RULES FOR DISAPPEARING
BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Avoid conflict at all costs. Even if that means letting some bitchy cheerleader get the best of you.
TEENY heads straight to the kitchen when we get to Pearl’s. It feels really good to be back. Grabbing a phone book and the cordless phone, I pick a booth close to the front. It’s pretty dead this early in the afternoon, so I figure I have a little time to start putting my plan together before we get too busy.
How will I get to Scottsdale? Car, bus, or plane? I call the bus station and the airport to find out how much a ticket back home will be, and how long it will take to get there.
Okay, first problem: no airport or bus station in Natchitoches. I have to get to Shreveport. And then I would have to get back here from Shreveport if, I mean when, I recovered the ledgers.
Second problem: Greyhound doesn’t require an ID to buy a ticket, but the airlines do. Showing an ID is the sticky part. I don’t have a driver’s license, but I do have a state-issued ID in Avery Preston’s name. I told the suits I lost it when they yanked us out of Florida. I’m a little nervous about using the ID even though a plane would be tons faster. Do the airlines run the name and ID through some system? Will it flag someone in the marshal’s office?
It’ll take forever to get there by bus. More than a day. I drum my pen on the table and go through my options. I don’t have a car. I can’t take the station wagon because I have no intention of telling my parents what I’m doing. I hoped to leave on Friday and possibly be back by Monday with ledgers in hand. This is a very ambitious plan, but it’s balls to the wall time.
Pearl spots me in the booth when she comes out of the kitchen. I give a ridiculous little wave, and she scrunches her forehead. I’m sure she’s wondering why I’m sitting here. She finally walks back to the kitchen.
Third problem: Either by bus or plane, a ticket round trip is over three hundred dollars. I have maybe a hundred and twenty-five in my bag—that includes the paycheck Pearl just gave me. I’m really regretting the splurge on that jacket. I can get some money from Dad, and maybe ask Pearl for an advance on my next check. That won’t leave much for when I’m there. I could call Elle or Laura once I get there, but that is a last resort.
Fourth problem: This plan doesn’t even take into consideration what I need to do when I actually make it to the Price house. It’s not like I can walk up and ring the doorbell. Mr. Price was remarried—would his wife still be living in the house her husband and stepson were killed in?
I drop my head on the table. Every time I think about Brandon and the fact that he’s dead, it hurts. Moments later someone slides in the booth in front of me. It’s Catherine.
“So, I’m dying to know if Ethan’s jaw dropped when he saw you. Dish. I want to know everything.”
“Nothing. He hardly looked at me today.”
“This is bullshit—y’all belong together.” Catherine rubs her hands together and smiles. “We’ll figure out a way to work this out. We just need a plan.”
She’s got no idea.
Catherine claps her hands quickly. “And then we can all go to the ball together.”
“I don’t know about that. He’s pretty pissed off at me.” I cringe. I may not even be here next week, much less by the time the ball comes around. And then a lightbulb goes off. “Catherine, do you ever go shopping in Shreveport? Maybe we could cut out early on Friday and have a girls’ day.”
“Only if we look at dresses, too. I have complete faith y’all will work it out!”
She seems really excited, and we make plans. If there’s somewhere we can shop close to downtown, I can get to the bus station. I don’t know if I’m gutsy enough to use the ID at the airport. I’ll have to tell Catherine something before I ditch her, so she doesn’t have the police out looking for me, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I hate doing this to her, but if everything does work out, I can make it up to her later.
Okay, so I have half of problem one sort of worked out. This is going to take a miracle.
Catherine leaves once customers start walking in. Luckily, a steady stream of business keeps me from obsessing over everything that I haven’t figured out yet.
In the front dining area, I spot Teeny cleaning up a table, unaware of the group of businessmen headed her direction. God, she’s been so skittish lately—I hope she doesn’t freak when she sees them. She picks up her rag and the cleaning spray bottle, takes one look at the businessmen, all dressed in dark suits and overcoats, and runs out of the back of the store, crying.
