Page 42 of Drowning in Darkness

“But?”

“I need to figure out how he found us. Unless you’re about to confess to hiding a phone or some other type of tech he could have tracked?”

I shake my head. “No.” I’m not attached to my phone the same way as most of society, because of the way I spent my twenties—locked inside my mind and an institute.

“That’s what I thought. So we’ll get on the road, and I’ll start with plan A and work down if that doesn’t pan out.”

“How many plans are there?”

“A through E.”

My mind puts together what she’s doing. “You’re going to test out the leaks each time before we arrive?”

“As I said, you’d have made an excellent agent.”

Not really, as I’m clueless how one would go about testing anything.

The door opens, and Melanie strides inside with a nurse at her heels. The doctor shakes two small white paper bags. “Your meds.” The nurse places two duffel bags on the bed. “And emergency clothing and the essentials for each of you.”

“How often do you need to do this?” I blurt. Having all this on hand isn’t normal hospital practice.

Her lips press into a thin line. “Too many times. There’s a new car waiting for you outside.”

I glance at Camryn, and she narrows her gaze. Okay, so it’s not her doing, meaning my shadow is working to protect me again.

After checking in on Agent Thompson, we make our great escape in the gray SUV that is almost identical to the one we arrived in, minus the bullet holes and smashed glass. I don’t ask where we are going, but I note the time on the satnav—a little over four hours to plan A.

Camryn puts a call into the AD who visited and updates him on what happened and her current plans. I stay quiet, absorbing the information as she lays the trap. That much I deduce. Next, she calls James.

“How are you both?” he asks.

“Alive,” she answers, making my lips twitch. “Thanks for asking, David.”

Who?

“Stephanie?”

“I’m fine.” As fine as I can be when my world has been turned upside down because of another rich man who believes he can take what and who he wants. I’m also lost in what is going on, but smart enough to go with the flow.

“The doc gave you a bag of clothes,” he checks. There’s not a question in his tone, but something else I can’t quite put my finger on.

“Yep. I particularly like the pink T-shirt,” Camryn replies.

I tilt my head. One: where is this pink T-shirt, because neither of us have opened the bags, and two: I highly doubt Camryn has a weakness for pink anything. There’s a hidden conversation taking place.

“Noted. Have you kept it on the down low?” he asks.

Why would we keep a pink T-shirt secret but tell a man pretending to be called David? I’m so confused.

“My boss, Agent Thompson, and my analyst.”

Is no one going to explain the pink thing to me? I fold my arms and press my lips together as I work out what’s happening.

She hasn’t told all those other people, I’m sure of it. Unless it was done away from me.

I glance around the interior of the car, looking for… what? A secret camera soaking up all this conversation? It’s a bit far-fetched, but the phone... oh, okay. I swipe a hand down my face. They exchange a few more words, but I zone out of the conversation as I watch the houses sweep past. It’s a sunny day, and there are children on the street playing and parents tending their yards. That’s the real dream, right? Waking up to do casual things like pruning one’s rose bushes and gossiping over the fence about how the newcomers on the street painted their door a non-sanctioned color from the Home Owners Association. That always baffled me. You could buy a home, pay for it with your money, and yet others have a say in what you do with it.

“Are you okay?” Camryn asks.