Runaway - Chapter 57
I’d rented the tiniest place I could find at the beach. One - so that I could keep my eyes on the one entrance at all times. And two - because one bed meant I wouldn’t have to explain to Jacob why I needed to snuggle up to him all night.
But tonight we were sitting on the beach under the stars. Because this was where I felt closest to Miller.
We were written in the stars.
I blinked away the tears as I stared up at the sky.
How many nights had we sat on the beach just like this?
And even more nights at the lake. He was here with me.
And I knew if I closed my eyes I could imagine that he was.
But I’d done that enough times over the past couple weeks to know how much it hurt when I opened my eyes again.
“I miss Daddy,” Jacob said.
I turned to him. I’d thought he was sleeping. “I miss Daddy too.”
“I want to go home.”
Me too, sweet boy. But that wasn’t an option. I’d fled the scene of a crime. I knew the cops were probably looking for me. And even if they weren’t…my father had found us. We weren’t safe there.
And the longer I had to think about it…the more questions I had. It was my car that had blown up. So…was my father trying to kill me? Or had his target been Miller? Or had he been hoping to off both of us?
Jacob’s bottom lip started to tremble.
He’d been so brave on the day of the explosion.
And he’d been brave several days ago when I tried to explain death to him.
I wasn’t sure he really understood. But he’d stopped asking for his daddy.
And started saying he missed him instead.
So maybe he understood better than I realized.
“You know that your daddy is always with us though. No matter what.”
“Noooo.”
God, if my heart wasn’t already broken, that drawn out ‘No’ would have done it.
“Of course he is. He’s in the stars.” I looked up at the sky.
The sight that made me feel closest to Miller.
I smiled to myself, remembering I used to look for the stars in the sky in NYC too.
Because they reminded me of the home I’d left behind.
“Which one is he?”
That was a good question. My eyes searched the sky, landing on the North Star. “See that big bright one?”
“The brightest one?”
“Yes. That’s Daddy.”
“Oh.” He was quiet for a moment. “He’s big.”
“Well, he was the tallest man you knew, right?”
“Yessie.” Jacob smiled but there were tears in his eyes.
“Come here.” I opened up my arms so he could snuggle in next to me.
I held him as he cried himself to sleep. I couldn’t do anything to make it better. But I could get even.
“I’m going to make it right, okay?” I ran my fingers through his hair. I knew I was running out of time. My husband had been murdered and I’d fled. I’d stolen a car. I had a fake ID. I had a gun registered to that fake ID.
If a cop pulled me over I’d go to jail for a really long time.
I was sure my picture was being slowly spread to every police station in the country.
I heard a clock ticking down in my head.
I had a plan on how to get us out of the country.
But there was something I had to take care of first. I’d never be able to look Jacob in the eye if I didn’t do this.
I knew it was risky, but I had no choice.
And it meant I needed a backup plan, just in case something happened to me.
There was only one person I trusted with my son.
Kennedy’s mom, Mrs. Alcaraz. She’d been like a second mother to me.
She’d keep Jacob safe. Just in case I couldn’t.
And it just so happened that I needed to go to New York either way.
The city I swore I’d never go back to.
I stared up into the starry sky.
I’ll make it right, Miller.