Chapter Eight

 

 

It took only a few seconds for Amber to work out what I was doing. “Stop it!” she yelled as she crossed the kitchen like a gazelle.

Nothing could stop me now, this was my only shot.

I reached the table and snatched up the keys, immediately running for the garage door and flinging it open. So many obstacles slowed me down but I couldn’t let anything stop me.

Just as I opened the driver’s side car door, Amber threw her arms around my waist, pulling me back against her. I kicked out, my foot colliding with something but I wasn’t sure what. I struggled with her, thrashing around until her grip couldn’t stay on me any longer. With one big push backwards, I made her stumble against the wall.

It was the break I needed. I threw myself into the car and slammed the door closed – locking it. I fumbled with the keys, dropping them once and having to pick them up frantically with shaking hands.

Amber started pounding on the window, making the whole car shake from the repeated impacts. Her voice was muffled but her threats were clear. If I didn’t open the door and come out, she would make me.

Our sizes were matched, I didn’t want to take her on in a fight. I’d almost lost at the car door and I couldn’t let myself get in that situation again.

The problem was I had nowhere to go. I was in the car but the garage door was closed. I was trapped with no escape route.

But the door had opened automatically when we arrived. Amber didn’t get out and open it before we drove in, the door moved by itself. Which meant I might still have a chance. I felt the keychain and looked at everything dangling from it.

Dallas’s house had an automatic garage door. She had a remote control on her keyring that she only had to press when she was near home and it would open for her. I hoped Amber’s was the same.

“Unlock the door or I will smash it open!”

There was a round black piece of plastic with a button on it attached to the keyring. I took a shot and pressed it, praying with everything I had that it would work.

I held my breath.

Amber continued to scream.

The door didn’t move.

I pressed it again, and again, hitting it a few times to shock it into working. There was no other way out and I was starting to lose hope.

“You shouldn’t do this, Melrose! I am totally going to make sure you regret this! We’re missing the movie!”

The door finally rumbled.

I didn’t want to look behind me in case it wasn’t the door and I had just been hopeful. I summoned enough courage to peek, at the same time Amber did. She started banging harder, screaming louder. The door was on its way up.

She rushed toward it, grasping for the edge to stop its ascent. I thrust the keys into the ignition and hurried to turn them. I had to get out before she won the tug-of-war with the door. She was only getting angrier which didn’t bode well for my wellbeing if I had to stay.

I threw the car into reverse and slammed my foot on the accelerator. The car squealed as it headed for the door. It wasn’t entirely up yet and Amber was pulling on it to get it down again. It was high enough for the car to get out – with any luck.

My eyes squeezed shut as the car reversed and slid through the doorway. It only just made it but I wasn’t that concerned with damaging the car. I reversed blindly down the driveway until I hit the street.

Amber gave up on the door and ran after me, punching the car’s bonnet with both fists. Her eyes were blazing with fire, doused with anger until she was an inferno. I’d never seen someone that worked up before.

I skidded onto the street and straightened up. Putting the car into first gear, I floored it down the road. Amber ran after me but stopped at the end of the block, admitting defeat.

Tears stung at my eyes but I wasn’t going to let them fall yet. I wasn’t out of danger and I couldn’t go to pieces just yet. Later, when I was safe, then they could fall down my cheeks.

I didn’t have my phone and I didn’t know any phone numbers off by heart. There was nobody I could call to come and help me. If I called the police, the media would find out what happened. I wasn’t in a fit state to deal with that whole thing yet.

I drove and drove without paying attention to where I was or where I was going. All I wanted to do was put some distance between me and Amber. She had taken me too easily, I should never have got into the car in the first place. I had nobody to blame except myself.

When I was completely lost and had been driving for a solid twenty minutes, I pulled over. I was still in a residential area with no city in sight.

I looked around the car, hoping to find an old-fashion street directory or something. At first my glance glazed over the in-built GPS. I went back to it on my second look.

It was a gift from above.

I typed in the details for the hotel where we were staying and the calm female voice started to tell me how to get there. I breathed a sigh of relief, allowing myself a moment to reassure myself that I was going to be okay.

For almost forty minutes, I followed the directions until I pulled up outside a hotel that looked very familiar. I left the car in the driveway and ran inside.

Cole was there.

As were Scott and the boys. They were pacing around the lobby, worried wrinkles on their faces. They all stopped when they saw me.

“Melrose!” Cole exclaimed as he ran for me. I finally let the tears fall as he embraced me in his safe arms. I was home now, I was okay. “What happened to you? We were all so worried.” They all huddled around, eager to hear the answer.

“I was taken by a fan,” I mumbled.

They were all due a real explanation and I would give it to them when I could speak cohesively again. Right now, all I wanted to do was feel safe and calm down.