Ty looked out the rearview mirror. “It’s him. It’s the same car. A black Lexus SUV.” He nervously realized that the dark, desolate part of I-95 they were traveling did not have streetlights. The only things he could see were the white stripes on the road coming at him. Ty depressed the accelerator a notch and tried to pull away from the black car.
“He’s still with us,” Eduardo said.
“I see,” Ty said, glancing at the speedometer. It was inching past 90 and still, the car was keeping up. “That car is fast.”
The black car pulled into the passing lane and began to overtake them.
“Really fast,” Eduardo said, with a fearful edge.
“Ty, you must not let the car next to us,” Ashi said, calmly.
“Yeah, I know.” Ty stared ahead. “Ashi, call 911. Tell the police we are being chased.”
She dialed and began telling the dispatcher their situation. “Where are we? I do not know where we are.”
Eduardo yelled the mile marker.
Even though his heart was pounding, every bit of concentration was focused on the road ahead. He didn’t dare risk a glance at the speedometer but was sure they were traveling over a hundred miles per hour. The black car had the advantage of following their tail lights, but Ty could see only as far as his headlights reached. As the car began to pull up alongside, Ty swerved, cutting him off. The black car attempted again, on the other side and again Ty swerved. It was like a game. Ty had to stay alert as to where the black Lexus was trying to sneak up and then he cut it off.
While keeping the Lexus at bay, he overturned the steering wheel and tried to counter-turn it, but lost control, the car’s tires screeching as it swerved back and forth. Ty tried to get it straightened out. He jammed on the brakes. The tires screeched and they heard the sound of gravel and pebbles from the side of the road getting kicked up under the car. They stopped as they hit the guardrail.
“Still with us,” Eduardo shouted, looking out the back window. “Go! Go!”
“I can’t,” Ty yelled back. “The front end is damaged from hitting the guard rail.”
“Run then! Let’s run!”
Their doors flew open and they headed over the guardrail. Beyond the cars’ headlights, it was completely black. They climbed blindly over, not realizing there was heavy brush on the steep embankment. Ty managed to remain standing as he stumbled down the hill, holding onto whatever he could grab on his way down. He heard Eduardo crash through the brush and land on the bottom of the hill. He was beginning to be able to see forms in the darkness; Eduardo lay on his back, legs and arms bent, breathing heavily.
Ashi quickly ran to him and glanced back up to the road. “Come on,” she whispered urgently, pulling on Eduardo’s hand.
They could hear their pursuer’s feet crunching on the gravel near the guardrail. A flashlight, strong enough to be a spotlight, cut through the darkness. Eduardo rolled out of sight and Ty and Ashi jumped backwards but for a split second they had been illuminated. Ty had been looking up toward the pursuer and knew he had been caught like a deer in headlights. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw the pursuer climb over and slide sideways down the hill.
“Eduardo,” Ty yelled. “Let’s go.”
But Eduardo, who was stunned, didn’t move. The light moved closer and they heard the sound of the brush rustling. The person following them said nothing as he homed in on them. Ty felt terror overtake him; his whole body was sweating and he could not make another sound. He wanted to run so badly but he couldn’t leave Eduardo, who let out a low groan. So this is what people feel like just before they die.
The man jumped down the last few feet of the embankment and with his forward momentum he reached for Ty. Ty had tunnel vision. He could only see the man’s eyes. They were crazy and full of hate. Ty's paralysis broke and he could finally move. He jumped backward as the man lunged at him, falling forward.
The pursuer was on the ground, rolling over. How come he fell? Why isn’t he getting up to chase me? Something’s wrong. Ty’s eyes shifted to the man’s body and he saw Ashi on his back. She had tackled him.
In the light of the flashlight, which had fallen on the ground, he saw Eduardo roll over, get up on all fours, and take a flying leap. He was on top of the man, his hand on the back of his head, pushing his face into the dirt. Ashi rolled out of the way. Eduardo must have been stunned when he fell but now he was alert and fighting wildly. The pursuer was physically powerful, more than a match for Eduardo, who was a lineman on the football team. But, Eduardo had caught him by surprise.
They rolled and the man was on top, clawing at Eduardo’s eyes. Ty grabbed the man from behind, his arm hooked around his neck. Eduardo broke away as the man reached to his back and whirled out of Ty's grasp. The pursuer pulled a gun out of his back waistband.
