“Yup, filled the tank myself,” he said, handing over a set of keys.
“Good. Because where we are going, there is no electricity.” I kept my voice low, aware of how thin the wall was and how Lily could probably hear every word. “These guys, they won’t quit. We’ve got to disappear for real. Up in the mountains, no trails. I’m taking Lily off-grid.”
“No cell reception,” he frowned. “I won’t know where you are.”
I shook my head. “No, you won’t. Neither will we, that’s the point. Get Mabel to Vancouver, then lay low somewhere and wait for me to call.”
Royal looked at me. He looked afraid for me. “If you die, I’ll kill you myself,” he said, jaw set.
I grinned for the first time in hours. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Chapter 14
Lily
Iwrapped my arms around Mabel, tears welling up as I kissed her furry head. “Be a good girl,” I whispered before putting her in her carrier.
Royal gently picked it up and mumbled, “Lily, I’ll take good care of her, guard her with my life.”
Unable to speak, I nodded as he left, the door closing with a gentle click.
She was gone.
I rushed to the window and looked out. True to his word, he gently placed her in the front passenger side of the van, then went around the hood and hopped in the driver’s seat. I watched until the taillights faded into the darkness.
With a shaky sigh, I turned and noticed Ryker standing at the end of the bed, his eyes fixed on his cell phone.
I approached quietly, placing my hands on his shoulders and feeling his tense muscles under my palms.
“I hated to send her away,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, almost like a child's.
“I know,” he replied.
Then I slid my hands down his arms, pressed my cheek into his back, and cried.
He turned, wrapping his arms around me as I sobbed into his chest. He didn’t say a word—just squeezed me so tight I thought my ribs might crack, and I didn’t want him to ever let go.
When the worst had passed, he tilted my chin up. “We’re gonna make it, you know,” he said.
I wanted to believe him, but my voice came out thick and battered.
“I’m not so sure.”
He thumbed away the tears on my cheek. “I am.”
The words hung in the air, ridiculous and impossible, and… exactly what I needed.
We wasted no more time. Ryker grabbed the duffle bag and led me to the bathroom. Shoving open the window, he pushed out the screen, then picked me up and pushed me through feet first, then joined me on the ground.
The Prius waited just outside the window, its trunk already loaded with supplies.
He had the car started before I even sat my butt down. “Buckle up,” he said as he backed it out. There was enough charge to coast away from the motel without a sound.
I clutched the duffel bag like it was a lifeline as we drove all night.
The further we got from the little town, the quieter it grew between us. When the sun cracked over the dashboard, I saw how tired he was—his face newly lined, eyes shadowed. “Switch?” I offered, voice scraping from lack of sleep. He shook his head. “I’ll keep us moving.”
I nodded and watched the light gather on the trees, turning every pine needle gold.
