“Okay, where do we go from here?” Jayce asked.
Amy hesitated and finally said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been out here, but I was heading toward the town center. I figured I could find some kind of pay phone, if they still exist.”
Jayce smiled. “From what I saw of the towns around here, not much has changed in the past few decades.”
“I know where there used to be a pay phone. Let’s go there.”
“How long will it take us? I told Kristine I’d call by eleven.”
Amy glanced around. “It seems to be fairly deserted and dark tonight. It’s not high season yet, so most of the summer people aren’t even here. How do you feel about flying next to someone who also has a secret identity like yours? Well, notexactlylike it—”
“I know about Kristine’s secret. Is yours the same?”
She answered simply by sloughing off her black bathrobe, shifting into dragon form, picking up her robe, and holding out her talons to indicate that she would carry his clothing too.
Jayce grinned and pulled his sweatshirt over his head, then shifted and flew out of the sweatpants. She picked up his clothes and took off into the sky, flying higher than he usually did unless he was avoiding tall buildings.
At last, she found a rooftop on a dark street. The small town seemed very quiet. An outdoor ladder led from the rooftop down to the wraparound porch. They shifted and dressed quickly.
“I wish we could just fly back to Manhattan,” Amy said, “but I’m apt to attract attention, being a dragon and all.”
As Jayce chuckled, they sprinted toward the sidewalk. Only about fifty yards away Jayce spotted the phone booth. When they arrived at the old booth, Jayce nervously asked, “I don’t suppose you have a quarter on you, do you?”
Amy pulled a heavy sock out of the pocket of her robe and smiled. “I may have borrowed a little money from my captors before I left.”
Jayce laughed when she pulled a wad of twenties and a roll of quarters out of the sock. “Hallelujah. You really thought of everything.”
“I planned this for a couple of days. I simply had to cooperate until they let down their guard. I knew they would. They’re stupid and lazy. Still, it’s strange that they never changed the combination to the safe.”
“You know them? You’ve been there before?”
Amy stepped into the phone booth and inserted the quarters she needed, and as she dialed, she said, “I used to live there. Kristine doesn’t know it, but I’ll tell her everything when I get back.”
Jayce knew how much that would mean to Kristine. She had been through so much, and she’d said that a hidden piece of her background caused the rift between her and her mother. Certainly it seemed like knowledge she deserved to have now.
Kristine answered on the first ring. “Hi, honey, it’s me,” Amy said.
“Mom! Where are you?”
Amy turned and smiled at Jayce. “I’m with a nice young man who says he’s a friend of yours. Do you know someone named Jayce?”
Kristine burst into tears but managed to eke out the word “yes.” Then she sniffed and said, “Please tell him thank you and to guard you with his life.”
“Don’t worry, honey. We’re going to be careful. It might take a little while. We’re still an hour away as the dragon flies.”
Jayce said, “I wish we could take public transportation, but your mom is wearing a bathrobe, and I’d rather put some distance between us and her abductors, so I’m not too keen on waiting around for an Uber or taxi.”
Kristine said, “I still have the car. I can bring some clothes to my mom and drive us all home.”
“That sounds great,” Amy said. “Bring me my blue sweater, the cashmere one. Oh, and my Isaac Mizrahi skinny jeans.”
Kristine laughed. “Always the fashionista.”
Amy’s face blushed a bit. “Hey, a girl has to look her best even when she’s running from her captors.”
“Are you safe from discovery?” Kristine asked. “I want you to stay hidden, but I need to know where you are so I can find you.”
“We’re in Southampton. I’m not sure of the name of the street.”
Jayce said, “Hang on, I’ll run down to the corner and see what the sign says.” He did that and saw they were on the corner of Main and Harrison. Then he ran back, took the phone, and relayed the information.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay out of sight.”
“We will, hon,” Jayce said.
Amy raised her brows and looked him straight in the eye. He could imagine the wheels turning as she figured out his relationship with her daughter.
“I’ll tell you all about it while we wait,” Jayce said.
