I climbed out of the car and hauled the backpack onto my shoulders before retrieving the suitcase from the boot of the car. Only when I was organised did I open Axel’s door—if I got him out first, he’d run riot. I carefully undid his straps and picked him up, holding him on my hip as we stepped away from the car.
Frank wasted no time. As soon as we were a safe distance from the car, he put it in reverse and drove off. Just in case.
We couldn’t take the chance that we were not followed. Long, drawn-out goodbyes wouldn’t change anything. It would just make everything that much harder. If I heard from him soon, then my plan had been a disaster, and I was fucked. It was strange to hope that I never heard from one of the few friendly faces I currently knew, and one of the few people to have my back. But it was a sacrifice I had to make to ensure our safety.
“Well,” I said to Axel, rubbing my nose against his. “Are you ready to start our next big adventure?”
His response was to grab my face between his hands, giggling as he squeezed it tightly before kissing the tip of my nose.
I took that as a yes.
Chapter 5
Rachel
As it turned out, Axel didn’t want to walk even a single step. What should have been a ten-minute walk turned into a thirty-minute trek.
It wasn’t easy to carry him on my hip, as well as haul a suitcase behind us. All the while, my back was breaking from the backpack, and Axel was squealing and wiggling every time a car passed us. He clapped whenever he saw one, his cute, chubby arms smacking me in the face.
I was more than a little out of breath after the tenth car to catch his attention, and was cursing myself for not taking my post-birth exercises more seriously.
You’ve fucked it when he’s walking properly. He’ll be running rings around you.
My inner voice was as pleasant as always.
On the positive side of things, though, I hadn’t heard a word from Frank. Which meant it was quiet outside of Hayley’s and things were finally falling into place.
Evening was drawing in as we finally approached Hayley’s house. We were in April, and though the days were gettinglonger, the sun still set at around five. I had always enjoyed the long days of summer, but right now, I was thankful for the early fall of darkness. With my black wig and clothing, it was easier to blend into the background. Axel’s blonde hair stuck out like a beacon of light, but there were millions of blonde-haired children. That alone shouldn’t cause any suspicion.
The blonde hair alone won’t, but the panting woman hauling a suitcase and a backpack down the street just might!
I was not wrong. I could deny it all I wanted, but I looked like a panicked woman on the run. I had seen more than a few concerned glances from drivers, and I had quickly averted my eyes.
Which meant I needed to pick up the pace, no matter how much Axel protested at wanting to see the “brum-brums”.
As we rounded the corner to Hayley’s, Axel got a burst of energy, suddenly wanting to run to the house where he got all the cakes. His memories were few and far between, but he always remembered Hayley, the woman who overindulged his childish sweet tooth.
I set him down with a grin, holding his tiny hand in mine as he waddled on legs that were still slightly bowed, catching him as he stumbled. It took a further ten minutes to pass three houses to Hayley’s, but as we opened the garden gate, I let out a sigh of relief.
We had made it.
And there hadn’t been a fucking motorbike in sight! Praise be.
“Come here, you!” I beamed at Axel, scooping him back into my arms before knocking on the door and letting myself in.
“Hayley!” I called out, lifting Axel over the small step and setting him down. He immediately went into a crawl, knowing it was his fastest way of getting across the room, and giggled his delight at the thought of seeing his version of Willy Wonka.“Hayley, it’s me!” I shouted out. “Where are you? I hope it’s not at rock bottom like I am!”
“I’m in the kitchen,” she replied. My heart skipped a beat when I heard her response. For an awful second, hearing nothing but silence had me thinking the worst. But her voice had a wave of relief flooding through me.
“Thank you so much for this,” I called back, shrugging the backpack off my shoulders, resting it against the door belonging to the cupboard under the stairs. “If you get that kettle on, I’ll tell you everything. It’s been a day and a fucking half,” I laughed, kicking my shoes off before I went into the front room.
“Hay—” I began when there was no response.
But my words were cut short.
Because Hayley was not alone.
My heart leapt into my throat, my lungs becoming painful as I struggled to release my breath. It was like a vice had wrapped around my throat, cutting off my breathing as fear snaked its way around me. All I could do was watch as the scene unfolded.
