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“I don’t have another car reserved,” I say, somewhat panicked. My plan was falling apart. The only thing keeping me going was the knowledge I knew the next step.
“That’s okay,” he assures me. “Let me use your phone. I’ll search for cars for sale. Do you have enough cash to buy something for a couple grand?”
I nod. “Yes, but that’s a huge chunk of change. I wasn’t planning on buying a car.”
“It’s our best option. I’ll get more money.”
His calmness settled me. “Okay.”
“Where are we going next?” he asks with my phone in his hand.
“I planned on stopping in Dallas and then Baton Rouge.”
He chuckles. “You really did map this out, didn’t you?”
“I had to,” I answer. “But this is the last car. I was supposed to return this car in Miami.”
“Send the owner a message and let them know where we leave it,” he replies with his eyes on the phone screen. “We’ll get to Dallas, get something to eat, find a car and go to the bank.”
“The bank?”
“I need cash,” he says.
"We can't use your bank card," I argue, my voice tinged with uncertainty. "They'll track it, just like they tracked us here."
Hunter shakes his head, his expression determined. "They already know where we were," he counters, his tone resolute. "Getting money from the bank will be the last breadcrumb we leave. We need cash if we want to stay ahead of them. Dallas is a long way from Miami. We’ll go to the bank last. Unless your not-husband has some pretty serious connections, he’s not going to get an immediate alert when I walk into the bank and make a withdrawal.”
“He does have serious connections,” I tell him. “They have people everywhere. Why do you think I went to such extremes to cover my tracks?”
I sigh, rubbing my temples. "Alright."
We fall silent for a moment, the hum of the engine filling the void. I glance over at Hunter who is busy scanning the phone. Despite the gravity of the situation, there's a strange comfort in his presence. Maybe it's the adrenaline, or maybe it's the fact that we're in this together. I have a partner.
“Why Miami?” he asks nonchalantly. “I know you said it’s the big city and all that, but there are a lot of big cities. In fact, why not a small town in the middle of nowhere? I would think it would be easier to go off the grid in a place that is off the grid. Or leave the country.”
They were all good questions. “Okay, you’re going to think I sound ridiculous, but I wanted the sun and the beaches. I did think about New York, but it’s so cold. And the small-town thing, I was worried I would stick out like a sore thumb. And I need to get a job. I’ve never worked a day in my life. I’m guessing there would be limited job opportunities in a small town. And people would notice a newcomer. I don’t know what lengths my parents and Adrian will go to. If they do a media blitz and splash my picture everywhere, I’m going to be easily spotted in a town of a thousand people.”
“True,” he nods.
“And I did want to leave the country. I thought about going to London, but—”
“Cold,” he teases.
“Very wet. I looked at some tropical places and honestly that is my long-term goal. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to get a passport to get me out of the country. I only had about six weeks to make my escape. The ID package I bought is pretty good, but I don’t know if it would be good enough to get me on a plane. I didn’t want to risk it.”
He nods as I talk. “You thought this through. That’s good. Very smart.”
“Thank you.”
It felt good to have affirmation from him. I felt myself relaxing a bit. Despite the craziness of the last twenty-four hours, it did feel like I was making the right choices. We pull into Dallas just as the city is coming alive with people on their way to work. Hunter gave me directions to a small car lot where he had found a car for us.
I stayed in the car while he looked it over. I close my eyes and let everything wash over me. Life was moving fast. A knock on the window startles me. It’s Hunter holding up the keys.
I smile and get out of the car. “Did you buy it?”
“I did,” he nods. “Talked him down five-hundred bucks. It’s licensed and got good tires. It’ll get us to Miami.”
He follows me to a local parking lot where I leave the rental, apologizing to the owner and hoping they aren’t too furious. I feel bad, but they have a hefty deposit. We go through a drive thru, getting some breakfast before he goes to a bank. I stay in the car, watching and scanning the area. If I see the men coming for us, I will once again act as the getaway driver.