Shit. I knew it! She must have thought they were here for her instead of just looking for a place to sit.
Pearl sticks her head out of the kitchen. “What in the world was that?”
I’m in a panic. Teeny is gone, and I need to go get her. I’ve got a fistful of money from one customer and another couple waiting to place their order. I clear the line in front of me as quickly as I can, then call to Pearl as I run and push open the back door. “I’m sorry, Pearl. Mary ran away; I’ve got to find her.”
“Of course, girlie. Go,” she says, concern etched all over her face.
The cold air slams into me. The alley behind Pearl’s is empty, and I listen for a moment for Teeny’s footsteps, or crying, or anything, but there’s nothing. She’s only had a few minutes’ head start—she’s got to be close.
Picking a direction at random, I run toward Front Street. It’s dark and cold. And I’m really scared for Teeny right now.
I cover almost all the streets near the river, calling her name. By the time Ethan’s truck turns the corner, I can’t stop myself from running to it.
“Mary’s gone! She ran out of Pearl’s and I can’t find her. She doesn’t have her coat.”
I don’t realize I’m crying until Ethan brushes a few tears from my cheek. “We’ll find her. Hop in.”
We cover some of the same ground; I don’t know what else to do.
“You don’t think she went home?” Ethan asks.
“No.” If she thinks those men were agents and she ran from them, there’s no way she’d go to the cottage.
“What happened?”
Deep breath. “She got scared. You know things didn’t end well for us in Florida. She got upset over something tonight and ran.”
Ethan doesn’t ask any more questions, and we continue to zigzag through downtown, yelling her name from the windows.
“There she is!” Ethan yells, then pulls off the street.
Teeny is down by the river, sitting in an empty canoe that’s been pulled up on the bank. I don’t know how Ethan spotted her; all you can see is the top of her head poking out.
I run to the canoe and pull her out, crushing her in a hug. “Why did you run away? You had me worried to death.”
Ethan keeps his distance, and I’m thankful. I need to talk to her without worrying about what he’ll hear.
She’s shaking and buries herself in my arms. “I saw those men and I thought they would take us away.” Her teeth are chattering, so I wrap my coat around her. “You and Mama have been so weird. I thought something bad was happening. I don’t want to leave. I like it here,” she says.
I drop to the ground and hold her tight, rocking back and forth. I don’t know how long we sit here, but Teeny cries it all out, then falls asleep in my arms.
Ethan wanders over and sits down beside me.
“Is she okay?”
I nod and stroke Teeny’s hair. “It’s just been really hard for her lately.” I move my hand to his and squeeze. “Thank you so much for helping me tonight. I don’t deserve it.”
He lets out a strained laugh and says, “Maybe not, but you know how much I like Mary.”
Being with him here, down by the river, makes me ache for the way things were before. It’s still not safe for him to be with me, but there are only a few days left before this is over—one way or another. And I’m about to be the most selfish person on Earth, because I want him in my life—even if it’s just for a little while.
“I’m sorry, Ethan.”
Ethan nods and looks down.
I drop my hand from his. “You know I’m not Meg Jones. There are things going on with…my family. Hopefully, very soon I can tell you everything about me. Until then—could you just bear with me? I really want to be your friend.”
“Friend? That’s it?”
I dare to smile. “I’d actually like to be more than your friend, but I’m afraid to test my luck with you right now.”
Ethan scoots in close. “I get it. You’ve got things going on—things I can’t understand—but you have to stop pushing me away. And let me know if you need help. I had to hear about Mary tonight from Pearl.”
I squeeze my eyes tight and open them again. “Yes, but no questions about my family. Or anything crazy we may do.”
“Okay. So are you gonna get that panicked look when I suggest we go somewhere, like my house?”
I shake my head. “No, but I’m terrified of your sister.”
Ethan laughs. “She’s all bark, no bite.”
