Reece spins round, grabs the knife from Bailey’s hand and slams her back against the bathroom wall. He holds the knife to her throat. “Don’t give me no bullshit. Is this chip working, or not?” he snarls at her.
“They deactivate them when you’re in the Compound because most of the slaves there don’t have them. They reactivate them when they sell you. So no, your chip isn’t working,” she says.
I don’t wait to hear any more, I yank open the door and run out to the parking lot, Savannah can’t have got that far. I run to the street and look both ways; it’s empty except for a couple of cars driving past. Would she have gone right, or left? She’ll be heading to the farm but I dunno where it is. Left, or right? I head right and run as fast as I can, my feet pounding the pavement. I have to find her, I’ve gotta find her. I look in every doorway and turn my head to check both sides of the road. I run right to the end of the street, she’s not here; she must have gone the other way. I quickly turn around and head back in the opposite direction. My heart is thumping and I’m feeling light headed. I force my legs to move faster. I reach the opposite end of the street and she’s not here either. Where the fuck did she go? I scream out her name.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Savannah
I glance back at the hotel several times, I’m expecting Kayden to come running out but he doesn’t. I need to get off this main street and onto a back street. I hunt around in my rucksack for the cellphone Simon gave me and dial his number. “Simon, I need you to come and pick me up. I’ve left the hotel and I’m heading left. When I hang up, I’m going to head to the back street that runs parallel to the main street, I’ll keep heading left. Meet me somewhere along that road please. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”
I end the call and run, heading for the smaller back road. Most people will be using the main street, less chance of me being spotted. I look over my shoulder to see if I’m being followed but the road is empty and quiet. Kayden seems to think the Pound knows where we are. Are they tracking his chip? Is that why he doesn’t want me with him? He must be afraid. I stop. I can’t leave him all alone, what will they do to him if they catch him? I’m about to turn around when I hear the sound of a car slowing. Is Simon here already? The car pulls up alongside me, but it’s not Simon’s car. Someone winds down the window and a man pokes his head out. I can see another man in the passenger seat.
“Hey sweet cheeks. What you doing out all alone at this time of night?”
I keep walking; I’m just going to ignore them. Their car is cruising along, staying level with me. I’m feeling tense and my heart is pounding.
“What’s your problem you stuck up bitch? Do you think you’re too good to speak to us?”
I quicken my pace and hold up my cellphone so they can see it. “Leave me alone, or I’ll call the police,” I tell them.
“We’re not doing anything wrong; it’s not illegal to speak to a sexy woman.”
My palms are clammy. I can’t call the police, I’m an escaped criminal. I try to control my breathing. “It is illegal, it’s called kerb crawling,” I tell them. Why isn’t there another car when I want one? I check the time on my phone, please Simon, hurry.
“Kerb crawling, that’s when you solicit a prostitute, are you saying you’re a prostitute darling?” The other guy is speaking, his voice sounds deep and gruff. “How much do you charge?”
“Go away and leave me alone,” I shout at them. I can hear them laughing. They continue to drive slowly alongside me; I stop and dial Simon. They stop their car and leer at me through the window. When Simon answers I don’t give him chance to say anything, I speak loud enough so that the men can hear. “There are two men following me, I’ll give you their car’s registration number.” As I head to the rear of their car, they pull off and speed away, which is what I was hoping for. “It’s okay, they’ve gone,” I tell Simon. “But it may not be safe for me to continue walking. I’m going to hide in the bushes, text or call when you get here.” I find a spot hidden from the road; I sit down and lean against a tree trunk. I can’t see the road from here but it’ll be okay because Simon is going to text me. It’s dark and rustling noises are coming from the bushes; I don’t even want to think about what creatures might be in there. I can hear footsteps, someone’s running. I hold my breath; please don’t let it be someone from the Pound looking for me. Whoever it is, runs past the spot I’m hiding at and I let out my breath, maybe it was a late night jogger.
