Here’s next chapter, thank you for the great comments and support, it’s amazing and I love you all for it!

So, hope you all enjoy....xo

~ ~ Chapter Thirty Two ~ ~

After asking one of the other passengers how far away the next stop is I was beginning to form a plan and thank goodness Amberly has one of those new phones where you can go on the net and do pretty much anything you want.

The next stop was a small town out in the middle of nowhere basically but it had lots to offer like motels and car rental places, fast food joints, everything I need.

“So how are we going to pay for all of this because I don’t think Jeff packed my purse.” Amberly sighed looking from the window back to me. She had been peering over my shoulder for the past hour but since I was only googling what the town had, she got bored pretty quick.

Reaching into my back pocket with a small smile I pulled out the wad of cash and showed it to her on the sly so no one else on the bus could see and try to jump me for it. “This.”

Here eyes widen as she looked at it, I haven’t actually counted it yet but I do know it’s all hundred dollar notes and there is more than enough for us to survive this situation my way.

“Where did you get that from? All your money is in the bank.”

Nodding slowly I realised how stupid that was of me because Baden didn’t let me take my cards saying he had already given the mystery person enough money to take care of us – which he is going to want to make sure he gets back now.

“Baden had a stash and I borrowed it.”

“You’re so dead Lee-lee.” She whispered but couldn’t stop the smile, “But I'm glad you came up with a plan on such short notice.”

“Yeah, well if I didn’t know about this money we would be following their plan – which I think is a stupid one.” I muttered. I have a bad feeling that those boys are going to get into a world of trouble without us girls there with them. Caveman is already tipping over the edge from Amberly being kidnapped and then she got hit and run by some Gianni wanker, so he’s about to go all loco on Gianni.

And when Dougy is under pressure or stressed he snaps like a thin twig and I’ve seen it so many times before, hell I’ve even been the one who has made him snap! Phil is the only one who I think will keep his cool for the most part and Baden is the one who worries me the most. Now that I'm not there he can ‘breathe easier and not worry about me’ but is that really a good thing?

“How long do you think it will take for them to figure out we didn’t arrive?”

Smiling, “Probably by tonight, we were meant to arrive there at eleven pm but we are getting off in another hour and its only six now.” I had to glance down at her phone, “Um, Ambo?” I asked quietly.

“Mmhmm?” she turned back to face me with a look of concentration on her face like she was thinking hard about something.

“We’re going to have to turn your phone off, you can’t talk to Caveman because I know you and if he starts getting all high and mighty you will cave and tell him where we are.”

“Jeff does not get high and mighty with me thank you very much.” Amberly scoffed her thoughts now broken while I smiled and nodded my head at her, she scowled back at me but agreed to turning her phone off. I was going to leave mine on because for starters, I simply won’t answer any of their calls and secondly, mine is too old to have one of those built in devices that record where you are.

~~

Walking slowly off the bus with Amberly hopping along behind me and complaining about how stupid her crutches are while I told her to stop whinging like a baby, we received a few glares and crazy looks from the other passengers – which I returned making them look away quickly.

The driver had already retrieved our bags from the under carriage since they were the last ones put on they were right up front anyway. I thanked him before he got back on the bus and brought Amberly’s GPS up on her phone for directions to the nearest motel. We were going to have to crash the night since the car rental wouldn’t be open until the morning.

This is why towns suck. In the city you would find heaps of places like that still open at just after seven at night but no, not stupid small towns.

“Does this place even have any taxis’?” I muttered as I looked up the deserted road to see absolutely no life whatsoever.

“Trust you to pick a stupid place where I have to walk even more.” Amberly grunted at me as she sat herself down on the nearby bench.

“Oi, don’t get narky with me.” I frowned but couldn’t help the smile from forming while she rolled her eyes then poked her tongue out.

Sitting down alongside her I googled if this place had taxis’ and what the number for them would be and we were in luck – about time too if you asked me. Dialling the number it rang four times before a bored voice answered.

“Hey, can I get a taxi from where the bus drops you off to the closet motel?” I asked as I looked back up the road.

“And where are you? There are three places the bus drops people off.” The lady mumbled again.

If I didn’t need the taxi so badly I would have told her where to go shove herself but I did. Standing up, “Um...” I trailed off as I quickly jogged a few metres away to the closest street sign, “Jefferson Street.”

“Okay, one will be there in twenty minutes.” She replied and hung up.

