Where Loyalties Lie

20

I parked at the local post office and took out the key that was tucked in my wallet. Once inside, I bought a stamp and an envelope from a vending machine, then penned a short note to Grace. She would still worry, but far less now than if I’d disappeared without a trace. Next, I located my post office box and retrieved the go bag I kept there for just this type of emergency. I had a bag in my apartment as well, but I’d prepared this one just in case I couldn’t get back to my place. I’d never been so glad for an overactive imagination and a stout case of paranoia. I left the key inside the box, hoping an employee would eventually find it, and ran back to the car. It took about an hour to drive out of the city and to the diner in Newark, leaving two whole hours until my scheduled meeting with Stephanie. I could either nap in the car or drive around and keep myself occupied until seven. As much as I needed to rest, I was too wired to close my eyes, so I drove. And drove. And drove. A two-hour drive was nothing back where I was from, but considering the stress I was under and the fact that I hadn’t been behind the wheel in nearly six months, it felt like an eternity. As I drove, equal parts relief and shame formed a numbing cocktail in the pit of my stomach. I was glad to have gotten away, but disappointed about how it had to be done. The cherry on top was the odd emptiness I felt at knowing I’d likely never see Tamir again. It would have been selfish to drag him into my mess, not to mention dangerous for the both of us, but when I was with him, I didn’t feel so alone. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. As though drinking the first sip of water after months stranded at sea. I made it back to the diner with fifteen minutes to spare, only going inside when Stephanie entered the building. Spotting her at a booth by the windows, I walked over and slipped in across from her. “Oh s**t, Em, your cheek. Are you okay?” Steph reached out and clasped my hand. She knew everything about my past, and her concern brought the threat of tears to the back of my throat. “I’m okay, just freaked out.” “You need to tell me everything, but first, are you hungry?” “Starved, it’s been a long night.” Stephanie waved over the waitress, and we both put in orders. “Okay, tell me what happened and leave nothing out.” I walked her through the timeline of events, including my night with Tamir and his stolen car. By the time I was done, our food had arrived. I dove into my chocolate chip pancakes, missing the huevos rancheros I would have had back home. Stephanie took a few bites as she processed my story, and I watched as worry lines set in over her brows. “I can’t believe you stole his car,” Stephanie said through a bite of toast. “That complicates everything.” “I didn’t know what else to do,” I argued, my eyes pleading with her to understand. She sighed and slouched against the back of the vinyl bench seat. “I get it. You have good reason to be worried about being tracked. I think it’s probably best if you disappear with as little paper trail as possible.” She reached in her purse and pulled out a fat envelope. “I gathered as much cash as I could on short notice. There’s not much else I can do right now.” “I know. This is a big help, though. Thank you.” “You have my number memorized, right?” “Yeah.” “Good. When you figure out where you’re going, get me a message.” I smiled and nodded, but I knew I wouldn’t. Whether the trail was paper or digital, I didn’t want anything linking me back to where I’d been. “There’s one other thing I can suggest, but it’s shady as shit.” I wiped my mouth and lifted my brows, signaling she had my attention. “I know a guy. He’s totally off the radar. I could give him a call and have him make you some papers to help you start over somewhere.” “Look at you. Playing with fire, aren’t you?” “It’s a long story.” She rolled her eyes, bringing a much-needed smile to my face. “He’s in Columbus, so you’ve got more driving ahead of you. Get out a pen, and I’ll give you his address. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll give him a call and tell him you need a new ID in twenty-four hours. He’s a bit nocturnal, so I’ll set up a meet for one o’clock tomorrow. That should give you time to get there and him time to make what you need.” “Thank you, Steph. I really do appreciate your help.” She gave me a sad smile and reached her hand out for mine across the table. “I just want you tucked away somewhere safe. I would offer my own place, but I think, right now, it’s better if you’re totally untraceable.” I agreed and was relieved she hadn’t pressured me to stay. We finished our food and said our goodbyes. Now, I was truly on my own. When I’d gone into the diner, the sun had just started its ascent into the crisp November sky. An hour later, the sky was fully lit and announcing the arrival of another day. I was surprised to find that starting my life over again didn’t feel so scary the second time around. Not that I was happy about it or had any desire to go through the motions, but after doing it once, I felt confident that I could do it again. Having the courage and confidence to uproot my life was as valuable as any stack of money I could receive. I would need all the mental strength I could summon. With a tiny, microscopic bounce renewed in my step, I walked to the car and slid inside to start the next leg of my journey. I pulled up Columbus, Ohio, on my phone GPS and pulled back onto the highway. It was there, among the hundreds of morning rush hour vehicles jockeying for position, that Tamir chose to make himself known. “Where exactly are we headed?” His growled warning came from the back seat and nearly scared me to death—literally. I screamed, and my entire body flinched, causing me to steer us within inches of the car beside me, then overcorrect onto the shoulder, a breath away from the guardrail. Once I’d regained control and was no longer on the verge of hyperventilating, I glared back at my stowaway. “What the actual f**k, Tamir? You nearly killed us!” “You’re yelling at me? You’re the one who stole my car.” “Without you in it! How the f**k did you get here?” I snuck glances at him in the rearview mirror, trying to convince myself that this was reality and not just some twisted figment of my imagination. “I followed you.” “How? I had your car,” I scoffed. He maneuvered into the front passenger seat, legs first, limber as a child gymnast, rather than six feet of muscular man. “No need for the reminder; I hadn’t forgotten.” He shot me a glare from beside me as he clicked his seat belt in place. “I borrowed a neighbor’s car.” “Ha! You mean you stole a car. This just gets better and better.” “You’re telling me. I’m the one who had a woman sneak out of my apartment in the middle of the night, steal my car, then lead me on a chase across Newark to catch her.” “Wait … how did you know I’d left, and how did you follow me?” “I have a silent alarm in my apartment.”