Wednesday, November 1
Shock.
When my alarm clock goes off at five in the morning, I actually don’t mind. Not today. Because today, I am back in Miami. I know when I go outside it’s going to be in the upper 70’s, or maybe even the 80’s. I will not need a hoodie or a jacket.
Sander isn’t in the room. Knowing him, he’s already run ten miles today. I get out of bed and quickly get dressed, knowing he’ll be waiting for me when I get done. I pull my hair into a messy bun, not wanting to leave it down when I’m running. And I put on a pair of black yoga pants and a black tank.
When I walk out of the bathroom, Sander is waiting in the room with Hunter, meaning they’re probably going to make me run a long way today.
“You ready?” Sander asks.
“Yeah,” I say, then look at Hunter. “You’re coming with us today?”
“More protection,” he says.
Protection?
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
“No,” Sander says at the exact same time that Hunter says, “Possibly.”
I look between the two of them.
“We lost contact with somebody on the inside,” Sander says. “We don’t know what it means yet, but we’re taking precautions. There is no need to be alarmed about it.”
No need to be alarmed, yet we’re running with Hunter.
The door to the room opens and Jaxon sticks his head inside. “Are you guys coming or what?”
Jaxon is coming with us on our run, too? Something really must be up, or else they wouldn’t be running with us.
Something I have found out about running is that people like to run at different paces and I think Jax and Hunter get annoyed with how slow I run—not that I run that slow. I run an eight-and-a-half-minute mile while they do it in seven minutes. Maybe someday I will build up to that, but I’m happy with my eight and a half minutes right now, especially because when I first started running, it took me ten minutes.
“We’re coming,” Hunter says, and starts walking towards the door.
Sander looks at me, I guess waiting to see if I’m going to freak out. I’m not. I’m just happy they’re including me in this conversation, though I don’t think Sander did it by choice. Still, I’m strong. I can handle whatever comes my way.
Together, the four of us head down the stairs, skipping the elevator. These guys really like taking the stairs, despite the fact that we’re thirty-something floors up. I think they’re crazy.
“Why can’t you guys take the elevators like a normal person?” I ask, as we walk down.
Walking down isn’t the hard part. It’s the walking up that gets me.
Hunter lifts his shirt. “Normal people don’t have abs like this.”
I roll my eyes.
Okay, Hunter does have nice abs, but I would never admit that to him.
“Stairs don’t give you abs,” I say, pointing out the obvious.
“My legs are nice too,” he says.
Once again, I roll my eyes.
When I first met Hunter, I thought he was conceited. And maybe he acts that way sometimes, but I think it’s just that—an act. He’s actually a nice guy. And if anybody has bragging rights when it comes to their body, it’s definitely these guys. Though, I’m personally more attracted to Sander.
“Hunter, I’m not sure there is enough room for us and your ego in this stairwell,” Jaxon says.
I laugh.
Jaxon said what we all wanted to.
“I feel so unloved,” Hunter says, as we finally reach the bottom.
Seriously, if I never see another staircase in my life after we leave here, I’ll be happy. They even take the stairs after their run. Like, no thanks.
As we walk into the lobby of the hotel, Sander comes to a stop, so I stop with him. He’s looking at something, so I try to see what he sees. That’s when I see the figures standing near the reception desk.
Uncle Matty and Jake?
I mean, Uncle Matty has bags under his eyes, like he hasn’t slept in days, and Jake doesn’t look much better, but it’s definitely them.
The last time I saw them, was before I got kidnapped. The reason I couldn’t be around them anymore is because Sander didn’t know who the leak was. What if it was them?
No, it can’t be. I trust them.
Still, why are they here?
They spot us and start walking our way. Sander starts walking again, and the four of us meet the two of them half way.
I have so many questions, but I know that right now isn’t the right time to ask.
“Our team knows,” Uncle Matty says, looking at Sander. “You need to get out of here. There isn’t anybody in the immediate area, but it won’t take them long to get here.”
Sander nods at him, then grabs onto my arm, pulling me away from them. Hunter and Jaxon both run with us, out the front of the hotel. I have no idea what’s going on, but within thirty seconds, I am in the backseat of the black SUV and we are driving towards the interstate, away from the hotel.
Where are we going?
And what about my stuff?
But I still can’t bring myself to ask any questions. I think I’m in complete shock.
I look behind, watching as the hotel gets smaller and smaller. I wait for somebody to say something—to explain what’s going on, but all three guys are completely silent.
I start to ask a question, but where do I even start? I’m still in complete shock. I never thought I’d get to see Uncle Matty and Jake again, yet there they were in the hotel lobby. And what did Uncle Matty mean by their team knows? I’m so confused.
It’s not until we pull out onto the interstate, headed north, that I finally get my mouth to start working.
“I have so many questions,” I say, then look at Sander. “Can you explain?”
He sighs. “There is a leak in Matthew and Jake’s division. I know it wasn’t them. I knew almost immediately that it wasn’t them. But I also knew that I needed somebody I could trust on the inside. So, they’re in there, trying to find the leak. Also, they’re helping me keep your location a secret. Apparently, somebody found out you were in Miami and they came to warn us.”
“And a phone call wasn’t good enough?” I ask.
“We don’t do calls,” Sander says. “It’s too easy to trace.”
Okay, that makes sense.
“Uncle Matty and Jake are really innocent?” I ask.
He nods.
I’m relieved. I didn’t think they were capable of doing something like that, but knowing for certain makes me feel better.
“What about my stuff?” I ask. “I don’t have any of my clothes.”
“We’ll get you more clothes where we’re going,” Sander says.
