"Fuck." Dyson sighed. As pissed off as he was at having to leave his old name and identity behind, it was the only option. Bryon would leave nothing of his past. Everything was going to have to be new. He'd thought about it a lot while in jail, even going as far as wondering what he could do to cover up some of his old tattoos with new ones. He hated to do that, but they were a huge clue to who he was, especially since the jail had pictures of all of them now. "Shit." Dyson moaned. "I just renewed my gym membership for a year."
Brad laughed. "Yeah, the hardships of a new identity. If you're lucky, they'll have made you some rich guy. Then you won't have to worry about anything."
Dyson was pretty sure he wouldn't have to worry about money. No one on the team did. There was more than enough for all of them. "Yeah, it sucks not knowing. I hate thinking about everything I'm leaving behind. I guess I should be glad I don't have a family or even a pet to worry about."
"Still isn't easy. You'll have days where you want to slip back to who you were. Get over those urges quickly. You end up back in jail, no one is going to get you out again."
"You know this all from experience?" Dyson didn't expect an answer. This was the kind of stuff you didn't talk about. "All I care about right now is getting safe, taking a long hot shower, and sleeping in a bed with a real mattress."
"I've got clothes and the basics already for you at the safe house. The bed's not fantastic, but it's better than what you've had for the last month. Water is hot, and the kitchen is stocked." Brad nodded to a huge warehouse a block ahead of them. "This is where we change cars. Once we're inside, grab that hat, get that hoodie on, and empty your pockets."
"If anything goes wrong and I don't get the chance to say it later, thank you." Dyson was more than aware of the risk everyone helping him was putting themselves in.
"Nothing's going to go wrong, but you're welcome. I owed Bryon a few favors."
Dyson wanted to ask how Brad knew Bryon, but there were some questions best left unasked. Right now, the less he knew about them, and the less they knew about him, the better it would be for both of them.
He was glad for the darkness, even though he knew it did little to hide them. The car could easily be traced through the cameras around town. Even switching cars wasn't foolproof. The cops would eventually work their way through every camera and every vehicle in the area during the next few hours. He refused to think about all the risks. He had to trust that everyone helping him knew what they were doing. They all knew the risks, and it was their lives on the line now too.
As they pulled into a large warehouse, he was surprised to find it holding at least twenty other vehicles. Once they parked, he got out, taking a moment to pull his hoodie over his head and sticking the pale blue baseball cap on.
"Empty your pockets, then put this over your hoodie." Brad handed him an orange vest like many construction workers wore. He glanced around, seeing that everyone in the building was dressed in them as well.
"Don't worry. People come and go from here all night. We'll blend right in. Keep your head down and don't make eye contact." Brad pulled a vest on. "We're going to take one of the white vans. I need you to get in the back so it looks like I'm alone to all the cameras." Brad pulled on a blonde, long-haired wig, tucked a hat on top, then held out his hand. "Wallet and anything else you have."
"You can have it all but this." He tugged out a photo of Faith out of his wallet he was surprised the cops hadn't kept. "She's my good luck charm." He gave the photo a kiss and stuck it back into his pocket. He didn't care about anything else, but he refused to lose the picture that Faith had given him after her first year back in school after the kidnapping. She'd given him newer photos over the years, but the first ones after they saved her reminded him why he did the job he did, and why he'd put his whole life at risk night after night.
"Nothing else?"
"Nope, they kept my cell phone and I don't carry anything else on me when I go out. Oh, guess you'll want these too. My release papers." Dyson glanced around as he handed them to Brad, who quickly tossed them and his wallet into the front seat of the car they just left. "Which van?" There were five of them parked off to one side.
"Third one. Crews come in and take them to job sites at night. Mostly overnight construction jobs. Cops are used to them coming and going from here." Brad spoke quietly as he led him to the van. "Got any music requests before we head out?" He opened the back of the van.
Dyson looked inside, finding it empty except for a blanket and a couple of bottles of water stacked in one corner. He climbed in, situating himself on the blanket. "Nope, I'm good." He offered a bottle of water to Brad.
Brad took it, twisted the cap, and downed it. "In case you're worried, the water's safe." He tossed the empty bottle in the back and shut the doors.
Dyson laughed. That was exactly what he'd been thinking. He had images of himself being drugged and taken to some location he didn't know. There was no way he was going to not know where he was at any given time. From the back of the van, he could see out the front window. He moved so he was directly behind the passenger seat, tucking his knees to his chest as he wrapped the blanket over everything but his head.
"You might as well nap if you can. It will be a long drive. We're going to get you near the border." Brad started the van.
"Wait, I'm not leaving the States. That isn't part of the deal." He would beat Carter and Bryon if they were sending him into Mexico.
"No, you're not leaving the States. We're just putting distance between us and the jail for a few days. Bryon's driving down here in a couple of days to pick you up and take you back. He knew you wouldn't leave without talking to the rest of the team." Brad slowly pulled out of the warehouse following three other white vans identical to theirs.
"How do you know so much about the team? I was under the impression that Bryon didn't talk to anyone about it."
"You need to ask Bryon that. It's not my story to tell. Not many know, but a few. Let's just say I'd do anything for Bryon after all he's done for me. Now keep your head down, stay out of sight from the front, and enjoy the ride. I'll get you there as soon as I can."
Dyson nodded, resting his head against his knees, and closing his eyes. Hours ago, he'd gone to bed thinking he would spend yet another day in his cell, now he was free. He vowed no matter what, he wasn't going back to jail. If they came for him again, he'd fight his way out, even if it cost him his life. Being dead was better than being locked up, at least for him. He held on to hope that everything would work out, but the truth was he was scared, and with all the changes he was sure were coming his way, his fear only grew. He was going to have to face this alone, and that in itself was his biggest fear. Leaving the ones he loved behind wasn't going to be easy. Hard or not, he wouldn't let the team down. He'd show them he could do this because quite possibly, one day they would have to do it too, and he wanted to show them that despite how scared he was, it was all going to be okay.
