The Bagel Chalet Series
Book 1:
Beyond a Simple Human Experience.
Joseph L. Garrido
Copyright © 2010 Joseph L. Garrido
Book 2: Future Bonds
Chapter One
Derek raced over Avon Mountain on Route. 44. His mind was swirling with chaotic thoughts and confusion. He was thinking of pulling off to the side of the road and ditching the car he had stolen. He wanted to retch out the corrupt contents of his stomach that seemed to have come from nowhere. He had never felt so nauseous. It was as if the world had turned into a magnificent cruise ship sailing into the lands of hell. Then just before he gave in to the impulse to stop the car, a wave of vileness took control of him completely and his thoughts became even darker than he could have ever imagined. That malicious voice was speaking to him again. Derek had long ago lost the ability to know which thoughts were his own and which came from the malicious part of his mind. From the darkness the force came to him more and more every day, relentlessly driving him completely insane.
The voice wanted him to stop the car in the middle of the road and halt as much of the busy traffic as he could. The vision of what he could do almost blinded him as he made his way to the bottom of Avon Mountain. He could see himself standing in the middle of the road, his gun leveled at oncoming traffic and shooting as many drivers as he could. He did not know who he was now and could not remember his past. All he could remember was stealing the car and the gun resting on the passenger seat next to him. He decided to keep driving when the light turned green. He only knew that he was going to stop somewhere soon. Derek didn’t quite know where yet. It was only a matter of time before the police would catch up to him, although he could not remember how he had escaped thus far.
Chapter Two
Jess wiped the counter near the register as her crimson ponytail swayed gracefully behind her. When the phone rang, she answered it right away, before any of the other girls had a chance to pick it up.
“Bagel Chalet, may I help you?”
“Jess, it’s Melissa. Do you want me to come in tomorrow?”
“Oh, hi Melissa. Sure, that would be fine.”
“Ok thanks, see you then.”
The day had been a bit slow, but it was starting to pick up as more customers entered the shop. In a few more hours the members of the Italian Club were going to be chatting in the corner as usual. Several other customers were sitting by the large glass window, giving her a wide view of the scenery outside the Bagel Chalet. Jess smiled when she saw the captain of the town police department pull into a parking space in the front of the shop.
“Good morning, captain. How are you?” Jess said when he entered, giving him her contagious smile.
“I’m doing well,” he said. “How’s business?”
“It’s a little bit slow today. Do you want your usual?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jess completed his order as the other girls working for her greeted the captain. They were busy preparing several orders that had been called in earlier.
“What’s the matter, Ashley?” the captain asked when he saw the troubled expression on her face.
“I have a tummy ache.”
“No, she’s not pregnant.” Jess put in. “Sometimes she gets really bad stomach pains.”
“I haven’t had this kind of stomach pain in a long time.”
“Make sure you take care of it,” the police Captain said, concerned and made his way out of the shop.
Jess felt a shiver of dread pass through her. The last time her sister had pains like that there had been a terrible car accident nearby. A time before that, she had trouble with the ovens and the ice cream freezer broke. It seemed that something dramatic always happened. Hopefully, it was just something she ate and nothing really bad was going to happen.
A few more customers put in their orders and left, including the ones sitting down, and her shop went through another quiet moment until a tall man she had never seen before entered.
Chapter Three
“Any last words before I put a bullet between your eyes?” the tall man said, who only a moment ago appeared to be a handsome stranger, but now looked menacing as he leveled the handgun at her. “And you - don’t make a move,” he said to Megan at the other end of the counter. Megan stiffened with fear.
“Last words?” Jess said stunned. She didn’t know how much time she had left to live now that a gun was pointed at her forehead. A few seconds? What could she possibly say in a fleeting moment? A million thoughts raced through her mind about her son, husband, and family, but her thoughts appeared to halt and she wondered if she could remember where she had placed her keys, until a woman walked into the store.
The woman was slim and tall, wearing a black, tight-fitting dress, which she thought was a bit too revealing, almost as if she had nothing underneath. Then Jess remembered she was the new girl who worked nearby.
Chapter Four
The beeping sound the door made when someone walked through the entrance startled Derek. He was so focused on what was in front of him that he had left his back vulnerable. Was it a policeman getting ready to shoot him? Derek turned slowly, still keeping the gun pointed at the girl. What he saw walking in jarred him deeply in his soul. He froze as if time outside of him slowed to a crawl and inside his thoughts passed at the speed of light.
“Derek, is that you?” the woman entering the store said. She briefly looked away from the tiny mirror in her hand. “What are you doing?”
It had been a long time since Derek had seen her and he had forgotten that she was the cause of his pain. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Denise had an unmistakable power over him. He had been set on completing his mission and now he felt as if someone had pulled the earth from under his feet. Confusion and indecision left him unable to make a move. He watched as her attention went back to the mirror. He might as well have been anybody. Obviously, he was no one of importance to Denise.
