugged her shoulders lightly and awkwardly.  Sydney could easily tell that this type of situation made Marge uncomfortable and she was all the more grateful to her because of that. 

“Family is hard, I know.” Marge shrugged as though she was thinking of her own.  “If you need anything, let me know.” 

She squeezed Sydney’s hand and then tottered off, leaving a scented trail of aerosol hair spray and cigarettes behind her.  Sydney gazed after her absently, replaying the scene with her mother in her head. 

What had her mother really expected her to do?  Move home and then what?  It wouldn’t make any difference.  It wouldn’t change anything.  Unless… they thought that she might leak the information.  The realization dawned on her abruptly. 

They thought she was going to tell.  Truthfully, the thought had never crossed her mind.  She was pissed off at them, but she didn’t want to completely trash her parents’ lives. 

“Is this seat taken, Miss?” 

She looked up to find Stephen standing over her.  She had been so distracted that she didn’t even notice the tinkling of the bells over the door when he walked in. 

“Not any more.  My mother just vacated it.”  She grinned wryly at him, trying to downplay the anxiety that still coursed through her veins.

“Seriously?”  His chocolaty brown eyes searched her face for confirmation. “Are you alright?”  He was instantly concerned and she felt warmth flood through her. The chatter of the diners around them faded out of her mind until all she could see what his handsome face in front of her. 

“Seriously,” she confirmed.  “And my mother knew.  About my dad, I mean.  She’s probably known all along.  She’s a piece of work.  She told me that I had to come home and I told her no and she left.  I think they think I’m going to tell someone.”

“Are you?”

“No.  I have no reason to do that.  Maybe the American public deserves to know the truth about him, but they won’t hear it from me.”  She absently played with the clean flatware lying on the table in front of her.  

“You’re a good person, Sydney Ross.”  He reached across the table and grasped her small hand.  “Want to go out for dinner tonight?  Somewhere other than here?” 

He glanced around as he spoke, taking in the cracked vinyl booth seats and the crooked owl clock on the wall. The owl’s googly eyes were facing in two separate directions, its yellow beak faded.  

“Where did you have in mind?  I have about $20 bucks so far in tips.”

“That won’t be a problem.  I sold my novel today and I’m getting an advance!” 

His grin lit up his face and she sucked in her breath.  He was incredibly handsome and she had not gotten used to it.  She doubted that she ever could.  She jumped up and flew into his arms, hugging him tightly against her. 

“Congratulations!  I knew you would do it!”

She inhaled him as he cradled her within his arms- too tightly for a public place, but for once, she didn’t care.  It was hard to let go of old habits, even when there was no need to constantly be aware of public opinion anymore. 

It was a wonderful feeling. She briefly considered streaking down the street just because she could, but decided against it.  That might be going overboard.

“So, my lady,” Stephen said, stepping backward and bowing dramatically low.  “Where would you like to go?  Your chariot awaits.”  She glanced out in the parking lot and saw his T-bird parked right out front. 

“Hmm.  You’re the novelist.  Aren’t you supposed to have a good imagination?  You choose!”  She kissed him on the cheek, then turned.  “I’ve got to clock out. I’ll be right back.”  

He watched her walk through the swinging doors into the kitchen and it wasn’t a second later before Marge rushed over to him, speaking hurriedly and glancing over her shoulder, presumably to watch for Sydney. 

“Stephen, I don’t know what is going on, but it isn’t good.  Someone keeps calling here, asking for Sydney and then when we go to get her, they hang up.  Like they don’t really want to talk to her, they just want to know if she’s here.  I haven’t told her because that little girl’s got enough to worry about.  But someone should know.  It doesn’t feel right.”

“You haven’t told her?”  He watched her wrinkled face as she shook her head.

“It hasn’t really started bothering me until the past couple of days.  The first few times it happened, I didn’t think too much about it.”

“How many times has it happened?”

“At least a dozen over the past couple of weeks.”

“When was the last time?”

“Today.  Maybe an hour ago.”

