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“What’s wrong with me?” I shot back. “Where do I start?”
Johnny chuckled. “You’re right. This is like taken from a fucking movie.”
A smile ghosted across my lips. “That’d be a damn horror flick,” I muttered. Keeping my eyes on Kaylie, I spoke to Johnny. “I never meant to involve you in this.”
“Hey.” His voice was surprisingly soft, and the change in tone forced me to look at him, not knowing what to expect. He gave me a twisted grin, and I relaxed.
“Too late for regrets,” he said at last. “Just…” He scanned the surrounding nature before turning back to me. “What are you going to do? You can’t hide forever.”
He wasn’t talking about our current location, and I wished I had an answer. But the truth was, I had no clue. No fucking idea, and the lack of control made the uneasy feeling inside intensify. We could run, but we could never hide. Maybe Kaylie could. With a changed identity and relocation to some place no one could dream about looking. But I… I was as fucking public as Johnny. Even if I ditched him, I would be recognized. I’d been by his side in the spotlight for too long to be anonymous now. Even if I could pull it off with a change of style, I didn’t want to. Without him, everything dark I ran from would catch up and snuff out the light. I needed to stay busy, or my inner world would consume me. Since Julie, I couldn’tnotwork, and Johnny was the perfect trouble magnet to keep me busy.
“It’s starting to rain.” Kaylie slipped back into the car and closed the door. “You okay?” Her soft hand on my arm brought me back, and the feeling that settled over me made me sigh softly. Maybe with her, I could be still. She filled that gaping hole just waiting to drag me down, shone a light in the darkest corners and no matter how I tried to snuff it out, it grew brighter. She was the only one who could save me. I looked at her,reallylooked, and her ocean blue eyes filled me with a deep determination. No matter what happened, where I went and what I did, I’d do itwithher. I couldn’t turn back now. No matter how terrifying. I was way off the shallow with her. And if I stopped now, I’d drown. It was sink or swim, and I’d fucking swim.
“Marc?” Johnny snapped, reminding me of his question. What I was going to do? I didn’t know more now than I did five minutes ago. But one thing was sure. I wasn’t ready to give up.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “Call the cops?” I suggested. “Bust their fucking asses?”
Johnny sighed. Knowing as well as I did, it was never as easy as I made it sound like. Did we have evidence to start a case? Let alone to bring them down.
“No,” Kaylie spoke up. “Don’t.”
I lifted an eyebrow in question.
“They are more powerful than you know. They… Alex told me specifically not to contact the cops. They’re bought. Mr. X has people everywhere. You can’t trust anyone. Perhaps in another state, but…”
I scoffed, adding mentally what she never finished. Their lack of jurisdiction would not only make it harder to operate cross state. It would probably make it illegal as well.Fucking perfect.
Kaylie fumbled to reach something in her purse and finally produced a card. “Alex gave me this.” She handed it to me. I turned it over, revealing a name and phone number scribbled on it.
“What’s this?”
She hesitated. “According to him, we can trust this man. It’s Mr. X’s brother, and his worst enemy.”
“Or a fucking trap,” I muttered, and she nodded.
“I don’t know who to trust anymore,” she confessed. “I trusted my father, and he lied. Who else is lying?”
“Can’t we just drive?” Johnny suggested. “Leave this shithole and go home?”
“Then what?” My voice was harsh from pent up frustration, but Johnny was used to it. “We sit around and wait for someone to put a bullet in our heads?”
“They won’t find—” he cut himself off, groaning. “As long as you’re with me…”
“It’s notyou,” Kaylie piped in, saving Johnny from what was on my tongue. “They are dangerous.”
I gritted my teeth, hating to admit she was right.
She threw a glance out the window before turning back to me. “If they want to find you, they will. I think we’ve seen that already, and it won’t stop. They won’t stop until we’re dead.”
“She’s right.” I sighed. “No way they’ll risk us talking.”
“Then we talk,” Johnny suggested. “Call the bloody FBI or whoever is in charge of this.”
A harsh laugh escaped my lips. “This is not a fucking film, it’s not that easy.”
“You rather be a sitting duck?” he shot back. “You want to hide in some forest for the rest of your life?”
“Of course not!”
