The End of Me

Page 22

 

  He called out of the room, "Take with you what you brought. None of the things I've bought for you. "

  I looked over at the door and sighed. I pulled off my t-shirt and slipped the sweatpants down my legs. I kicked them to the side. A noise behind me of choking, got my attention. I looked back and blushed, "Sorry, Steve. "

  He waved me off and gulped back some coffee to wash down whatever he was choking on.

  "Thanks for the fun!" I shouted and bolted for the door. I held my wobbly bits and ran past the guards, flinging open the door to the stairs. I had a clutch and a hair elastic and my own hands for coverage. I sprinted down a flight and opened the door to the next floor. I closed it and tiptoed down the next flight. Just in case they were following me, they would think I’d left. I slowly opened the door on the lower floor and knocked on the first door I found.

  An elderly lady answered and jumped back.

  I blushed, covering my pubis and breasts, "My robe got stuck in my door. My kids are laughing and won't open it. "

  She started to snicker and opened the door for me, “Little brats!”

  I stepped inside and closed it, still covering myself. She passed me the robe from her door. I pulled it on and shook my head, "Little brats is right. "

  She laughed, "Oh my. I bet they'll have sore bottoms. "

  I nodded, "Sure will. Do you mind if I call the front desk from your phone?"

  She shook her head and laughed, "Lord no. Use the one in the bathroom. "

  I slipped in and dialed 9-1-1 on the phone I pulled from my clutch.

  The FaceTime screen came up. "Where are you?" The young man spoke while sipping something looking like Starbucks. I put my fingers to my lips.

  I winked, "My kids locked me out of the room, floor 17, room 1723. "

  He nodded and was gone. The code was what we had agreed on, when I left the car in the parking lot of the Boston airport. It meant I was in severe shit and needed an evac immediately. It meant there would be a car waiting at the front door. I would have to find a way to make it there, without being spotted and taken back to the room, or worse.

  I slipped the phone back in and thanked her. She chuckled again and walked me out. I ran along the hall to the other set of stairs. I opened them and sprinted down. My bare feet were nearly silent at first, but the flights started to get unbearable. I opened up a door on the tenth floor and ran across the hall. I pressed the elevator button, but ran for the stairs on the other side. I opened the door and ran down the next two fights. I opened the door to the eighth floor and ran for the elevator button. I pressed it and waited. It came almost immediately. When it opened, a young couple of plastic-looking people gave me a confused look. I wrapped the robe tighter and jumped in. I pressed the main floor button, and the second and third floor buttons. I gave them a weak look, "My kid got away on me. Made a run for it while I was in the shower. He's playing in the stairwell around the second floor. "

  They both smiled and nodded.

  I hated how fast my lying had come back. I was a master. Although I had to admit, it was much easier to lie when you had kids. There was so much more to lie about at thirty-six than there was at twenty-four.

  When we landed on the third floor, I jumped out and ran for the same exit I had been in. I pulled the door and ran down the last two flights. I kept going the last flight to the parkade and dialed 9-1-1 on the phone.

  "Parking garage, top floor!" I shouted and opened the steel door at the bottom of the stairs, as I pressed the button off on the phone. I ran across the parkade in the robe. My feet were officially killing me, but the thundering heartbeat and sickening feeling in my stomach were pushing me forward.

  The slapping sound of my bare feet filled the garage, as I looked for the car that would be coming for me. A white car with black windows squealed around the corner. Relief and excitement filled me instantly, as I saw his face.

  "Evie!" I looked back at the stairwell door as I ran for the car. Servario was huffing at the big door. He shook his head, "What are you doing?"

  I turned and walked backwards for the car, blocking the view of Coop. "You said I was free. "

  He laughed and shook his head, "Yeah, but I also said you had to leave naked. I didn’t think you would. " He let go of the door and walked toward me. His pants were done up and belted, but his shirt was ruffled. He had thrown on his clothes in a panic.

  I shook my head, "Guess you don’t know me very well. "

  I continued to take steps backwards. I heard the car door open. I prayed he wasn’t stupid enough to get out and anger Servario. Seeing a young attractive man picking me up might make him slightly angry. Or psychotic. I wasn’t sure which it was.

  "You can't leave. I own you. " he smirked and I could see the look in his eyes. He knew he didn’t. I had won the game of 'Who framed Evie Evans'. He had nothing on me but my finances.

