“I’d like to write my father a note, telling him I’ve run away,” Emily said, the words running together with how quickly she blurted it out.

I considered her warily, musing that the note could bode well for my mission. That is, if she didn’t write some hidden message or…well, honestly, she seemed too eager to get out to put either of us in jeopardy. If Randy Madden found a handwritten note from his daughter, explaining that she simply wanted to leave, it could make things that much easier.

“All right. I get to look over it and approve it first, though,” I said firmly.

She didn’t seem inclined to argue, simply tilting her head with a rather strange smile as she flipped open the photo album.

At first, I wasn’t sure what she was doing. When she removed a photograph of her father and herself at around age sixteen, it became clear. I almost felt bad for her father, knowing his story and what had driven him to a life of crime in the first place. Seeing his daughter’s final goodbye on the back of a photograph would likely break what remained of his heart.

I wasn’t going to argue with Emily’s method of making peace with things, either way.

Sitting on the bed, she grabbed a pen from her bedside table and carefully jotted down a note in fine and precise handwriting. I watched in silence, feeling as if I were intruding on a deeply personal moment. It wasn’t as if I could leave her alone in the room; she might try to make an escape of her own, or even worse, call her guards.

Emily seemed deeply saddened by the fact that she was leaving, but I knew she was happy as well. If I were reading the situation right, it seemed that she had been trying to find her own way out for some time.

I knew how difficult it had to be for the young woman, leaving behind everything she knew for a chance at freedom and a better life. While I wasn’t sure I could provide the freedom, I was certain she’d find a better life in the continental United States, out from under her father’s thumb.

“Do you mind if I read this out loud? I want to be sure it doesn’t sound too callous,” she asked nervously.

I nodded, my heart hurting for her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, looking over the note as if to confirm it was what she had intended to write. “I just…he’s my dad, and I know he’s done some bad things in his life, but I don’t want to leave him hanging, you know?”

“I understand…well, sort of. My parents and I never got along, exactly. But I can appreciate the sentiment all the same,” I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.

I knew it was probably the least inspiring pep talk of all time, but she seemed to accept it.

“Well, here goes,” she muttered.

“Dad, I want to start by apologizing. I know I’ve not been the best daughter in the world since Mom died, and I know I probably made you feel lesser more often than I intended. I want you to know that this isn’t because of what you’ve done, but more what I’ve not had a chance to do for myself.

I’m writing this to say goodbye. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I can only come to one conclusion: there’s a bigger and better world out there for me, somewhere. You’ve made a life for yourself, and since I was a kid, you’ve made a wonderful life for me. There have been bumps in the road, I’ll admit, but I never stopped loving or appreciating you. I never will.

Please, don’t come looking for me. I promise you that where I’m going, I will be safe. I’ve learned a lot from you, and I know that I’ll be able to survive, no matter what. I’ll visit when I can, but for now, I just need the time to forge my own path.

Dad, I hope you know that Mom would have wanted me to live my own life, to make my way in the world. You’ve done her memory justice by taking care of me for so long, but now, it’s my turn to take the reins.

I love you dearly, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Moreover, I hope you can respect my decision. Your little girl always, Emily,” she finished, tears streaming down her cheeks by the time she’d gotten to the end.

I hesitated, not quite sure what to say. It was a good note as far as my mission was concerned—it didn’t mention her kidnapping. He would have no reason to believe he was in danger.

Unable to help myself, I held my arms open to the young woman. She pounced on the opportunity, pressing her face against my chest and weeping openly. I stroked a hand through her hair in an effort to soothe her, and slowly but surely, she seemed to calm down. After several moments, she drew away to look up at me.

“You all right, kid?” I asked gently.

She laughed softly, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

“Nervous to start a new chapter. I just hope he doesn’t blame himself,” she said quietly.

I nodded, guiding her into taking calming breaths. After a short time, she was breathing normally, her eyes looking weary.

“We should probably get going. I came in through the window, but I don’t think that will work for getting you out of here. We’re going to go to the side exit on the ground floor, and pray to whatever powers that be that we don’t get caught,” I said, feeling confident in spite of the danger of the situation.

Emily seemed unconcerned, guiding me through the apartment to the door.

“Is there anything else you want to grab?” I asked, giving pause as I touched the doorknob.

She seemed to consider the question, looking back into the apartment with a melancholy smile.

“I think it’s best to start anew. All of this stuff…they’re just things. They can be replaced. I’m ready to make some new memories in a new home,” she said, smiling.

I couldn’t help but match her expression, reaching out to brush her hair behind her ear.

“All right. One new chapter, coming up,” I said firmly.

Without further hesitation, I pushed open the door. Peeking out, I was surprised that there seemed to be no guards on the upper level, but I mused that they must have been enjoying another smoke break.

Holding Emily close to my side, we navigated the stairs carefully, not wanting to get caught in a long elevator ride with one of her guards. She assured me that they would never take the stairs if they could avoid it, and I was inclined to believe her. Strong as they may have looked, the guards all seemed a bit on the hefty side.

We descended in near silence, almost reaching the ground floor when the doorway to the stairwell burst open. Emily gasped in shock, and I immediately recognized the bodyguard named Tito. Thinking quickly, I turned around, pressing Emily to the wall and pressing our lips together.

She went still, not resisting me, but clearly surprised. I reached down to give her round ass a little pinch and she gasped into my mouth, wrapping her arms around me. The bodyguard whistled as he passed, chuckling under his breath as he went upstairs.

“Ah, to be young and in love,” he mused aloud, and I held Emily in place for a moment longer until I was sure the guy was out of earshot.

I drew away, noting the slight flush of her cheeks and the way her lips were parted.

“You act like you’ve never been kissed before,” I teased, trying to break the tension.

She only reddened deeper, and I stared inquisitively at her.

“That was…that is…I never have been kissed before,” she managed.

All at once, I felt simultaneously pleased and guilty. I hadn’t meant to take her first kiss from her, but perhaps down the line we could do a bit more than kissing.

“Oh. Well, come on. We’re almost out of here,” I instructed, eager to leave the situation behind.

She hesitated, pressing her fingertips to her lips and giggling airily.

“So soft,” she whispered, almost too quietly for me to hear.

I felt somewhat smug as I took her by the arm, guiding her the rest of the way out of the building. We slipped outside, fortunate enough to find no guards waiting at the back entrance. Deciding to take the back way to my car, I led her away from the apartment complex, ducking behind some bushes and dashing out of sight as soon as possible.

“That was a close one,” I breathed, releasing her arm.

At that point, it seemed a given that she would just trail behind me. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to go, and I was her ticket out of her gilded cage. She jogged to keep up with me, her cheeks still a pleasant shade of pink as she glanced towards me with a curious expression.

“That was the only diversion you could think of?” she asked innocently, and I barely managed to keep myself from smirking.

“The best one I could put together on short notice,” I replied, guiding her through the back alleyways until we reached my unmarked SUV.

I unlocked it manually, not wanting the horn to alert anyone to our presence. Opening the passenger door, I helped Emily step up into the car. She settled into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt as I quietly and slowly closed her door.

I swore my heart would burst free from my chest at any given moment. Though Emily was an attractive girl, I’d not expected to get such a rush from feeling her lips against my own. It was enough to kiss the girl, but to find out that I was her first and only kiss? It lit a fire inside me that I had never felt before, one that I wasn’t quite sure how to cope with.

Deciding to play it cool, I breathed slowly before edging into the driver’s seat. She smiled a radiant smile as I got in the car, and my heart began to hammer away once more. I managed a confident smirk in turn, starting the ignition.

It should have been smooth sailing from there. ‘Should have’ being the operative words.