Missy's Gentle Giant Read Free Page B

threw it in his truck.”
    “Melissa why the hell’s your car
been towed to the shop?”  Gonzalo burst into the living room.  “And
who the hell paid the towing charges?”
    “Quiet!”  Mr. Sanchez put his
hand up.  “Go on Melissa, what did he do?”
    “He?”  Gonzalo stopped
stunned.
    “Quiet!”
    “He—he—when we got to McAllen, he
asked me where I live.  I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want
the neighbors seeing me get out of his truck, and he—”
    “Who the hell is she talking
about?”  Gonzalo yelled.
    “The trucker who brought her home
when her car broke down.  Be quiet, son.”  Mrs. Sanchez smiled at
Gonzalo. 
    “Who the hell was he?”  His
mother smiled?  Some damn trucker brought Melissa home and his mother
smiled?
    “We don’t know.”
    “You don’t know?  How the hell
can I kill the bastard?”
    “Now calm down, Gonzalo.”
    “Calm down?  My baby sister let
a strange man bring her home and in a truck no less, and you want me to calm
down?”
    “Yes, now shut up, dammit!” 
Mrs. Salinas glared.  Three more heads appeared in the living room.
    “Melissa, tell me—what did he do
when you didn’t want to give him our address.”
    “He—he got mad at me again and told
me if I didn’t tell him, he was going to take me to a motel and—”
    “The damned bastard!”  Mr.
Salinas and Gonzalo said in unison.
    “And?”  Mrs. Sanchez grinned.
    “He said he’d call the trucking
service and tell them to pick me up at the motel.”  Melissa looked
up.  “Mama he didn’t do anything wrong—”
    “I know.”  Mrs. Sanchez pulled
her daughter into her arms.  “I know.”
    “I’ll kill him!”  Gonzalo
stomped.  “I swear I’ll—”
    “You’ll do no such thing!” 
Mrs. Sanchez glared.  “Both of you will—”  She looked around the
room.  “All of you will sit down and cool off while I get Melissa up to
bed.  “And you’ll wait until I come back downstairs.  Do you hear
me?”  She glared at her husband who was the first to sit.
    “Whatever you say, Mother.”
    “Fine!”  She reached for
Melissa’s chin and pulled it up.  “Melissa dear, it’s over now and we
don’t care what the neighbors say.  Your father and I trust you and know
nothing happened.”  She glared at her family; then smiled at Melissa. 
“Come now, I think you need to get some rest.”
    Everyone watched until Melissa and
Mrs. Sanchez left the room.  Gonzalo jumped up.  “I’ll kill
him!  As soon as I find him, I’ll kill him!”
    “Might need some help.”  Mr.
Sanchez picked at the little doily on the arm of the sofa.
    “What the hell are you—”
    “Ricardo says he’s a giant.”
    “A what?”
    “A giant—much, much bigger than
Marco—not only taller but all over bigger.”
    “You saw him?”  Gonzalo turned
to his little brother.
    “Yeah, he scared me he was so
big.”  Ricardo laughed.  “After blasting his horn, he jumped down
from the new truck and screamed for everyone to hear how he was an Italian and
how Italians took nice girls home rather than leave them to walk.”
    “He screamed it?”
    “Yeah, ain’t no one on the block
who could miss it.” Ricardo laughed and shrugged.  “Guess that’s why
Melissa’s shook up.  Even honked his horn a couple of times afterwards. 
Made sure everyone knew he brought her home.”
    “Great!”  Gonzalo raked his
fingers through his hair and glanced at his father.  “Great!  Now
what the hell do we do?”
    “I don’t know.  I was dead set
on going after him, but your mother says—”
    “He even told Mom how you could
find him—”  Ricardo laughed.
    “What?”  Gonzalo turned to his
brother.
    “I heard him.  He yelled it,
tell her brothers and father my name is Ben Spinelli, and I’ll be at the first
motel—”
    “Spinelli?”  Charger?  Gonzolo’s
face went pale.  “What kind of truck was he driving?”
    “Brand new big rig—”  Ricardo
smiled.