Six(96)

Too many in his organization knew about me. Another reason I could never go back to being Paisley. The inquisitions alone if I did show up would be too much. The FBI or CIA would probably whisk me away.

Paisley was still a person of interest in the destruction of the Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s office along with the deaths of all her coworkers. Not to mention my connection with Six, a secret government cleanup op.

“Hi, Esther,” I said as I approached the porch of my duplex.

“Good afternoon.” Her lips pulled up into a sweet smile that had her blue eyes shining. “How are you feeling today, honey?”

I smiled at her. “I’m doing good this week.”

Esther spent most of her time on the front porch playing solitaire or listening to the waves down the street. She was seventy-eight, and only once had I seen any family come by in the time I’d lived above her.

“That baby not givin’ you any more fits?”

I shook my head as I reached into my tote bag and pulled out a brown paper bag. “She’s being nice to Mommy lately.” I held the bag out. “Here, I brought you something.”

“What’s this?” she asked as she unraveled the top, her hands shaking—a lasting side effect from a past stroke. Her face lit up even more, and her hand rested against her chest. “Oh, Lacey, thank you. I love strawberries. There’s so many… enough to make a pie.”

“Ah-ha! You discovered my ulterior motive.” Esther made fantastic strawberry pie. She’d spoiled me my first week. “The farmer’s market was going on this morning, so I picked up a few things.”

She let out a laugh and shook her head. “Better get going then so we can have it for dessert,” she said as she stood.

“I’ve got to run an errand and I won’t be back until late.”

“Fine, fine.” She waved me off. “I’ll hold it hostage. You come over for lunch tomorrow.”

Her use of the term hostage had my heart hammering against my ribs, pulse racing, but I forced a happy face and smile.

“It’s a date.”

As she entered, I hopped up the exterior steps that led to my portion of the house. One deadbolt and a lock later, I let the door swing inward, checking the flour I laid out on the floor for footprints before stepping in.

Since Six, I’d become a bit paranoid, even more so when I found out I was pregnant.

I would say she was a parting gift from him, but when I finally broke down and went to a doctor, conception had actually happened almost a month before he left.

After putting my farmer’s market finds away, I headed back out the door, sifting some more flour. It may not have been the best way to check for intruders, but I thought it was pretty clever.

A tightness grew around my chest as I pulled out of the driveway, still in the Ford Taurus Six left. There had been one thing weighing on me besides my impending baby. So heavily, I drove for four hours and picked up a prepaid phone with cash for a single phone call before I planned on tossing it.

Deep breaths as I punched in the numbers, trying not to hyperventilate as tourists passed by in droves.

“Digby Torheim.”

I froze, unsure what to say. Six told me not to contact anyone, but I didn’t want to risk not keeping my promise to Digby for fear he’d alert some authority that could get me killed. Or worse, him.

“Hello?”

“H-Hi.”

“….”

“I can only talk for a minute.”

“Paisley? Is that you?” There was surprise in his voice, and I could just imagine him scooting to the edge of his chair like he used to do when something interested him.

I nodded, which was stupid, because he couldn’t see. “Yes.”

“Are you all right?”

I rested my hand on my stomach. “Very much all right.”

“Where are you?”

“I can’t say.”

“Please. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“… What do you mean you’re fine?”

I swallowed. He was not going to make it easy. “I’m…on my own.”

“Let me come get you.” There was frantic movement, a few things crashing, and what sounded like keys tingling.

“No, Digby.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s never going to be safe. Nobody can know I’m alive. If even one person knows, you risk my life.” I swallowed hard and told the biggest lie I could tell him, but there was no other way to get through to him. “I… Digby, I’m in the witness protection program.”

“What?”

I swallowed hard. It was the best way, but it didn’t make it any easier. “I’m breaking so many rules contacting you. I really wish I could tell you more, but all I can tell you is that I’m alive and I’m okay.”

“Why?” he asked, his frustration evident in his voice.

My chest clenched at his tone. It was gut-wrenching.

“Because I made a promise to you. So here it is. I’m calling you. I’m alive, but you still can’t do anything other than forget about me.”

“Forget about you? Paisley, I can’t forget about you. That’s the whole problem.”