"I'll share the seat, I'll let myself be kidnapped. Hell, I'll testify in court that I was willing to be abducted. But you know a hell of a lot more about my mom than you're letting on. And I'll be damned before letting you pass me by and telling me I don't want to know," Ray said in a cold tone.

"Kid, we can't-…" Elwood started

"The name isn't 'kid'. I am not a kid; I am eighteen years old. I'm legally an adult, and my name is Ray Banning. You call me Ray."

"Ray, then. We can't just bring you along. The whole 'hostage' thing was just something to keep you from jumping out the window into rush hour on a freeway. We promised to let you off and that's what we have to do. Get out."

"You're gonna have to make me."

"You know I can. I've got at least twelve able-bodied guys that would throw you out onto the curb."

"Do it."

They sat in silence for three minutes. Both were at silent war with one another, and it looked like Elwood was ready to do it. He was eyeing his side-view mirror, contemplating which of his partners would be indifferent enough to physically pull a girl out of his backseat and put her down on the side of the road. Coming up with a grand total of zero, he sighed and revved the engine.

Ray relaxed her face and inwardly sighed. She was actually scared for a minute he'd actually do it. There had been a long minute of doubt…of worry that some men would throw her out. But just a glimmer of hope had held her, and now it was paying off.

They pulled back onto the highway and the car was quiet for awhile. Finally, the big guy began the introductions.

"Well, I'm Mack, and this is Cab, and this little midget is Buster. What do you want to know about Lisa?"

Ray shrugged. "You tell me. It seems I don't know nearly enough to even ask questions."

Mack sighed and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Ray. You've got your own view of your mother, and it'd be wrong of us to change that. I mean, you've got so long to know her."

"Just start talking."

He let all the air out of his lungs and began.

"Lisa Banning was one of the girls at Willie's for awhile, before it was Willie's. It used to be called "Night Moods", but the owner went bankrupt and sold out.

"Anyway, she only worked nights, because daytime hours were when she worked at some cheesy little desk job in the middle-class neighborhood. We knew she hated it, but she didn't like her night job any better. But she couldn't quit; she had rent and stuff to pay off, not to mention some old debts your grandparents had left. Everyone knew that.

"So one day, she comes in all emotional and asks Willie if she could start working days, too. He lets her and even gives her a bonus, and she tells the other girls later on that her other boss was the real nasty type, the kind that just couldn't keep his hands to himself, you know?

"So now Lisa's working days and nights and one day Elwood blows in for a talk with the manager. He comes out pissed off and slugs a couple of beers and sees your mom. They start talking and-…"

The car suddenly screeched to a halt and the four passengers turned to stare at Elwood. He was sitting in stony silence, pulled over to the side of the road. As they watched, he opened the car door and got out, walking into the woods on the other side of the road.

"What's with him?" Buster asked after they watched him disappear into the foliage.

"Probably had to let the dogs out. Turns out, I gotta too. Scootch over, kid," Cab motioned, and the two got out and went into the woods on their side of the road.

With just Mack and Ray left in the vehicle, the man sighed deeply and stared at the other side of the road.

"It's funny, he doesn't usually get upset when I talk about her. She's such a sweet girl; my favorite when I worked there. Always smiling and laughing, so I knew something bad went down when she came in that one day after leaving the old job.

"After the guys went in, Lisa just quit. Right out of the blue, too. Came in, resigned, and walked out. I heard she got a much better secretarial job in the business district. Twice the pay and less work, a great chance I'm glad she didn't pass up," Mack finished.

"And that's it? That's the grand ending? What about what happened between her and Elwood?" Ray demanded.

"That's really not mine to say. You want answers, they're gonna come from Elwood or your mom."

Ray glared a minute at the car door, then shoved it open and got out. She stalked across the road and searched the woods until she found Elwood sitting on a stump, facing away from her.