CHAPTER FOUR
Holly woke with a slight headache. After her ride of shame back to the hotel, she’d showered and washed her blouse in the sink. Then she ate her cache of snacks and drank a bottle of water, hoping to avoid a hangover.
Sleeping in was a rare luxury, and she took her time getting out of the soft, indulgent king-sized bed. Finally, she got up and dressed for a day of sightseeing. No more heels, that was for sure.
First things first, she stopped at the first hole-in-the-wall cafe she came across and ordered pancakes, eggs, and coffee. Once again, she sat at the counter so as not to look so obviously alone. While waiting for her food, she planned her day and texted her friends about the previous night’s run-in with the law.
Were the cops hot? Faith texted.
Holly replied with an eye roll emoji. Both cops were pretty cute, especially the one with the chip on his shoulder. But she’d never see them again, and she’d sworn off men, so it didn’t matter.
Over pancakes and eggs, she answered a call from her mom, who had, of course, heard about what had happened. Holly explained that she didn’t know why Rick had bailed and confirmed repeatedly that she was fine. She cut the call short, saying she’d be in touch once she had more information.
After breakfast, she returned to Times Square for the bus tour. It was a hop-on, hop-off type of thing that hit all the big touristy spots. She got off in the financial district, saw the bull on Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial, and Battery Park. Then ate lunch at a bar that George Washington supposedly frequented.
After lunch, she rode the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and then caught the bus again to return north. Everything was concrete and metal—skyscrapers, scaffolding, traffic lights, cars, and buses.
Sure, every so often, the bus would pass a block of green trees, and there were itty bitty parks here and there, but nothing like what she was used to at home. It had barely been two days, and already she missed the mountains.
The noise, the constant motion, and the chaos of the city weren’t nearly as appealing as she imagined they would be. Just this afternoon, she’d narrowly escaped being run over by a taxi, come within a whisker of being hit by a bike messenger, been yelled at by multiple people for walking too slow, and been turned away at several locations while trying to find a bathroom. She finally found a restroom and took care of that need. But a different kind of nature called. And in this city of cement, she’d take what she could get.
She stayed on the bus and rode it north to the south entrance of Central Park. Immediately, she relaxed, and the farther she went into the park, the closer to home she felt.
At some point, she knew she’d have to drill down on her emotions and deal with getting dumped. It was integral to moving on. Was it possible Rick wasn’t ready for marriage but still wanted to date? No, that wasn’t a thing. She had to assume Rick had broken up.
While she walked, she analyzed her feelings. Shocked, embarrassed, curious as to why, and, if she was being honest, miffed that she’d wasted so much time and money on the wedding. He couldn’t have bailed out before she purchased a dress and hired a caterer?
A few feelings seemed to be missing—devastation, sadness, longing. All the things someone totally in love would presumably be dealing with. Quite frankly, she didn’t feel anything. Except perhaps relief.
She bought a pretzel and sat on one of the hundreds of benches. She was finally ready to admit what she’d known deep down for a while. What she suspected Rick knew or could feel too. She wasn’t in love with Rick. They were great friends, worked well together, and had lots of fun. And, yes, she loved him. It just wasn’t soulmate, can’t-live-without-you love. Her friends had been right about the missing spark.
Her phone rang, and she answered.
“Hey,” Alex said. “Whatcha doin’?”
It was an innocent question, but Holly knew the depth of it. Alex was the kind of friend who could say everything without saying anything.
“Sittin’ on a bench in Central Park eating a pretzel. You?”
“A park already?” Alex laughed. “Is the city not all it’s cracked up to be?”
Holly saw the irony. “Just needed a quick break. There’s so much going on here. It’s hard to think.”
“Think about?”
“You know how I said Rick might have done me a huge favor? Well, I’m certain he did.” Once she said it out loud, she knew it was true. “I’m trying to figure out what it says about me that I was this close to marrying him, and wondering how I can ever trust my own judgment again.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Alex said. “You wanna talk about it?”
