Hands All Over

Ch. 56 Lost and Found

Angela stared out the front window of the rental car, her mind racing. She had one wrist handcuffed to the door handle. Mel had put the damn child lock on which meant she couldn't open it from the inside. She knew because she'd tried it at the last red light. Luckily, Mel hadn't noticed, he was too immersed in his own head to pay much attention to her ironically. Though he had made a good choice putting the child lock on, he'd failed to change his rental car which was a huge mistake. She was pretty sure everyone in Charming had seen the ugly green sedan. It was a small ray of hope. Juice had the skills to trace the car and would find them easily...if he knew to look, that is. The fact she wasn't sure he was out looking terrified her. What if he thought she'd left him? If she came home and saw the house in the state it was in, she sure as hell would've believed that.

Pushing that thought from her mind, she looked around the car, trying to think of other ways to escape. Save for the growing baby in her belly, she was alone this time which meant escaping would be much easier. She didn't have many options at the moment. Mel was flying down the highway at an unprecedented speed. Her hand itched to reach out and grab the wheel, start an accident so the authorities would be alerted, but at his current velocity, an accident of any sort was sure to either kill them or the innocent people in whatever car was involved, a risk she wasn't willing to take.

Breathing in a deeply, she tilted her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She was doing her best to keep calm, to think ahead like Happy had told her to. She had her phone and her knife in the bag at her feet. If Mel got violent, at least they were within arm's reach, handcuffs or not. Sneaking a peek over at him, she wondered what brought him to this. What made him so desperate? She knew he was on drugs but which kind and from where? Had he sought them out?

"Why are you doing this, Mel?" she asked calmly, turning her head to look at him. They'd been on the road for awhile now and whatever drugs he'd taken had to be wearing off a little. Maybe now she could actually talk some sense into him. Make him see what he was doing was wrong.

"I told you why," Mel answered, staring determinedly at the road. "We're meant to be, Gee. I'm going to make you happy. We're going to be a family. It'll be just like it was back in Tacoma. One, big happy family."

Angela frowned at his words. He wanted a family. She knew that was at the heart of this whole thing. Kozik had been the only family he had left and without him, Mel had to be feeling a little lost. "This is about Koz, isn't it? About losing your own family?" she questioned softly. She watched him flinch at the question and knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "We'll still be like a family. Another uncle to add on."

"Screw that," he muttered, pressing a little harder on the accelerator.

"This isn't how you start a family, Mel. This isn't right," she said forcefully.

He gripped the steering wheel harder, his knuckles white. "How the hell else am I supposed to do it, Gee? Huh?" he shouted, his eyes angry as they looked over at her. "Not like I could just win you over! You're stubborn as hell! So I'm pulling you outta there just like they got you from Oakland. If it worked then, it'll work now."

She couldn't believe his logic! As forceful as Happy and Kozik had been when they'd practically abducted her and took her to Oakland, they'd never put a gun in her face. Had never threatened her life. "That was totally different, Mel! Hap wanted what's best for me!"

"So do I!"

Angela gritted her teeth together, pushing back the angry slew of words threatening to burst out. Arguing with him was futile. He had this idea in his head and whatever angle she came at it from, it kept circling back to the same conversation. Mel was under the delusion he was saving her life. That this was what was best for her. He couldn't be more wrong. "I have to pee."