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“Well, pardon me for being the jinxed albatross around your neck!” I groused, slapping at his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Pardon me for a minute.”
I shrieked. I shouted nonsense curse words as Collin disappeared over the lip of the ravine. My heart plummeted into my belly, and I dropped to my knees, peering over the edge. I watched as he dropped gracefully to his feet, sticking the landing with some superhero crouch. The Batmobile was turned on its back like a fiery automotive turtle. The engine had burst into flames as the car rolled, engaging the gas line and creating a dangerous little blaze at the front of the car. Collin gingerly yanked the rear doors open, tossed the crumpled metal panels aside, and crawled inside.
“Collin! What the hell are you doing?”
He emerged quickly with his silver briefcase. He dropped it into the water, and I swore I could hear it steaming. I watched as he gripped the handle in his mouth and smoothly, rapidly ascended the rock face of the cliff.
“Are you crazy? That car was on fire!” I yelled as he climbed over the edge and deposited the case at my feet. “That’s one thing on the short list of things that can kill you.”
He held up his all-important case, looking rather proud of himself, which really, really annoyed me. “The case is fireproof. And waterproof … and it can stand up to most explosives. It’s made of the same material they use for the black boxes in planes. I’m sorry I can’t say the same for our suitcases and your purse, which seem to have tumbled directly into the flames.”
Of course.
“Th-the same material as black boxes?” I spluttered. “Collin, for once and for all, what the hell is in that case?”
He opened his mouth, as if he was seriously considering telling me. But he clamped his lips shut and offered an apologetic smile. “I can’t tell you.”
I threw back my head and growled in frustration. He still didn’t trust me. Even after mechanical failures, partial nudity, and parking-lot rescues, he didn’t trust me enough to tell me what I’d been risking my neck to help him move cross-country.
“Fine,” I told him, storming away from the ravine. “I’m out of here.”
“Miranda!” he shouted, running after me. “Where are you going?”
“As far away from you as possible!” I yelled.
“Look at it this way. You don’t have to worry about telling Iris about the repairs.”
I glared at him.
“The wound is too fresh to joke?” he asked as I took a swing at him. He dodged out of the way, of course, and righted me when I nearly fell on my face. “Look, we’ll just find a motel, bunk down for the night, and call Iris in the morning to explain. I told you, I’ll take responsibility for the car.”
“No problem. We’ll find a motel that accepts magic beans as payment!” I whirled around on him. “Maybe you can tell futures out in the parking lot to pay our way.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
Oh, right, Collin didn’t know we were broke.
“M-my purse,” I spluttered. “My purse was in the car, remember? We don’t have any cash, cards, nothing. You know, I thought maybe the worst you could do to me on this trip would be calling Iris and trying to get me fired, but clearly, I have underestimated you. I didn’t realize you would stoop to vehicular homicide to screw with me.”
“Miranda, that’s not fair. I didn’t do this to you.”
“No, but the aftereffects will still be the same,” I told him.
“Slow down, woman. What could you possibly do? You don’t have any cash. You don’t have any identification. How far do you think you’re going to get?”
I turned on him, snaking my hand into my bra. Collin frowned, perplexed about why I was feeling myself up. “Ha!” I exclaimed, pulling out a twenty-dollar bill I had tucked in the right cup. With the other hand, I presented my driver’s license, which had been nestled under my left breast. “And ha!”
He stared at me. “What—what else do you have in there?”
“Nothing. Well, not nothi—never mind. I always carry my driver’s license and extra cash in my bra.”
“Why?”
“Because of situations like this!” I yelled, throwing my arms wide. “These screwed-up worst-case scenarios that I seem to find myself in.” I pushed past him. “I’m done, do you hear me, Collin? Done. I’m done with you. I’m done with your stupid case. I quit!”
I turned on my heel and stomped off, the drizzling rain soaking through my clothes.