“Eduardo, he shoot you!” Ashi yelled.
The man lifted his gun and Eduardo dove for cover. There was a gunshot before they heard the wail of sirens, as a police car screeched to a stop at the top of the embankment.
The attacker had a look of disgust as he lowered his gun and took off, crashing through the bushes, just as the two policemen raced down the hillside with their guns drawn, yelling at Ty, Ashi, and Eduardo to show their hands. A few seconds later they heard a car peel out, as the pursuer got away.
“Get man! He run away!” Ashi shouted to the policemen. They glanced up the embankment and realized she was right, but the attacker was already gone.
They explained the situation to the police and climbed back up the hillside. Ty felt a curious burning sensation on the outside of his upper arm. When they were in the glare of the police car headlights they realized what it was.
“Ty, you have blood on your arm,” Ashi said. She examined his arm. “Did it happen when you fell?”
One of the police officers grasped his arm and looked at it closely. “You were shot!”
“He only fired once and he wasn’t even aiming at Ty,” Eduardo explained.
“It just took some skin off. It doesn’t look too bad but you have to go to the hospital, get some stitches and antibiotics,” the police officer said.
By the time they arrived at the emergency room it was the middle of the night. Ty was surprised by how many people were there but a nurse took him right away to an area with a bed and she pulled a curtain around him.
“So much excitement,” Ashi said with shining eyes. “We do not have so much excitement in Bhutan.”
“Yeah, a little too much excitement,” Eduardo said, rubbing his elbow. His tee shirt was torn and one side of his jeans was covered in dirt. His face was dirty too, as were his hands. He had little cuts all over the skin that was exposed. “I’m more beat up than if I had played in the game today.”
“You did a really, really good job, Ed,” Ashi said, smiling. “Do you not give nicknames to people who are your true friends?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Ash. That man. What do you think he wanted?” Eduardo asked. “I couldn’t tell if he wanted something from us or wanted to kill us.”
Ashi tilted her head, puzzled. “If he wanted what we found at the tower, he could have tried to take it while we were still at the tower.”
“Too many houses around.” Eduardo shook his head. “Maybe he wanted to wait until it was an empty stretch of road to try to take it.”
“I’m a little more cynical…probably because I’ve been around a few people who were murdered. He was trying to kill us,” Ty said with finality.
There was silence.
“And, he’s still out there,” Ty added. “Did either of you get a good look at his face?”
Ashi and Eduardo shook their heads.
Eduardo poked his head out the curtain to look around. “Where is that doc anyway?”
“Let me look at your arm,” Ashi said.
She stood and faced Ty, looking into his eyes. He dropped the gauze pad he was holding to the injury, revealing a red, open wound that had stopped bleeding. She raised her hand and just barely touched her fingertips to it. She smiled.
“Same as before. Good as news.” She barely spoke above a whisper.
He felt tingling in his upper arm.
She removed her fingertips and continued to look into Ty’s eyes smiling. He could hardly stand the intensity of her stare. He tore his eyes away from hers and looked at his arm. There was nothing but intact, tan skin. His eyes shot to Eduardo’s to see if he witnessed the same thing. Eduardo was staring agape.
“Awesome trick, Ash,” he said in a hushed voice.
“Thanks, Ed.”
Ashi’s hand moved to Ty’s face and she cupped his cheek. Ty put his hand over hers. “I’m safe with you, right?” he asked quietly.
Ashi nodded.
“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here,” Ty said. His thoughts were whirling about what he had just seen Ashi do but he pushed it to the back of his mind. I just want to get out of here. I’ll think about it later.
“Shouldn’t we wait for a doctor to see it?” Eduardo asked. “What about the cops?”
“We don’t have to wait because I wasn’t even admitted. Nobody even came and took my information. I think we do have to wait for the cops to come back though…”
Ashi pushed the curtain aside and called over her shoulder, “I will go look for them.”
Eduardo stared at her retreating figure. “She’s absolutely amazing,” he said, entranced.
