What? Seriously? No wonder it had been so entertaining, so . . . unbelievable.
“Modern shows, of course. I knew you only watched classics.”
I found my voice. “So if you weren’t really doing all that stuff, what did you do with your time?”
“What did you do with yours? I kept myself plenty busy with chatting online, computer work, gaming.”
He sounded as if he expected me to say congratulations. All I could manage was, “That’s your life?”
He shot me an angry look, his eyes snapping. “Don’t pity me. I had everything I needed. Everything except you.”
I tried to stop my head from spinning. “And now you think we’re going to . . . what? Hide from the world together?”
“Not hide—reject. We’re good at that. Experts. Who needs any of them?”
Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough air. Me. I do. “God didn’t design us to live in isolation. He . . . He put a need—a craving—in us for more—”
“Right, it’s ‘not good for man to be alone.’ So I’m remedying that.” He smirked. “I’ll be your Adam, and you’ll be my Eve.”
I tried not to gag. Would he expect me to have hundreds of children to populate our “world” as well?
My mouth prickled with dryness. “No person can be everything to someone.” Not unless that person is God.
Dear God . . . He’d illuminated more truth to me in the last few minutes than I’d come anywhere close to in the last five years.
I listened to the tires whir over the road, racking up miles. I noticed the faintest fringe of light dawning on the eastern horizon and realized morning was coming. For some reason, that gave me a trace of hope—the visual promise of light pushing away the darkness. Like good vanquishing evil.
All things work for good shimmered through my mind, a verse from my religion-class days. Days of safety and security and family. I missed those days . . . had they prepared me for dealing with this? Somehow? Some way?
I moistened my lips. “All that stuff you said about God and religion being so important . . . I don’t get it. You couldn’t believe that and do this.”
“This?” Jess repeated. “You mean taking you somewhere safe where you’ll be loved and cared for? Yeah, real evil of me. Be honest with yourself, Lila. After you lost your parents, all you ever really wanted was someone to look after you.”
“I’m not a child, Jess.” Though maybe I’d been acting like one . . . I can change. Lord, help me.
Jess muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse. He hit the gas, jarring me against the seat belt.
I glanced out the back window and saw a single headlight growing larger as it drew closer. A motorcycle tailed us, growling and gaining.
Could it be?
My heart filled with hope. Harvey?
As if reading my mind, Jess flashed me a glare. “He’s been behind us too long. Time to lose him.” Jess swung into an abrupt turn, sending half the kale bars flying from the bag on my lap.
My heart thudded. It had to be Harvey. Only, how? He’d driven his car, and Jess had slashed the tires.
Then I remembered the motorcycle he’d stashed on the side of my yard.
My heart leapt.
Thank God for motorcycles.
Chapter 21
You’re going to kill us.” My hands squeezed a kale bar, smushing it.
Jess drove recklessly in his attempt to lose Harvey, and I feared for everyone’s safety. Lives could be gone in an instant. All it took was an unexpected curve, loose gravel, a fall, a crash.
Jess scowled. “He’s an annoying pest.”
In another situation, the words might have made me smile, since they were almost an echo of my original assessment of Harvey.
Harvey . . .
My every encounter with him flashed through my mind, churning my adrenaline, fueling my hope.
We’ll get through this, we will. And we’ll be stronger for it.
“You’d think he’d know when to give up.”
He doesn’t. He won’t. My heart swelled.
Jess took a corner with tires squealing, and a horn blared.
If he kept driving like this, maybe someone would call the cops. I glanced in my mirror, then twisted in my seat. I’d lost sight of Harvey but had confidence he would come bursting back into sight any second now.
Any second.
I held my breath.
Any minute.
I bit my lip till it hurt.
Come on, Harvey. I’m counting on you . . .
My stomach dropped and I clutched the edge of my seat.
Please come back. Please find us again.
