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With only a few minutes to spare before I must return back to The Red, I grab my things and head next door.
Miri answers quietly. She’s already in her pajamas, her huge curls hidden beneath a pink bonnet. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to wake her.”
I step inside her quiet place, a mirror image of mine. “It will be better if she sleeps.”
My beautiful girl is on the couch, a quilt drawn up to her chin. I peer down at her sleeping face, so peaceful and sweet it hurts. Normally, when I come in at around eleven, I wake her with kisses on her lids. Then I wrap my arm around her and guide her to our apartment, where I tuck her in and snuggle with her until she falls asleep again.
Tonight, however, she’ll spend the entire night here.
“It will upset her.” I fight the urge to graze her cheek with the back of my hand. “And she has a math test tomorrow. She needs her sleep. Have her call me as soon as she’s up.”
“I will. I’ll take good care of her. Don’t worry about anything.”
Placing a kiss on my fingertips, I very lightly touch my little girl’s hair. “I love you so much, Lola.”
Miri and I walk outside. She closes the door gently behind us to make sure neither Lola or her son are woken by us.
“I still think you should call the police, Andie. Not the Vegas police. Someone out of their jurisdiction that might be able to help.”
“The problem is, I don’t know how powerful Gavin Alexander is, Miri. What if he has friends everywhere? What if I trust the wrong people?”
She shakes her head. “Fucked up shit always happens to us. I’m so sick of it.”
“It’s because of where we live. When this is over, I want to leave.”
A sarcastic snicker escapes her. “How? Neither one of us has enough saved to move. Besides, where the hell would we go?”
I gnaw on my lower lip as the idea I’ve given up on so many times suddenly seems possible. “North Carolina. There’s a small town on the coast called Morehead City. It’s where I was born,” I add when she frowns. “Every once in while I’ll look it up. Miri, it’s the perfect place to raise our kids. Near the beach, humble, innocent. Not as expensive as it is here.”
“It all sounds great, but again, I ask, how?”
“The money I stole… There’s at least twenty thousand in there.”
She purses her lips. “You’re in this mess because you stole from Mr. Alexander.”
“Except it wouldn’t be stealing this time. He told me I could use that money to pay for Lola’s care or anything else I need. He has no idea about childcare costs. I could just say it was really expensive.” I grab hold of her shoulders. “Miri, this could be our chance to get the fuck out and have enough to start over.”
“You’d take me with you?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
She glances toward the door, then shifts her attention to the city she’s been stuck in since her deadbeat boyfriend threw her and their son on the street. “I just hope you’re right about the money. Otherwise, it will be a long time before you return to North Carolina.”
I sigh and nod. If I’m right about the money, our lives could change for the better.
If I’m wrong, it won’t just be a long time before I return to North Carolina.
It will be a long time before I’m free.
* * *
When we return, Nick pulls into a garage on the side of the building. I’d seen the gated entrance every time I came to work and wondered about it. I assumed it was for Gavin’s personal use, and was correct.
Earlier, Nick picked me up from the employee garage at the back. But this time, he’s dropping me off directly at Gavin’s front door. Sort of.
Inside the garage there’s a collection of expensive sport cars— Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati. At the far end, I spot the one Gavin usually drives, a red Lamborghini Aventador.
I once commented to Miri that he seemed too big of a man to fit in such a small car.
