Page 149 of Bang

At a low rumbling sound, both of us turned to look. Coming up the road was an oversized red pickup with a big silver snowplow on the front.

When I looked back to Cami, she was waving her arms to get the truck's attention.

I asked, "What are you doing?"

She kept her eyes on the truck. "Hitching a ride."

"You're joking."

"Nope. No joke here."

"But we don't need a ride," I said. "We've got two vehicles. We'll get one running."

"Wrong," she said."You'vegot two vehicles. But me? I've gotta go."

"Wait—"

"Just stop it!" She whirled to face me head-on. "You know what? You knew damn well what I thought. And you kissed me, anyway. You let me think you gave a rat's ass about me as more than a fucking nanny." Her voice broke. "What kind of monster are you, anyway?"

It was a good question.

I had no answer. And even if I had, it would've been silenced by the arrival of the pickup, rumbling to a stop beside us. The driver's side window slid down, and the driver – an older guy in a brown coat and red flannel hat – leaned out to survey the damage.

Cami called up to him. "Hey, can you give me a ride?"

The guy frowned. "I'd love to, but—"

"I'll pay you." As she spoke, she reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a wadded plastic shopping bag along with the envelope I'd given her just last night. She tucked the bag under her arm, and then reached into the envelope. She yanked out a hundred-dollar bill and lifted it in his direction. "Please? I'm in a hurry."

I demanded, "To go where?"

She whirled to face me. "Away from you, that's where."

The guy in the pickup gave me a sour look. "You bothering her?"

Yeah. I was.But not in the way he thought.

I said, "I'm her boss."

At this, Cami made a sound – a half scoff, half sob. "Yeah. And I'm the Help." She turned back to the trucker. "Listen, I don't care where you take me—"

What the hell?I stepped between her and the truck. "But you don't even know this guy."

"Yeah. And I don’t knowyoueither."

"Cami—"

"Forget it." With her free hand, she reached for the package that she'd tucked under her arm. She wadded it up and thrust it into my hand. "Merry Fucking Christmas."

And with that, she sidestepped around me and rushed over to the truck's passenger's side. The driver pushed open the door and reached out to help her into the truck.

As he did, I called out to the guy, "I swear to God, if anything happens to her…"

The driver turned and gave me another look, this one more sour than the last. "Looks to me like it already has.Asshole."

I was still standing there when his window slid up and the truck rumbled off, leaving me staring after it.

Fuck.