“Twenty minutes? You’ve got to be kidding me! This place is dead! What? Does he need to roll his fat ass up and out of bed or something?” I started yelling out loud to myself and stopped when Amberly cracked up laughing at me. “Shut up Ambo.” I muttered sitting back down next to her.

“Hey, at least it’s not raining.” She suggested with a laugh. Pulling a face I mimicked her and we fell into silence as we waited.

Finally he came and charged me fifteen dollars and forty five cents for not even a six minute drive. I was furious and wanted to yell at him but Amberly elbowed me when she caught sight of my face and the rude old bugger didn’t even help me with my bags or help Amberly get in and out! Then he had the nerve to complain about not having enough change for my hundred dollar note.

“Just bloody keep it to buy yourself a new attitude!” I snapped and slammed his stupid door shut hoping it would fall off but he just stuck his finger up and drove away a richer bugger then he was when he picked us up. “I thought people were nice in towns?” I grunted.

“I think you just need to go to sleep because you’re getting into your B mode.” Amberly muttered as she hobbled past with a smirk on her face.

“Shut up Sir Hobble legs.” I grunted as I picked up both our bags and followed her to the front office to book ourselves a room.

“At least it looks clean.” Amberly snickered as I stood frozen inside the motel room doorway.

“It looks like something out of a horror!” I cried looking at the disgusting floral printed walls and I had to pay eighty dollars for each of us for one measly night and we have to be out by nine am! “This town is going to send me broke! I swear I have a neon sign stuck to my head saying ‘please rip me off’!”

“Let’s just get some sleep.” Amberly yawned as she sat down on one single bed, making herself comfy.

“I guess so.” I muttered to myself as I crouched down to zip my bag open, I wonder what clothes Baden even packed for me? Shifting through them my hand hit something hard and picking up a shirt I could see the black handle of a hand held gun. Smiling as I shook my head I picked it up and showed Amberly who frowned not liking the idea. “Should I go hold up that office and demand a cheaper price?”

Her mouth fell open, “Don’t you dare Leila Kaitlyn Withers!”

Fake pouting I put the gun back in under my clothing, “You’re no fun at all.” But as I was burying it my hand touched something else and I pulled it out with my face lighting up, “I have my wallet!” I shouted waving it around excitedly.

“Maybe Jeff packed mine too then?” Amberly wondered; smiling we said night and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.

~~

“It’s a damn good thing I found my wallet.” I smiled as we pulled out of the rental place five hundred dollars poorer.

“Whys that?”

“Because I have no intentions on bringing this car all the way back here.” I laughed quietly as I turned the radio on to dull background noise.

“That’s theft Lee-lee and the guy has all your details!” she shouted glancing behind us like the cops would already be chasing us down for it.

“He robbed me first!” I shouted in mild outrage, “Besides, according to him a Laura Welks age twenty five hired the car.” I smiled. It really was a good thing I found my wallet with my fake ID’s Darcy had made up for me – damn that boy is a legend at times.

“And to think you use to be emotionless and uncaring not that long ago when now you’re getting worked up over priced cars.” Amberly muttered shaking her head slightly at me from the backseat.

“Shut up Ambo.” I muttered quietly which caused her to laugh at my expense which is something she seems to be doing a lot of lately.

We had been driving for just over an hour when my phone started ringing and immediately a smile played on my lips as I reached over and grabbed it from the passenger seat.

“Who is it?” Amberly asked from the back.

Glancing down at the caller ID I frowned, “Darcy.” I would have bet hard money on the fact one of the guys would have rang us by now but they haven’t.

“Hello?”

“Lee my girl! Are you fucking okay!?” Darcy started shouting in a panicked voice.

“Um, yeah? Why?” I was confused now, why wouldn’t I be okay?

“Phil and Dougy’s house just got hit! All I’ve heard so far is that Phil was there but didn’t hear about anyone else, apparently he went all Rambo on their asses!” I had to put the phone on loud speaker so I could slam the car to a complete stop on the side of the road.

“What!” I screamed as I flung myself forward in my seat and almost knocked my head on the steering wheel. Amberly screamed from the backseat but managed to stick her good arm out and save herself. Rubbing my neck that was now caning I turned to glance at her and see if she was okay and she was.

“What the hell is going on there?” I shouted again picking my phone back up.

“You didn’t know? Where the he- oh......what! You got ripped off hardcore girl!” Darcy started shouting again but what on earth was he on about now?

“Huh? Ripped off for what – oh who cares! Is Philly alright? What about the others? When did this happe-.”