He leans in, and I can feel what’s coming. He braces himself on his hands, hovering over Teeny’s sleeping form, and kisses me softly. It’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had.
I struggle with the last thing I want to say to him. It’s important I get it right. “If there is ever a time when you are really…confused, I want you to know it’s out of my control.”
“I’ve been confused since the day I met you.”
It’s necessary he understands this. “You’ll know what I’m talking about when it happens.”
He hears the seriousness in my voice and edges closer to me. “You can tell me anything.”
I shake my head. “No, I can’t. Not right now. But it’s not because I don’t want to. I just can’t. And that has to be okay.”
He nods. “Okay. But I have a condition of my own. Loosen up. Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen.”
I smile. “I’ll try.” He’s asking a lot, but he’s right. The plan that’s ticking around in my head will either work or it won’t, but one way or another, this shit is about to end.
Teeny sits on the counter, legs swinging, and waits for Dad. She’s clung to me since we found her in that canoe last night, but the last few hours at Pearl’s seemed to have loosened her up.
“I don’t see why I can’t stay and ride home with you,” she says.
I finish writing up a to-go order and hand it to her to take to Pearl. “Because you didn’t do any of your homework yet. And Dad will want to see you before it’s time for bed.”
She hops off the counter and takes the slip of paper to Pearl. I’m so worried about her—one minute she seems fine, then the next she’s a total mess.
By the time Dad shows, Teeny is less pouty and seems okay with going home. It’s probably because Dad told her he picked up some Blue Bell ice cream, her favorite flavor, chocolate chunk, and it was waiting in the car for her.
Ethan comes in right before closing. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I feel silly. All I want to do is pull him across this counter and kiss him. “Are you hungry?”
His eyes linger on my face. “Starving.”
It’s been twenty-four hours since we declared peace. And it’s been nice, really nice. If I can go through with the plan to retrieve the ledgers just right, this is the last week I will live a lie. After this weekend, no matter what, Ethan will know who I really am and anything else he wants to know about me.
I call his usual back to Pearl while he glances around the room. “Can you come sit with me?”
“Yeah, let me close up back here.”
I finish with all the chores that have to be done before we close just as his pizza is ready. Most of the traffic this late is for to-go orders, so the dining area is deserted.
I bring Ethan’s pizza out. “Pearl says we can go as soon as you’re done.”
“Is Mary still here?”
I pinch a piece of crust off. “No, she left with Dad a little while ago.”
“Can you hang out, or do you have to go home?” Ethan says, shoving a piece of pizza into his mouth.
I lean against the booth. “I can stay out awhile. What do you have in mind?”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Wanna go back to my place?”
I giggle at his cheesy line and hit him with one of my own. “Why? Wanna make like a fabric softener and Snuggle?”
He falls back, laughing, then says, “If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?”
My cheeks get warm, and I rack my brain for another line. He’s smiling, dimples and all, and waiting for my comeback. Oh! Got it! I move in closer, trying hard for a serious expression, and say, “If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.”
He braces his hands on the table and is inches from my face, eyes twinkling, and asks, “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?”
Oh my God. I’m probably blushing to my hairline—my face is on fire. He puts a hand under my chin and pulls me in for a quick kiss, then says, “Let’s get out of here. We can hang out at my house. Watch a movie, whatever.”
It’s the way he says “whatever” that really gets my heart racing. Ethan packs up his barely eaten pizza while I call home to say I’ll be late. We’re both rushing to get out of here.
All the warm and fuzzy feelings evaporate when we pull away from Pearl’s and I spot a black Suburban in the side mirror. I don’t know if it’s the same one from the other night. Cars in Louisiana don’t have to have a license plate on the front, so I’ve yet to see a number. It stays behind us all the way to Ethan’s house but doesn’t seem to slow down—it just continues to drive down the street. I hate this! Is it real or all in my head?
