Un-Connected Read Online Free PDF Page B

you, but I don’t ever want to refuse to
help someone who is really in need.”
    “I’m not conning you.” I said. “You have to
believe me. And I’ve wanted to pay for stuff because you’re doing so much for
me. I haven’t paid for much of anything because I’m afraid to use my debit
card. When I do the black SUV people show up who are trying to kill me. I only
have a few hundred dollars cash right now, and I’m not sure how long I have to
make it last.”
    I didn’t want to tell her I was also
concerned she would abandon me somewhere, and if I had no money on me then I
would really be hurt.
    “Let’s use your card and see if you’re
telling the truth.” She said.
    “What!” I exclaimed with fear obviously in my
voice. She was about to give me a heart attack.  I hadn’t seen the black SUV in
several days and hadn’t totally relaxed but I wasn’t jumping out of my skin
either.  “That will bring them to find me.  Why would you do that?”
    “I want to see if you are telling the truth.”
She said.
    “Are you going to turn me over to them?” I
asked and then paused.  “Please don’t do that.  Just let me out right here if
that is what you are thinking.”
    “I’m not going to turn you over to them.  I
just want some proof you aren’t lying to me.”
    My fear made me hesitate.  My head was
spinning.  I didn’t like it a bit but finally, I agreed. “OK, but I would
prefer it was not at any place close to a truck stop because I don’t think they
are currently looking for me in a truck.”
    “Okay, if you are telling the truth I don’t
want them knowing you’re in my truck either.  I don’t need more trouble.  So we
will go somewhere and make a plan so they don’t connect you with this truck.”
    We agreed to find a place away from all truck
stops and cameras, use the card, and see what happened. The rest stop didn’t
have many cameras, but we didn’t want to take any chances. And then for the
first time I became worried they wouldn’t come.
    “What if they were too far away or it takes
them too long to get for them to get there?” I asked. 
    Now I was afraid she would give up waiting
and leave me where I used the card and where they would start searching again?
Would this fear and trouble never end?
    We located a strip mall a few miles away and
decided to go there for our test. We wanted something way back in the parking
lot so we could see people coming in off the interstate and service road. We
agreed on a store with a back door exit. I asked if there was anything she
needed since I owed her anyway. She gave me a list of things she wanted and I
went shopping.
    We agreed on a plan.
    Once I swiped the card, she and I would be
watching the highway and the service road. If I saw something threatening, I’d
go out the back door. She would be sitting in her truck with the front at the
end of the building, where she could go around back in a hurry. Or at least as
fast as you can in a truck. Plus, we scouted out the back drive, and there was
a street leading to a major divided median road that led to the interstate.
    If someone showed up, I would go out the back
door. She would pull around back and get me and we would get on the interstate
as fast as we could. It would be essential they did not see me get in the
truck. We had driven around back and checked to be sure there were no cameras
where I would be getting in.  She pulled back up front and let me out at the
corner where no one saw me and then went to the spot we had agreed on her
sitting.
    I went in the store and took my time shopping
to try to get exactly what she wanted. Just before I checked out, I went to the
front window and made sure she was still there and she was watching. She saw me
and knew the test was about to happen. I found out the store limit on cash
advances and got as much as I could.
    With my heart pounding and a lump in my
throat, I swiped my card. To my relief it went through, and I had the
merchandise,