“You’re running…” she says simply. No judgment in her voice, no questioning either, just plain cold facts. It stops me in my tracks. “I have something for you.”
She disappears back into the room for a moment, before I can follow her retreating footsteps, she’s back, with a package in a brown paper bag in her outstretched hand.
“What…” I stammer as I look at the package. A brown paper bag — pretty cliche, it seems to me — and I’m dubious.
“They’re documents, fakes, I had them made when it seemed like little Tyler was getting… too… I dunno. Call it a hunch. There’s money in there too.” She shakes her head and shrugs at the same time, looking uncertain for a moment. I reach for the package. It’s heavier than I expect. I take a peek inside. Passports, drivers’ licenses, and a wad of bills.
Angel speaks again, as Tyler flies back down the stairs with a hold-all in one hand, now wearing a fresh, not bloodied or torn set of clothes and a leather jacket I’ve never seen before. “It was the best I could get at short notice. They’ll pass most cursory checks.”
“Thank you,” I say. I mean it too. I don’t know what else to say, I feel a little less fearful, though I know my adrenaline is still running high. Part of me wants to hug her, but I keep my emotions self-contained.
Angel just nods to Tyler and retreats back into the room, closing the door behind her with a click. Tyler looks to me, to the package in my hand.
“Tell me on the way.” He grabs my free hand in his and strides back out of the front door.
“Are we taking a bike?” I ask, dubiously looking at the royal blue Triumphs lined up outside the clubhouse. Tyler shakes his head. He lifts the hand with the hold-all and points at a shiny black Ford Ranger parked at the side.
“That’s sorta mine too. I’ll… I guess I’ll come back for the bike one day.” I don’t think of the way he says ‘sorta mine’. I try not to, at least. I try not to wonder why it’s only ‘sorta’ his.
He looks at the bikes for a long moment, and I can almost feel him mentally saying goodbye to his Triumph before he pulls me away towards the Ranger. I know how much this means to him and it breaks my heart to see him leaving the bike behind.
He lets go of my hand when we get to the pickup truck. We jump in, and he shoves the hold-all in the back of the cab. It hits the floor with a thud and part of me knows, just knows there are guns in there. I try not to shiver, even though it’s warm in the pickup already.
“Don’t we need to wait for Cohen?” I ask hesitantly as Tyler starts the engine and cracks his window open.
But he shakes his head, lips tight, face white. “We’re not waiting for anybody. Cohen will understand.”
I don’t say anything. I don’t know what there is to say. I feel like I can feel the rage, the fear, the determination, rolling off Tyler like a storm cloud. The way he came into my apartment, determined to save me, injured though he was, and fresh out of the hospital. I glance at his arms as he grabs the steering wheel — the white admission bracelet is still around his wrist. Tyler notices it the same moment I do and snaps it off, and throws it out of the window. He cracks his neck and starts to drive us away from the clubhouse.
Before long, we’re driving out of Memphis. I stare out the window as we pass through the city limits. And then we’re out of the only city that I have ever known.
Jessica
My head is spinning with so many things that I don’t know where to start. What are we going to do? How are we going to live? It occurs to me as we’re passing Covington that my need to pee is growing, but I really don’t feel like now is the time to say anything… I’ll be okay for a bit longer. I contemplate turning the radio on so we’re not just sitting in silence. Still, the idea of fiddling with the controls for something to listen to fills me with anxiety.
We’re on the 51, still heading north, almost at Dyersburg, when I have to break the silence. I don’t know how much longer I can wait now... I clear my throat first.
“Tyler?”
“Yeah?” He doesn’t take his eyes off the road.
I bite my cheek nervously. “I need to pee.”
I see his lips purse slightly as he sighs through his nose. His eyes flick up to the rearview mirror again, checking if we’re being followed, I guess. “We’ll find a rest stop somewhere before we hit Kentucky, then we’ll keep going. I don’t want us to stop just yet.”