I try to shake it off as we walk in the back door of Ethan’s house. His parents are sitting at the kitchen table, going over some paperwork. My palms sweat, but I resist the urge to dry them on my jeans. The last time I saw Mr. Landry I was lying on the ground in the middle of the woods. After being in school all day and then working all evening, I’m sure I look rough. Probably stink like pizza, too.
“Mom, this is Meg Jones. Meg, you know my dad.”
Ethan’s mom stands up quickly and walks toward us.
“Meg, so nice to meet you.” She holds her hand out to shake mine.
Mr. Landry shakes my hand after I finish with his wife’s. “Yes, Meg, nice to see you again. I hope you’ve recovered from the excitement the other evening.”
I force a laugh and say, “Yes, I’m much better.”
Mrs. Landry playfully slaps her husband’s arm. “Meg, you’re a real trouper for going out there with that group. I’ve been once and that was enough to last me a lifetime,” she says, her accent very soft and very Southern.
“We’re gonna go watch a movie, so we’ll see y’all later.” Ethan drags me through the back door of the kitchen as I mumble a good-bye. We follow a cobblestone path through the yard, which leads to a small building in the back, then walk up a set of stairs on the outside wall that leads to a single door. Inside is a large room. It has a bed against one side, a couch in the middle, and a ridiculously big flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. There are clothes everywhere, covering almost every surface.
“Sorry it’s so messy in here right now. I guess I should have cleaned up before I asked you to come over.”
“Do you live up here?” I turn around in the room and see another table against a wall that has a minifridge, a microwave, and a small coffeepot. There’s an open door on the other side of the table leading to the bathroom. How cool is this? It’s like Ethan has his own apartment.
“Yeah, my parents let me move up here at the beginning of the school year.”
He pulls me to the couch, and I sink down on it with him. I want him to kiss me again, but he looks down at the go-bag, which I dropped at my feet.
“Is your backpack one of those off-limits topics?”
I nod and change the subject. “Why do you and Ben hate each other now? Catherine told me a little about it, but I still don’t get it.”
We lay side by side with my head resting on his upper arm. “So, you get to ask me personal stuff, huh?”
“Yes, new rule: I can ask you anything, and you have to answer.” Teasing him, I poke him gently in the ribs.
He rubs his hand up and down my arm. “Everything got screwed up a few years ago. Our dads used to be partners, but they had a falling out. My dad wanted to update all the equipment, change the way some things are done—ya know—catch up to modern day. But Ben’s dad is old school. Doesn’t like change, so they decided to split ways. It was fine at first, until my dad partnered with Will’s dad. They feel the same way about that stuff, and it was a good fit. Plus, Will’s dad has the farm on the other side of us. Ben’s dad didn’t like that.”
“So this is why you and Ben fight?” It seems like the dads’ problem, not theirs.
“Things were weird at first, but it wasn’t until last summer that it got bad with Ben. His dad is about to go broke. He never had to handle the money or take care of any bills—my dad did all that stuff. He’ll probably have to sell his farm, and we’re the only ones around who could buy it. Ben blames us, says we cheated them. Says Dad split ways knowing this would happen and we would end up with their land.” He plays with my fingers.
“Where does Emma fit in with this?” I lock my fingers in his.
“She doesn’t believe Dad did anything wrong, but she also isn’t trying to convince Ben he’s wrong either. What sucks is we were so close before all this shit happened. I know she feels like she’s caught in the middle, but she could make things easier if she tried to talk to Ben about it.”
I brush a fat curl away from his eye. “My sister and I are close. It would suck if that changed.” I bite my lip, hesitating to take this close to home. “I have another question.”
Ethan turns his face to mine. “Shoot.”
“How far can you get from one of those collars you use for the bay dog and still have the GPS work?” I know this is out of the blue, but I couldn’t think of any way to randomly bring it up.
He leans back, looking at me funny. “Where’d that come from?”
I shrug. “Just curious. Been thinking about it.”
He looks up to the ceiling like he’s trying to figure it out. “I don’t know—maybe a mile and a half.”
