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I look at Liam, wondering the same thing.
“A trade.”
“A trade?” I ask, my voice a whisper. My stomach twists, and my gut tells me I’m not going to like what he’s hinting at.
“Yeah.” He looks at me for the first time since we got into the truck. His eyes tell me all I need to know.
“You’re trading me for them?” I ask, my voice rising.
“It’s the only way they’ll release them. You tell them who you are, what you know, and they’ll release Jen for the information.”
I feel the tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks as I stare at Liam. He doesn’t give me his eyes, but his hands squeeze the steering wheel; it’s the only emotion he shows. My heart breaks all over again when I realize he’s doing this for his friend. I hate every minute of it, but their bond outweighs the one we’ve formed, and he’s making a choice.
“Dude, there has to be another way,” Mike says, his voice tense. He doesn’t look at me, and I know he’s on the fence about this: his family or me, a stranger.
He should choose his family.
“It’s okay, Mike.” My answer is automatic. Saving Jen and that little baby will be worth it if I can do it. It’s not the fact that I’m putting myself on the line; it’s the fact that Liam was so willing to do it for me.
I don’t speak the rest of the way; I don’t know what I’d say even if I wanted to talk to him. He’s betrayed me by not talking to me about it, by not even considering another option.
I shouldn’t have trusted him to begin with.
Thinking back to being at Mike and Jen’s, I know I should have left then. I shouldn’t have even thought for a second that this man would protect me, and I know, I know I shouldn’t have opened my heart to him either.
We stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. It’s much the same as the one by the motel where the FBI—or whoever it was—initially tried to pick me up, where I shot someone.
Should’ve let them take me then, all the stealth hiding and shooting someone wasted.
I grab my bag, make sure the gun Liam gave me is loaded, and throw open the door to the truck.
Mike and Liam both get out and meet me on my side of the vehicle.
“All you have to do is walk down the road that way.” Liam points in the right direction and shrugs as if this doesn’t affect me whatsoever. “They’ll pick you up once you trigger the warning system. They won’t hurt you.”
I stare at him and wait, for something, for anything…and I see it. It’s brief, but I do see it—the tick of his jaw as his teeth clench. He’s holding himself back, hiding behind a wall to keep any emotion he might feel at bay.
I don’t answer him, and I’m careful to keep my face blank.
“Thank you, Mo,” Mike says. I can tell he’s genuinely worried but grateful that I’m willing to do this for his family.
“Make sure to hug your family extra tight when you see ’em,” I reply, and he surprises me by giving me a hug.
I toss my bag over my shoulder, keeping the gun in my hand, and start to walk in the direction Liam told me to go.
“Margaret.” His hoarse voice sounds from behind me, and I turn to meet his eyes. They look determined, but if I stare long enough, vulnerability comes through.
“What?” I wanted to sound firm, hard, even, but my voice comes out as barely a whisper.
His hand reaches for mine and grasps it tightly in his before I can think to pull away.
I wait for him to answer, to give me some kind of inkling that this hurts him as much as it hurts me. When he opens his mouth, though, there’s none of that, and I wish he hadn’t said anything at all. “Be safe.”
I open my mouth to reply but then realize I don’t have any words to offer. Settling on a nod, I turn away so he doesn’t see the tears that break free.
The air is slightly humid, and a trickle of sweat falls down my forehead. I don’t bother wiping it away, both of my hands gripping the weapon in front of me like a shield. I search the pitch black, looking in every direction for a sign. When I look back at the gas station, I see one standing figure and no truck. Liam already took off, not wanting to get caught himself.
It takes a long time, probably an hour, before I must trigger a system like he told me I would. Headlights come from the darkness, heading in my direction, and I move off to the side, waiting to see what will happen. I keep the gun low, waiting.
