The subconscious can be a funny thing. The idea of escape never really occurred to me until Dwayne, Ruth, and Kai showed up in my life. Yet a whole corner of my garden contains roses with the name of Freedom. Sweet Freedom, Mother Freedom, and five that are simply Freedom. White, yellow, red, orange, and pink.
I COULDN’T STOP STARING AT HIM. He drove along the road without speaking, lost in his own thoughts. I didn’t push him to speak. I just stared at his thick curly hair that was on the longish side but not too much.
I felt safer than I’d felt in years. And happy too. Kai’s car was warm and I nearly fell asleep, the stress of the last few days slipping away.
After a while he spoke. “Where were you planning on going?”
“The bus station.”
“And then where?”
“Las Vegas. I have an aunt there.”
“Vegas is good. You’ll be safe there.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. Now that I was with Kai, I didn’t have any reason to go to Las Vegas.
“What about you?” I asked.
“I need to stay here. My mission is not finished. But I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
“Vegas is big, how will you find me?”
“I found you tonight, didn’t I? Although I will admit that that was an accident. I was on my way to your house when I saw you walking in the field. You should have told me you were going to run away. I could have helped.”
“How was I supposed to do that? You put me in a magic sleep every time you come.”
He sighed. “I know, but I left you notes. You could’ve done the same. And there was always school.”
I snorted. “Notes were out of the question. Mother could have found them. And I didn’t know who you were at school, remember?”
“Sure you did. I bought you breakfast and I punched Dwayne for you.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know that was you.”
He shrugged. “You still could’ve asked me to help.”
The bus stop in Martinville was inside a gas station. It was small, empty and dark. When we checked the schedule we discovered that the first bus wouldn’t depart until seven am. Which was fine by me. All I wanted to do was stay with Kai.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
I thought about it for a moment and realized that I couldn’t even remember the last time I ate something. I’d always been good at suppressing hunger.
“Yeah. I am.”
He held my hand as he drove down the empty streets. About ten minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of a Denny’s. It’d been eight years since I’d eaten at a real restaurant. A few years ago, mother stopped at McDonalds on the way home from Wal-Mart, but she’d only let me get french fries.
When I got out of the car, I found him right next to me. He gathered me up in a hug and held tight. I took in his clove musky smell and wondered where the music was coming from. His body was warm and comforting. When he pulled away he kissed me lightly on the lips and I shivered.
“I don’t want you to go,” he said, his thick eyebrows creasing.
“Then I won’t. I can stay here with you.”
He smiled a sad smile. “I wish you could, but you have to go to Vegas. I promise I’ll come find you.”
He led me into the empty restaurant and waited for me to slide into a booth. I expected him to sit across from me, but he followed me into my side of the booth. He put his arm around me and I snuggled close to him. My eyes threatened to close.
“No,” he whispered in my ear. “I want you awake. I like you better this way.”
My insides turned to jelly and I couldn’t help my smile.
The waitress didn’t even look at us when she dropped the menus on the table.
Kai looked at his and handed me mine.
“What looks good?” he asked.
I shrugged. I didn’t really care. “I’ll just have whatever your having.”
The waitress came back and sighed. Kai ordered two Grand Slams and coffee.
“How’d you end up on the side of the road?” he asked.
I told him most of the story.
“Why can’t you come with me?” I asked.
“Because I have to finish my job here.” He kissed my temple. “But I want to go with you. I’m trying to figure out how, or how to keep you hidden here while I finish up. But that’s impossible. It’s not safe for you here.”
“What are you doing here anyway?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
His evasiveness was annoying. “Well can you at least tell me where you are from?”
“California. Before I moved here and became a certified farm boy, I surfed every morning and worked odd jobs after school. I think I miss the ocean more than anything.”
“I’ve never seen the ocean.”
“Well then, we have something to look forward to. When I come get you in Vegas we’ll drive straight out to the beach and I’ll teach you to surf.”
“That sounds nice. Tell me more. What about your family?” I wanted him to talk forever, to tell me every detail of his life.
“I don’t really know my family. My father died when I was eight. Shortly after that, my mother dropped me and my little brother off with the Guardians.”
“What’s a Guardian?” I asked, confused.
“It’s what I am. We are protectors of a sort.”
I thought about that. It didn’t explain a whole lot and I thought about asking more questions, but then the waitress brought us our food. There was no way in Hades that I would be able to eat it all. I attacked the bacon first, since father had been so possessive with meat in our house, I didn’t get it very often.
Kai poured ketchup all over his potatoes and we ate in silence for a few minutes.
After a few minutes Kai’s head jerked to the door.
“Oh shit. Get under the table. Now.”
I didn’t hesitate. I had no reason to. I trusted Kai with every fiber of my being. The floor was sticky and I sat close Kai’s legs.
“Kai, what are you doing here at this hour?” A deep voice asked.
“How are you doing, Mr. Yerdin? I was working and got hungry.”
My stomach dropped and I started to shake. How on earth would we get away? I couldn’t believe Mr. Yerdin found us. Or that he was even looking.