I slump down in my seat. “That’s all?”
He looks at me with a confused expression. “Yeah, with those, but Dad’s got a tracker. You can stick it on anything and pull its location up on the computer.”
This perks me up. “From anywhere?”
“Pretty much. He has a bay dog that would damn near run to Texas looking for a hog. He’d get too far ahead of us, and we almost lost him once. Dad uses the tracker for him.”
“How long does the battery last?” I hope I’m making these questions seem somewhat conversational.
“Depends on what it’s set for. On demand recall, the battery could last maybe a week.”
This is the hard part. “Can I borrow it?”
He turns so we’re facing each other on the couch. “What’s this about? What’s going on?”
I lick my lips and take a deep breath. I want to bring the tracker with me. I really don’t have a death wish. I’m hoping if something goes wrong, Ethan can lead the suits to where I am. I’m going to have to involve him more than I want, and I hate that. “I want to find out where my mom goes during the day. She’s not going to work, and I think she’s drinking too much.”
Ethan runs a hand through my hair. “Sure. If you had a smart phone, I could download the app for you. Do you have a computer at home?”
I nod and answer, “Yes.” Another little lie. “Can anyone track it, or do I need something special?”
“You need the code for that transmitter. What are you gonna do, drop it in her purse?” he asks.
“Yeah. Or her coat pocket.”
He runs his thumb over my lip. “Tell me one thing about you. Just one thing I don’t already know.”
I want to tell him something real, not something written on the sheet I’ve got in the safe house.
“I have a small tattoo on my left shoulder. It’s tiny.”
Ethan wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, you know I have to see it now.”
I roll over on my side and he pulls my shirt down to expose my shoulder, uncovering a small, single daisy on a stem. This makes the list as one of those things the suits don’t want me to share with anyone else, because it’s an “identifying marker.”
Well, screw them.
“Why did you pick that flower? Does it mean something?”
“The daisy? Not really. Back home, a bunch of my friends and I decided to get tattoos. I was really kinda hoping everyone would chicken out, but they didn’t. There was a huge board with thousands of designs to pick from. It was almost more than I could take in. But my eye kept coming back to this little daisy. It was so small and cute and was surrounded by all of these other really weird things. I don’t know, I just liked it.”
Ethan leans down and kisses the daisy. Then moves up from my shoulder and kisses the curve of my neck. Then moves a little higher to the underside of my jaw.
Every time his lips touch my skin, chills rise through me. We haven’t kissed, really kissed, since that night in the woods on the ATV. The anticipation is killing me. By the time we’re face to face, I don’t know who moves in first, but we’re fused together, his hands in my hair, my hands curled around his back, and it feels good. Really good.
With him, like this, I hate all the secrets. I pull away, and we stare at each other. I am going to tell him. Everything.
I open my mouth, ready to spill it all, when the door to his room flies open. We’re both startled, and I would have fallen off the couch if Ethan hadn’t had his arm around my waist. Archenemy is standing in the doorway.
“I was hoping like hell it wasn’t her when Mom said you had a girl up here. I mean, my God. She’s friggin’ everywhere I go now.” Emma has both hands on her hips, fuming.
Ethan jumps up from the couch and walks slowly to the door. Emma starts backing up, tripping over clothes on the floor. When he gets to the door, he doesn’t say a word—just slams it shut in her face. He stares at the door for a moment before turning back to me.
“I’m sorry my sister is such a pain in the ass.”
“It’s fine. I’m an easy target.” I stand up, grabbing my go-bag. “If you think she’s left already, could you go ahead and take me home?”
Ethan puts his arms around me. “I’m really sorry.”
“I know—we can’t help how our family acts.” How well I do know this. “She’s not the only reason I need to go, but it’s late and I have to start all over tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”
The truth is I’m glad Emma busted into the room. I was seconds from telling Ethan everything, and that would have been the stupidest thing I could have done.
He grabs my go-bag and we head out of his room.