  I shook my head, "You don’t. I know where my kids and mom are and you have nothing on me for the heart attack he had. Keep the money. "

  His smile turned dangerous; I was poking the bear who liked to do the poking. "I didn’t mean that kind of own. You knew that though. You're mine. You know that. "

  I shook my head, “I do know you don’t want to love me, or that'll end badly for us both. " I stopped when I felt the metal of the car stab me in the back.

  He looked like I had killed his dog, “Don’t leave. ”

  I grabbed the door and jumped in and he broke into a sprint. He punched the back of the car as Coop sped away. He blew through the gate to pay and skidded along the street, cutting off a wall of traffic. I screamed as trucks were coming for my door. He hit the gas, jerking me back and laughed. "Evie, what did you do to that mean terrorist?" He joked, "He looks crushed. "

  I felt sick. I had the strangest arms dealer hangover as we drove off.

  I looked over at Coop and smiled, "Thanks for coming. "

  He shook his head, "I’m gonna get my ass chewed for it, but whatever. You okay?"

  I nodded, "Yup. " I would be, after years of intensive therapy and the possible misuse of red wine and vodka.

  “He wanted me to kill a man named Derringer today. ”

  Coop frowned, “He’s an agent?”

  I shrugged, “Glad I ran then. ”

  Coop nodded and looked like he was processing.

  We drove to a safe house in Summerlin, just outside Vegas.

  “I don’t want to go to a safe house, but Luce and Jack are there. We’re going to be on the run after all this, if they don’t like that you ran away from Servario. ”

  I looked at him, “I had to. He wanted me to kill again and he… he was…” How did I explain what he was?

  "Want to talk about it?" Coop asked. I looked at him and noticed his knuckles were cut and bruised. I reached over and ran my fingertips across them, "What's that?"

  He smirked and gave me a look, "So no then?"

  I shook my head.

  He lifted his hand and straightened it, "That is a bar brawl, at a biker bar last night. "

  I frowned, "Why?"

  He shook his head slowly and kept his eyes on the road, "Just needed to blow off some steam. "

  I smirked back, "Teenage girls can rile you up like that. When you get older and date women, it gets easier, I promise. "

  His jaw clenched and he turned and gave me a stoic look, "It was a woman that caused this. "

  “If you say so. ” I rolled my eyes.

  He opened the garage and drove in slowly. He closed it before we got out.

  "Did he hurt you?" he asked.

  I shook my head, "No more than I hurt him. "

  He winced, "Did you…? Forget it. I don’t wanna know. " He made a weird face and climbed out of the car. He stormed inside, leaving me feeling conflicted. I wasn’t really sure what it was that we were about to discuss. Was he going to get angry because I said yes to everything, like h
e and my libido asked me to?

  I walked inside to see Luce smiling at me. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, "Leaves the Bellagio in a robe? You are going down in history, my friend. " She put her knuckles out for me. I patted them again, awkwardly. She laughed at me, “You are a crazy woman. ”

  I laughed, "A crazy woman who could go for a shower and some clothes, and maybe some oatmeal, or a protein shake. Are any of those things possible? Maybe some therapy?" I asked.

  She nodded and pointed at the kitchen to my right, "Fully stocked, except for the therapist. Jack, you remember Evie?"

  I looked into the kitchen to see the young man who was always on the phone. I smiled, but he gave me a look and nodded, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Evans. " He walked past me. I looked back at Luce. She shook her head and walked into the kitchen with me. She leaned against the counter as I rifled the cupboards for food, real food.

  "He's BFF's with Coop. He's pissy ‘cause Coop went scary psycho yesterday and got drunk and started a fight in a biker bar. "

  I noticed the tinge of blue under her eye and winced, "Because of me being on a mission?" I whispered back.

  She nodded, "We were all upset. We figured you would be in and out of the hotel. We didn’t get told you were staying there until the day after the fat man. After the first two days Coop went a little snaky. "

  I sighed, "Join the club. "

  She folded her arms, "We wanted to evac you two days ago but upstairs wouldn’t hear of it. Coop made the call and they said we were not to interfere. They were letting it ride. You were not to leave under any circumstances. Coop’s gonna make the call and tell them we had no choice. "

  I felt the horrified look creep across my face, "They risked me out like that? I don’t even work for them. "

  She nodded, "Coop was pissed. He went off; almost lost the mission to someone who could remain detached. You being there had no bearing on the mission. "

  I leaned on the counter, "They left me in there on purpose? They made me stay there for three days? It had no bearing on the mission? I don’t even understand why they made me do any of it. Servario doesn’t trust me, and he sure as shit doesn’t have anything on me. What was the fucking point?" My voice rose above a whisper.