Two more legs appeared under the table and Mr. Yerdin sat down across from Kai. I scooted as close to Kai as I could get. He rested his hand on my head.
“What’s the job tonight?” Mr. Yerdin asked.
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Yes, well Dwayne’s bride got away from him. I’m looking for the girl, blond, a little shorter than you. You understand that it’s crucial I find her. Very few places are open at this hour and she can’t have gone too far.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open sir, but I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
The waitress’s dirty tennis shoes appeared in front of me. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.
“No, I’m not staying, but I’m looking for a blond girl. Have you seen any of those tonight?”
“The only blond I’ve seen in here tonight is the one with him and she looked hashed.”
Kai stiffened.
“With you, Son?” Mr. Yerdin asked as the waitress moved away.
“Yeah, I met a girl this afternoon. Hot. And, well, I should be working, but I got distracted. You won’t tell, will you?”
Mr. Yerdin laughed. “Of course I won’t say anything. We all gotta get laid sometime. Where is she anyway? I could use a little inspiration.”
I gagged.
“In the bathroom, I expect she’ll be there for awhile. The waitress wasn’t kidding when she said she looked worked over.”
Mr. Yerdin’s legs slid out from under the table. “If you see that girl I’m looking for, will you call me?”
“Of course.”
Kai waited a full minute after Mr. Yerdin left to pull me back out from under the
table. He threw a few bills next to our plates and pulled me out the door. Back in the car, I stared out the window and didn’t speak to him. He knew Mr. Yerdin. Worked with him somehow. That couldn’t be a good thing. After a few minutes, I noticed that we were driving further out of town instead of back toward the bus station.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I’m taking you to the bus station in Fayetteville. I don’t want Mr. Yerdin showing up and if he thinks you are skipping town, he’ll check the bus station. Plus, I don’t think he was convinced that I was with a random blond girl. He’s slow, but eventually he may make a connection and come looking for me again.”
He grabbed for my hand. I pulled away. He made me nervous. He sighed and put both hands back on the steering wheel.
“Look, I know how that conversation sounded back there, but it’s not what you think. What I’m doing here is some serious undercover work. Mr. Yerdin is evil in more ways than you can imagine. Do you still trust me?”
I didn’t answer him, but I did let him hold my hand after that.
Kai walked me in. I dug into my sock for money, but before I had a chance Kai had purchased the ticket and handed it to me.
“This will get you all the way to Vegas. It’s a long bus ride. When you get to Vegas, go immediately to your aunt’s house.” He placed his fingers under my chin and forced me to look up at him. Not that I was unwilling. “You are pretty and naive. You managed to take care of yourself with Dwayne and your father so you are not completely helpless, but someone could still hurt you. Vegas isn’t like Donald County.”
The bus pulled up and I hesitated, not wanting to leave him. He kissed me on the forehead and warmth flowed through my veins, and on my lips I tasted the honey again.
The bus driver came out. “You got any bags?”
I shook my head, but didn’t take my eyes off of Kai.
“Let’s get going then. I haven’t got all day.”
Kai looked at me one last time. “Listen, there is a large group of Guardians in Vegas. Names change all the time because we work in hiding most of the time. But if you find someone like me, can you give him this letter? They’ll know me by Kai.”
He handed me a sealed envelope.
I nodded and climbed up the narrow stairs. I made my way to the middle of the bus. Kai stood outside watching. As the bus pulled away, joy and anxiety filled my heart.
I was free.
In my garden at home, I have a travel section where all my flowers are names of places I want to go. The Big Apple, California Glory, Cliffs of Dover, Hawaiian Lady, and Mount Everest. In my wildest imaginations, I never thought that Las Vegas, a bright orange rose, would be the first.
WE STOPPED FOR A FEW HOURS at a large truck stop on the far side of Bullhead City, Arizona. The land went on for miles. Sick of carrying my money in my shoe, I looked around the shop for a purse. I found a small black one with a zipper and purchased it, along with a glass magnet that had a poem about aunts. I thought that Ginny would appreciate it if I brought her something.
Back on the bus, I transferred all of my money except fifty dollars into my purse. That way if I lost it, I’d still have money for a cab. I found the picture I had taken off the wall in my father’s office. I unfolded it and stared down at the rebellious boy. He was beautiful in his own way. And defiant. I longed to be so bold.
I also took out the letter Kai gave me. Should I read it? Of course not. But it was tempting. The letter might give me some insight into Kai and how long it would be until I saw him again, but then that would betray his trust. Though, what were the odds of me finding someone like him? Vegas was a huge city. I sighed and slid the letter into my purse. I would read it eventually but not today.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. The vast amount of space around us amazed me. No trees, no hills, just rocky ground. It was like no place I’d ever been or imagined. What kind of house did Ginny live in? I wondered. Maybe it was a large sprawling ranch house with a terra cotta roof like these houses we could see from the freeway. When I got there she’d make a cup of coffee and we’d sit on squishy couches and talk about why I was there. She would have cats. Two of them. And one, a big black Tomcat, would decide he needed to sleep with me in a cozy room with a daybed. Ginny would be a school teacher and she’d have the whole summer to spend with me. Ultimately, I didn’t care what her house was like or what she did for a living as long as she liked me.