“Not yet. I’m still workin’ through stuff. Plus, we should do it with the rest of the crew. With wine. There will definitely need to be wine involved.”
“Sounds good. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Tess and I drove Dina to the airport today and left her in the parking garage, level three. Keys are under the mat.”
“Thank you. That’ll save me a cab ride home.”
“Dinner on Tuesday? Can’t wait to hear the whole bar story.”
“Yep. It’s a date.”
“Call if you need bail money.” Alex chuckled, then sobered. “Seriously, though. Try to stay out of trouble.”
Holly hung up, threw her pretzel trash away, and headed off again. Walking was therapeutic. It helped her sort thoughts and clear her mind.
She would miss Rick. It would be an adjustment not having him around all the time. They hadn’t technically moved in together, but other than that, had been inseparable. She’d known him since kindergarten, and his lifelong friendship would be missed. Maybe one day they could go back to being friends, but not yet.
She’d meant what she said to Faith. A break from men would give her the opportunity to get to know herself and figure things out. Learn who she really was, what she had to offer in a relationship, and what she wanted in a partner.
Over the last couple of years, she’d been let down repeatedly—first by her dad, then her mom, and now her ex. Each betrayal stung a little more than the previous and had done a real number on her confidence. It would take some time to trust herself or anyone else again. Her judgment could also use a reboot. All that would be easier single.
The sunlight was fading, and the park had cleared somewhat. Turning in a small circle, Holly realized she wasn’t sure which way led out. When she pulled out her phone to get directions, there was no signal.
Normally, she could use the sun to tell direction, but there were too many trees. A touch of panic set in, but she squelched it. Think, Bennett . The park ran mostly north and south, so if she walked east or west, she would hit a street soon enough and be able to grab a cab. Her hotel was on the east side of the island, so that was the logical way to go.
She started walking toward what she would swear was east. Thirty minutes later, it was darker still, and she hadn’t come across any streets. In fact, she seemed even deeper into the trees than before. This time, when she tried her phone, it was dead. Probably from searching for a signal for the last half hour.
The walkway lamps came on and offered some light. She’d seen multiple directional signs during the day, but nothing lately. And she hadn’t encountered another person for quite some time either. It was Sunday, so she understood why people would call it a night early. But considering the millions in the city, and no one was here? She took that as a bad sign.
What would she do if she were lost at home? She stopped and calmly assessed the situation. Clearly, she’d been mistaken about the direction. While she thought she was headed east, she’d obviously gone north or south. Most likely north, otherwise she’d be back where she started. Facing the direction she’d been walking—which she now assumed to be north—she made a quarter turn to the right. There. East. Confident, she set off again.
It wasn’t terribly late—maybe ten o’clock—but it was fully dark, with only sporadic park lamps to light the path. After another twenty minutes, she still hadn’t hit the park’s edge. It was time to concede she was good and lost. Frustrated, and getting scared, she headed back the way she came, thinking she’d just retrace her steps to the south entrance.
Not ten minutes later, she heard a noise that made her freeze. Men’s voices. Coming toward her. Instinctively, she ducked behind a bush and held her breath. Could be nothing, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
“Little birdie told me you a rat,” one voice said.
“What? No way, man. I ain’t got no death wish.”
The men had stopped and were now only a couple of feet away from where she hid. She prayed they wouldn’t see her.
“Romeo claims you got ties with that cop I whacked a couple of years ago. Said you sniffin’ around tryin’ to bust me.”
“Edwardo, I swear,” the second man said. “Romeo’s a liar. I been with you six months. I ain’t no snitch.”
From where she crouched, Holly could see them perfectly. A middle-aged Hispanic man held a gun on a scruffy, bearded white guy. She cursed herself for letting her phone die. Not as though she could make a call right now anyway.
The gunman pulled out his phone. “Explain this then.” He tapped a button, and a voice recording started.
“No, they don’t suspect anything. Edwardo admitted to killing Lambert. I just gotta get proof and figure out when and where the next shipment is coming in. Then we’ll bring the whole thing down.”