I nod, satisfied. “Okay.” It’s been two hours of driving already. I don’t know how much further he wants us to go… How can they follow us when we left so abruptly?
It’s another ten minutes on the highway before we spot a sign for somewhere with bathroom facilities. Tyler takes the exit and pulls into one of the rest stop’s parking bays. I jump out of the car and turn back.
“I’ll be two minutes.” Tyler nods and throws me a cautious smile as I turn away again.
I half jog, half walk across the parking lot and into the convenience store. It’s relatively big inside, stocked with anything you could want on a long drive. Car supplies, food, toiletries, some novelty gifts. Even a few bits of clothes and accessories.
I look up to the ceiling to see if there’s a sign pointing the way to the bathroom. Thankfully, there is. Thank fuck I don’t have to ask the cashier. I hate doing that. I give the cashier a forced smile as I rush past them and into the bathroom.
The ladies’ room is small and smells strongly of bleach — not the worst thing, I suppose, but it still hits my sensitive nose like a freight train. The dim bulb hanging from the ceiling buzzes faintly and casts long shadows down the walls. I step into the single cubicle and close the door, briefly leaning against it and letting out a long shaky breath. I place my hands on my abdomen for a moment, hoping, wishing, that this baby will be okay with the stress of all of this. I feel my emotions towering over me, ready to crash like a tidal wave I can’t get away from. I let out another shaking breath. I can do this. I have to do this for the three of us.
I finish my business quickly and wash my hands. Then, I lift some of the water to my mouth and rinse my mouth out twice. I can still taste that bastard’s blood on my teeth. I wish I’d stopped to brush them. I check my back pocket for my wallet and am relieved to find that it’s still there. Maybe I should pick up some things for us here. I don’t know what Ty’s got in that bag, but I’m confident he’ll have forgotten to pack a toothbrush.
I let my hair down, shaking it out in front of the mirror, then tie it back up… It’s messy either way, so I’ve just gotta deal with that I guess. I slip out of the bathroom and into the store. I pick up a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a couple of sandwiches and bottles of water, some painkillers for Ty because I know his stitches have gotta be killing him. I select a nicer looking cheap rucksack from the rack and take it all to the cashier.
Jenny, the salesgirl, looks less alarmed at my appearance this time, though I’m aware I still look less than great.
“Long trip,” I say, by means of explanation. Jenny smiles and nods.
“We get that a lot here,” she says, her strong Texas accent twanging in my ears. She rings through my items and holds the card machine out for me as we exchange the usual pleasantries.
“Have a nice drive now, ma’am,” Jenny says as I shove my purchases into the rucksack.
“Thanks, you take care,” I say back, heading into the bathroom once more. I brush my teeth quickly, hyperaware that I’ve taken much longer than I said I was going to. Aware that every second I spend brings us closer to danger if we are being followed.
I pass Jenny again, and give her a quick smile and a ‘bye’, feeling significantly better now than I did when I entered the store. I cross the parking lot to the Ranger and open the door, slinging the bag in the footwell.
“I nearly came in looking for you,” Tyler says, sounding fraught. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, fine, I just… I really needed to brush my teeth. I picked us up some lunch or whatever too. And drinks because, y�
��know… hydration is important, I guess…” I finish kind of lamely, with my hands spread out from my sides. I’m rambling, I know, but I talk when I’m nervous, and I am very nervous right now. “Oh, I got you some pain meds too, because, y’know, you are just fresh outta hospital and stuff…”
He gives me an exasperated smile. “I love you,” he says as he shakes his head at me and holds out his hand to help me into the Ranger. I clamber in and close the door behind me. I reach down for the bag and pull it onto my lap. Handing Tyler a bottle of soda, I fish around for the box of pain meds. My hand closes around it eventually, and I pass that over too before opening one of the sandwiches for myself.
“I got a few different sandwiches, I couldn’t think of what you liked…”
He smiles slightly, and, having taken some of the painkillers, hands the box back to me. “Thanks. I’ll have something when we stop for the night. Wanna look up some local motels while I drive?”