“Do you know the voice?”

“No.  It’s a man- sounds like he is middle-aged.  Definitely not a boy.”

Stephen watched Sydney push through the kitchen doors again and smiled back at her gently when she grinned at him from across the room. He could tell from her face that she was tired.  As much as she would like to deny it, she was still recovering from the accident. 

“Thank you for telling me, Marge.  Let’s not tell her, okay?  You’re right. She has enough to worry about.”  He smiled at her and she smiled back, patting him on the shoulder. 

“You’re a good boy, Stephen.  She’s right to stick with you.” 

“Well, I’m glad you approve, Marge.” 

She walked away, her gnarled fingers darting out to snag the tip that someone had left her as she passed.  She was secretly certain that the bus boys stole part of her tips.  She tried not to leave them on the table too long in order to prevent the theft.  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she saw one of them cleaning off a nearby table and she rushed over to grab that tip, as well. 

“Hey, you come here often?”  Sydney sidled up beside Stephen, bending to kiss his forehead.  He tilted his head back to look at her, noting the slight flush in her cheeks. 

“Oh, every once in a while.  See there’s this girl…”  His voice trailed off as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. 

“Really?  What’s she like?” 

She squeezed his fingers as she spoke.  She found herself wishing that they were in private.  She’d suck on his fingers to see what effect it had on him.  She was pretty sure she knew.  She should be ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t.  Letting go of her inhibitions was starting to grow on her. Stephen appraised her before he answered.

“Well, she’s young.  And pretty.  And a little bit sassy.  Have you seen anyone around here that fits that description?”

“Not lately.  But I’ll let you know if I come across her.  In the meantime, want to hang out with me?”  She beamed her biggest smile at him and he almost collapsed.  She was absolutely beautiful. 

“Okay.  I’ll settle for you.  For now.  Just until I find the other one.” 

She punched him on the arm and then grabbed it, leaning into him in a familiar way that he loved, while they walked out to his car. He opened her door like the perfect gentleman that his mama had taught him to be.  As he waited for her to situate herself, he gazed absentmindedly around him at the trees rustling in the breeze and the cars lining the street.

His breath caught in his throat.  Down the street, maybe two blocks away, a battered old black Trans Am was parallel parked. He could see a shadowy figure sitting inside behind the steering wheel.  He couldn’t make out who it was…and he couldn’t for the life of him imagine who would have enough balls to show up again in the same exact car that they had ran Sydney down with.

He was careful not to act like anything was wrong and walked casually around to his side of the car, slamming the door as he got in. As he started the car, he asked, “Do you have Detective Daniels’ card in your purse?” 

Sydney looked at him in surprise.  “Yes, I think so.  Why?”

“Pull it out and call him.”

She didn’t ask any more questions because the look on his face was startling.  She simply dug through her purse, found the card and dialed the number. 

“Is it ringing?” Stephen barely glanced at her, instead keeping his eyes on the road, flickering from time to time to the rear view mirror.

“Yes.”  She was apprehensive. Something was wrong and she didn’t know what.  It was an uncomfortable feeling.

“Let me have it.”  He held his hand out and she placed her phone in his palm. 

“This is Daniels.” The detective’s curt voice was loud enough that Sydney could hear it through the phone. She craned her ears to hear it better.

“Detective Daniels, this is Stephen James.  I just picked Sydney up at the Sunshine Café on the corner of Sample and West.  The Black Trans Am that hit her was waiting for us down the street and it is following us now.” 

Sydney gasped and started to turn around, but Stephen grabbed her arm and shook his head.  She slumped against the seat and looked straight ahead… deciding instead to focus on not hyperventilating.  She suddenly found it incredibly hard to breathe.  She focused on long pulls in, then exhaling slowly, feeling her breath rush over her teeth. When the first breath didn’t calm her, she tried it again.

“Yes, I can do that.  It’s only five minutes from here.  Yep, I understand.”  Stephen flipped the phone closed and laid it gently back in her lap. It was apparent to her that he was being calm for her sake.

