“Let me guess. You called”—he motions to Johnson—“this guy and he flipped on you?”
“Pretty much. We need somewhere to hide out, until I can figure this shit out. Find out who I can trust in my department.”
“I guessed as much.” Justin pulls a pair of black latex gloves from his back pocket. “I brought some dummy tags with me. They’re in the van. Change out the ones on the car you’re driving. I’ve been holding up in this little town in Colorado. You can head there. It’s real low-key. The citizens are nice, a little friendly, but you can live off the grid for a while.”
Liam nods as Justin comes back into the living room heading for the door. I scoot out of his way, and he smiles.
“You got a place we can lie low out there?” Liam asks loudly from where he stands.
“Yeah. I have a house on the edge of town in their subdivision. Head there. I’ll take care of this and sort you out once I touch down.” Justin doesn’t wait for a response and steps outside.
It’s quiet out with the exception of snow crunching under his boots. With all the adrenaline coursing through me, every sense is heightened. Which isn’t fun because the simplest sound or movement sets me on edge. I hear car doors open and slam just before Justin treks his way back, carrying loads of plastic and tools. He stomps his feet on the wilted mat and proceeds inside. Kind of pointless if you ask me; the house is trashed as is, a little bit of snow won’t hurt it.
Liam approaches and touch my elbow, startling me. “Hey.” His voice is low and gentle. “Justin’s a good guy, we can trust him.” He steps closer, but I throw my hand up and pull away.
I jump from the clinking of the heavy-duty metal when Justin drops everything to the floor. He reaches in the front of his jeans and fumbles around with his keys. A second later, he tosses two over to Liam, who catches them midair.
“I wrote down the location and access codes to my place. It’s all in the front seat with the tags. Get her out of here,” Justin adds.
With those words, I grab my purse from the floor near the sofa and book it out the door.
“Liam. I still need you to get me out,” I hear Justin say before I can descend the two steps from the porch.
A few seconds later, Liam follows behind me carrying my medical bag, his duffle, and the car keys. After tossing it in the back, he jogs to Justin’s van to retrieve the directions and other items. I watch from all mirrors as he disappears behind the vehicle. The drilling from a power tool sounds off, and I realize he’s switching out my license plate for the fake ones. I can’t help but wonder how he knew we’d need them. But then it dawns on me that if Liam called him to clean up, he’s been doing this for a long time. It also crosses my mind that if Maxium can track my phone, maybe he could gain access to my driver’s record. Liam finishes, returns the power tool, and hops into the driver's seat.
He revs the engine and puts it in reverse, then peels down the uneven dirt road. I pick up the piece of paper he took from Justin’s van and read the scribbling: Escape, Colorado, off Interstate 76 and Route 34. I scoff and shake my head at the irony of it all. What are the odds, we’re escaping to Escape? We approach the main highway, a light cuts on from the dashboard, and he mutters.
“What?” I quiz.
“We need gas.” Liam turns into the light traffic, taking the first exit toward a fuel station.
We sit in silence and stay like that until the tank is filled and we are on our way. Mostly because my nerves haven’t settled and I just needed time to wrap my mind around it all. I’m grateful Justin turned out to be someone we can trust, because I don’t know if my heart would have been able to take another betrayal.
Liam pops open a bag of chips he brought with what little money he had on him, using only his hand and teeth. After the fight, he’s been forced to return to using the sling. During the brief detour, I took the time to rebandage him, checking to make sure the bleeding hadn’t continued. He’s lucky it’s not worse than it could be. A lot of people lose functionality with his sort of injury.
He pours a couple into his mouth, using his knee to steer the vehicle forward. “Want some?” he asks in between chews.
I shake my head and lean against the door while resting my head on my fist. Not that I’m not hungry, I’m starving actually. I just don’t think I’ll be able to keep anything down. Normally, my appetite would be through the roof after a night like the last, but I guess there’s something about seeing my life flash before my eyes that kills any desire for food.
“You should eat. We have about eleven hours until we get to J’s place.” He glances between me and the road.
“I’m not hungry.”
He doesn’t push but instead sits the snack in the middle console. I close my eyes and try not to think of anything, but it doesn’t help. I’d been a mess all night, scared shitless and unsure of where we’d end up. But with nothing but time and the sound of our tires hitting the pavement, all I can do is think.
Liam’s hand finds mine. When I look down at it, he squeezes affectionately. I pull away, stuffing it between my thighs, trying to avoid his gaze. Which is hard to do, because every other second it shifts between me and the windshield. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize he’s confused. He kissed me last night, and I let him. My vulnerability was high, and I just reacted. I was afraid, and he’d saved me, twice. Granted, he’s the reason I needed to be saved, but he did so nonetheless. It’s because of the rush and fear that I let my guard down. It was…a lapse and only that.
“We were never in love,” he blurts.
I frown. “What?”
“Serena and I.” He looks to me then faces forward again.
“I didn’t—”
“I know you didn’t ask. At least not at the moment. But I need to tell you.”
I slouch in my seat, waving my hand to dismiss his attempt. “Liam, please. I can’t…I can’t deal with this. I just need to clear my mind,” I say while shaking my head and choking back the sting of tears. At one point, I wanted to know and have so many questions. And I’m sure that once this is all over, I’ll probably ask them. But now, my capacity for disappointment and all that comes with it has runneth over.
The car drags to a slower speed as Liam maneuvers us to the side of the road. We jerk into park, swaying with each passing vehicle. He turns in his seat to face me, and I throw my head back into the rest, pushing out a low grunt.
“Lotus. We’re in some deep shit, and whether you want to accept it or not, we’re here together. I know I hurt you and I hate myself for it. But this is what we’ve got. You’re scared, I get that. Just know I will do everything in my power to protect you. But I can’t do that if you’re pissed with me the whole way.” He pauses and searches my face for a reaction, but I have none. “I don’t expect you to forgive me so easily or understand for that matter. I just need you to hear the truth.”
I huff and knead my forehead with my fingers before throwing my other hand up in surrender.
“I didn’t tell you about her, because…well, how do you explain to the woman you truly love that you have a wife but it’s not what she thinks.”