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As we drove, I found myself wondering over and over how easily I’d be able to jump out. Tuck and roll—that’s how it wasdone in the movies I’d seen, anyway. I’d wait until the car pulled into a slow turn around a corner and then make my move. There were so many people out and about that once I hit the ground and got on my feet I could just melt into the crowd.
“Yeah… no, she’s with me right now… no word yet from Stone about going back on the deal… as far as I can tell, he’s still locked and loaded and ready to go. We’re on our way now; the package should be in his hands within the hour.”
I felt sick the way he spoke about me like I was an item, a bauble he could throw into the pot to sweeten the deal. Maybe I should’ve been used to it by then, but hearing those words from my own dad…
“Hey.” Dad nodded sharply to me as he took the phone from his ear and slipped it into his jacket pocket. “You alive over there?”
“Does it make any difference to you?” I asked. “Seems like if I were dead I’d be one less problem for you to worry about.”
He snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “I’m going to ignore the backtalk seeing as you’re going to be out of my hair in the next hour anyway. But I need you alive and kicking for the deal.”
“Well, I’m here talking to you, aren’t I?”
Dad reached forward, plunging his fingers into the bowl of mixed nuts between us and greedily shoving them into his mouth. I was hungry, not having had a bite since earlier that morning. I reached for a few nuts of my own, but I didn’t get far before Dad’s hand shot out with surprising speed and grabbed my wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked. His hand gripped me hard enough to hurt, but I was used to it. Instead of protesting, I did my best to ignore the pain.
“Having a snack.”
“What’re your calories at for the day?”
“Are you serious? You’re really monitoring my intake on the day you get rid of me?”
“Of course, I am. Just because you’re going to be some other guy’s responsibility in an hour or so doesn’t mean that I’m going to be slacking in my duties.”
Dad had always been serious as hell about my diet. “No one wants a fat girl” is what he would say whenever he caught me eating.
“I barely touched my breakfast,” I said. “And unless you want me to pass out from hunger before I see this man, you should let me have something.”
He kept his eyes on mine, as if scanning for some sign that I was lying. When he was satisfied, he released his grip.
“Fine. Just don’t pig out. If you eat too much salt it’ll make you look bloated. We want you in your best form for the first impression. You only get one of those, you know.”
He grinned, as if pleased with his own words. I took a few nuts from the dish and brought them slowly to my mouth.
We pulled in front of a tall skyscraper, the building steel and gleaming glass. Over the row of doors that led into the lobby was the word “Stone” in clear, bold letters. Dozens of people streamed in and out of the place.
“Is he here?” I asked.
Dad shook his head. “Nope. We’re taking his personal helicopter to a private airfield north of the city. That’s where he is.”
The driver got out and opened the side door for us. Dad stepped out first and I followed, onto the busy Midtown streets. The air was alive with the sort of energy only New York had. Once more, I found myself struck by the urge to run, to break free from Dad and this Stone guy and run as far away as I could from this nightmare of a life.
A smile formed on my face as I considered the idea, the daydream enough to make me forget, if only for a moment, that Dad had me by the arm, leading me toward an uncertain fate. I could run to the nearest coffeeshop and work as a barista. I’d make lattes and mochas for all the busy people in the city, goofing around with my coworkers as I earned my own money. Then, I’d go back to my cute, cozy, little apartment and work on my novel.
It was about as perfect a life as I could imagine.
“Come on.” Dad jerked my arm hard, pulling me out of my daydream and back into the moment.
We stepped into the lobby, the space huge, sleek and modern. As we moved through, the driver carrying my bags right behind us, I found myself having a hard time wrapping my head around what I was seeing. There were so many people there, a massive company all built by one man. A tinge of anger ran through me at the idea of what someone could accomplish with freedom and ambition. I had the latter, but not the former.
Dad spoke to someone at the front desk. The employee nodded toward a security guard, who quickly came over and joined us the rest of the way toward a private elevator. We stepped inside, the elevator shooting us up into the sky. The back of the elevator was glass, and soon we had an amazing view of the city as we rose higher and higher. Despite my situation, I couldn’t help but turn and watch, my hands on the glass and a smile on my face.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened onto the roof, revealing a small, black helicopter at the far end. A pair of guards stood there awaiting us along with a third man, who I guessed to be the pilot. The guard in the elevator led us toward them, and it took all the restraint I had to not simply stand there and gawk at the view.
“This her?” the pilot asked. He wore dark aviators but I could feel his eyes move over my body in a way I didn’t care for in the slightest.
“Sure is,” Dad said. “Is he ready?”
