CHAPTER FIVE
Saylor
I ’m huddled in the backseat of Mr. Buttons’ Cadillac SUV, hoping to avoid the sleazy paparazzi. He was able to pull into the underground garage and move me out of the building without anyone knowing that I left.
Dr. Hampton came and did his last and final check up on me and was able to access my file from Dr. Ren’s office.
He printed them off in case I needed to take them with me, if I decided to choose option two.
He was very informative and thorough when he examined me.
After what Blaire and her two jail mates did, I wanted to make sure there weren’t going to be any long-term effects or surprises later on.
He was able to see the gender, but I refused to be told what the baby was.
It was supposed to be a special moment to share with Levi, but now I can’t let myself go there.
Maybe at the next appointment. Dr. Hampton’s advice was to stay stress free, exercise and to make sure to eat a healthy diet.
Once we’ve hit the highway, my nerves have wound me up tight. Is this the right decision? Should I go with the other option? Would anyone even care if I stayed or left? I think about my grandparents and Everly, and a sadness hangs over me like a rain cloud.
“You can sit up now,” Mr. Buttons says and changes lanes.
I move to sit behind the passenger seat and buckle in.
This is it. No turning back once I tell Mr. Buttons my decision. He said that I could let him know once he got me safely out of the police station, and somewhere on the outskirts of the city.
We pass a sign for Burbank. After we bypass the airport, Mr. Buttons pulls into an older looking shopping mall and parks in the back of the building. He gives a nod, then exits the car and opens my door in the back.
“We’ll be here for a little bit.”
I follow him as he opens a metal door, and the smell of shampoo fills my nose. Where are we? He continues through the hall to a door at the end. Once we are in, he closes the door and has me seated in a small sofa chair in the corner.
“I know this can be a lot to take in within such a short amount of time, but you aren’t the first to go through this, Saylor,” he tells me, and I watch him wipe sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief.
“The time has come, I need your answer. Remember that whatever you choose, the DA’s office and police department are on your side.
Our goal is to get you away from the on-going problem. ”
I sit there, for what seems the longest minutes of my life, warring with myself at the decision in front of me.
Both are equally heartbreaking and leave knots in my stomach.
If it were just me, I know the door I’d walk through but having this little one to consider makes it even harder.
Having weighed every pro and con, I set my mind and don’t waver in my answer.
“Option two, Mr. Buttons. I’ll leave for now to give this a chance, but once the situation is contained, I want to come back to my life here. Even if there may not be one to come back to.”
“Okay, Saylor. Let me make a call and set everything in motion. You’ll be leaving within the next two hours.”
He pulls out his phone and walks out, leaving me there in silence. It isn’t long before a knock startles me, and a little blonde and purple haired lady comes in.
“Hello, my name is Nettie. Burt said to come and escort you to have your hair redone.” She bounces on her feet.
“My hair?”
She looks confused and turns when Mr. Buttons comes back into the room.
“Nettie, can you give us a minute?” She nods, then leaves, closing the door behind her.
“You want me to change my hair?” I ask incredulously.
He takes a seat across from me and steeples his fingers at his chin.
“Saylor, you have to know that the entire world knows who you are. If we are going to keep you safe, we have to put in place some safety measures to ensure that most people won’t recognize you. What would be the point if someone were to see you, then sell a picture to some sleazy magazine?”
He makes a good point, but I hate that I have to change my appearance. He places a hand on mine and gives it a light squeeze. Mr. Buttons has made this transition easy and has treated me so delicately since coming into my room at the jail infirmary.
“You can change your mind right now if you want. I won’t be upset or mad if you do.
This is life changing, Saylor,” he says.
“But please know that everyone thinks this is for the best, for now.” There is something in his tone and eyes that shift.
I can’t quite put my finger on it but something isn’t sitting well with me.
I’m not sure if it’s because everything is happening so fast or if I’m truly exhausted from the last few days.
“I know,” I whisper, looking down at my feet. “Okay, let’s do this,” I say with a little more determination this time.
An hour and forty minutes later, Mr. Buttons walks into the small room and has several large envelopes in his hands, just as Nettie is finishing up my cut and color.
“Here you go. Once you are in the car, I’ll need you to read over and learn your new life, and the history that comes with it.
The point is to be as believable as possible, if you are to have any chance with the locals.
” He hands me the sealed documents, and Nettie turns the chair to face the mirror for me to see the finished product.
Tears well in my eyes as I see a different person staring back at me.
My hair, that was once light brown, is now midnight black and the length that once almost hit the top of my butt, is now barely resting on my shoulders.
A sob leaves my throat, and my hand tries to stop it by clamping down over my mouth.
Nettie has covered most of my bruises with light makeup, but there is still some dark purple shading throughout my face from the pounding I took earlier.
“You don’t like it? Oh gosh,” Nettie says, with disappoint in her tone. It’s not her or her work, it’s me.
“She just needs a minute Nettie. Can you let the gentleman in the back room come in, and ask him to bring the bags with him?” Mr. Buttons asks.