I nod, glad to have something to do after I finish my sandwich that isn’t just ‘stare out of the window and pray that I don’t get motion sickness’. I stuff the sandwich wrapper in the door of the Ranger and get on with my Google search.
The sun is just starting to set as we cross the state border into Kentucky. I skim through a bunch of different motels, thinking of the money we have from Angel, and the likelihood of us being seen from the road. We drive in silence as I mentally weigh up our options.
“There’s this one, maybe an hour from here, Rose’s Rest, it has nice reviews on Trip, and it’s off the road a bit so we shouldn’t be seen easily…” I say, looking closely at the pictures of the modern-looking rest stop. “It seems nice? It’s just outside Wingo.”
“Sounds perfect, just let me know what roads to take, and we’ll be there in no time,” Tyler says, reaching over to me and squeezing my thigh reassuringly.
Tyler
Why didn’t she tell me?
The question keeps running through my head, it’s all I can think. She obviously knew about it. Her reactions have told me that much. But what does that mean? I don’t know. Was she planning on telling me? Was she planning on keeping it?
I have no answers, but so many questions. There needs to be a conversation about this, and soon because otherwise, this is just going to drive me mental. The fear of not knowing may be my undoing.
My eyes don’t move from her sleeping form. Rolling up and down before stopping on her stomach. If I didn’t already know, I probably wouldn’t have guessed, and I definitely wouldn’t have said anything. At a stretch, I would say maybe she’s bloating, but I’ve seen her belly bigger after having inhaled Chinese takeaway for dinner.
Jess has always had a gorgeous body. Perky tits, a great ass, small dips at her waist. Nothing has changed, but the thought of her going through those changes makes me look at her in a different light. What women go through during pregnancy is… scary as fuck. I don’t know how they do it, how Jess will do it, but I know that I’ll be there every step of the way - whether she wants me to be or not.
Only wearing a tank top and panties, I get to see every feature and curve. I inspect her midsection more closely. Inside her, right now, is a small piece of me.
I rush out another sigh in frustration. Why didn’t she tell me?
“I’m sorry.” I know it’s the umpteenth time I’ve said it, but I really do mean it. I can’t believe I’ve gotten my sweet Jess dragged into all this bullshit.
I hate my parents, but now it’s more than that. They took it too far.
I still don’t understand why they’re even concerned about an heir to the family business, let alone an heir of mine. I left them. How could they think that this would persuade me to go back to them?
All they’ve succeeded in doing is more or less guaranteeing that they will never see this child.
As Jess lies peacefully where I left her across the room, I pull a rucksack from the storage room and fill it with essentials, anything I think we might ever need gets thrown in the bag.
I know guns should be my go-to for survival essentials, but I hesitate, unsure of how they might make Jess feel. We haven’t ever talked much about this part of my life. I’d been so afraid that it would make her run for the hills that I kept it as hidden as possible.
Now it seems I haven’t got a choice. If she wants to run for the hills, I’ll let her. But she needs to know that I’ll be there with her every step of the way. I’m not going anywhere, mainly because she’s carrying my child, but also now that my parents know about her, she’s in more danger than I am. They won’t stop, they’ll just keep tracking her.
I vow I won’t let anything happen to you. Either of you.
My mind is too far gone, too wired to sleep - not that I want to. I need to be as sharp as a tack, alert for any danger that might have followed us. I think we’re safe, but you can never be too careful and I can’t take the chance of nodding off.
It has been hours. I’ve been switching between watching low volume television and watching Jess sleep. Her little snores when she lays on her back make me smile. From behind the bedroom curtains, I see the early morning light start to creep in. We’re still hours away from a reasonable time to be awake, so I continue to let her sleep. My eyes flick back over to the TV, where they stay for another twenty minutes or so.
I slowly lift myself from the bed to go to the bathroom. I’m mid piss when the bang sound from outside catches my attention. I finish and quickly make my way across the room to the front window. It looks quiet. Nobody about.
