Moth(49)

“I have nothing to lose, though, it would be nice if I knew a little bit about why you’re running. Who is after you?”

She stares out onto the road. “Bad people. I’ve gotten involved in something I thought I could handle. Now I’m in over my head. I never expected they’d try to take me out by cutting my brake lines, but this isn’t the first time.” She stops abruptly and becomes quiet again.

I have to know why. “The brakes weren’t the first time? When was it?”

She’s stubborn, but finally speaks words I’m not prepared to hear. “A couple weeks ago when that guy died; the one who used to live in your room.”

“What do you mean?”

“The less you know the better. I’ve already involved you too much, Moth. I don’t know why either. I’ve spent my whole life shutting people out and the moment I saw you in that parking lot everything changed. What is it about you? I want you to walk away to keep you safe, but I also want you to hold me and never let me go.”

When I look over she’s waiting for me to react. My hand reaches for hers before I can even consider what it means. Our fingers lace together and this small gesture becomes a powerful connection. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. We’re going somewhere the people who are after you won’t be able to track, even if they know you’re with me. It’s safe.”

“How can you be sure?”

“It belongs to someone my dad knows. He’s in a nursing home now. It’s been untouched for years.”

Her grip loosens but doesn’t let go. I can tell she feels reassured. “It’ll be nice to be able to breathe again.”

I glance in the rearview mirror and notice the same vehicle has been following us for several minutes, even after I switch lanes and take an exit. “Do you have your phone on you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Get rid of it.”

“What? Why? It’s a burner phone. My other one is for work and I left that in my car.”

“Why do you have a burner phone? Are you a spy? Are you a drug dealer?” I say it like I’m joking, but it’s also to watch for her response so I can continue profiling her.

“My credit sucks, so I bought a cheap one to use when I needed it. I break them too often to buy an expensive phone.” It’s a lie. Both Nina and Windy have good credit, but I’ll go along with it for now.

“Just throw it out anyway. I have a spare I’ll give to you. Trust me. I think someone is following us. They could be tracking your phone.”

She turns and looks. She’s not inconspicuous, not that it matters, it’s getting dark outside and the truck’s back window is too dirty for someone to see details. “How long have they been behind us?” She’s a little freaked out when she asks.

“A while. Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

I pull off abruptly into a gas station parking lot and look at Nina. “Stay down. I’ll be right back.”

She grabs my arm preventing me from leaving the vehicle. “Please don’t go. We can lose them on the road.”

“I don’t know if they’re following us for sure. It’s fine. I’ll be right back. Stay low and don’t open the door for any reason.”

I shove out the door and begin to prepare the truck for a fill up. Out of the corner of my eye I see the man in the car watching me. He’s on a phone. The call ends and he begins to climb out. While the gas begins filling the tank, I walk around the truck and look underneath. Sure enough, I spot a tracking device. “Mother f*ckers.” I yank it off and attach it to the vehicle parked behind mine. I hurry and hang the pump back into position, then jump back in the truck and take off. Lucky for me a larger pickup has pulled in and blocked his view of us. We are out of the parking lot before he makes us and begins to follow. This is where I use my training to ensure we lose him. “I need you to hold on. I’m going to do something I saw on television.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.”

I maneuver through traffic, leaving just enough room to wedge myself in between two vehicles. Then, when I’m given the chance, I take a left hand exit. It’s too late for him to notice. He can’t make the turn, therefore loses us in an instant. I pat on the wheel, proud that I’ve accomplished it. My job doesn’t usually require me to drive recklessly. I gave that up when I stopped being on the force. “I told you. I had a plan. We lost him. He won’t be able to track us down now. I turn quickly and get back on the road we need to take to the cabin.

It’s been years since I’ve been to this place. I pass by the driveway because it’s overgrown with brush. Once I locate where the culvert is, I’m able to drive through the vegetation until I reach the locked gate. I retrieve the keys from my pocket and toss them over to Nina. Can you unlock that while I drive through? Just shut it when I’m past. I’ll wait for you to get back in.”

She does as I request then climbs back into the truck. “If you’re taking me back here to kill me they’ll never find my body.”

I chuckle. “Aww, you figured me out.”

She shoves me and smiles. “Shut up. I’ll have you know I can handle myself just fine. If you were a hired hit man you’d have a fight on your hands.”

“I’m almost sad I’m not. I’d give my left nut to see you in action.”