She wasn’t stupid, though. Before she kicked the device that had been her best friend underneath the bench where she’d taken a seat, she’d removed her SIM and SD cards and pocketed them. There was no way she was going to lose any of her info or pictures she’d amassed of Tabbi and their parents.No way.
Did she feel jittery and uneasy after that without her ever-present phone?Absolutely. But her logical brain had, thank goodness, overridden her twitchiness, because research confirmed that the simplest device to track when someone wastrying to find you—well, that and a credit card trail, which wasn’t a problem for her—was a phone.
She couldn’t risk that.
Sheila wanted her arrival in Maine to be a complete surprise to Tabbi.
Her sister deserved that from her. Tabbi had done so much for Sheila. She’d left her dream job in the military, putting her life on hold to get Sheila settled and comfortable after their parents had died.
It had all sucked. It had been a difficult time for both of them. But now Sheila would turn the tables and do something nice for Tabbi. Sheila had learned a lot in the past four years, and this was going to be her way of paying her sister back.
Tabbi needed to be with Spencer.
Tabbineededto be with Spencer.
Sheila had kept repeating the mantra in her head.
Sheila could feel the truth in those words, but she knew Tabbi too well. Her sister would certainly give up her happiness for Sheila, and Sheila couldn’t allow that this time. She had to prove to Tabbi that she’d grown up, and was capable of taking care of herself. That she could get herself from point A to point B. That she wasn’t afraid of moving to Maine. That she’d be happy if Tabbi was happy.
Sheila had further justified that, in the end, her sister would not only be thrilled to be able to stay with Spencer, she’d be proud that Sheila had navigated the eastern seaboard all by herself and that maybe Tabbi wouldn’t have to keep such a close eye on her in the future.
With all that in mind, Sheila had gladly waited the next twenty minutes until they’d called her bus; anticipation filling her with confidence.
Her euphoria hadn’t lasted long.
The trip to Atlanta had seemed endless.
Sheila had slept. She’d played games on her computer. She’d eaten bits of the food she’d packed, but still, she’d felt almost out-of-her-skin. By the time her bus finally pulled into Atlanta more than nine hours later, her agitation was dialed to maximum.
And now, to top it off, without any time to recover, she was currently encountering a much bigger problem. A problem that needed her focused attention.
But…
Somehow—and much to her relief—having to send her mind back into logistics-mode went a long way toward centering her.
Sheila took a deep breath and…
Oh, no! She ducked behind a pillar.
She’d known Tabbi would be worried about her, but she hadn’t known what kind of resources her sister would employ to find her.
Now she knew.
Sheila spotted the young man right away.
He was holding up a sign in one hand that had her name on it, while in the other he flourished a brand new, shinyi-phone. The sign indicated that the device would be hers if she simply came forward and called her sister.
Luckily, people were crowding around taking pictures of this oddity for their Tik-Toks and such, and the guy was actually relishing his notoriety; hamming it up, hoping to get his fifteen minutes of fame instead of just doing his job.
Which meant he was ignoring Sheila.
Her good fortune.
Sheila tucked her head to her chest and quickly headed into the nearest restroom, giving a huge sigh of relief when no one followed her. She wheeled her bag into a stall, then sat down to pee and think.
If Tabbi traced me here, maybe she gave my picture to the local police. Maybe the police are looking for me. Maybe she has other people looking for me, too. How will I know?
She stifled a moan that rose like a specter from her throat.