Chapter Five
Meanwhile, behind Jess in the back room, Ashley cowered in a ball behind a counter. She froze in horror with her hands covering her mouth and hoping the gunman would not hear her whimpering. She trembled uncontrollably.
Laura was nearby, debating what to do. Her instinct was to fly out the back door as fast as her legs would carry her. Another part of her realized that this was her big moment to make a difference. There was a good chance they were all going to die anyway. Why not sacrifice her life to save the others? The fear coursing through her was like a thick wall standing in front of her. She needed to figure out a way to break that wall down, and she had to do it fast. Instantly, an idea formed in her mind. If she raced around the corner fast enough, she could tackle the gunman to the floor. She would most likely get shot trying, but if she could get enough momentum, even her injured body might be enough to knock him down. If she failed, then it was up to the other girls to make the move. Either way, she had nothing to lose. If she was going to die, then she was going to be the one to choose how she made her exit. No one was going to determine that for her if she had anything to say about it.
A rush of adrenaline shot through Laura’s body. She took off, heading for the hallway, pumping her legs as fast as she could, hoping to catch the gunman by surprise.
Chapter Six
Ashley closed her eyes, trying to make everything around her go away. She didn’t want to see, hear, or think about what was going on, but she couldn’t make herself disappear no matter how hard she tried. That is when she noticed the sharp pain in her stomach was no longer bothering her. Not that it was going to do her any good, she thought, and then wondered about God and what exactly was his purpose in he
r life. She asked God to forgive her for whatever sins she may have done, although she could not recall even one thing she had done wrong.
Seconds later, the sound that signaled someone entering the shop and the voice of the woman talking to the gunman snapped her right out of her horror, or was it something inside of her that had awakened? Her trembling ceased, making her feel calm, relaxed. Who was this guy, what was he doing, and was he good looking? Ashley did not recognize the woman’s voice. She stood up and made her way towards her older sister, who seemed paralyzed by the gun inches from her forehead. Ashley leaned over to one side to get a better look at the gunman, but he was looking away at the woman behind him, and for a moment she was startled by the sound of Laura’s running feet headed for the hallway.
Chapter Seven
Laura flung herself around the corner, afraid she would not be able to turn quickly enough, but she miscalculated and turned too soon. She ended up going the wrong way. She was now behind the counter instead of beyond it. She tripped on Megan’s feet and flopped flat on the floor. Laura was out cold.
Chapter Eight
Derek flinched when he heard the girl turn the corner and hit the floor behind the counter, but he otherwise ignored it, and assumed it was not an immediate threat. There were only two things that threatened him now. One was the obvious fact that he was running out of time and that someone would eventually stop him or just kill him. The other was Denise. She was the last person he expected to show up in these last moments of his life. His whole purpose was to show the world that for once in his life he was the one in control of the situation. He had wanted to make his last stand by sending out the message that people should have taken him seriously. Now Denise was threatening everything he hoped to achieve. She had some mystical power over him, always driving him mad with desire, and making his legs tremble at her radiating sensuality. He might as well be a puppet on a string. He didn’t think he was capable of shooting her because they had shared too many memories, even if they were mostly bad ones. He knew nothing of the people in the bagel shop and if he held himself back from thinking, he could probably do away with them, but he would have to be quick about it once he started. Yet, he wasn’t sure he could actually follow through with it.
Chapter Nine
“What am I doing here?” he finally croaked in response to Denise as if he had not used his vocal cords in ages. “What are you doing here?”
“I work at the bank, moron.”
Chapter Ten
Ashley peered over at the woman who was looking into a small mirror while putting on lipstick, but she dropped it and the tiny mirror shattered near her red high-heeled shoes. The woman must have just noticed the gun by the way her eyes widened and her mouth opened. Ashley recognized her right away. She was a new teller at one of the banks nearby, new to the area, and had only recently been coming in for her coffee.
She saw the gunman turn, or was he flinching away from her remark? Ashley could see the pain forming lines on his face, but she was taken aback by how handsome he was, until his blue eyes gazed into hers. Now that she was not trying, everything around her disappeared, and she felt as if his eyes were a cool waterfall coming to knock her right over. There was intensity in them, a streak of pain, but there was also something else that pulled her to him. She couldn’t understand what it was, but it was strong enough that she wanted to be within its embrace. How could she possibly feel this way, not only for a complete stranger, but for someone holding a gun? She must be going insane.
Chapter Eleven
When Derek turned, his eyes fell upon an unexpected vision. At first, he thought he had finally cracked and was now seeing things. An angel in human form must have materialized right in front of his eyes, just behind the pretty redhead. The sight of her was enough to ease the pain burning inside of him for at least that moment. Who was she, and what was her name? Suddenly, Derek wasn’t so sure if he could continue with his plan. He needed time to think.
“Everyone into the back room, and make it quick,” he said, waving the gun. “And you-” He glanced at Jess. “Lock the front door. This place is now temporarily closed.”