I motion towards my workout clothes. “If we’re going anywhere cold, I’m going to need more than a tank top.”
He reaches into the back and throws a hoodie at me. It’s better than just a tank top.
“Thanks,” I say. “So... what is happening now?”
“We’re going to have to go somewhere else and hope our location doesn’t get leaked,” he says. “We’ll probably be switching cars again, soon. And then we’ll head to our next location.”
“And where is our next location?” I ask, crossing my fingers that it’s somewhere warm—like Hawaii. But if we were going there, we wouldn’t need a new car. We’d just get on a plane.
“New York City,” Sander answers. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”
“About nineteen hours,” Hunter says, pointing at the GPS on the dashboard.
Oh, my goodness.
“We should get there about midnight,” Sander says. “That’s not too bad.”
Not too bad?
“We’re driving all day and into the night?” I ask, knowing we stopped half way between on our trips to and from Wisconsin. It’s nice to get a break when we’re driving this much.
“We want to get to a safe location as quickly as we possibly can,” he says.
Ah, that makes sense.
Still, it sucks to be in the stupid car again.
“This is our third consecutive day in the car,” I say. “You know there are perfectly good airplanes we could use.”
“And rid you of the joy of being in a car with me for nineteen hours?” Hunter says.
“You’re lucky you’re not sitting back here with me, because I would’ve pushed you out of the car a long time ago,” I say.
“I’ll stop the car so he can get back there,” Jax says. “If you really want to push him out, I mean.”
I laugh.
“I’m kind of sad,” Hunter says. “I really liked Miami.”
Me, too.
“New York isn’t so bad, though,” I say. I mean, things could definitely be worse than spending some time in New York City.
I haven’t been to New York in a while. We went there a couple of summers ago—I think I was fifteen and still had braces last time I went, but I still love the city. I’m only sad Charlie isn’t here with me this time.
I turn to look at Sander. “How long do you think we’ll be there?”
“Hard to know,” he answers. “Either until we figure this out or until we are found again.”
“How did they even find us?” I ask.
“Do you remember why I first came to East Raven Academy?”
I nod. “Ah, because of the reward. So, somebody recognized me and called them and told them where I was?”
“I assume that’s what happened,” Sander says. “Which is why this is important—no matter who approaches you, unless it’s me, Hunter or Jaxon, don’t go with them. Even if they’re CIA, Secret Service, or FBI. You can’t trust anybody right now.”
“Not even Uncle Matty and Jake?” I ask.
“I trust them, but I don’t trust the people they work for,” he says.
Right.
This is all so complicated.
“When we’re in New York, we’re going to have to keep her hidden away more,” Jaxon says.
I groan. “No, please. I can’t go back to being a prisoner again.”
“Not a prisoner,” Sander says. “I promise. We will just be more careful.”
I nod.
I can do careful, as long as it means I’m not stuck inside a hotel room for the next few weeks. Now that I’ve tasted freedom again, I can’t let things go back to the way they were at East Raven.
I’m exhausted, until I see the lights from the city. I’m not a huge fan of large cities. Even though I live in LA, I think I would prefer a quieter life—some small town on the beach. But there is just something about New York City that is so magical and beautiful.
It’s just after one o’clock in the morning. Sander started driving at around nine o’clock, just to give Hunter and Jaxon a break. I’ve been up from with him while Hunter and Jax sleep in the back. I’m exhausted, but I’ve stayed awake, talking to Sander just to try and help him stay awake.
I like talking to Sander. I find that we never run out of things to talk about. We just talk about things we’re excited about in the future and what we want from life. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that we both want pretty similar stuff, but I am. Sander and I have so much in common, it’s crazy.
For example, we both want to travel the world. He’s already seen so much because of his job, but there are a lot of places he hasn’t been. And there are places he says he wants to take me, which I love.
Sometimes, I think Sander is really out of my league, but he says the same thing about me. Maybe he sees something in me that I don’t see. But I promise myself that I am going to be more confident in myself from now on.
As we drive through the city, I keep expecting him to pull into a motel, but he doesn’t. Instead, we drive to a part of the city that is more residential.
Eventually, Sander parks the car on the street.
“What are we doing?” I ask.
“We’re staying here,” he says. “I am kind of sick of hotels. I figured a safe house would be better.”
He’s right. Very, very right. The hotels we’ve stayed at have been nice, don’t get me wrong, but I hate staying in them. I’d much rather be in a home setting. It’ll feel less like a vacation.
We get out of the car and I’ve never been so happy about stretching my legs. I seriously have the worst cramp in my butt from sitting on it for so long. The back doors open and Hunter and Jaxon get out as well. Since we didn’t bring any luggage with us, we walk up the concrete stairs to go inside the brick building.
The building looks like it used to be a business a long time ago, but it’s been converted into a loft-style home and it is gorgeous. I’m too tired to really look around tonight, but I’m excited to explore this place more, later.
“Your room is upstairs,” Sander tells me.
I nod, then head for the stairs. I’m so exhausted.
I wonder if Sander is coming with me. I’ve grown used to sleeping with him at night and I like having him there. I sleep so much better when we’re cuddling, but I’m also too scared to really bring it up in front of Hunter and Jaxon. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t think it’s a big deal, but in my head, I’ve made it out to be a much bigger deal than it probably is.
Upstairs, I walk into the bedroom, kick off my tennis shoes and fall face first onto the bed. I’m still wearing my yoga pants and also the hoodie Sander gave me earlier. I kind of feel gross from being in the car all day and want a shower, but I really want sleep more. Without even pulling covers over myself, I pass out.