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1
KAYLA
Iwas getting really sick of this.
I cut across the supermarket parking lot, trying not to look to the side as I did. I didn’t want to give away the fact that I had caught on to whoever had been following me for the past few minutes. As soon as I entered the alley, I waited for a few seconds while concealed in the shadows, watching to see if my theory would be proven right. Perhaps I was only being paranoid.
But no. As expected, a rust-brown truck came into view, crawling down the road before coming to a stop in the parking lot.
There it is, I thought triumphantly.
It was the third time I had seen the same car today, and my sixth sense had been tingling from the start. I always had a feeling about these things, like a crawling sensation in my spine that sensed something wasn’t quite right. I had learned over the months to trust my intuition explicitly—it was what kept me ahead of the people after me for this long, what kept me safe. Well, that and my keen sense of observation. The fact that I had seen the truck three times in one day was a red flag. Twice might have been a coincidence, but three times?
Something was up.
I was being followed.
Apprehension curled in my stomach, but surprisingly enough, fear was not the prevalent emotion. The heat of annoyance rushed through my body, making me clench my hands into fists as I glared at the incriminating vehicle.
Why the hell would they not leave me alone?Especially after I ran far away from them, kept quiet about what I saw, and never went to the police. My father’s men should have given up by now, but they were relentless. I had already moved to two different towns to avoid them and was officially sick of it. What kind of life was this, constantly on the run, shielding the existence of my son, never setting down roots for him? When would it end?
Speaking of my son…
I had to find a way to get rid of this guy before picking him up. To my knowledge, my father still didn’t know about him, and I wanted to keep it that way as much as possible.
"Damn it," I muttered into the air.
The car remained in its spot for a couple of minutes, no one emerging from it. It did not move on either, so I was faced with no choice. I could not come out of the alley, so I quickly began moving through it, trying to remember the path to the cul de sacs while keeping an eye out for the dark corners. Things were known to happen in this alley. It was normally deserted, tucked behind the least used shopping mall in the world and a street under construction that had been closed down for the last three years. However, a few weeks ago, there had been a string of robberies and attacks in this very alley, so I needed to make my way as quickly as possible before I exhausted my luck.
Finally, after a handful of heart-pounding minutes, I escaped at the other end of the alley and cut quickly across into the cul de sacs, keeping an eye out behind me in case I was being followed. When no one was there, I breathed out a sigh of relief before continuing on my journey. It led me to the doorstep of Mrs. Wilson—my landlady and occasional babysitter.
I knocked on her rose-colored door, still watchful. Mrs. Wilson was slow to answer as usual, so I knocked again, anxiously waiting until the door pulled open, revealing a displeased elderly woman with my baby boy in her arms.
Despite the tension, a light instantly filled my soul as his hazel eyes widened, and he laughed, holding out his hands for me.
“Hi, baby!” I cooed as I took him from Mrs. Wilson, shooting the woman a conciliatory look.
“You’re late,” she said, crossing her hands over her chest following the transfer.
“I know, I’m sorry,” I said. “The restaurant was packed, and I couldn’t get away. Rush hour. You know how it is.”
The woman did not seem placated by that, and truly, I couldn’t blame her. Mrs. Wilson had been nice enough to me when I moved into town. She was the one who helped me get a job at the restaurant and then had come over to help me get settled into the apartment I was renting from her, despite her looking at my red hair and ear piercings doubtfully. She also allowed me to only pay half the deposit upfront and seemed to love Hunter, which was why I was able to leave him with her while I worked.
But I believe I exhausted all her goodwill. Unfortunately, during my last move, I spent all my money getting set up, and then Hunter subsequently fell sick, exhausting the rest of my funds. I couldn’t work until he got better, so I asked for an extension on the rent, and now, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, I owed the woman nearly two months of back rent, which I had to pay soon.
It was no wonder she didn't like me much now.
Still, she had never transferred that animosity to Hunter, and she doted on him. She was a trusted member of the town, so I felt more at ease leaving my son with her, although there was still an underlying caution regardless. I didn’t think I’d ever lose that caution for as long as I lived.
The faint anxiety of being away from my son eased somewhat as I took him in my arms and smelled his soft clean scent.Thank God he’s here.Despite the difficulties, he was the one bright spot in my world. And as irrational as it was, I was constantly plagued with the fear that one day, I would come looking for him and wouldn’t find him.
“Did you get paid today?” Mrs. Wilson asked.
I shook my head and watched the irritation on her face grow even more annoyed.
“I have tried to be patient with you, dear."
“I know Mrs. Wilson, and I’m very thankful for that.”