“Sydney, don’t think about it.  Everything’s fine. You’re with me.”  He grasped her hand for a moment, before returning both hands to the wheel.  She saw him glance quickly into his rearview mirror again.

“Is it still back there?” 

“Yes. We’re going to lead him to a little park nearby—Detective Daniels is going to be there.  Lucky for us, he was already in the area.”  He turned left and Sydney stared into her side mirror.  Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of the black car just a few cars behind them.  She sucked in her breath.

“Stephen, he’s passing!”  The black car was weaving through traffic in order to get closer.  Apparently, the driver wasn’t so concerned with being covert anymore. 

“Shit- he must know that we saw him!” Stephen pressed the accelerator and the T-Bird edged forward, the heavy mass of the vintage car trembling as it sped up.  The Trans Am was right behind them now, directly on their tail. 

“We’re two minutes away- I need to keep him with us.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Sydney’s eyes were glued to her mirror, where she could plainly see the dented grill of the Trans Am hugging the back end of their car.  She had given the car that dent.  She swallowed hard.

“Can you see who it is?” 

“No.”  Her face was panicked as she tried to look behind her. Stephen kept his eyes on the road, as he maneuvered the car through traffic, trying to make sure that they didn’t lose the car behind them. Suddenly, their car lurched forward as the Trans Am slammed into their trunk.

“Oh my God—he’s hitting us!  On purpose!” 

Sydney gripped the armrest so hard that her fingers turned white.  They were rammed again from behind, so hard that Sydney’s neck snapped forward like a rag doll and her teeth slammed together.  Her arm flung out and braced the weight of her body against the door as she tried to anticipate the force of the next impact. 

Stephen slung the T-Bird around the last corner and skidded to a stop in the dusty parking lot of the tiny neighborhood park.  In a navy blue Crown Vic, Detective Daniels sat waiting.  As soon as the Trans Am squealed by, he pulled out and flew after it in pursuit, red and blue lights flashing.

Sydney and Stephen stared at each other in shock.  He reached over and pulled her to him, letting her tremble against his chest. She felt like a baby, but all she could do was shake.

“Why is this happening?” 

Her voice was small, like a child’s.  Stephen had to remember that while this situation would be unnerving to anyone, it was especially terrifying to her.  She had spent her life in a glass bubble, removed from the real world.

“I don’t know.  But we’re going to find out.  I promise you that.”  His voice was laced with steely resolve and he meant every word.  He would find out, no matter what it took.

They sat still for the next fifteen minutes, while Stephen held her gently against his chest, stroking her hair and murmuring soothingly to her.  She eventually calmed down and her shaking subsided.   She had just pulled away when Detective Daniels’ car slid smoothly into the slot next to theirs.  He was out of his car and standing next to them almost immediately.  

“He lost me and I couldn’t get a good look at him.  Did you see him?” he asked brusquely, as he leaned in Stephen’s window.  He was dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt- so he was evidently off duty. 

“No,” Stephen answered.  “Neither of us could get a good enough look at his face.  He was wearing dark clothes and a black ball cap pulled down low.”

“Well, Sydney… are you ready to talk yet?”  The detective stared at Sydney pointedly.

“Detective, I wish that I could.  I have no idea why this is happening.  There is no one that I know of that hates me enough to want me dead.  I can’t figure it out.” Her voice was helpless and small and every ounce of her vulnerability shone through in it.  Stephen glanced at the detective.  Surely even he could hear it. 

“Alright.  Can you guys step out of the car?  Let’s sit down at the table over there and go over some things.”  

He strode purposefully toward a rickety picnic table sitting on the edge of the playground.  He didn’t even look back to see if they were following him- he just assumed they would.

He was right.  They climbed out of the car and trailed after him, each taking a seat at the table.  Sydney looked around nervously.

“I know this is silly, but I don’t feel safe out in the open.  What if he is waiting for me?  Somewhere where he can see me.”