“Cruz. Come on. That ain’t me, bro.” As he said it, he made a move to disarm the gunman.
The two men struggled for a minute before the bad guy got in a good enough poke to disorient the undercover policeman. Based on the recording, Holly assumed that’s what the man was. Should she jump in and help him?
Before she could make a decision, Edwardo raised the gun and shot twice. The policeman grabbed his chest and staggered back before falling to the ground.
Holly gasped and then slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she’d done.
“Who’s there?” Edwardo demanded, coming toward the bush where Holly hid.
She had no choice but to run or be caught. There was no way he wouldn’t see her if he got any closer. Without a second thought, she stood and sprinted.
“What the…?” Edwardo said before giving chase.
Holly was tall and used her long legs to put some distance between them. She dashed off the path and into the trees, running as quickly and quietly as she could. The man behind her huffed, puffed, and crashed through the brush like a buck during rutting season. She was outrunning him, fear and adrenaline stoking her energy, but couldn’t go on forever and still had no idea where she was going.
Up ahead, she spotted a tree with a low branch. It was the kind with big knobby bumps on the trunk. The kind that were easy to climb. She chanced a quick glance back and didn’t see Edwardo. Holding her breath and throwing up a prayer, she jumped onto the trunk and used the bumps to scamper up to the lowest branch. Then stood and climbed even higher into the cover of the tree’s leaves. Something twitched in her ankle, sending a jolt of pain up her leg, but she kept going.
As soon as she heard Edwardo approaching, she froze and pinched her lips together. Her ankle hurt like the dickens, but she stayed quiet. If he found her up here, there was no escape.
She watched from above as he turned in circles, cursing to himself. “Where the hell did she go?” he muttered.
He whipped out his phone. “Get your asses down here now.” Then, after a pause, “Yeah, he was dirty. I offed him, but some chick saw me. We need to hunt her down and shut her up. Meet me at the spot. We’ll fan out from there.” He hung up, took one last glance around, and headed back the way they’d come.
Find her and shut her up? She didn’t think her heart could beat any harder, but it sped up anyway. Holy crap!
When she thought he was out of earshot, she exhaled, still careful not to utter a peep. She didn’t trust that he wasn’t hiding nearby, waiting for her to reveal herself. Her ankle throbbed, her eyes stung, and her hands were raw from scratches, but she continued to climb. With her ankle hurt, she couldn’t make it down. And even if she managed, she couldn’t risk running into Edwardo or one of his gang members. On top of all that, she was still lost.
She’d been hurt before. Played through many an injury. And as a park ranger, she’d camped and slept in the woods countless times. Spending the night in this tree would be a change, but she could handle it.
Once she found a big enough branch, she straddled it, laid back, caught her breath, and took stock. Her ankle swelled, her stomach growled, and her heart hurt for the officer who’d been killed. But there was nothing she could do about any of that. She tried to remember what the late-June overnight forecast was, but that too, was out of her control. It might get chilly, but at least the tree canopy would protect her if it rained. It would be uncomfortable, but she’d live.
Tears welled and eventually spilled over. She’d witnessed a murder. As much as she wanted to go back and try to help the man who’d been shot, she knew it would be pointless. He’d taken two bullets to the chest. There was no way to survive that.
After regaining her wits, it dawned on her the police would want to talk to her. She should write down all she witnessed while the details were still fresh. With that thought came the realization that she’d lost her purse—either dropped it when she ran or left it in the hiding spot. That couldn’t be good.
Okay. She’d just commit everything to memory. Edwardo Cruz killed someone named Lambert and is involved in a “shipment” of something. “Edwardo Cruz. Edwardo Cruz,” she repeated over and over. Who was she kidding? The name was burned into her brain. After what she saw, she’d remember it as long as she lived.
Because it was Sunday, the odds of anyone finding her before morning were slim. She blocked out the pain, hunger, and heartache, got comfortable, and resigned herself to a sleepless night in the tree.