“We lost him.” Jess’s gloating words cut me. He wiped a trace of sweat from his temple, then sat straighter before glancing my way. “Hand me one of those bars.”
Heat rolled through my veins, and I snapped. I grabbed handfuls of bars and chucked them at Jess’s face, whapping him rapid-fire. “Stop this car now and let me out!”
Despite my performance, he barely swerved. He snatched my wrist and pressed hard. “Knock it off, Lila. What do you think you’re accomplishing?”
My pulse pounded against his thumb.
Jess released me and turned the radio knob, cranking up the jazz, and I was disgusted at how right he was. My tantrum had accomplished nothing.
I brooded in my seat, turning my face to the window and rubbing my sore wrist. The sky had lightened enough that I could see more of our surroundings.
The world was waking up. The world that I’d hidden from for so long.
Could it help me?
More traffic appeared.
A few minutes later, a red light forced Jess to stop.
Still facing the window, I straightened with an idea as a car slid to a halt beside us. A young woman, her hair cut in a short, sleek bob, sat sipping coffee, but her eyes stared straight ahead. I willed her to glance my way.
Nothing.
Lord, please.
She turned, and I silently mouthed, “Help.”
I watched her expectantly, but she merely looked mildly confused.
Battling panic, I snuck my arm up and placed my hand near my ear, under cover of my hair, as if holding a phone. I mouthed, “Call help.”
She frowned, then glanced away, and I sensed she didn’t get it. I was only making her uncomfortable. Maybe she thought I was crazy.
But I couldn’t settle for that, because if I didn’t figure out something soon, I feared I’d have plenty of time to regret it. I’d go crazy for real—in isolation with Jess.
My life would be over before I’d even started living it.
Choosing to avoid people was one thing; being forced to avoid them was another thing entirely.
I wouldn’t surrender without a fight. If I couldn’t use muscle, I’d use brains.
I raised my hands to the window and lifted nine fingers, the way a child would show their age. I quickly followed with one finger.
Just as I was about to flash the final number, Jess hit the gas. He whapped my shoulder so hard, I smacked into the window.
Holding in a cry, I strained against my seat belt, trying to see the woman, but we’d already lost her car. I wasn’t sure if she’d caught on to my signal or not, but I prayed she had and was calling the police with a description of Jess’s car and, hopefully, the license plate number—though maybe that was expecting too much.
Jess changed lanes and made a sequence of fast turns, breathing heavily. “Don’t pull crap like that, Lila.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “I know you, and I know your weaknesses.”
Refusing to let him scare me, I countered silently, What are your weaknesses? I racked my brain to recall something, anything useful from all our chats. Jess was cool, popular, fun, smart—or so I’d thought.
I was coming up with nothing useful.
“The next time you pull something stupid, a butterfly’s gonna die. How’d you like that?”
I narrowed my eyes.
&nb
sp; “I’ll kill one, and I’ll make you watch.” He paused. “No, I’ll make you do it. First, you’ll have to pull off each wing, till you’re left with just the pitiful little wriggling body, then—”
“Shut up, Jess.” I scrunched the empty plastic bag in my hand. “You’re cruel and disgusting and you’re not going to make me do anything.”
“We’ll see about that.” His jaw tensed and he adjusted his grip on the wheel. “We both know you’re not really as brave as you’re pretending to be. We both know you’re cowering inside.”
I was trying not to, but when I started thinking about what he might do next, my entire body tingled with fear.
I made myself take deep breaths and willed my heart rate to slow. I needed my mind to work clearly, to break this situation down and figure out one thing at a time.
First, I had to unlock the car so I could escape. Preferably at a stop, not with the road whizzing by.
Unlocking the car would require I reach the master button on Jess’s side. That meant I’d need to distract him in a way that made his hands too busy to grab for me.
I recalled Jess’s childish threat, complete with the unwanted image of a wingless butterfly. In my mind, I heard Harvey comparing butterflies to spiders, triggering my memory of Jess’s weakness—if Jess had been telling the truth about it. Guess I’d soon find out.
