But now she was the driver, and she couldn’t spend her time staring out the window. She’d have to keep her eyes on the road and directions in her mind.
As she drove, the countryside of New York State changed around her. There were farmlands that gave way to forests, and the highway exits became more sparse the further she got away from the city. She couldn't remember the last time she’d gone for a road trip. She’d never been able to take time away because of her work. Before finally signing onto The Personage, she’d worked for various clients as a freelancer. Her work kept her busier than any full-time job because there were always constant deadlines. She woke up and went to bed twelve hours later, her fingers and wrists stiff from having typed all throughout each day.
The screen in front of her switched from the GPS directions to an incoming phone call. It was Fred. She tapped the screen and fell back against the seat, waiting for his voice to come on.
“Hello? Yvette?”
“Hi, Fred,” she said, and changed lanes so that she was in the slow lane. She couldn’t take any chances in the rental vehicle. “How are things?”
“Good, good. Just received your email this morning. I want to confirm with you that it was the Jace Johnson that you ran into last night.”
“Yes. It was.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his tone sharp. “We can’t afford any mistakes.”
She’d taken a quick photo on her phone as she’d left, playing it off as though she was ordering her Uber. “Did you not receive the photo?”
“We did, but it was a little blurry.”
“I’m sorry. It was kind of dark in the strip club,” she said, and chuckled to herself. “I’ve confirmed with him that he’s heading to Tallulah, and that he’s leaving the city this morning. I’ll get another photo to you as soon as I can.”
“Great,” he said, and she heard something tapping on the other end. It was typically what Fred did when he was thinking - he’d tap his pen against his desk. It was one of his tells that he was considering something. “We’re going to send you a list of places in Tallulah that he might be going to, based on one of our sources. There’s also someone you’ll have to meet. A man named George Phillips. He’ll have you sign up for a weekend fair that’s happening in town. It should get you to incorporate yourself into the town and give you better access to people who might know Jace.”
“Wait. A fair?”
“Yes, the town has an annual Summer Carrot Festival. It’ll be up and running about a week from now. You’ll be volunteering while you’re there.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary?”
“Jace Johnson has a lot of connections in Tallulah,” Fred stated flatly. “He’s been going there for years in between his deployments. To get to know him, you’ll need to get to know the people. Who knows? You might even get a good lead on his past that you can incorporate into the story and really grill him during the interview.”
“I’m not sure if an interview will be possible. He hates journalists.”
“Did you tell him, Yvette? You know that this was supposed to be discreet,” he said, and sighed. “I thought we could count on you.”
She wanted to tell him to go screw himself but couldn’t bear the thought of letting go of the job. It was the first time in so long that she felt as though her life had stability. She had constant work and didn’t have to go out finding clients half the time. The work came to her, and there was a steady paycheck. She gripped the steering wheel, and smiled, so that she sounded happier. “Of course. No, I told him I write, but I don’t do articles. I write novels. His reaction was worse than I’d expected, though.”
“Remember to be discreet as you go ahead with this. I want to be updated regularly, and I want you to CC Susan in all your emails. Also, let us know when you get a hold of George Phillips. We’ll send you his information when you get settled into the rental unit.”
“Great. Thanks, Fred.”
“Good luck, Yvette. We’ve put a lot of money into this, so be sure not to screw it up. Be sure to send us bills on anything you pay for related to work.”
“I will.”
The tapping on the other end finally ceased. “Bye, Yvette.”
“Bye, Fred.”
She was left to the quiet of her drive, glad to be rid of him. She knew there was a lot riding on getting the story. She wasn’t an idiot. Her years of schooling had set her up for the research part of journalism, but to actually be in the field and getting an actual story? Those aspects were all new. She’d never had to follow someone or think on her feet. Everything had been done from home.
She missed being in her own place and being wrapped in up a blanket as though she was a human burrito, all while getting her work done one sentence at a time.
Chapter Seven
Jace
He preferred to listen to hard rock every time he drove. Beyond that, he always drove the same muscle car that he’d kept in storage while he was away. Whenever one of the boys went home, he’d have them check on it. It had been Damien’s round, and he’d done a great job of taking care of Senorita, the name he’d given his ‘73 Mustang. The sound of the engine was near deafening as he revved into the fast lane.
The early summer weather was on his side, and he had the two front windows down and his music blasting. He’d had the sound system redone a few years before so that he could play the music from his phone using a cord that attached to a blank cassette tape. Was it old-school? Yeah. He didn’t care, though. All the finer things in life tended to come from years past. He hated technology and considered it as something that dumbed down the population. The way his brothers uploaded to their social media, as though it was something important, always had him laughing to himself. Especially when they posted pictures of themselves with their shirts off on the beach. Total overkill. He basically saw it as being on the same level as those girls who stuck their asses out to get likes. Just came off as desperate, and he didn’t want any part of it.
Jace leaned back in his seat and put on his blinker so that he could get into the next lane. He checked his mirrors. It was then that he almost hit the breaks. Seriously? Was this chick stalking him?
In the next lane, he saw her driving a black Jeep with the top down. Her hair was blowing out behind her in a thick veil of dark brown hair. Her tanned skin glowed in the sunlight and he nearly hit her vehicle from staring at her. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was impressed she had the top down on a Jeep, or the fact that she was even more gorgeous when she was focused on driving. The strip club lighting hadn’t done her any justice.
But damn. She seriously was going to Tallulah. She wasn’t lying.
He revved his engine by tapping down on the gas with his foot. Still, she didn’t look. How did she not hear his vehicle? He tried to get her attention again, but she was having none of it. He had to admit it was kind of attractive. A woman driving while being that focused? It was hot. She kept glancing down to her dash, as though she was looking for something.
He decided to leave her and the Jeep behind. He’d find her easily enough in town. It seemed as though the trip would be more interesting than he thought. A girl who drove a Jeep, enjoyed Tallulah, and went to strip clubs by herself? That was his kind of girl.