“I told you she could heal people. She healed me of a deadly infection…I have a hard time believing this but she brought my dad back to life when he was shot in Bhutan.” Ty took his phone out of his pocket. “Here, watch this.” Ty scrolled through his videos and handed the phone to Eduardo. “We were in Central Park and she healed this guy…,” Ty narrated.
“Whoa! It’s clear as day! I have to see this again. Ty, send this to me. What am I saying? I’m going to send it to myself right now,” Eduardo said, finding his contact info on Ty’s phone and hitting the send button.
“Why do you want it?” Ty asked.
Eduardo shook his head. “I never saw anything like that. It’s incredible! She’s the most awesome…”
The corner of the curtain was lifted. One of the policemen looked in and Ashi peeked over his shoulder. He was holding a cup of coffee. Ty quickly put the gauze back over his arm.
“How’re you doing in there? Doc didn’t see you yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Johnny, let’s get a statement while he’s waiting.”
The two officers interviewed the three of them, writing everything down on a form. Ty neglected to tell the officers they were climbing Newport Tower earlier. At first the police thought the shooting had something to do with gangs and drugs. Their eyes widened when Ty explained he was Vincent Scalisi’s son and was involved with his father’s investigations.
When they were through, the police told Ty to come get them after he saw the doctor and they’d give him a ride back to his car. Eduardo rummaged through a cart with drawers and found a new gauze bandage so the police wouldn’t notice the healed injury. He bandaged Ty’s arm and they snuck out to find the police.
When they arrived at Ty's Ford Explorer, still plowed into the guardrail, Ty was embarrassed to find the SUV was barely scratched. All he needed to do was back it up and merge back onto the highway. They had a long, tiring, car ride home, stopping a couple of times at McDonalds, getting Cokes to help them stay awake. As Ty drove he thought about his arm--another healing. Ty could manage to think of Ashi like any girl from his school but then she would do something like this, bringing to the forefront of his mind that she was not. She was a holy person. For the first time he wondered why she would leave her position at her monastery, where she was venerated. Why would she come here to the suburbs to be just another high school teenager? At one time she had said she could help people. She felt she had something to impart to them that would improve their lives. Ty wondered how she was going to do that.
****
Ty woke up late Sunday morning to the sound of knocking on the front door. He opened it to find one of the security men standing outside.
“What do you want me to do about this, sir?” He waved his hand behind him and Ty peered over his shoulder. There were two different news vans, camera crews and four or five reporters milling around. When they saw him in the doorway they came alive, videotaping and jumping up to ask questions.
“Can you tell us what happened last night?”
“Is it true you were shot?”
“Rumor has it you are carrying on your father’s work.”
Ty broke out into a sweat. “Oh, no. Keep them away from the house.” He feigned a pleasant smile, waved genially at the group, and closed the door. He leaned on it, facing the staircase, where Ashi was coming down.
“You are awake already,” Ty stated.
“I have been up for a long time. I was watching the group of people outside from my window. I was waiting for you to wake up so I could ask you what is going on.”
Ty shook his head miserably and headed for the kitchen. “Somehow the news media found out about last night. Was it one of the cops?” he asked, more to himself than Ashi. “It must have been. I told them I was Vincent Scalisi’s son and that I was continuing his work.”
“Maybe somebody else heard and they dropped the beans.” Ashi suggested, sitting at the kitchen counter. She got up again and began to fill the teakettle. “You spoke to the police with just a curtain around you. Maybe the person in the next bed or a nurse or…”
“You’re right,” Ty broke in morosely. “I can’t just blame the cops. But it doesn’t matter who it was.”
“Yes, it doesn’t matter who. The cat is loose from the bag. Maybe it is not such a bad thing.”
“Of course it’s bad. It’s all happening again. It’s starting up again.”
“What do you mean?”
Ty looked at her with hollow eyes, startled that she didn’t see it too. “Someone following, trying to kill us, the media, the relentless media. It’s just like before.”
“It does not have to be like before, Ty. We are not victims.”
“I feel like we are the victims, just sitting here waiting to be picked off. And now I feel trapped in my house. We can’t even go out for a bicycle ride or we’ll be hounded by reporters.”
“Were we going to go for a bicycle ride?” Ashi asked with a grin, setting a mug with a teabag in front of him.
“No, but that’s beside the point.”
Sam called and Ty had a long conversation with him before his guardian was convinced he was all right.