There is no way to find my voice, much less say any coherent words. He kneels down, the best he can to my level, and gives me a sympathetic look.
“You can still change your mind, honey. Nothing is set in stone yet, but once you walk out the back door, then there’s no going back until you hear from me again. It could take months before you get that phone call from me.”
“I understand. I think my hormones are all over the place. It’s been a long few days, you know?”
“I completely understand.”
A knock on the door reveals a tall, muscular man in a button-down shirt that fits him tight across the chest. He stands in the door frame in jeans that were made for him, and his light brown hair is spiked in the front.
His green eyes are assessing every inch of me.
I might be married but I’m not dead. The married part not for long.
He looks like a bear ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
He comes in and heads straight for me, holding his hand out for me to shake.
“Brody Jackson,” he introduces himself with a deep baritone voice. “You must be the beautiful woman I get to help.” Do not swoon. Do not swoon.
“Saylor.”
“Now that introductions have been made, let’s give her some time to change and then you two can be on your way. Saylor, there are several bags of clothing to get you through until you get settled into the new town,” Mr. Buttons says, and pushes Brody out the door.
I see the clothing store bags, and to my astonishment they fit perfectly. There are even some clothes, for when my belly gets bigger, as I’m further along in the pregnancy. A tap on the door reveals Brody and Mr. Buttons, who seem to be finishing up on a heated conversation.
“Ready? The ride is going to be a long one, and I’d like to head out as soon as possible,” Brody states, as he reaches for my clothing bags.
“We’ll meet you at the truck,” Mr. Buttons informs Brody and sends him away.
“I know at first, this will be difficult but put your mind at ease in knowing that this is the best option for you and your little one. Brody will take excellent care of you and protect you with his life. I’ve known him for a long time, and he’ll do anything that is needed to protect those he cares about. ”
“Thank you.” I reach to the small table, by the salon chair, and hand Mr. Buttons five sealed envelopes with names for each person who I’m contacting for the last time. “Can you make sure that each one is delivered?”
“Of course, Saylor.” He places them inside his jacket pocket, and then hands me my travel papers I’d set down while I changed clothes. “Remember to read over the notes and try to be in the shadows for a while, until the news dies down.”
We walk out of the room and out the back door, where a black four door Chevy truck is waiting. Brody is leaning up against it, typing away on his phone. He must hear us because when he looks up, he puts the phone in his back pocket and walks to us.
“Ready?”
“I think,” I hesitantly say. Am I?
“You’re in good hands, I promise,” Brody reassures me, then walks me over to the passenger side and helps me into the truck.
Before the door closes, Mr. Buttons places a hand on my arm.
“I’ll contact you the moment it’s safe. Just know that the District Attorney’s Office is doing everything it can to ensure your safety.” He taps the pocket of his jacket where my letters are securely placed. “And I’ll send these out in the morning. It’s to give you a head start.”
“Thank you.”
He closes the door, and after he and Brody exchange a few words, they hug.
Brody gets in and fires up the engine. Brody eases the truck back and pulls out of the shopping strip and onto the road heading towards a highway.
We sit in silence for a long while before either of us speaks.
In a way, I like the quiet but in others I want to know what’s going to happen and where we are going.
“Do I get to know where we’re going? Or is that something I’ll find out when we get there?”
“No, you can know. We’re headed to my place in Montana.
I just bought some land on the outskirts of this amazing town.
We’ll be there while we wait. It’s gorgeous and the weather is great; we just don’t have access to beaches.
” His smile is infectious and I find myself sharing in his happiness.
Maybe this won’t be so torturous after all.
“What a small world? My grandparents and my husband’s grandparents also have a place in Montana.”
“Really? What city?” he asks as he changes lanes.
“My grandparents live in Dillon, and Levi’s grandparents have a place in Twin Bridges.”
He nods, “My place is South of Helena. It’s right outside Whitehall.”
“Do you have a storyline also, or do you get to play yourself until I’m allowed to come back? Am I a friend visiting or long lost relative?”
“You haven’t read through the paperwork, have you?”
I shake my head and reach to open the large envelope. I find a booklet and open it to reveal a passport and driver’s license. Upon further inspection, I see my new name and an updated photo. How did they get that so soon?
Sadie. My new name is Sadie. My heart skips a beat because that is my mother’s name.
“Sadie Jackson?” I cannot believe this. “This can’t be right.” I’m going to be one of his relatives?
“Oh, I can assure you that it is.” He winks, and it makes him even more attractive. I hate myself for even acknowledging it.
“Jackson? As in you?”
“Yep.” He pops the ‘p’ between his full lips.
“There has to be a mistake. This isn’t right.”
“No mistake, Wife.”
Wife?
The name on the papers isn’t what sends my heart into a race to leave my body. It’s the official paper behind it that almost has me passing out. I whip my head over to the driver’s side and see Brody glance over at me with a mega smile.
What in the living hell have I gotten myself into? Before I can stop it, the damn bursts as the tears flow and there is nothing that can stop it plummeting down my face.
Wife.