AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” I admit, my voice small against the hum of the engine. “I left everything behind.”
“Damn, you’re starting from scratch. Sometimes, that’s the best way to start anew.” His profile is etched in shades of gray by the dashboard’s glow.
And despite the wariness that still clings to me like a second shadow, I find myself believing him.
JD merges onto the highway and I whisper, “Goodbye, Texas.” My gaze is fixed on the road ahead, where the unknown lays draped in the velvet cloak of night. “Thank you.” The words slice through the silence like a knife. “For everything.”
“Nothing to thank me for,” JD replies, his eyes locked on the road. The orange glow of the dashboard paints his scar.
My fingers fiddle with the strap of the seatbelt. “I mean it, JD. You’re doing more than most would.”
He glances at me briefly, his face softening for a moment. “You’re not alone, Cheree Not anymore. And I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart, Grim is paying me.”
A laugh escapes me at his honesty, something I’m not familiar with.
JD nods, I can almost hear the cogs turning in his head, calculating, planning—maybe even understanding.
“New York won’t know what hit it,” he finally says, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
“Let’s hope not.”
We drive on, the hum of the engine a steady lullaby. My eyelids grow heavy, but sleep is a luxury I can’t afford—not yet. Instead, I watch JD, this man who’s become my unlikely savior, and wonder if I’ll ever stop looking over my shoulder.
“Get some rest,” he says softly, as if he’s read my mind. “I’ve got the first shift.”
“Okay,” I reply, even though I’m not sure I can.
I lean my head against the cool window, the world outside blurring into abstract shapes and colors, while inside, gratitude wars with suspicion.
As the miles fall away beneath us, I cling to the fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, the road ahead could lead to something more than just running. Maybe it could lead to living.
The Texas skyline shrinks behind us, swallowed up by the dark blanket of night. Streetlights flicker and fade like distant stars going out one by one. I keep my gaze fixed on that receding horizon in the side mirror, memorizing its silhouette—the last vestige of a life I’m desperate to shed.
“Never thought I’d be glad to see the back of that,” JD mutters beside me, his voice a gravelly echo in the confines of the car.
“Me neither.”
I press my hand against the glass, feeling the coolness seep into my skin. The vibration of the car traveling over uneven roads travels up my arm, a tangible reminder that this is real—this escape, this flight toward something akin to freedom.
JD nods once, and we fall into silence again. The only sound is the hypnotic thrum of tires against asphalt.
I steal a glance at JD. There’s a hardness to his profile, a determination etched into the lines of his face. He’s a man who has probably seen too much and I’m grateful to him as we barrel down the highway towards a city that never sleeps.
“New York is...big,” I say after a while, breaking the silence that had stretched between us. “Easy to get lost.”
“Isn’t that the point?” There’s a hint of something unreadable in his tone.
“Partly.” I hesitate, choosing my words with care. “But being lost isn’t the same as being invisible. It’s not just about blending in—it’s about finding a place where you actually belong.”
He doesn’t answer right away, and I wonder if I’ve said too much, revealed a vulnerability I should have kept hidden.
“Cheree,” JD starts, his voice almost gentle, “you don’t have to do this alone. You know that, right? There’s shelters and organizations willing to help a woman disappear.”
A lump forms in my throat, one I struggle to swallow down. “I know,” I whisper.
Trust doesn’t come easy, not anymore. Yet, here I am, trusting this man with my very life.
“Good.” He nods, more to himself than to me, and turns his attention back to the endless stretch of road.
