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He puts the truck back in gear, glances behind him, and then gets back on the road. We ride in silence for about a minute before he takes his eyes off the road for a quick second as he looks at me with concern.
“I don't know what you're going through, but whatever it is, you can trust me. I can get you the help you need.”
“What I really need is a phone,” I mumble, not expecting him to produce one.
“Well, why didn't you say so?” My eyes open wide with disbelief as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an iPhone. Judging from his attire and the condition of his truck, I wouldn't have thought he would own such an expensive phone. My face must be all-telling, because he lets out a hearty laugh. I pull my gaze away from the phone cradled in his hand and look at him with confusion.
His lip twitches with mirth as he speaks, “Don't let the looks fool you, sweetheart. I'm in construction, and I make damn good money. I don’t dress nice onsite, and by the end of the day, not only have I been rough on my truck, but I’m dirty.” His lips spread into a beautiful white smile with perfectly straight teeth, and two of the sexiest dimples appear in his cheeks. “I wasn't kidding when I said I have a nice truck. I’ve got a lot of other nice things too,” he says as he holds out his hand, offering me his cell.
I just bet he does have a lot of other nice things. I grin at his innocent comment and take the phone from his hand. I turn it over in my hands a few times, realization dawning that I haven’t had a communication device in over a month. It’s a precious piece of technology I’d always taken for granted. I don’t know what to think it feels so weird.
“Do you need some help turning it on?” he asks, breaking into my thoughts.
Still staring at the phone, I answer him, “I’ve never seen such a thin plastic protective case before is all.” Which is a lie.
“It’s one of the best covers money can buy. It’s waterproof too,” he explains.
“Mm,” is all I say as I press the button to turn on the phone, and then swipe across the screen to access the keypad. With shaky fingers, I type in the numbers nice and slow, trying not to dial the wrong number from over-excitement. The time on the phone says it's a little after 5:30 in the morning, and I'm positive my dad won't care if I wake him up at this hour. Knowing he keeps his cellphone by his side at all hours, I know it is right beside his bed. Heck, he even takes it into the bathroom with him when he showers in the morning. He's that busy.
The phone rings three times before he picks up, his voice groggy from sleep. “Hello?”
“Daddy?” I breathe in a relieved gasp as I close my eyes, thankful to hear his familiar voice.
“Oh, my God! Princess!” he shouts, immediately awake. “Where are you? Are you okay? I've been looking for you everywhere. I’ve turned every corner of the world upside-down trying to find you.” His words rush out in a panic.
“Daddy, I'm okay,” I reassure him. “I’m in Raleigh, North Carolina right now. I need you to help me find a way home. I don't have any money or ID on me, so I'm in a big bind.”
As I explain to him I’m in a stranger’s truck heading toward Raleigh, he asks to speak with the young man. I hand the phone back over to the stranger, and I find out through their conversation that his name is Heath. I guess it's pretty rude of me that I didn’t even find out his name, and he's rescued me off the side of the road. I hear him exchange personal information with my dad as they talk for a few minutes longer, and then he ends the call.
Why did they hang up? I wasn't done talking to my dad. Before I can utter my question, Heath cocks his head to the side, looking at me with raised brows, and lets out a low whistle. “You must be somebody very, very important, young lady. Your father wants me to take you to the airport and have you fly out on a personal jet. He hung up so he could go ahead and make arrangements stat. He also asked me to personally see to it that you get on that jet safely.” He pauses, giving his full attention back to the road, and changes lanes. “It's not every day someone offers you twenty grand to ditch half the workday and see to it that someone's daughter gets on a plane headed home.” He shakes his head with incredulous disbelief. “Honestly, I told your dad that wasn’t necessary, but he sounds as if he's the kind of man you don’t say no to.”