I bring my legs up to my chest, it’s cold. I debate whether I should go back for Kayden, but if he thinks they’re tracking his chip, he isn’t going to come with me. I’ll go to the farm, that way he’ll know where to find me, I’m sure he’ll join me there, it’ll take him about a day to get to the farm on foot, but what if he gets caught? I squeeze my eyes shut, I can’t think that. It’s going to be okay, he’ll be with me in a few days. I play a few of the games on my phone to pass the time and to take my mind off Kayden and the rustling noises in the bushes. Finally, I get a text from Simon. As I step out from the trees I see the beam of headlights, the car comes to a stop and Simon gets out. I fling my arms around him; I think the hug is more for me than it is for him.
He leads me around to the passenger door and as I sink into the seat he hands me a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “I thought you might need them,” he says. As much as I do need a smoke right now, I’ll wait until I get out of his car. I put the unlit cigarette into my mouth and puff on it. Neither of us talk during the drive. I’m too strung out for a conversation and I think Simon knows this. As soon as he pulls up outside his farmhouse, I’m out of the car and lighting my smoke. The first draw makes me light headed but it calms me down and right now calm is what I need.
I can see Simon studying me; he sighs and shakes his head. “You look like you could use a drink. Do you want a glass of wine, or something stronger?” he asks me.
“I’d love a wine.” I sit down on the bench; the sun is starting to come up, bathing the sky in its beautiful golden glow. I’m going to have to tell Simon what happened, and then I need to head over to the neighbour’s farm because Kayden is right, that’s the safest place to be.
Simon comes out holding two glasses of wine and sits down next to me. “The sun rise is beautiful isn’t it,” he says. I take a sip of wine, it’s just what I need to relax me and I start talking. Once I start I can’t stop, I tell him everything. When I’ve finished I feel a little better, I rest my head on his shoulder.
My eyes snap open as I feel someone nudging me, I must have dozed off. “You need to get some sleep,” Simon says. “Your bedroom is how you left it, go lie down for a few hours.”
I wish I could, but I shake my head. “I can’t. This will be one of the first places they look for me.”
Simon frowns. “Are they looking for you? No one has been here and I haven’t seen your escape mentioned on the news.”
“Yeah, that’s strange isn’t it?”
“No, not really,” he says. “I don’t think they want the public to know how bad their security is. From what you’ve told me, you over-powered a guard and got through the security doors easily. If the public knew, it would create a scare and there would be a government investigation.” He finishes his wine and places the glass on the ground beside him. “However, you did kidnap a guard, so it’s best to be cautious, but where will you go?”
“I’m going to hide out with your neighbour’s slaves. If I stay in their van during the day, the owner will never know I’m there.”
Simon slowly nods his head. “Okay. You make your way over there and I’ll come to see you later, I’ll bring you some clothes and food. Call me if you have any problems.”
I kiss him on the cheek and give him a hug. “I will, see you soon.”
There’s no sign of anyone when I reach the caravan, I guess they’ve started work already. I lie down on one of the beds and close my eyes.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kayden
I�
�ve searched all the back roads but I didn’t see her, where the hell did she go? I trudge back to the hotel room. As I reach the door a small shred of hope starts to build, maybe Savannah came back, that’s why I couldn’t find her, she’s in the hotel room. I push open the door and my hope dies, the bedroom is empty. I’m gonna have to swallow my pride and ask for Bailey’s help to find the farm.
I open the bathroom door. They’re not here. Where did they go? I shiver, did Bailey attack Reece? Did she turn him in? I sink down onto the bed and rest my head in my hands. I can’t stay here, if the Pound have caught Reece, Bailey will tell them where I am. But what if I leave and then Savannah comes back? My shoulders sag.
My scrub top is lying on the bed; I pick it up and hold it against my face. Savannah slept in this all night; I close my eyes and breathe in her scent. I pull my shirt on and slowly walk to the door. It’ll be light soon, I dunno how to get to Clay’s, I’m gonna have to pick a direction and hope it’s the right one. I can’t stop yawning; I didn’t get any sleep last night.