There was a knock at the door.
Ty shook his head again. “I’m not answering it.”
Ashi looked out the window and called, “It’s Jenna,” and opened the door for her.
“Where’s Ty?” Not waiting for an answer, she pushed past Ashi with her backpack slung over one shoulder.
Jenna found Ty, dropped her backpack on the floor and circled her arms around his neck. Ashi trailed behind and stood in the doorway.
“I came over as soon as I heard.”
“Heard what?” Ty said.
“The news this morning. It was on the news about how you had a car accident while you were searching for something related to your father’s investigation. They said you were in the hospital and then released.”
Ty put his hands on Jenna’s waist and gently pushed her away. “I’m okay. Everything is all right.”
“It’s not all right. Someone is trying to kill you. That’s what they said on the news, that you were shot.” Her voice took on a hysterical edge.
“They’re just making a big deal out of it,” Ty replied but his fears came flooding back. Jenna brought his anxiety right to the surface, agitating him.
Ty related everything that happened the night before.
“Who was it? Did you see him?”
“I couldn’t focus on his face. I could only see his eyes but he looked like he was out of his mind. He was like a rabid animal.”
“I think he must have been the same man who looked in that window last week,” Ashi said, nodding toward the window. “I just thought of something. How did he know where we were? He did not follow us all the way to Massachusetts. We would have noticed him.”
“He must have planted some sort of GPS device on my car,” Ty said and proceeded to explain GPS to Ashi.
“This is not good. This is not good,” Jenna said, pacing back and forth. She stopped and wheeled around. “You have to stop what you are doing. Go out and tell those reporters you have no intention of pursuing your father’s work. Please. You have to,” she begged with tears in her eyes.
“No, I can't, Jenna, I’m sorry. This guy didn’t even know I was continuing my Dad’s work and he was trying to kill me. Making that kind of announcement will not change the situation.”
Jenna regarded him silently, then sighed. “I guess you're right. Maybe I can keep you company today,” she said in a small voice. “We could do homework together…like we used to.”
“Sure, Jenna.”
Jenna shot Ashi a mean look, an aspect of her face that Ty had never seen before.
“My parents and the twins went to visit my aunt on Long Island today. They won’t be back until late tonight. I have all day.”
“That’s great.”
“I am going out for a little while,” Ashi said.
“Where are you going? The reporters…”
Ashi laughed. “It is you they want to bother. They will leave me alone.”
The phone rang and Ashi answered.
“It is Eduardo,” she called over her shoulder. “He wants to know if we want to go to the movies.”
“Ask him if he’s seen the news,” Ty replied grimly. “I’m not leaving the house today.”
Ashi relayed his reply and said, “Yes, Ed….okay, sure…a few minutes. Bye, Ed.” She hung up and faced the others. “Eduardo and I are going to the movies.”
Ty was startled. They were going without him. Ashi is going to the movies with Eduardo. Did it count as a date? Would she even realize it if it was a date?
Ashi noticed Ty’s discomfort. “Is it okay with you?”
“Oh, sure, sure. Have fun. Jenna is going to keep me company today.”
After Ashi left, Ty called the security people on his phone and asked them to come inside. He apprised them of the situation from the previous night and asked them to check out his car for any homing devices. A short while later they returned, telling Ty they found a GPS device stuck to the undercarriage of his car.
“Someone is trying to kill me,” Ty told the security team. They waited, expecting Ty to give them some orders.
Ty was uncertain what to say for a minute.
“Sir?”
“Please keep looking out and be alert. We had a close call last night.”
****
Jenna and Ty did homework. Even though it was the beginning of the school year the teachers were piling it on already. Every so often Ty peeked out a window to see if the reporters were still there. They were. And, every so often, Jenna regarded him with a look that was both wistful and puzzled.
After two hours Ty began watching the clock. The movie should have been over and Eduardo should have brought Ashi home. He nervously looked out the window. Why didn't I say something about her going out? It's dangerous for her too. Around dinnertime they came back, laughing as they came through the front door.
“Where were you?” Ty asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant, masking his relief that she was okay.
“Movies,” Eduardo replied.
“All this time?”
“There is a street fair in town today. We went there. It was so much fun,” Ashi said.
