Playing With Fire

Chapter Forty- Seven

                                            Recap

           Laura and Dad stand by Travis’s impala with strange expressions on their faces.

           I raise an eyebrow, “What?”

          “Are you two in a relationship?” Laura wonders aloud, her gaze shifting towards the vacant area where we were just standing.

         I open my mouth to blatantly deny it, or try to, but the sound of Travis shutting the door tightly and jogging up to our waiting figures has us all in silence when he approaches.

             Both Dad and Laura settle down in the back seats as soon as Travis unlocks the car doors. While passing by my back and making his way to the driver portion, Travis absent-mindedly slips a flat, rectangular shaped plastic bottle in my pocket.

             I know the feeling well enough to understand that the bottle is a portable supply of pepper spray. Despite the serious reasons behind the spray, I feel a small smirk lift the corners of my lips.

           As Travis starts the engine and I round the impala for the passenger seat, I think of an answer to Laura’s earlier inquiry:

              Something like that. 

                                            Chapter Forty Seven 

          “We are her parents!” Laura snaps, her tone laced with agitation, “All I am asking for is an estimate as to how much longer my daughter will be in that room.”

             One of the officers that approached all three of us at the door beforehand—the more built and intimidating one—stands with his arms folded across his chest and with a vacant expression on his face.

             Unlike the clearly visible frustration on both Dad and Laura’s features, the cop stands his guard with utmost superiority which Travis and I would most gladly be willing to eliminate.

             “Listen ma’am,” He begins for what would be the fourth attempt, “Your daughter is helping us track down an individual who has made this area an unsafe region to live in—we take these matters seriously, and we ask that you and your family cooperate with our uncertain time frames.”

            Halfway through this officer’s speech, Laura starts to shake her head in defiance, “No.”

            At the childlike quip-ness and stubbornness in her voice, I suppress the urge to grin in approval.

            “Laura, please.” Dad steps forward immediately and gives her tense shoulders a squeeze. They exchange glances before she exhales sharply and abruptly turns away. Dad glances up at the officer and boldly shoots him a dry look before motioning for all of us to sit down, once again, on the chairs beside the door.

            It has been around 2 hours since we arrived here, and all of us were on the brink of losing our tempers.

            A moment of silence embraces the four of us as we internally churn on ideas. Then, Dad turns to Travis with a look of determination on his face.

            “Do you mind if I borrow your keys?” He asks.

            I sit up in my seat, curious to know where this is headed, as Travis raises an eyebrow and gives him a sideways glance.  He clenches his hands tightly around his keys as he does so.