I sigh and hang my head; I guess I’m on my own now. That’s gonna suck, I’ve got no money, no food, and now I’m gonna have to keep out of sight because someone will call the Pound if they see me out on my own. Maybe I should move at night, no one will see me then. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do, rest during the day and move at night. I head towards one of the back streets.
After walking for about fifteen minutes I come to a park, there are trees at the far end of it, I need to get to them without being seen. There are a couple of people around walking their dogs. I take off running towards the trees; the dog walkers ain’t taking any notice of me. I look up, most people don’t look up very much, I could hide in a tree. I put my foot on the trunk and reach up for one of the branches, pulling myself up. I climb halfway up; I’m hidden by the leaves and branches. I find a thick branch to sit down on, now I gotta wait for the sun to go down. I lean my back against the trunk and close my eyes.
When I open my eyes it’s still light. My butt is sore and I’m thirsty. I hear rustling in the branches below me and my muscles tense up. I get to my feet and crouch, ready to jump on whoever it is who’s about to find me. A little boy’s face appears through the leaves. We stare at each other, then another little head pops up. I look from one little boy to the other, my heart’s pounding, they’re looking at me with wide eyes, they look more scared than I feel. I lick my dry lips. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” They start slowly backing down the tree. “Wait,” I call out, “don’t go, please.” They both stop moving. “I’m looking for someone,” I tell them. “I’m looking for a farm owned by a man called Simon. It’s near a cafe. Do you know where it is?” They don’t answer, they just stare at me. “Do you know a girl called Savannah, she’s a little bit younger than me and she’s got long brown hair?”
“Mummy,” one of the boys yells as he climbs back down to the ground. “Mummy, there’s a strange man in the tree.” His friend has climbed down after him and I watch, frozen, as they both run towards a woman. The boys are pointing at the tree and she looks over. Shit. I need to get out of here.
I jump down, my ankle twists as I land badly and pain shoots up my leg. I try to run but every time my foot touches the ground it feels like someone’s ramming hot pokers up my leg. Shit, I’m gonna be sick. I look over my shoulder, the boys are holding the woman’s hands and they’re coming towards me. I gotta get away from here. It’s agony, but I half run and half limp further into the trees. I dunno where the hell it leads, I just know I don’t wanna go back to the Pound, not yet, I wanna find Savannah first.
I think I’ve lost them but I don’t stop running. I climb over a fence and into a field. I’ll be out in the open but I can’t see anyone around, if I move fast I might be okay. I’m almost at the other end of the field when I see a farmhouse, and there’s someone in the garden. I limp towards the hedgerow but I’m not fast enough because I hear a man’s voice call out, “Hey, who are you? What d’ya think you’re doing.” Shit. Shit. Shit. I break into a run, gritting my teeth through the pain. There’s a wooden fence and then a main road. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to jump the fence with my leg the way it is, so I kinda throw myself over it. The road is busy with cars but I can’t wait for a gap, so I run, a car just misses me, he makes me jump when he sounds his horn. There are trees alongside the road, I hide behind one of them, I can’t see anyone coming after me. I sink to the ground, and vomit.
I think I may have broken my ankle; I have to keep moving, so I need to strap it up. I tear a long strip of material off my shirt, wind it tightly around my ankle and tie the two loose ends together. It’s not great but it’ll have to do till I can find something better. I figure this main road must lead to a town and the trees will give me some cover. I need to find somewhere to get a drink, I’m so thirsty.
It seems like forever before I finally see some buildings. It’s getting dark now but luckily this town has lots of streetlights. I turn off onto a little side street; I figure they’ll be less people. I don’t recognise anything, am I ever gonna find her? Is that a park? I limp towards the iron gate. Yeah, it’s a park, great. I limp along the path till I come to a drinking fountain. I hit the handle and put my dry lips to the cool, fresh water. I drink as much as I can and then head back to the street. I’ll walk through the night to the next town.
