AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, I want to go by myself,” I demand.
The officer looks down at me, and I dare to take my eyes off Bryan for a second to make this man see I need help. He must see the desperation in my eyes.
“I don’t mind, Mr. Davenport. You can return to your residence. I’ll make sure she makes it to the vehicle safely.”
His eye does that twitchy thing again, but he nods with a tense jaw while glaring at me. I follow the officer, and I swear I can feel Bryan breathing on me as we walk past him. My knees are shaking so much, I’m worried I’ll collapse. I hold my breath, as if my own exhale could tempt him enough to get his hands on me and prevent my escape. When we exit the lower level and enter the parking garage, the cool air hits my face, and I realize how much I’m sweating.
I thank the guard and ask if he would mind staying to make sure I get out safely. He nods, and as soon as we reach my car, I scramble inside, locking the doors. As casual as I can muster, I back out of my spot and drive toward the exit. There’s no point in reporting Bryan to him, I’d have to stay and fill out a statement. We’d have to wait for police. I’m not doing that. I’m leaving while I can.
The garage door seems to move in slow motion as I wait for it to rise. I tap the wheel frantically. “Come on, come on, come on...”
As soon as the roof of the car can fit under, I hit the accelerator. Sunlight floods the interior, making me squint, and I take a deep breath, heading toward my parents’ house. Shit—I can’t go there. Now that my parents are in Monaco, the house manager is only there a couple days a week, and I’d be alone at night. I can’t go to a hotel, all I have are credit cards. He’d track those too. Fuck!
My hands tremble as I’m overwhelmed with the sensation of dread.Where do I go?He knew this would happen. He said I’ve got nowhere to go, and he’s right. I double-check my wallet. No cash.
“How did you let it get this bad, Jordan?”
I can’t think and I’m stuck, so I call theonly person I know to call, the one who’s basically a stranger. I don’t know if I can trust him, but I’m out of options. He said to call if things got rough. I’d say we are well withinroughterritory.
Unlocking my phone, I tap the screen until I see Camden Teller’s name and hit the call button.
It rings.Four rings. Five rings. Six.
“Pick up. Please pick up,” I whisper into the receiver.
It rings eight times and goes to voicemail. “No!”
Sweat beads at my forehead, and I continue checking the rearview mirror every few seconds, expecting to see his red car behind mine.
“Stop it, Jordan, you’re fucking paranoid. Focus.” Tears threaten to fall as the adrenaline rush wanes. I’ll be a sobbing mess in a matter of minutes. Don’t give up. You can do this. My phone rings, and I look down to see Cam’s name on the screen. I sniffle and clear my eyes, putting a fake smile on my face, hoping he’ll be able to hear it through the phone.
“Hey!” I answer cheerfully. I swallow down my fear, trying to sound normal. What do I say?
“Jordan?” He sounds out of breath.
“Sorry, are you busy?” God, my voice is so fake.
“No, I’m just wrapping up with practice. What’s up?... Everything okay?”
No, nothing is okay. You were right, I’m an idiot. I put myself in danger, and now I can’t get out of it. I’m terrified.
My fingers tremble as they grasp the phone. “Yeah, yeah, fine. I just, um—” My voice catches and the tears start to fall. There’s nothing I can do to stop it. I pull the car over and hold the phone away from my face, willing myself to be strong.Get your act together.
“Where are you?” he asks.
A sob escapes, my fear and loss of adrenaline hijacking my body. I cover my mouth, hoping to smother my emotions,and look to the ceiling, trying to keep the tears in my eyes. I feel so pathetic. I hate crying in front of people. Even though he’s not here to see it, I don’t want him to hear it either. I feel so weak already.
His voice is calm and slow. “Jordan, take a deep breath and answer my question. Where are you?”
I suck in air and blow out a shaky exhale. Breathing feels impossible. My lungs burn and my chest heaves. Great, now I’m hyperventilating; I’ll pass out and Bryan will find me in no time.
“I’m... I don’t know,” I choke out. I take another breath and try to get through my sentence as fast as I can. “I’m driving around, and I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay. Are you near any intersections?”
My gaze bounces around, and I catch a street sign. “I’m on Humboldt.” I know where I am, but I have no idea how to articulate it, so I name things I see. “There’s a grocery store and a repair shop and...”
