11. Collins #2
He rolled his shoulders. “Maybe?”
“You going to fill me in, or do I have to guess?” I smirked, teasing him.
“I think we should have a bag packed, only essentials, and keep it in our car,” he said. “We should also pull all the money off your paycard, so no one can track us. At some point we should go get new phones too. Miceli has your number now. He can find you with that.”
I hadn’t even thought about any of that stuff until Kyle said something. “We can do that in the morning? Make it seem like we’re going shopping or whatever.”
He grunted. “Good idea. When we’re gone, we’re gone. Pack what you want to keep and make sure everything is charged.”
“We’ll get you a new laptop, too. The one you have Miceli bought.”
“Good thinking,” he said.
Yeah, I hoped so, anyway.
The next morning, Kyle and I were up early.
I know Miceli said to take the Land Rover whenever I wanted to go out, but my stubborn streak got the best of me.
Plus, if we were going to prepare for all hell to break loose, I wanted to do everything in my car.
We wouldn’t have to take anything out, nor make anyone suspicious of what we were doing.
Ha, leaving in your car is suspicious enough.
I nibbled my bottom lip as I waited for Kyle to finish getting ready.
Couldn’t say I wasn’t a little on edge while I thought about what we were doing.
Leaving the house on our own was an enormous step after staying within the safety of Miceli’s compound.
Add to it what I learned about Brooke. This could either be the second worst day of my life or the best day of my life.
The odds were about sixty-forty being bad.
Didn’t stop me though. Doubted anything would now that we had a solid plan.
It was what would be best for everyone concerned.
The less Miceli knew, the more ignorant he could appear if anyone ever asked him questions.
Of course, we’d have to get new identities, so when he used our aliases, nothing would come up.
If push came to shove, I was sure I could get with the guy who helped us out.
I’d have the cash to make it worth his wild.
“Ready?” Kyle called out, exiting his room.
He was wearing the new pair of jeans and shirt I’d bought him a few weeks ago.
He’d been such a preppy kid. Button downs, polos, and slacks with douche loafers.
He didn’t go anywhere without looking like a frat boy going to a kegger.
So, when I saw the few items I’d ordered for him, I wasn’t sure if he’d ever wear a t-shirt and jeans, especially since we had the funds to indulge a little.
The combo looked good on him, a step up from his sweats and long sleeve shirts he’d become accustomed to.
“You look nice.”
He spun around in a little circle. “Do I fit in now?”
I nodded. “You do. Let’s go.” As we exited the house, I glanced around to see if anyone was watching. I hadn’t driven my car since Antonio and Benny fixed it. Knowing my luck, even if I wanted to take my car, I’d end up in the Land Rover because my battery was dead.
“You sure we should take this?” My brother cocked a brow, staring at our vehicle, the one we’d spent so much time in over the last eleven and a half months in.
“It’s ours.” I shrugged. “Not like we’re stealing it.”
“Didn’t Miceli give you the keys to a Land Rover?”
“You sure you want to use one of his vehicles while we plan our escape?” I tilted my head, staring at my brother. Bad enough, I was sure Miceli had a tracker on all of his possessions.
He mulled over what I’d said, scrubbing his cheek. “You’re right.”
Always am.
I grinned, opening the car for him to get in while I walked around the front.
The last time I checked, I had a half a tank of gas and a spare twenty in the middle console for when I needed to fill up.
First thing was first, though, figuring out if my baby would start.
Putting the key into the ignition, the chime for the door being open binged, a good sign.
I turned it once, waiting to see if the fuel pump would engage along with the other lights on the dash.
When they did, I turned the car over. The car started on the first try, and I yipped in triumph.
Score one for us.
Once we were situated, I backed up, then followed the driveway back to the front of the house.
The weirdness of facing the road instead of the house hit me square in the chest. Though I realized we wouldn’t be gone for long, the idea of leaving bothered me more than I could explain or understand.
I pulled out of the circular drive, then headed for town.
Beside me, Kyle turned on the radio. Yes, music .
I laughed, tapping my thumbs against the steering wheel. Sweet, sweet freedom.
“I’ve missed that sound,” Kyle said, smiling at me. “Hearing you laugh, like funny, full-on, happiness.”
Grinning at him, I replied, “Feels good. You should do it sometime, too.”
