AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The anger that had already been boiling in my veins only grew hotter. “Cali.”
“I know,” she sobbed, then quickly swallowed her tears. “I have to get out of here, Nova. If Matias dies, Manuel will kill me. Or worse…” She shuddered, her face turning slightly green. “The only reason I’ve stayed alive this long is because Matias has been somewhat coherent. He expects to see me. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t…” She closed her eyes, silent tears spilling down her cheeks. “You’re the only one who can help me. The only one I trust.”
I threw my arms around her, hugging her tight for a long moment, trying to offer her any comfort I possibly could. “I’ll get you out of here, I swear.”
Moving farther into the room, I went straight to her suitcase. Pulling off the hat I was wearing, I shoved it into her hands then started taking off my clothes. She was a few inches taller than me, but we were roughly the same size. My shirt might be a little tighter on her because her boobs were bigger, but it would get the job done.
Once she was changed and I stood there in only my bra and panties, I opened my purse and handed her the black Amex card Ryan had given me for my sixteenth birthday. “The pin is 0715,” I whispered. It was Ryan’s birthday, so it was easy for me to remember. “Repeat it three times so you remember it.”
She whispered it over and over again while I tried to find something else to wear from among her clothes. I needed something designer but also an outfit I would typically want to wear, so no one would question me when I returned. Finding a dress I liked, I slipped it on and then grabbed a hair tie, pulling my hair into a knot, before doing the same with Cali’s hair, trying to be gentle so I didn’t hurt her face. “Have you heard anyone in the room above?”
She shook her head.
“Do the guards have a balcony?”
Again, she shook her head, and I breathed a little easier. “We have to move quickly. Don’t be scared, okay?”
“Nova,” she breathed, the fear in her eyes making my heart clench with empathy for her. “Where do I go?”
“Use the card. Buy a ticket to California. Get as close to where I live as possible. I’ll have someone meet you and take you to my aunt’s shelter. You can trust her, Cali. I promise, she will help you out as much as she can. Tell her everything and why I sent you.” I told her the safe word that the person who would meet her would know and for her not to go with anyone else but the person I sent. “From there, it’s all up to you.”
Aunt Gracie would help Cali as she did all the abused women who showed up at her shelter. She would get Cali medical assistance—and mental help if she needed it. Aunt Gracie had the means to get a new identity for anyone who came to her in need and to help them start a completely different life. Anywhere they wanted.
I gave Cali another hug and then opened the door to the small balcony. It was narrow out there, but there was plenty of room for what I needed to do. Climbing onto the stone railing, I hoisted myself up to the balcony above and prayed Cali was right and no one was in that room. One of the good things about New York City, no one ever looked up from their phones or where they were going. No one cared what was going on outside their own personal world, so I didn’t have to worry that someone would suddenly look up and see me hanging from a balcony and think I was going to jump.
Once I was on the balcony above, I made sure the sliding door was unlocked and pushed it open, confirming the room was empty before reaching down and helping Cali up.
We exited the room, and I sent her down the stairs while I took the elevator back to the mall entrance level. Instead of taking the same back route—because I wasn’t confident I could get in the way I’d gone out—I walked in through the front door, pretending like nothing was amiss. The associate was helping someone else, and the guard didn’t even blink when he saw me walking toward the mirrors behind Bennie.
The guard was too smart not to know I’d snuck out, and that intelligence was what would keep his mouth shut. If Ryan found out the guard had allowed me out of his sight when he should have been watching my every move, he wouldn’t be able to walk come morning.
“That dress is nice,” Bennie commented, looking up from his phone as I studied myself in the mirror. “Ryan will definitely like it.”
I turned from every angle, admiring the way the dress fit me. “You think so?”
“Yeah. You look pretty in it.” He grimaced. “That’s not saying you don’t look pretty in other things… I’m going to shut up now.”
I laughed. “I knew what you meant.”
“Okay, good,” he muttered. “Ciana would have already punched me.”
15
Nova
After my little adventure while shopping, on top of traveling all day, I was exhausted. But I couldn’t sleep.
At the bus station, Cali had been able to get a burner phone from a tech vending machine with the card I gave her and called to let me know when she would be getting to Oakland. Once I had her details, I sent a text to Jack, knowing he would make sure my friend got to his mother’s shelter safely. He took his job seriously, and even though he came across as grumpy, he was really one of the most kindhearted men I’d ever met. That didn’t mean he was a pushover, though. His kind heart wouldn’t stop him from putting a bullet in someone he thought no longer deserved to breathe.
Relieved that Cali was going to be okay, I took a long hot shower and then pulled on a pair of sleep shorts and one of Ryan’s old T-shirts I’d stolen on one of my past summer visits. Leaving my hair to air-dry, I grabbed my bottle of lotion and walked across the hall to Ryan’s room.
It was late, and Ryan’s light was off. Deciding I didn’t need the lotion after all, I dropped it in the chair and crawled into bed beside him. As soon as I touched him, getting ready to snuggle up against him as I always did, I felt him jerk. I flinched at his reaction. He’d never done that when I’d touched him. Plenty of times when adult women he wasn’t comfortable with entered the room, but never me.
The bedside lamp switched on, casting a soft glow over the bed. “What’s wrong?” I asked, wondering if maybe he’d gotten injured. Concerned, I reached for the hem of his T-shirt, trying to tug it up so I could see where I’d touched him. “Where does it hurt? Let me see.”
He pulled the material from my fingers and jerked it back into place. “Nova.” My name came out as a growl, his jaw clenching and unclenching as if he were biting back words. “We can’t do this anymore. You’re…” He waved his hand at me and gulped. Something flared in his brown eyes that made my heart race. But then he blinked, and it was gone, as if it hadn’t really been there, and my heart dropped into my stomach. “It’s just not right. We’re too old for this stuff now.”
“Wh-what isn’t right about it?” I whispered. “We’ve slept in the