She was happy and bubbly. Ty supposed she had never been to a street fair before and she was clearly thrilled by it.
“There were rides. I loved the rides…the fellas wheel…,” Ashi said.
“Ferris wheel,” Eduardo corrected with a laugh.
“This other thing you stand in, everybody in a circle. Then it spins you around and around. It was great! And the blue stuff…cotton candy. I loved it.”
Ty gazed at her as she described the fair, wishing more than anything that he had been the one to take her there. He turned and caught Jenna watching him with an odd expression.
“Nobody bothered you outside?”
“No, the reporters want you,” Eduardo said.
“We were just going to order dinner,” Ty said.
“You can stay, can’t you Ed?” Ashi asked.
“Sure Ash,” Eduardo said.
They ate and Eduardo went home early, saying he still had to catch up on his sleep from their long Saturday. Ashi grabbed her laptop, saying she was going to do a little work up in her room before she went to bed, leaving Ty and Jenna in front of the TV.
When they were alone Jenna turned to Ty, placed her hand on the back of his neck and kissed him. It was a very long, clingy and tender kiss. Ty didn’t question her; he kissed her back.
“I don’t have to be home until late tonight,” Jenna whispered looking into Ty’s eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t we go upstairs to your room. She hesitated. “I’ve thought about it. We’ve been going out for a while and we love each other, right?”
Ty nodded.
“How many times did you ask me…?”
“Lots.”
“Well?” She kissed him again, passionately.
Ty responded. He had no thoughts in his head as he stood up and pulled her to her feet, still kissing her. But something didn’t feel right.
“How come now, all of a sudden, Jenna?”
“I just thought it was time,” she murmured, still kissing him. “It’ll bring us closer together.”
“Oh.” It was difficult, but Ty took a step back from her.
“Jenna, I don’t think this is going to bring us any closer.”
“What are you saying?” Her eyes were pleading. “You used to ask me all the time...”
Ty shook his head. “I don't think it's the right time. I’m afraid you’ll come out of this very hurt.”
“Ty…” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s Ashi, isn’t it?”
“No it’s not,” he protested.
Jenna crossed her arms over her chest. She was crying in earnest now. “Do you realize everybody thinks you and Ashi are together.”
“But we’re not. You know that.”
“I don’t know that. I’m beginning to think I’m an idiot.”
“No, Jenna. You’re not an idiot.” He moved toward her to put his arms around her but she whirled away and began to furiously stuff her books into her backpack.
“You’ve been living alone with a girl for months. And she’s gorgeous and she’s wonderful and she’s fun.” Jenna sobbed and covered her face with her hands. “And she’s perfect.”
“So what? That doesn’t change anything between us.”
Jenna lowered her hands slightly and looked at him. “Don’t you feel it? Don’t you think something has changed. It has and you feel it too.”
Ty was silent, confused. He loved Jenna.
“You just don’t care about me the way you did before…and I just have to get used to it.” She waited, hoping Ty would contradict her but Ty didn’t know what to say to her.
“Say something,” she pleaded.
“I want things back the way they were but I don’t know how to fix it.”
Jenna sniffed and looked away.
“It’s not Ashi though. She’s beautiful and yes, she’s wonderful, but we never…I didn’t…I’m not in love with her.”
“You don’t even know for sure. You have no idea how you look at her, do you?” Jenna didn’t wait for an answer. She hefted her backpack over her shoulder and said, “I’m leaving,” and walked away.
Ty knew he should try to stop her but he just stood there. He heard the door slam and he sat down, confused by what Jenna said. He really did want things to go back to the way they were. And what’s wrong with you anyway? Why didn’t you go upstairs with Jenna? He berated himself. It’s been what you wanted for a long time and you just ruined your chance of it ever happening.
Thoughts swirled in his mind. He wondered if he and Jenna were still going out, and just having a fight. Going out together? I’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to me again. Ty felt sadness at the thought of being without Jenna. I miss Jenna already. Does this prove I don’t love Ashi?
Ty went upstairs, still troubled by confusing thoughts. He got undressed, turned out the light and got into his bed but could not sleep. His thoughts went back and forth for a long time and his last thought before he drifted off was a vague prayer that he would be able to sort through his feelings and come to some conclusion.