Pay The Penance (Mechanic Trilogy Book 3) by Rob Ashman

Author:Rob Ashman [Ashman, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2017-08-07T22:00:00+00:00

26

The needle on the speedometer hugged fifty-five as Lucas drove along the I-8 East away from San Diego. He was heading for Bonds Corner, a small unincorporated community in Imperial County, a journey of one hundred and thirty miles. It was in the middle of nowhere, its only claim to fame its location close to the Calexico US port of entry for trucks crossing the US-Mexican border. Lucas had to be there by 9.30pm.

The traffic was light and he made good time. The miles flew by and in under two hours he hung a right and hit the CA-111 travelling south. The road was slower, with trucks of every description trundling their way to the border. After a while he came to the intersection with the CA-98, turned left and drove parallel to the state line. Eight miles further on Lucas saw the sign saying Bonds Corner.

He swung the nose of the rental car off the road and onto the makeshift hard-core parking lot. He killed the engine. Cassandra’s Café was a thirty-foot trailer set back from the road in a deserted dustbowl. Lucas knew he was in the right place because the name was painted in four-foot-high red letters across the side, he couldn’t miss it. He pulled the car around the back and got out. There were arc lamps poking out of the roof, leaving the trailer sitting in its own oasis of light, while outside the hard-core area the rest of the landscape was pitch black. But no amount of blinding white lamps could disguise the fact that it was a shit-hole.

Lucas walked up the three steps to the wrought-iron security gate and yanked it open. It swung towards him and he pushed against the screen door.

The inside was clean and airy with a long counter running down the one side with a line of red leather bar stools stacked against it. On the opposite side were six booth seats, also decked out in red leather, each one set against a window. The place was completely at odds with the exterior decor.

Lucas strode in and slid into a booth facing the door. Two men sat at the counter. One was a road-worn trucker with an empty plate in front of him and a mug of coffee big enough to drown a small horse. The second was an older man, a biker, with expensive leathers and a glossy helmet. He was reading a local paper, sipping iced water.

Lucas stared out at the blackness.

A middle-aged woman ambled over to him wearing a blue dress and a white apron.

‘What would you like to drink, sweetie?’

Lucas looked up. She had a mop of tightly permed brown hair and wore half-moon glasses perched on the end of her nose. She smiled but the look on her face said ‘It’s late, I’m tired’. Her name badge said Marge, she didn’t look like a Cassandra.

‘I’m ready to order,’ Lucas said.

‘Okay, sweetie, what’ll it be?’

‘I’ll have waffles with French toast and a side order of bacon please.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.