In more rural countryside now, we approached a stop sign.
My chance.
I rested one hand near my seat belt latch, tense and ready.
The moment the car stopped, I turned to Jess but looked past him, at his headrest, making my eyes wide. “Wow, that’s the biggest spider I’ve ever seen.”
He almost turned, but didn’t. “You’re full of it.”
“Full of what? Bologna?” I sniffed. “Think what you want.”
Jess’s cheek twitched. His foot remained on the brake as he obviously fought the urge to look.
I stretched my neck as if observing an arachnid creeping toward his neck.
Finally, he turned around, giving me the two seconds I needed.
I clicked myself free of the seat belt, then whipped the plastic bag over his head.
“Hey!”
In the moment it took Jess to yank the bag off, I’d hit the master lock on his side. Thrilled and terrified, I dove for my door.
He lunged for me as I burst from the car, but all he caught was a few strands of my hair.
I stumbled to the ground, scraped my knee, bounced back up, and skidded down an embankment. The thick skin of my feet resisted the pain. My ribcage pushed against my lungs, squeezing air from them.
Weaving past trees and through shrubbery, I ran, sure Jess was only a breath away, but I didn’t dare pause to look. If ever I needed to fly, that time was now.
Racing through the dim dawn light, I pursued freedom, determined not to be recaptured. Not by fear, not by lies, and not by stupidity.
Air whooshed past my ears, and I thought I heard sirens somewhere in the distance. But I headed away, as if by instinct, from the vast visibility of the road. I ran till I had no breath left. And, like a creature drawn to nature, to hiding—because I still didn’t know where Jess was—I ducked into an overgrown field, and the fragrance of wildflowers hit me like a heavenly perfume.
Sinking into the long, shielding grasses, I felt a measure of safety, despite the intense beating of my heart.
I lay on my back and caught my breath, my adrenaline-spiked muscles and mind barely allowing it. But relief didn’t come.
Fear, not for myself, but for Harvey, rippled through me, and I sat up, struck by panic. What had happened to him? Where was he now? Wounded as he was, he never should have climbed onto that motorcycle, let alone taken part in a high-speed chase. But he had.
He’d done it for me.
Then I remembered something else. He hadn’t been wearing a helmet. I gripped my head in alarm.
The thought of him taking all those same sharp turns Jess had, especially without a helmet, terrified me. What if Harvey had wiped out and that’s why we’d lost him?
The more I thought it, the more convinced I became.
What if he was lying back there in the gravel on some sideroad, bleeding to death? I almost fell to my knees.
Lord, no.
I burst up out of the grass, ignoring my protesting muscles, and waded back to the edge of the road. I couldn’t sit and wait for help. Not if Harvey needed me.
He had come looking for me—now it was my turn to find him.
Gravel pressed into my feet, and I barely noticed. I ran toward a cluster of lights about a mile away. One of the lights burst out of the rest. It grew bigger, brighter, and seemed to be flying my way.
I rubbed my eyes, blinked, and saw the dazzling eye of one headlight. A motorcycle headlight.
The distinct roar of the engine jolted my heart rate.
It couldn’t be . . .
But I waited, almost mesmerized, by the side of the road, because I had hope, I had faith, and I had confidence. It had to be him.
Harvey.
I recognized his form and his face, bruised as it was, and his hair stood wild from the ride.
My eyes strangely damp, I ran forward as he ground the bike to a halt, leapt off, and raced to my side.
His gaze darted over me. “Are you okay?”
My heart panged. From the looks of him, he was the one who needed a doctor. I nodded, and he swept me into his arms and crushed me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe, and it was like I didn’t even need to.
“You’re safe now,” he said, over and over. “The cops came.”
I shivered, and Harvey held me tighter. In all my adult memory, I’d never felt a hug like this, so engulfing, so complete, so full of everything right and good that it could only be love.