Jess moves, and she immediately has my attention. I wait silently - holding my breath - until she goes back to sleep, but instead her eyelids flicker. She blinks up at me and a soft smile takes over her face.
“Hi,” I whisper with a smile. It’s not until that point that I realize we have barely talked since we left city limits. A few odd words have been thrown about maybe, but not much actual conversation.
“Hey.” Her voice is quiet and soft, like velvet.
“How’d you sleep?” I know we need to talk, a serious conversation, but right now that can wait a minute.
“Not great. Still kind of on edge, I guess.”
I nod, that makes sense.
“What about you?” she asks.
I shake my head and she frowns at me. “Nah, no sleep just yet, I want to get us out of here before I rest.”
“You need to sleep, Ty, you can’t drive like this,” Jess insists.
“I’m fine, Jess, I just—”
“I’ll keep watch,” she says, cutting me off and smiling. She reaches both her arms straight up, silently demanding that I lie down and hug her.
I snort softly and lie down on the crappy bed next to her. She has no idea how hopelessly in love with her I am. She makes everything in my life a hundred times better.
Jessica
I’ve been watching out of the window for what feels like hours. Tyler is sleeping in the bed behind me. I’m too nervous to look away from the window, though I know I’m partially shielded by the thin curtains because of where I’m sitting. I’m uncomfortable, my back and butt ache from the stiff chair, but I daren’t move in case I wake Tyler.
I hold my phone in my hand, even though the battery died on it while I was sleeping. I should probably charge it, but who would I call? Who would I text? I barely even know what’s going on right now. My arms tighten around my belly instinctively. As long as we’re together, will there be danger?
The faint sound of tires on asphalt has my ears pricking. I twitch the curtains open a little more and see a large dark red SUV rolling into the motel parking lot. Instantly, I’m on edge. Suspicious. Cautious. Three casually dressed men get out of the SUV and look around. I feel the driver’s gaze scan the window I’m sitting at, and a chill runs down my spine. He gives a gesture to the other two, and they fall into step behind him like hounds.
Alarm bells are screaming in my head. I have to wake Tyler. But what if I’m just overthinking it. I don’t want t
o freak him out when he’s only had an hour or two of sleep at best. I watch as the men stroll into the manager’s office, a little glass and brick room at the end of the L-shaped motel block. I can’t see them inside from the angle of my window, but I hear a loud crack, like thunder, like boulders smashing together. A gunshot. It resounds through the parking lot and chills me to my soul.
I’m up and out of the seat like a flash.
“Ty? Tyler, baby —” I shake his shoulders, and he swats at me sleepily.
“Wha?”
“Tyler, I think they’ve found us, I think they just shot the manager.” My throat feels tight, my knees are like water. I’m not sure how I’m still standing, but I know I’m shaking.
With that he’s awake, shrugging off sleep like a blanket and standing up out of the bed. “Get in the bathroom, Jess. Lock the door. Don’t come out for anyone but me, okay? I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”
I nod numbly. I want to demand to know why Tyler’s not hiding with me, but I know he needs to do this, to face down his family and protect me. He grabs my hand as I turn.
“Take this.” He presses a cold gun into my quivering hands. “You don’t have to use it, but I feel better knowing you have it. Do you know how to shoot? It’s not like the movies.”
“I’ve been to a range before,” I answer. It’s not really a yes, and not really a no, but something in between. Either way, he seems satisfied enough and nods, urging me forwards.
“Go, hide.”
I take the few steps forward into the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I sit down on the edge of the bath. My ears are ringing in the quiet. The light above me buzzes and flickers slightly. I watch my reflection in the mirror to my right — I am pale and drawn. My hair’s messy, my make-up is smudged, and there’s a bruise on my cheek from when the last guy sent after Tyler smacked me. Durk. I can still remember the taste of his blood in my mouth. I suddenly have the bitter hope that my bite leaves a scar.
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