“What about Jeff? Is Jeff okay?” Amberly shouted over top of me, I looked back at her with an amused grin and she smiled sheepishly, “Sorry.” But I waved it off. I knew she really cared about Caveman.

“Don’t worry girls, I’ll find it all out for you but can I ask where are you two exactly headed?” Darcy sounded amused about something now.

“Huh? Are you smoking drugs again De?” I half laughed.

“Beside the point. All I know is that Phil is at least alive....and I know you girls, well, Laura Welks just hired a car from the middle of nowhere.” He smugly told us his new found information.

Damn him and his contacts.

“Don’t you dare tell anyone where we are.” I warned him loudly.

“Don’t worry girls, Uncle De will keep your secret.”

“Uncle De? You do remember we were together at one point, don’t you?” I asked, frowning at the image of him actually being ‘Uncle De’, “That’s disgusting, I'm not calling you that.”

“I think it sounds cute.” Amberly smiled from behind me as I turned to frown at her.

“It does not.”

“Ladies, ladies, no need to fight over me.” Darcy grinned through the phone.

“If you were here right now I would slap you.” I dryly muttered, “So the overall point of this is that Phil’s okay, right De?” I had pulled back onto the freeway now wanting to get back to the city as soon as possible.

“As far as I know he is-.”

I cut him off, “It’s cool, I’ll ring him and find out.”

“But they will know we didn’t go to their place they organised.” Amberly pointed out with a worried look, she was too stressed about how much trouble she was going to be in with Caveman.

“Pfft, just blame it all on me, you’re injured and in no position to argue or run away from me – he’ll buy it.” Glancing back I gave her a reassuring smile which seemed to calm her down a little but not lots. “Alright De, I'm going now, we’ve got stuff to do.”

“Fine, its okay I'm a busy man anyway, I don’t need to talk to you two.” He fake sniffled, “Just keep me posted and call if you need help or anything okay girls?”

Laughing, “Sure thing.”

“Bye Darcy! Say hi to Neil for me and that we’ll have to catch up soon!” Amberly shouted from the back seat while I winced from her loud decimal before pressing the end call button.

“You really think Caveman is going to let you catch up with Neil?”

Amberly fell silent and looking in the rear vision mirror I could see the guilt of telling Darcy to tell Neil that they will catch up soon was eating at her. She never likes to say something and not follow through with it and she hates breaking promises above everything.

“Sneak a visit.” I shrugged after a few minutes silence and no longer able to take that look on her face whenever I glanced back at her.

“Maybe.” She murmured than looked out the window, “So what are we actually doing, besides not listening to the boys?” she smiled slightly and I laughed, this will be her first time she really goes against something Caveman said.

“Don’t exactly know yet, rent out a motel room somewhere and figure it out then.” I grinned. I hadn’t got that far ahead yet, hell! I only just came up with a plan thirty minutes before Baden put me in the car and the plan then was having money and lots of it. Then it built up to getting off at the next town and now it is getting back home again.

“Are you serious?”

“Let’s just call it Plan Improvisation shall we?” a small laugh escaped my mouth at the dumbstruck look on her face – it was priceless.

~~

“Well. This place sure as hell didn’t cost me an arm and a leg and looks better too.” I smiled as I walked into the room that we would call home for however long we need it to be.

There was a small kitchen to one side of the room, a bathroom at the back and two single beds with a small two seater table in the front corner near the window and we had a ground level so Amberly didn’t need to worry about stairs.

“Wow, it actually does look pretty cool.” She grinned as she walked, well hobbled, in behind me.

“Sure does.” Dropping my bags on the closest bed, I flopped down and grabbed the remote for the small screened TV as Amberly shut the door behind her and made her way over to her bed. It’s pretty funny how we have been driving for a few hours straight but all we want to do is lie down and rest.

Flipping the TV on did nothing for the ‘laying down and resting’ idea I had just had, it did the complete opposite. I bolted up into a sitting position and turned the volume up as a very familiar face was splashed across the screen with a number to ring police with his whereabouts.

“.....he is known to be armed and dangerous, so please – do not approach this man if you see him. He was last seen on the corner of Plymouth and Fairmont Road wearing dark jeans and a dark shirt. It is unsure if he had a getaway vehicle or what his motives were for the murder....”

My brain tuned the ladies voice out as a video surveillance footage recorded at night was suddenly played on the screen and there he was, in the dark clothing holding a gun out in front of him directed at two others and then suddenly two bright flashes popped on the footage and the men fell down as he turned and walked off like he had just done nothing at all.

