and the right front tire was making a
The right side of the ‘vette was scraped, and the front right light was smushed in. Pieces of hedge were stuck in the headlight and slightly crumpled hood. I got behind the wheel and raced the motor.
Delvina and his driver were hands on hips, looking at me like I was another hive on their backside. It was cold, and they were standing there in shirtsleeves. They weren’t excited about doing the backyard mechanic thing. Fortu-nately, they were full-on chauvinists who couldn’t see me for anything more than a dumb bimbo. If Flash had run into the hedge, neither of them would have left the house without a nine rammed into the small of his back. Still, I was trying their patience, and it was only a matter of time before they figured it out and they went for the ankle hol-ster.
I had one eye on Delvina and one eye looking beyond him to the patch of woods. Finally Diesel emerged and gave me a thumbs-up. I did a small head nod to Diesel and blew out a sigh of relief.
"You’re right," I said to Delvina. "I guess the car’s okay. Sorry about your hedge." And I carefully backed up, changed gears, and rolled down the driveway and out onto the road. I had my teeth clamped into my lower lip, and I was holding my breath. Sprigs of hedge were flying off the grille, and the right front tire was making a grinding sound, but I kept going until I was around a bend in the road.
Chapter 12
I pulled to the shoulder and sat and waited, and after a couple minutes, the blue Honda Civic came into view. Diesel got out and jogged over to me.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes. Do you have Annie and Bernie in the Civic?"
Diesel picked some hedge off the windshield wiper. "Yes. Is this car driveable?"
"The right-side tire is making grinding noises."
Diesel checked out the right-side tire and pulled a large piece of hedge from the wheel well.
"That should help," he said. "Hop over the console. I’m driving."
I scrambled into the passenger seat, and Diesel took the wheel. He eased onto the road, drove a short distance, and made a U-turn. Flash did the same. Diesel waved Flash on, and Flash took the lead. We flew past Delvina’s house and retraced our route until we were over the bridge and back in Jersey.
"So far as I can tell, Delvina doesn’t know about Annie’s
Processing your request, Please wait....