He snorted. “I do. You’re just not present when it happens. Mostly, though, it’s when I’m with the guys.”
I nodded. “Uh, huh? I bet.” Before we did any kind of shopping, I wanted a coffee and a pastry. “Starbucks?”
“God yes,” Kyle agreed. “I don’t care what you get me as long as it’s the biggest they have.”
I chuckled. “You sound like a size queen.”
“Well, I have learned over the years from you, dear sister, size matters.” He winked at me, unleashing a peal of laughter from me again.
“The fact you listened to those conversations... Boundaries, little brother.” For a moment, no matter how long or short it lasted, I forgot about everything and enjoyed the morning with Kyle.
I missed being the college co-ed who didn’t know who she wanted to be, and not being afraid of that. I’d been supported by wonderful parents who’d do anything for me no matter what. With them, I knew I’d never fail. Now, most days, I felt like a failure in so many ways.
After grabbing the biggest coffees, we could both handle, I pulled onto the parking deck for the middle of downtown. Shops lined the road on both sides. I hadn’t seen a mall anywhere, and the plazas weren’t too far apart either. We could walk and drink.
The late spring/early summer air left the temperatures tepid.
Not too hot, but not too cold either. Perfect for what we had planned.
The blare of horns and loud music was a welcomed bit of normalcy I’d missed since our entire ordeal began.
The smell of exhaust, tinged with a hint of rain, along with blooming flowers, enveloped me.
I missed this.
“You’ll tell me if anything hurts, right?” I cut my gaze to Kyle, who strolled beside me like he wasn’t in a hurry.
“I’m fine. Better than fine.” He lifted his left arm and showed me how much he’d improved in a few short weeks. “See. Almost good as new. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
“I’ll always worry,” I murmured, continuing to the shopping center. “Okay, what first?”
“Phones?” Kyle said, pointing to the Apple store. “Computer too.”
“Perfect. Let’s do this.” A niggle at the back of my mind said this could be the biggest mistake I’d ever made.
I had a little over twenty thousand dollars on my paycard, thanks to not having to worry about paying for anything, unless we wanted food delivered.
The paltry amounts of money we had on us didn’t even make a dent in my savings when I was Stephanie Hollis.
Spending what I knew would amount to about five thousand dollars on electronics hurt, but I knew, in the long run, it was for the best, and I could replenish my savings until the inevitable happened.
Inside the store, Kyle went straight for the laptops.
The associates were nice, helping us get everything we’d need and a few extras.
The bonus items like air pods were a nice little freebie gift, considering the chunk of change I’d paid them.
Yet, money was trivial when I saw how happy my brother was.
He couldn’t get the exact computer he had, since all the newer models were sold out, but he found the equivalent, which was all that mattered to me.
When we were finished there, we headed to one of the cute boutiques I’d seen on the way to the Apple store.
I missed my clothes. I’d taken to wearing baggie stuff.
Hiding my figure and my appearance. If no one could see me, no one could mistake me for myself.
As I stepped into the store, the blare of top 40 music jolted me.
My brain found its happy groove, and I told Kyle to check out the men’s section while I browsed the women’s section.
The longer we looked around, the more I relaxed.
For a second I could be me, looking for some clothes for some sorority function I had to attend.
Kyle could find something for a date he’d been excited about, or whatever it was he did while I wasn’t there.
I drifted over to a rack I’d seen from the window that had a bunch of off the shoulder sweaters and instantly fell in love with a lavender cashmere frock.
Longer than the others, I wondered if perhaps it was a dress.
Wouldn’t that turn Miceli’s head if I came to work wearing that?
“Are you finding everything okay?” An older woman came up beside me. She wore a pleasant smile and looked to be in her early fifties. Her kind blue eyes reminded me of my mother’s. My heart ached. “Oh, that is beautiful and matches your complexion.”
I always thought that was some random bullshit line in movies. Who knew people really said that? “Thanks. I was thinking about it.” I stared at the price tag. I could swing it. “Pair it with some tights and black heels?”
The associate nodded. “Perfect. What size?”
“Seven and a half?” I replied, before turning back to the rack. “Can I also get a pair of flats?”
“You keep looking, and I’ll be right back,” the woman said, patting my shoulder.
“Thank you.”