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“Yes. I’m out of town right now, but I’ll come back for an afternoon to meet you.” I cringed as I said it. The last thing I wanted to do was meet with anyone from my family, even if it might mean change for them all.
“Friday?” asked Alex. “Pizza place we went to as kids?”
“Sure. Noon?” At least I had a few days to ensure Sarah was hidden.
“Sounds good,” Alex said. “And bro?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you,” Alex said. I gaped at the phone. It had been years since Alex had shown me any affection.
“I love you too, bro.” I was skeptical but had already come this far and was now involved. I had to see this through to the end.
Chapter Twelve
Sarah
I’dneverbeensoscared in my life as I was when Kevin dropped me off at the motel. It was hidden from the road, a gem of a place for someone on the run or someone who wanted to escape from society for a minute. It was a space designed for someone like me.
As soon as I closed the hotel room door, the panic set in. I watched from the window as Kevin’s car backed out of the parking lot. He was headed back to Warwick and the life I so badly wanted but knew I could never have.
I paced the room with nervous energy. What would I do next? I had no idea but knew I couldn’t stay here long. Kevin paid for seven nights before he left, and even that felt like an eternity. I felt like a sitting duck here. I vaguely wondered if I’d ever feel safe again. Then there was the question of my pregnancy. On a whim, I’d left the note and pregnancy test behind for Maria to find. I knew she’d tell Warwick, but what I hoped to accomplish with it, I wasn’t sure. This wasn’t a made-for-TV after-school special or a romance novel. This was real life, and happily ever afters were few and far between. I wasn’t even sure that girls like me would ever have a happily ever after. It didn’t seem likely, but I knew I had to continue on somehow. I had a new life to think about.
After pacing the room for a few minutes, I put the money Kevin left me in the safe—all of it, except for a few crisp twenty-dollar bills. I’d go out and buy some food. That was the first course of action. I hadn’t eaten much in days, and the morning sickness worsened. I knew I needed to eat, and the best way to make my money last was to pick up a few groceries. The motel room had a small kitchenette, enough to make some simple meals to sustain myself while I formulated a plan.
I walked to the nearest supermarket, a lavish affair for the well-off, tucked away in the heart of the nearest rural subdivision. I had no idea where he had dropped me off. This area was foreign to me, but somehow, it had a comforting familiarity. I felt like I stood out as I wandered the store's aisles. I was the outsider, and yet, I gathered that the area was just big enough that not everyone knew each other, and that would keep me safe if nosey people came looking for me. The locals wouldn’t remember me. It wasn’t a small town, but it had a midsize-town vibe, boring and average, exactly the place for someone to disappear.
I threw items into my cart, wondering what I wanted or how I was going to use them all together. I craved junk food, yet when I hovered around the vegetable section, I knew my baby needed something healthy. I bought enough food to last a few days. It was almost more than I could carry, even with the backpack I’d found on sale in the back-to-school department. I loaded it as full as I could and carried the other two bags in my hands. It was only a few blocks back to the motel. Hopefully, I could make it without collapsing or vomiting all over the side of the road.
By the time I got back, I was a hot and sweaty mess. I glanced around the parking lot at the side of the building, away from the view of any streets. The entrance to my room was there, and the parking lot was much how I left it except for a muddy motorcycle. I almost walked right past the car beside it, but something about it caught my attention. Was that Kevin’s car? What was it doing back again? Did he forget to give me something? I looked at the license plate and racked my brain. I couldn’t remember what the plate was or if this was the same one. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at it. Should I drop the groceries and run, or should I enter my room like nothing happened? All of my money was in the room. I needed to go back in and get it otherwise, I’d never survive more than a couple of days. I tentatively walked up the stairs to the front door. I slowly put down the bags, out of view of the door, and pulled out my key card. In one quick motion, I swiped the card and swung the door open. A figure waited on the other side for me, and I swung blindly, connecting with the person's head. I kept punching, and I heard and saw nothing as I fought for what I thought might be my life.
“Sarah! Stop! Please!” I heard someone shout as I continued to land blow after blow to the man in front of me. I felt someone else grab my arms and restrain them, and I kicked forward and backward with all my might. I connected with someone in front of me and heard a pain-filled howl. The voice sounded oddly familiar. My brain slowly returned to the room, and I realized the person I’d just struck looked familiar.
“Warwick?”
My brain tried to make sense of it all. How was Warwick here so quickly? We were hours away from his beach house, the last place I’d seen him. I knew I was in shock because nothing was making sense, even though I knew it should have. I took a couple of deep breaths and stopped fighting against the person restraining me. Everything came back into focus, and I looked around. Warwick was kneeling in front of me, his head bowed. He clutched his groin area.
“Fuck, Sarah, what the hell?” he murmured. “It’s not like I can even hit you back when you attack me like that!”
“Oh shit,” I moaned. The person behind me pulled my arms painfully, and I felt a stabbing sensation in my abdomen. Had my exertion done damage to the baby? My mind panicked at that thought, and I sank to my knees beside Warwick.
“Please let me go,” I begged, and my arms were released. I looked behind me at Kevin, whose face was impassive.
“Are you done?” he asked. His massive gun sat on the table by the window. I shuddered and looked away.
“Yes, I’m done,” I said, rubbing my shoulders where they had been pulled. “Are you okay?” I asked Warwick. “What are you doing here?”
Warwick looked at me. His eyes were intense and filled with emotion. Was it all from me hitting him? I had no idea. I could see a welt on the side of his head from where I struck him, and his cheek was red and looked like it might turn into a bruise.
“I came to get you,” he said. He sat up fully and stared at me. “Little did I know you’d try and kill me.”
“My dad always insisted on self-defense classes and martial arts for everyone. My mom and I have been going since I was a little kid,” I said and then added. “I never thought the first time I had to use it would be on someone who wasn’t trying to cause me any harm!” I paused. “You’re not trying to cause me any harm, are you?” Suddenly, I felt uncertain again. I knew he wasn’t here to confess his undying love and to claim me as his, so what was he doing here?
“No!” exclaimed Warwick. “I’m here to talk to you about the letter you left!” He looked at Kevin, and Kevin nodded, opening the door and backing out.
“I’ll wait outside. By the way, there are groceries out here,” he said. He deposited my groceries in the room. I looked at them and then back at Warwick. We both smiled. Kevin exited and closed the door.
“I was getting food. I was hungry,” I explained.