And I hugged him back, hoping the motion conveyed what my words couldn’t.
Inside me, wonder and joy danced with relief, kicking up bubbles, and I laughed into Harvey’s shoulder.
He drew back. “What in the world could be funny right now?”
“You found me.” I half choked on another laugh. “I can’t believe you found me.”
“That? That’s nothing. I’ve always been good at finding you.” He shook his head before pulling me close again. “Keeping you with me—that’s been the real challenge. And after last night, I’d understand if you wanted to run away from me.” He gave a short, wry laugh. “I seem to recall I promised you a great time.”
I nodded. “And I’m still holding you to that. I’m not going anywhere.” Not without you.
“Yeah?” Harvey spoke into my hair. “So you’re not going to disappear back into your cocoon and hide from me?”
I glanced up at him with a smile. “My chrysalis, you mean? Nope, impossible. I broke free of it, and once you do that, you can’t ever go back.”
“Really?” His tone bounced with hope.
“Yep, that’s just the way it works. That’s the way God designed it.” My heart expanded and fluttered, as if growing wings.
“So what now?”
“Now . . .” I gazed up and down the road, past the expanse of grass and trees and sky. “Now it’s time to be free. Time to live.”
Harvey’s gaze followed mine, then returned to meet my eyes, almost hesitant. “Mind if I tag along?”
“I’d rather have you by my side.”
“I like the sound of that.” He stroked my hair tenderly, then nudged my toe. “But first, we really should do something about getting you a pair of shoes.”
Epilogue
My doorbell rang, and instead of filling me with apprehension, the sound sent my spirits soaring.
I could get used to this.
I swiped pink gloss over my lips and dropped the tube into my purse before opening the door.
As expected, Harvey stood on my stoop.
As not expected, his hair shone blue. The unnatural, glaring color made my mouth drop open.
He gave a rog
uish grin. “Like it?”
I lifted a hand to shield my rising laughter. “It’s very . . . blue.”
“Right?” He turned his head to give me the full view.
My giggle escaped. “Looks like a bunch of blue morphos exploded on your head.”
“Blue . . . whats?” He scratched his hairline. “I don’t think that’s what I was going for.”
“Morphos. Big, gorgeous butterflies from the tropical region of—”
“Wait.” He squinted one eye. “So you just called me gorgeous?”
“No, I—I—”
“I think you did.” He smiled smugly.
I floundered and redirected the conversation. “The color’s great. In fact”—I struck a dramatic pose—“it’s to ‘dye’ for.”
“Oooh . . .” He gripped his chest as if I’d stabbed him. “Death by corny pun. Guess that’s what I get for dating someone who talks to butterflies.”
“I don’t—” I paused and reminded myself I had nothing to hide. “I don’t usually talk to butterflies.”
“But when you do, they obviously don’t tell you how much your jokes stink.” He winked. “So just to be clear, you can make fun of my hair color, but your pink hair’s off limits. I see the double standard.”
His playful tone belied his words. “I figured I’d draw some of the attention off you and onto me, the way you prefer it, right?”
“My color’s not that bad anymore.” I touched a strand of my hair. “The pink’s fading.”
He stepped closer and looped his arm around my back. “Lila, it was never bad. And I only did this”—he pointed to his head—“to make you smile.” He tapped my chin. “You have a great smile.”
Maybe, but I preferred his. Thankfully, he’d healed well over these past two weeks. I was doing some healing too, most of mine on the inside. Seeing a therapist was helping, as was my newfound relationship with God.
“And,” Harvey added, “now we can both look like a couple of rebellious bikers.” He thrust out his chest. “Though we may need to add a few tattoos for the full effect.” He ran a palm over his neck. “Here, maybe? I was thinking of getting a big butterfly.”
“Very funny.” I reached up to touch his spiky hair, missing the blond. “It’ll wash out, right?”
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