AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not long after, she brings me a glass of water and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I guess that’s what she was stirring on the stove.
I lean forward and breathe it all in, then sigh. “It looks amazing. Thank you so much.”
“Nonsense. No need to thank me. I’m glad to have the company.”
“But didn’t you say that I couldn’t stay long?” I scrunch my face up in confusion. “I don’t want to put you in danger.”
“Oh, honey, I didn’t say that for me. I said it for you. I’m not scared of them, but I don’t want you to be caught again.”
“Oh. Right.” I take a bite of my food and moan in appreciation.
Miss Lulah smiles and sits across from me, hands wrapped around her own cup of hot chocolate. “I called Connor.”
My hand freezes with the fork halfway to my mouth. My wide eyes fasten on her calm ones. She threw that out there without a care in the world. Much like she drives.
“You did what? What if he comes here and tries to kill me himself?”
“Pishposh. He wouldn’t do that. Besides, I couldn’t ever get him on the line. I got his friend instead, the lovely Geo.”
“Lovelyisn’t how I would describe him,” I say sarcastically. “But wait, Geo’s okay? Connor’s okay? They are all okay?” The words rush out of me. Tears prick the backs of my eyes at the sudden onset of emotions coursing through my body, knowing they are indeed alive.
“As far as I know, Geo was alive when I talked to him. I don’t generally hold conversations with the dead over the phone,” Miss Lulah says, a twinkle in her eye. “He said he would talk to Connor, and then he let me know they were headed to the plane. I haven’t heard from them today—no doubt, they are keeping a low profile—but I expect them to show up anytime.”
“What? Here?” I reach up and smooth my hair again nervously.
What the hell am I doing? As if he’s going to care what I look like.
I take a careful sip of water.
Everything is colliding at once, and I don’t know if I’m ready for it. I was content to live inside my colorful little bubble here with Miss Lulah fixing me food, and if she agreed to keep me forever, I would even get back in her banana death contraption whenever she wanted to go somewhere. I swear it.
“Yes, here.” She leans to the side and peers out the curtains over the window beside us. “Eat up. You’ll need to be full for your luxury plane ride back to California.” She winks at me.
It doesn’t seem real that this whole ordeal could be over like that. I almost get the sense that I’m floating outside my body, watching someone else’s life and cheering them on. The tears that threatened to appear earlier finally do, streaking down my face, and I reach across the table, grabbing Miss Lulah’s thin hand and squeezing it.
“Thank you,” I say through the sobs. I’ve been a blubbering mess lately. “Thank you for everything.”
“Nonsense,” she says again, giving my hand a squeeze back. But she doesn’t let go.
I eat the rest of my breakfast, holding her hand, as she talks about her business, distracting me.
A knock on the door has us looking at each other before she lets go of me and stands.
“That’ll be them,” she says, wiping her hands off on her little apron tied around her waist. “Come on now.”
I stand and re-roll the waist of my pants, ensuring they don’t fall down my legs. No need to be embarrassed more than I already am that Connor will see me this way. We go down the back stairs, and Miss Lulah pulls the curtain to the side to check out the window of the back door and see who is there.
She sucks in a sharp breath one second before the door comes flying in and smacks her entire body backward. She falls, slamming into me and knocking me sideways.
It’s not Connor and Geo.
Frank, the man from the holding house I left, is staring back at me, and I scream. His face is red as he steps toward me.
“You’re gonna pay, bitch,” he says.
I turn to dart up the stairs, but I can’t leave Miss Lulah on the floor.
“Good thing we’ve got friends at the station who like to chat.”