I missed Ruth. She’d have found a bus ride to Vegas to be exciting and grand. Maybe she would come to visit me.
Two hours later, just as the sun was setting, we made the descent into the valley of Las Vegas. The city lights shone from several miles away. I kept my face plastered to the window from the moment we rounded the mountain and the lights came into view. One building shot a sliver of light all the way into the sky like a gigantic sword. I’d seen pictures of Las Vegas and the occasional view on a movie at school, but it had done nothing to prepare me for the sight. Buildings towered over the bus as it pulled into town. And the sheer amount of people. They were everywhere—in cars, on the sidewalks, standing on street corners. It would be so easy to get lost. How did the driver even know where to go?
Once at the bus station, I wasn’t sure what to do. I exited and found a row of taxis. I still had plenty of cash so I hoped they would be my best bet. I approached the first cab. It was yellow, as expected, but atop sat an advertisement with a row of naked women. At least the backsides were naked. Ew. I didn’t walk around the cab to see if the rest of their bodies were bare. I wondered why the whole city hadn’t been burned to the ground like Sodom and Gomorrah. The Master had preached that if cities condoned promiscuous behavior, that would be the result. I’d have to keep my eye out for flying fire.
The driver approached me. His large belly poked out a bit from under his black t-shirt. He got into the driver’s seat and I crawled into the back.
“Where’re you heading?”
“1100 Las Vegas Blvd.” He looked in the rearview mirror at me.
“You sure about that?” He snickered.
My stomach churned. Why would that be funny?
“Yes, the address I was given is 1100 Las Vegas Blvd.”
“Okay.” He fiddled with a few buttons and turned off a gadget that flashed numbers and zeros. Seconds later, the radio blared in the car as he tore down the road. I wasn’t impressed by the Las Vegas he drove through. Squat apartment buildings with bars in the windows lined the streets. Many people walked along the sidewalks smoking cigarettes and drinking from bottles in paper bags.
“How long until we get there?” I asked.
“Depends on traffic.” Then he turned the radio up louder. The music made my ears hurt. Not to mention that I had never heard the f-word so many times before. Obviously, kids in school used it, but not like this. All of the songs seemed to be focused on that one little word.
Before I knew it, he pulled up in front of a run-down hotel. It didn’t look too different from our hotel in Martinville, except this one had actual cars in the parking lot. Cars with dented bumpers and cracked windshields, but at least they had business.
The driver got out.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked.
He looked me over. “$75.00”
“Are you sure? That seems high.”
“Are you accusing me of lying?” He ran a hand through his greasy black hair.
“No. I just thought a cab ride was less expensive than that.”
“Well you thought wrong. Give me the cash now or the price goes up.” He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it and held out his hand for the money.
I reached for my purse and discovered that the zipper was open. Panic bloomed in my chest. Inside the purse I found the magnet but no cash. It was gone. Breathe. I looked at the cab driver who glared at me.
“I don’t have that much. I’m sorry. If you’ll wait, I’ll go find my aunt and she can pay you.”
He shook his head. “How much
you got?”
“Fifty,” I said, reaching for my shoe.
“If you suck me, I’ll forgive the fee all together.”
“Excuse me?”
I had no idea what he meant, but it couldn’t be good. A couple of boys rounded the corner, laughing. The driver looked at them and frowned.
“Forget it. Just give me the fifty and I’ll leave.”
I gave him the cash and he sped off. I was glad to see him leave. My fingers fumbled as I tried to zip up my purse.
As the boys quickened their pace, I ducked underneath the hotel’s overhang and walked back toward the rooms. I checked the address, 1100 Las Vegas Blvd Room 3112. Each door had a number on it. All along the bottom floor the numbers were in the 100’s. I hiked up to the second floor. 200’s. And there weren’t any more floors. The stairwell was dirty and smelled like urine. The paint was worn off the walls and curse words were engraved all along the surface. Halfway down the stairs I met the boys coming up. I kept my head down and tried to skirt them. As I squeezed past one, he grabbed my arm. I jerked, my instincts kicking in. I didn’t like people touching me. My heart raced and a chill ran down my spine.
“What are you doing here? You don’t belong on this side of town.”
I looked up and met his eyes. They were a brilliant blue and lined with dark eyeliner. His hair stuck up in odd angles and was painted a deep red. I stared, not sure what to say. He was the boy from the picture I took from my father’s wall. What on earth was he doing here?
My voice shook. “I’m looking for my aunt, but I can’t find her room.” I held out the address and he took it from me. His black painted nails were short but his skin was soft, unlike Kai’s. My skin still burned when he touched me, but in a good way. I wondered how that was possible.
He snorted.
“You’re on the wrong end of Vegas Boulevard, Babe. See how this has a “W” after the address. That means west. You’re on the east side. Come on, I’ll find you a cab.”
He started to walk back down the stairs. His black jeans hung low on his hips and chains looped from the back to the front. I didn’t want to get back into a cab. Besides, I couldn’t pay for it. But the stairwell was beginning to feel too small. I skittered after him.
The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies Page 7