“You stupid fool.” I whispered to myself as the footage froze and zoomed in on his face at the best angle they had of him which is the same image that was splashed across the screen moments ago. There was no doubt in my mind it was Baden even without the clear image.

Groaning I grabbed my head with my hands and fell backwards onto the bed, “He is going to get his stupid ass arrested for doing this.” I mumbled before turning over to look at a sympathetic Amberly, smiling at her, “Don’t look like that, it will all be okay.”

“Leila.” Amberly muttered softly and this caught my attention, she never calls me Leila unless it’s something big or she is angry with me, “I love Jeff, I really do but....sometimes I wish....I don’t know that life was um, different? Do you get what I mean?” she looked up with sad eyes and it broke my heart.

Getting up and quickly making my way over to her I hugged her tight, “I know exactly what you mean but you also need to remember that boy will do anything for you and if letting you go will keep you safe, well, he will do that.” I hope to God I'm not lying here right now but Caveman gives me the impression he would do what I'm saying.

“I don’t want to leave him, just this life and if he won’t - then I will stay....” she trailed off and we fell silent, laying on the bed hugging each other as we drifted off into our own thoughts.

A shrill sound jolted me awake and looking around the now dark room and then down at Amberly who was stirring, I realised we must have fallen asleep. The sound turned out to be my phone ringing so I quickly hurried over to where I dropped it on top of my bag and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” I asked quietly.

“What’s wrong?” the caller whispered.

“What? You rang me, not the other way around.” I pointed out with annoyance but still kept my tone in a whisper.

“Oh, then why are we whispering?”

“I don’t know why you are but I am because Ambo is sleeping, now what do you want De? If it’s about Baden being on TV then I already know.”

“That boy is the worst gangster I know, I mean, who gets caught on surveillance? Seriously people!” Darcy laughed.

Frowning I walked out the front door and shut it quietly behind me so I could talk louder, “He is not a gangster De. Now what do you want?”

“Well I just heard something very interesting along the grapevine....” he trailed off.

“Seriously, just tell me.”

“You’re no fun when you’re in a mood.” And I could picture him playfully pouting right now and it made me laugh quietly, “It seems you need to go control them boys because there is a certain bullet proof car driving around tonight with one Jeff and one Dougy in it and a whole shitload of weapons.” He was grinning, I could hear it and I wasn’t impressed.

“I'm going to kick Dougy’s ass!” I hissed, “What the hell are they doing?”

“Retaliation hit if you ask me, they are shooting out every known Gianni run, owned or controlled business from what I can gather.”

“They have lost their brains.” I groaned running my hand through my hair. These boys were going to get their asses handed to them by me. Did they really think that since us girls are ‘gone’ that they can just go slap happy? Obviously the answer to that is yes.

“Alright, thanks for letting me know. Keep me posted with what else you hear.” I mumbled and we said bye before hanging up the phone but instead of putting it away and heading back inside I searched my contacts and found the one I was looking for, five rings later he finally answered.

“Hey Lee, how’s the sticks treating you?” Phil cheerily greeted me.

Smiling I thought about that small town, “Well the people are rude as anything and they ripped me off hardcore but the question is, how are you?”

He was silent for a moment, “Good.” He spoke slowly, playing this out to see what I actually knew.

“Darcy rang me, I know Phil. So are you okay? You didn’t get hit with any bullets did you?”

“Damn that boy!” he hissed lowly, “How does he even find all this stuff out anyways?”

Smiling, “I told you he has contacts left right and centre - now answer the question.”

Phil chuckled, “Alright, yeah I got hit but only in the arm and one grazed my left calf and I am covered in small cuts. I just have the worst luck with people trying to shoot me down along with a house. Don’t they have lives of their own?” he joked.

Okay, so it seems Phil is absolutely fine, “You really are weird Philly boy. Well, I'm tired so night.”

“Night and I'm glad you’re talking to me again, I really thought you would have ignored us all until you came home but you actually rang me on the first night.”

“It’s because I love you. Bye.” And I quickly hung up before he became suspicious about my quick turnaround but damn, how did I not realise that if I was in the ‘sticks’ I wouldn’t have rang him but maybe, because either way Darcy rang me and as annoyed and ticked off with them all for what they did, I cared about them.

Sighing I headed back in for some more sleep because tomorrow I was going to have to figure out what me and Amberly are going to do from here. Would the guys just try and send us away again? Or let us stay since we’re already here? Guess we’ll find out soon enough.