Where Loyalties Lie

26

I hurried back to the men’s restroom and retrieved the sack that was waiting for me on the counter. Without chancing a peek at its contents in public, I went directly back to Tamir. “Did you open it yet?” he asked. “No.” “Good. Finish eating and we’ll have a look in the car.” Once we were safe from prying eyes, I sorted through the bag’s contents, one item at a time. A woman’s sweater and a pair of joggers. One disposable phone. A visa debit card with one hundred dollars on it. A sudoku puzzle book and a hardback book—The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey. “That’s it?” he asked, brow furrowed. “You can see it just as well as I can. There’s nothing else in there.” “What about the books?” I flipped through the pages, keeping the new driver’s license and birth certificate tucked safely out of his view. Knowing what Reggie would be giving me, I had guessed the documents were in the book. I was glad Reggie was just as paranoid as me and hadn’t handed them over in a manila envelope. That would have made things complicated. Something kept me from telling Tamir the purpose of my meetup. He’d done nothing but help me, and a small part of me was starting to trust him, but some troublesome questions about him still lurked in the back of my mind. Those shadowy doubts kept me from fully relaxing around him. “You saw how he was. I’m pretty sure his elevator no longer goes to the top floor. It’s fine. I hadn’t expected much. Let’s go back to the room, and we can figure out what to do from there.” He put the car in reverse and directed us toward the motel without a comment. “You know what?” I blurted. “There was a liquor store around the corner from the motel. Stop there first.” He quirked a brow. “Don’t judge me. It’s been the week from hell.” Now that I had my new identity, it was time for me to get away from Tamir. I couldn’t allow him to tag along forever, no matter how much I dreaded the idea of leaving him behind. In part, I was hesitant to be alone, period. But the majority of my reluctance was founded in an unwillingness to admit I’d never see Tamir again. The thought of leaving him had been the true inspiration for my impulse stop at the liquor store. Being found and having to go on the run had sucked, but the booze would be nursing a fresh, much more sensitive wound. The anticipated loss of someone who was quickly finding a home in my subconscious. Regardless of my doubts about him, I would miss Tamir. Fifteen minutes later, we were back at the room with my good friend, Señor Patrón, and a bag of limes. Drinking with Tamir nearby wasn’t the smartest idea I’d ever had, but I trusted myself when it came to tequila. I knew where to draw the line, and I certainly wasn’t novice enough to be giving up secrets just because the burn of liquor warmed my belly. In my mind, I would be toasting to our final night together. Then I would have the strength to find a way to disappear. “I didn’t think about glasses, so we’re stuck with plastic coffee cups.” “We? It’s two in the afternoon.” I ignored his comment and set out two clear plastic cups on the halfcircle table and poured two fingers of tequila in each. “Do you have a knife?” I glanced back at where he watched me from across the room. “Dumb question, huh?” Tamir smirked and went to his black duffel that I hadn’t seen him open yet and pulled out a switchblade from the side pocket. My blade that I normally kept with me had been left at home in my haste to get to class the night of my attack. I loved having that knife on me. I would have to replace it. It wasn’t foolproof, but it gave me a degree of security. I set one of the limes I’d purchased on the table, then sliced it into wedges with Tamir’s knife. I secured a wedge on the rim of each glass, sat back in the metal chair, and raised my glass to Tamir. “Let’s drink.” He towered over me and stared with equal parts wariness and amusement. “You really think drinking is a good idea?” “It’s as good an idea as any other. It’s not like we have anywhere to be.” “No, but it might be a good idea to have the use of our faculties should something unexpected happen.” “I thought you said I was perfectly safe here with you?” This time, I did the smirking. In a full display of silent protest, Tamir slowly lowered himself into the small chair and lifted his cup. “Salud.” “Look at you with your Spanish toast,” I teased. “My father was a Spaniard, if you’ll recall.” We clinked our glasses, tapped them on the table, and downed the tequila. Tamir handled his well, refraining from wincing or coughing from the burn. I let my head fall backward as I savored the warmth trailing down my throat. “This stuff is too good to shoot, but I needed that,” I said, bringing my gaze back to his. “You handle tequila like a pro.” “When we had family gatherings, there was beer and tequila, so I grew up on the stuff.” “Where did your family originate?” “My dad was from Mexico originally. Never knew my mom—she died in childbirth. What about you? Tell me about your family.” I refilled our glasses and anxiously awaited his response. It hadn’t slipped my attention that I knew almost nothing about him. I was hoping a little tequila might fix that problem. There wasn’t much point if I was leaving, but I was still insanely curious. “I had a pretty standard, happy childhood. Two parents, a sister, and a cat.” My brow furrowed, and I looked him up and down. “So, what went wrong?” My question drew a chuckle from him. “The military changes everyone, and my parents dying in a car crash was rough, but it was my sister’s death that derailed things entirely.” “Oh, s**t. What happened?” His admission took me aback. I hadn’t expected him to be so forthcoming. He smiled, helping to keep the mood light. “It’s a long story, but the result was me leaving the military and being dishonorably discharged.” “Damn, that had to hurt.” I sipped from my cup, and he followed suit. “Our lives all take unexpected turns. I would have loved to have had my sister back, but aside from that, I wouldn’t change what happened.” “You going to tell me about it?” I lifted my brows. He shook his head with a smirk. “If I told you everything about me, there’d be no mystery left.” “I’ve already contemplated that one and decided that mystery is in your blood. You probably even blow your nose mysteriously.” I grumbled the last part. “You’ve contemplated me, have you? Any other conclusions I should know about?”