This is a big place, it seems like I’ve been walking for about half hour and I ain’t come to the end of the town yet. My ankle is throbbing, I’m gonna need to rest it, dammit. Maybe if I rest it tonight, I’ll be able to cover more ground tomorrow. I look around for somewhere safe to sleep. I see a tall building with an open doorway, the first thing that hits me is the smell of piss. I cover my nose and grimace. I look around. On my right are cement stairs. I climb the stairs to the top floor and find a dark spot to sit down. I unwind the strip of cloth from my ankle, I grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut, that was a mistake, it hurts like hell. I open my eyes and look at it, it’s red and swollen, twice it’s normal size. I tear some more material from my shirt and strap it up tighter than before; I need to be able to walk on it tomorrow. I rest my head in my arms, my ankle is burning. I’m gonna find Savannah tomorrow, I am, and I’m gonna hold her and kiss her and never let her go again. I close my eyes and try to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Savannah
I jump up as I hear a loud crashing noise. It’s dark, my heart is thumping, I must have fallen asleep. I can see a large shadow standing in the doorway and a female voice says, “I told you there was someone in here.” Large, rough hands grab my arm and pull me out of the bed.
“No, wait,” I cry out but they’re not listening to me. I’m dragged outside towards the fire. It’s too dark to see who has hold of me. As we get closer to the fire I’m spun around and come face to face with Clay.
“What the fuck! What are you doing in our van?” he asks, frowning at me.
“You scared me,” Kaci says, “I thought there was a stranger in our van.”
Trent prises Clay’s hands from my arms. “You’re hurting her man, let her go.” Clay lets go and I rub my arms. “What’s wrong Savannah?” Trent asks. “Where’s Kade?”
I explain everything to them. “Get her a drink, Kaci,” Trent says. He sits me down by the fire and holds a mug of hooch to my lips. The smell immediately clears my head; I take a mouthful, and grimace.
“Can I stay here with you for a while; the Pound might be looking for me?”
“How come Kade got sent back to the pound?” Kaci asks, she’s glaring at me. “I bet it was because of you.”
I meet her gaze. “Yes, it was because of me but I got myself sent there too, so he wouldn’t be alone. I rescued him, if it wasn’t for me, he’d be dead.”
“I’ll let you stay,” Clay says, “but only because Kade would want me to.”
Trent tops up my mug and slips his arm back around my shoulders. “It’ll be okay Savannah; we’ll take care of you.” I rest my head on
his shoulder and let the warmth of the fire and the hooch lull me into a dreamlike state. I can hear the radio, ‘Let Me Hold You’ is playing and I lean into Trent, it seems appropriate somehow.
My peace is disturbed by Clay yelling, “Would you jump into his grave that fast?” I open my eyes to see who he’s yelling at. He’s scowling at Trent.
I jerk when Trent yells back at him, “Shut up Clay. I’m just comforting her.” I’ve never seen Trent mad; he always seems to be the calm one.
“Bullshit. You need to back the fuck up.”
“No, you need to shut the fuck up,” Trent yells back at him.
Clay makes a grab for Trent’s throat but Kaci jumps on Clay, screaming at him to stop. I scramble to my feet, I don’t need this, I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone. “Please don’t argue over me. I’m going to bed; can I sleep in your van?”
“You can have my bed,” Trent says.
I’m not tired, I wish I’d thought to bring some hooch with me but I don’t want to go back out there to get some. I hear the van door open and someone walks over to the bed, I hope it isn’t Clay. “Here,” I make out the shape of a bottle being waved in front of my face. I take the bottle from Trent’s hand. “I know you’re not really tired and I figure you could use a drink.”
I push myself up to a sitting position. “Thank you. I’m sorry about that; I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you a mug?”
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