The Perfect Cover (The Perfect Stranger #2) - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,53
putting the lid over the plastic container that used to hold my dinner. “I don't know anything about the drug business, but I don't think it's populated with too many honest people, despite what television shows would want you to believe.”
He puts his lips onto mine.
“You really are a good person, Isabelle. Don't ever doubt that.”
I smile at him as he pulls me closer to him.
He kisses me again and again and I kiss him back. When he runs his fingers down my neck, I pull away.
“What's wrong?” he asks. “You're not in the mood?”
“No, it's not that. It's that I just got my period.”
“That's okay.” He smiles. “I don't mind.”
“No, I can't. I'm all bloated and uncomfortable and my head hurts.”
“Okay, let's just lie down in bed and I will hold you.”
“That's it?” I ask.
He nods and grabs my hand, pulling me onto the bed and under the covers.
He wraps his body tightly around mine as I lie on my side. His knees fold under my knees and his arms drape over mine.
The moon comes out and peeks over the mountain outside. I close my eyes and fall into a deep peaceful sleep.
It takes about two hours to get to Amboy through some of the harshest desert I have ever seen.
Don't get me wrong, it’s also beautiful, breathtaking, and wild.
We leave around nine and pick up Tessa along the way. We drive north through Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree and pass the US Marine Base in a town called 29 Palms, which only has two streetlights.
There's a large grocery store, Stater Brothers, and a few barber shops and tattoo parlors, all of which have large murals painted on the walls. Following the directions on the GPS that take us closer to the Marine base, we hear the bombs detonating out at the fake Iraqi town near the base.
The directions take us further into the desert, where the creosote bushes flatten out and turn into sand. Another small settlement pops up, filled with nothing but a few cabins scattered on five-acre plots.
There are no stores or restaurants visible from the road and I remember reading that this place was founded by the Homestead Act from the 1950s, selling cheap land to anyone willing to build on it. After we pass Wonder Valley, we go over a long tall ridge and then dip down into an even drier and arid valley below.
I look out the window and lose myself. The lack of people and plethora of nature is comforting about this place. There are no tall trees or gorgeous mountain peaks, and the outside world appears to be almost nature in disguise. Maybe it's the fact that the nature is almost in disguise. It’s uneven, rugged, and overwhelming and it brings a tear to my eye.
When I see a crater looming in the distance, I know that we are near Amboy. There's a small gas station and a few cottages that don't seem to be open for overnight visitors nearby.
Tyler takes a sharp left and drives toward the crater. Millions of years ago a large asteroid hit this place, folding the earth upon itself. When I looked it up online, most of the sites were created by devotees of paranormal activities.
Right before we reach the crater, Tyler takes the road that veers right. This little car is not the best thing for driving out on the rough terrain, but it will have to do. I just hope that it can make it back out without overheating.
Once the drive is over, the three of us talk about anything and everything to fill the time. I'm surprised that Tessa has chosen us for this endeavor, but perhaps Tyler is right; there aren’t many people that she can trust.
When we get there, a cold breeze sweeps over the imposing crater and I put on my flannel shirt. It's springtime and the sun feels unusually hot, but there is still a cold breeze that can startle you and chill you to your bones.
“There,” Tessa says, pointing to a small rock laying on top of the ground.
It doesn’t look like anything at first, but when you look closer, you can see that it doesn't quite belong here. It's black and made of smooth glass, very different from the sandstone and granite that surrounds it.
“There it is,” Tessa says. “That's where I buried it.”
Tyler opens the trunk and brings out two shovels that Tessa had in her garage. I wish that she would volunteer to help, but