Born to be Wild

Challenge Prompt: The Robbery | Word Count: 1500 words exactly  | Genre: Adventure

Due Date: 10/3/18


Tess marvels at the gorgeous scenery along the coastal highway where she and Roger are driving on their way to the cottage. They’ve been dating for a about a year now, and Roger had suggested a weekend getaway to help rekindle their dying romance.

Born to be wild comes on the radio and Tess cranks up the volume. Not only is it one of her favorite songs, but it fills the awkward silence that has settled between them. The song epitomizes her feelings, and Tess sings along enthusiastically.
 
“Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway. Lookin’ for adventure, and whatever comes our way…”
 
“Really, Tess?” Roger scowls, turning the music down. “I thought we were going to use this trip to talk. You haven’t spoken five words to me in the last hour.”
 
She rolls her eyes, forces herself to loosen her grip on the steering wheel. “You know I’m not very good at small talk. And anyway,” she points to the sign ahead, “we’re coming into town and I need to pay attention so I don’t miss the turnoff.”
 
Five minutes later she’s pulling the Lexus into a redwood lined driveway.
 
“What the hell!” Roger says, irritably, “I thought you said this place belongs to a friend of yours. It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in years.”
 
“She’s a co-worker, actually. Maria used to tell me stories about her and her brother coming here when they were kids. When I asked if they still owned the cottage, she told me I could use it whenever I wanted.”
 
The grounds were all overgrown weeds and bushes; the cottage a dilapidated single story structure with shingle siding that looks ready to fall off the walls. The porch appears in serious need of repair.

“The view of the ocean is spectacular, though, don’t you think?” Tess gestures expansively.
 
She parks the car, suggests they check out the cottage before unloading. “The key is supposedly under one of these porch boards.” As her full weight came down on the second step, the board cracks loudly and her foot crashes through. “Ouch!”
 
“Are you alright?” Roger helps steady her, and Tess leans into his slight frame for balance as she pulls her booted foot out of the hole, covered in cobwebs and splinters.
 
“Yeah, I’m ok,” she says. “Might as well look for the key.” Tess activates the flashlight on her smartphone. The light reflects back at her from the darkness and she leans down to peer into the gloomy space. “What is that?”
 
“It looks like a a box of some kind,” Roger says, holding onto Tess as she reaches down into the hole.

“I can’t get it loose.” She motions for Roger to help, and after a few moments they lift one of the boards away. 

Roger grabs the box with both hands and forcefully dislodges it from its burial place. “It’s probably some kind of ammunition,” Roger suggests, shaking the box and feeling its contents shifting around.

Tess roots around and finds the key. “Let’s see if it opens the back door.” 
 
It does, and soon they are inside a kitchen, with warm yellow walls and white cabinets and appliances. “At least it smells like Mr. Clean has visited recently,” Tess quips; “everything’s all neat and tidy.”
 
Roger sets the box on a table and Tess pries it open, revealing a purple bag with Crown Royal embroidered in gold stitching.  She pulls the draw string apart and opens the bag. “Oh my God!  Roger look at this.”
 
She tips the bag and gold coins come spilling out. Canadian Maples, German Krugarrands, Austrian Philharmonics, American Liberties. 
 
“Oh, wow! Where do you suppose these came from?” Roger’s face is shining with excitement. “There must be over a hundred coins here.”
 
“I imagine they were stolen,” Tess states dryly. Ever the voice of reason. “We should call the police, see if they have some record of a theft.”
 
“Ah, Tess! No! This is a fortune!” Roger fills his hands with the gold. “Just think what we could do with the money this would bring!” Tess thinks she can see dollar signs reflecting in his eyes. 
 
“Roger, we can’t keep this! What are you thinking? We have to call the police.”
 
“Why? Why do we have to do that?” Roger, deflated, scoops the treasure back into the Crown Royal bag.
 
“Because I’m not going to be an accessory to robbery.” Tess deftly takes the bag from Roger; drops it in the large purse she carries on her shoulder. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Propelling him away from the kitchen, she kisses him again, deep and passionate. “Let’s just focus on us for now, like we planned. Check out this cottage!”
 
They cross the living room, peer into a small bathroom. “It’s really not so bad.” She opens the door to one of the two bedrooms. “God, Roger, will you look at that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a round bed before!”
 
***
 
The front porch is completely torn apart when they return from a day of whale watching and antiquing the next afternoon. It’s the first thing Tess notices when she pulls into the driveway.
Roger seems oblivious to the wreckage. When she points it out to him, he doesn’t immediately grasp the significance. They go around to the back and find the door has been pried open and left slightly ajar.
 
“Stay here,” Roger whispers, finally attuned to the possible danger. Using his slight form, he thrusts Tess’ taller frame behind him.
 
Tess finds herself suddenly impressed with the sense of confidence he’s projecting, so at odds with his usual nerdy, insecure self. Roger is a computer programmer; he spends most of his time at a desk, and if he wasn’t programming he was playing computer games. He’s not overly strong, and his physique reflects his occupation. But he does excel at action-packed games and Tess knows Roger has great hand-to-eye coordination.
 
“Be careful,” she whispers urgently, placing a hand on his back as he cautiously pushes the door open and takes a step inside. 
 
Thwhack! 

They never saw it coming. One step into the cottage and a short, stocky man stepped out from behind the door and smashed a heavy flashlight into Roger’s face.
 
Tess screams as Roger crumples to the floor, blood spurting from forehead, nose, and mouth.
 
She goes into high alert after seeing Roger’s eyes roll back into his head. Tess focuses on the other man. He’s Latino, and, she thinks, inconsequentially, rather good looking, with that dark ruggedness that has always appealed to her.
 
He lunges for her and Tess puts her Tae Bo skills into action. Grabbing him firmly by his ears, she pulls his head down into her up-rising knee, surprised at the sudden pain when head and knee collide. Ignoring the pain, she again brings his face down into her knee; then lets him go, takes a short back step and follows up with a hard roundhouse kick to his groin.
 
“You bitch!” He yells, falling to the ground with his hands clutching his balls, tears of pain and rage streaming from his eyes.
 
Roger is still out cold beside him.
 
In a series of fluid movements, she pulls a set of fur-lined handcuffs from her purse, jerks his arms behind his back, crosses his wrists and hooks and latches the cuffs.  Even she would find it impossible to escape the fake cuffs with wrists crossed just so. 

“You should know better than to mess with me!”
 
“Christ, Tess!” He’s squirming on the floor like a fish out of water.
 
“What are you doing here, Hector? Maria did not tell me you were out of prison.”
 
“No? She told me you were coming to the cabin,” he said through gritted teeth. “I heard your Grandfather passed away last month. I guess he’ll never know how his favorite granddaughter convinced me to rob him of his gold.”
 
Roger sits up with a groan. “What’re you saying? Tess! You stole the gold?”
 
“Well, technically, Hector did. But Grandfather never reported the theft, so it’s not really stolen, is it? I should’ve just waited for the old coot to die. He never took the coins out of his will, after all, and he left it all to me!”
 
She heads out of the kitchen, quickly packs her belongings. Suitcase in hand, purse hefted on her shoulder, she turns for the door.
 
“You’re just going to leave me here?” Roger asks in disbelief. “How will I get home? What am I supposed to do with him?” He glances at Hector, still struggling to free himself from his restraint.
 
“Call the police? Report a robbery? I don’t know.” She tosses him a coin. “Maybe Hector will give you a ride.”

A wide grin spreads across her cold, beautiful face as she reaches for the door, a song forming on her lips. “Get your motor runnin… Head out on the highway… “