True to my word, we packed up the car, walked across the street to the restaurant, and were seated with breakfast menus fifteen minutes later. Our waitress, Sally, was chatty, which was a godsend. The diner was slow, probably normal for a Monday morning, so she only had two other tables to oversee, and we were amenable to her friendly intrusions. Over the next half hour, we learned a lot about the small town, her teenage daughters, the vacation the family was planning next week to coincide with the girls’ spring break, and the family dog’s itinerary for a stay with the grandparents.
When I paid our bill at the front register, Sally seemed truly sad to see us go. “Such a nice young couple,” she said. “You drive safe, now.”
Yeah, that wasn’t uncomfortable at all. I waved goodbye to the waitress and held open the door for Savannah, then followed her out onto the picturesque little street. Instead of crossing the street to our hotel parking lot, she hesitated. Ibraced myself, waiting for the conversation neither of us wanted to have but probably should.
“Do we have time for another stop?” she asked, pointing to a big chain store a block and a half away. “There’s something I need.”
The morning-after pill? A pregnancy test? A baby name book? My mind raced with inane ideas, but I focused on keeping my breath even and my face expressionless.
“I mean, if it’s safe, I’d like to get another burner phone.”
“Oh, sure.” I was glad I’d kept my composure. If there’d been something to worry about regarding last night, she would have told me. My relief was tinged with an odd feeling of disappointment. Maybe because I actually wanted to talk about last night, about how fucking amazing it had been. But I took the win and didn’t analyze my reaction too deeply. “It’s a nice day. Do you want to walk, since we’ll be stuck in the car for the rest of the day?”
She smiled, which brightened what had thus far not been my best morning. “That’s a great idea.” She pulled sunglasses out of her bag and put them on.
I let her set the pace, which was brisk. Five minutes later, we stood in front of a rack of prepaid phones. Pasco was confident we hadn’t been followed, and I had no reason to believe otherwise, but still, I pulled out a plastic-contained phone from the middle of a random rack and checked the package closely to make sure it hadn’t been opened and resealed. I dropped it into the bright red basket Savannah held.
“I take it there are other things on your list,” I said.
“Yes. I packed in a hurry and didn’t realize my travel jar of face cream was almost out. And I could use some bath beads, and probably a few other things...”
“Lead the way.” I followed her to the health and beauty section. The store was deserted, other than a handful of employees, so I gave her time and space to browse. One aislehad caught my eye, and I slipped into it, finding what I wanted at the far end.
Condoms. Rows and rows of them. Different brands and types. In the interest of time, I grabbed a box that looked familiar and headed to the pharmacy counter. Sure, I was closing the barn door after the horse got out, but in case there were other horses… I stopped a few feet from the counter and stared down at the box. Should I or shouldn’t I?
When the lady behind the counter said, “Can I help you?” I had to call an audible.
I placed the box on the counter and pulled out cash to pay for my purchase. “I don’t need a bag,” I said, and slipped the box and receipt into my inner coat pocket. No need to be caught unprepared again. Who the hell knew what my next week in Chicago would bring? Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be with Savannah.
Last night had been about closure. Today would be about saying goodbye. In twelve hours, I would turn over her care to Mai, and I wouldn’t see—let alone sleep with—my ex again.
13
SAVANNAH
“What do you mean,a change of plans?” Ben whisper-shouted into his phone.
I’d used the ladies’ room inside the convenience store where we’d stopped for gas. I’d stepped outside to find our rental car in a parking spot by the door, and Ben leaning against it, scowling.
I waited on the curb, giving him some semblance of privacy. He turned his back to me, and I didn’t catch any more of the conversation. A minute later, he took the phone away from her ear, tapped the screen, typed into it, and turned to face me.
“Mai can’t make it,” he said.
We were supposed to meet her in just over an hour. I shook my head in confusion.
“She’s back in the States but is being held up with a tricky debrief.”
I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but I was very sure I didn’t want to know the details. That was a good thing because Mai would probably never be at liberty to share them.
“So what’s next?” I asked. Since I’d contacted her days ago, Mai had been the beacon lighting my way to safety. Ididn’t have a backup plan, and my mind was scrambling to process this new development.
“She’s sending someone from her team to meet you and fly you to DC on a private plane.”
As much as I didn’t want to return to the area where I’d watched my mother die, I knew it had always been a possibility. The greater DC area was Mai’s home base.
“Okay,” I said. Was it, though? Probably. Mai wouldn’t put me in the hands of anyone dangerous. Well, no one more dangerous than her brother, and that had nothing to do with harm to my person or my business.
“Mai says she trusts these people with her life.” Ben shrugged. “But I don’t know them, so… Sorry, you’ll be stuck with me a while longer.”