He gave out his commands, even as his eyes remained glued to the angel in front of him. Derek hopped over the counter, never breaking eye contact, wanting to take the vision of her in for as long as he could. His head started tingling as the aching pain he had felt for so long began to lift away slowly.
Chapter Twelve
Jess frowned as she gradually made her way around the counter, being careful not to step on Laura, and crossing paths with Denise. Locking the front door was the easy part, she thought. The difficult part was running out the door to safety before he could manage to shoot at her. It was comforting to know that she would probably make it, but she could not leave her friends behind. They had been through too much together and they were just as important as any one of her family members. She would lock the door and pray that no one got hurt.
Jess had been around people long enough to know how to read them and figure out what kind of people they were. Derek puzzled her. One moment he seemed like a really nice guy and the next he looked as if he was possessed by the devil. She pinched herself in the arm after locking the door, hoping the pain would make her as alert as possible, more alert than she had ever been in her life. She had to force herself to calm down and analyze the situation as clearly as she could. She had to figure out a way to bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion, or die trying.
Chapter Thirteen
Megan sighed and wondered how long she had been holding her breath. Five minutes, perhaps ten? Then she realized she would have fainted if she had held her breath for more than three. She didn’t know what to do as Jess and Denise passed by her. Megan finally looked down at Laura and wondered if she was ok. She knew she had to go to the back room, but she couldn’t leave Laura on the floor.
Laura moaned and Megan felt a sense of relief. She bent down and helped her up.
“What happened?” Laura whispered. “Are we dead?”
“No.” Megan managed a nervous smile while glancing at the gunman waving for everyone to move to the back. She felt a moment of calmness. “You tripped on my feet.”
“Oh.”
“Promise you won’t try and be a hero again.”
“I promise. Well, maybe.”
Megan held on to Laura as they walked single file to the back room. She was getting scared again and forced herself not to panic as tears threatened to well up in her eyes. She needed to be strong, not just for herself, but for the other girls. She was supposed to leave early, and if she had left five minutes ago, she wouldn’t be in the predicament she was in now. Why couldn’t luck be on her side at least once in her life?
Chapter Fourteen
Jess tried to keep everyone together as they huddled shoulder to shoulder- Laura, Megan, and Denise in the back of the group and Jess and Ashley towards the front. They all looked at Derek, wondering what he was going to do next.
Jess could hear Denise quietly sobbing as if Derek meant to shoot her first. He closed the door to the back room and Jess became alarmed when she noticed that his stare was directed toward Ashley. She was even more alarmed when she turned to her sister, who was practically in a trance. She was gazing at him with an intensity she had never seen in her sister before. What was wrong with her? Was she that sick? Maybe the stress was just too much for her to handle and now she had snapped.
“Are you all right, Ashley?”
‘I’m fine,” she said waving her hand as if dismissing it, but her eyes remained locked with his.
Jess glanced back at the girls and noticed that Denise had stopped her sobbing. She was glancing at Derek and Ashley with a hint of jealousy in her expressive eyes.
Chapter Fifteen
“No talking,” Derek said. “I have to think.”
But that was all he was doing, and he could not stop the thoughts racing through his mind. Her name was Ashley, he thought, and he cou
ld not keep his eyes off of her no matter how hard he tried. He had seen beautiful women before, but she was beyond anything he had ever experienced in his life, and he was desperately trying to figure out what was happening to him at the same time. Something inside of her was reaching out to him like a blinding light that no one else could see. Perhaps he was dead and he didn’t even know it.
“Ashley,” he mumbled, taking a step closer to her. He wanted to know what it felt like to say her name.
“Derek, what about me?” Denise said, but he might as well have been deaf. He heard the words coming from somewhere far, far away. Something far more important was taking all his attention at the moment, and he didn’t want anything to disturb him. He took another step closer, lowering the gun in his hand.
“You know,” Laura said. “Anyone can come in from the back door.”
Derek showed no sign that he heard her. He could only take in the warmth that was radiating from Ashley, caressing his very soul. He felt something dark inside of him protesting, trying to rebel, but it was losing the struggle.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashley continued staring into Derek’s eyes, feeling as if she were falling into a bottomless ocean. She felt safe floating in them, but somewhere deep inside she knew there were sharks lurking on the fringes of that ocean and that her world could be shattered at any moment. Yet, she also knew that no matter what happened, he would protect her at any cost.
Why was she so drawn to him? He was dangerous and that sent a rush of excitement through her. The danger she sensed would normally send her running for cover, but there was something deep within her that wanted to reach out to him, regardless of the consequences. She was terrified about what would happen if she continued in the direction she was now taking, but another part of her was even more terrified not to follow through with it, even though she had no idea where it was going.
At the moment, Ashley was astonished that she desperately wanted this stranger. She wanted to embrace him and feel the warmth of his body against hers. She felt it was the only way she could connect with the magnetic force coming from him. She slowly backed away while her hands blindly moved across the countertops. She was feeling that a part of her was already becoming a part of him, and that a part of him was becoming a part of her.