5. I’ve Got To Take It
Chapter 5
I’ve Got To Take It
MEGAN
T he drive to the next city is a blur of anxiety, nausea, and silent prayers. On this leg of the trip, Naomi is sitting up front and I’m sitting next to Naomi’s father in the backseat, my mind racing with plans of escape. After going over my brief conversation with Christian in my head, and understanding that Hunter may have a solid plan to rescue me, it’s pretty clear that Christian was suggesting I should figure out a way to rescue myself.
We finally pull into the parking lot of a dingy motel on the outskirts of the city. The neon sign flickers, casting an eerie glow on the cracked pavement.
"This is our stop for the night," Mr. Fabre announces as if we're on some twisted family road trip.
“I thought you were wealthy,” I say to him, turning my nose up at the dingy location especially because of how unsafe it looks.
“I know you’re used to penthouse living, Miss Taylor, but these accommodations are going to have to do for now. Josephine can tell you, I’m known to love the finer things in life but the first place your fiancé is going to look for you is at the closest Four Seasons Hotel. Eddie, get the girls squared away,” he orders dismissively. “I have some calls to make before I settle in for the night.”
“Yes, boss.”
Eddie's grip on my arm is tight as we shuffle into the motel room. It's small, with two beds and a lingering smell of cigarettes.
“Why don’t you ever manhandle Naomi like this?” I fuss.
“You and Josephine will share a bed," he ignores the question, throwing a pointed look my way. “And I’ll sleep in the other one.”
“I can’t sleep with you in here.”
“Sleep or don’t sleep but shut your mouth. I’m tired of hearing it.”
I nod, trying to mask my fear, because sometimes Eddie looks at me as if he’s just biding his time until he can get me alone and hurt me. Naomi lays on top of our bed and curls herself into a quiet ball while I look for the remote control and find anything on television that will numb me to my present circumstances.
A text alert illuminates Eddie’s phone and he excuses himself to handle a problem at the front desk with the credit card he used to pay for the rooms.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t answer the door for anyone but me or Mr. Fabre. You understand?”
I nod silently.
“Josephine?” He calls out to Naomi.
“Yeah,” she mutters.
“You heard me, right?”
“Yep.”
My heart pounds when Eddie walks out the door. This is what Christian meant. A chance to make a run for it.
I land on a channel showing an episode of some sort of reality show that I don’t recognize and tell Naomi, “I’m going to take a shower.”
The fact that I have no clean clothes to change into should have made Naomi raise an eyebrow, but she barely moves. In fact, all she does is grunt an inaudible response as I enter the bathroom and stare at myself in the mirror above the vanity.
I look like shit.
God knows I really should take a shower.
If anyone was paying attention, they’d see that I’m clearly in distress. My eyes are sunken in, my hair is practically sticking on top of my head, and I feel like I have days worth of dirt on my skin.
But I don’t have time for that.
This is my moment to escape.
I’ve got to take it.
I wait until my nerves settle, lock the door, turn on the shower, and then quietly open the bathroom window. Luckily, it faces the side of the hotel and not the front where we’re parked. The opening is small, but I manage to squeeze my hips through, my breath catching as I land on the ground outside. I feel like Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie.
I don’t have a plan beyond getting out of the motel room, but I don't look back as I start running, my feet pounding against the pavement. I can hear shouts behind me, not really sure if it’s Eddie or Mr. Fabre’s voices, but I don't dare to glance back. I just run, fueled by desperation and the thought of freedom.
I'm a few blocks away when I hear the screech of tires. I duck into an alley, my heart in my throat. Footsteps echo behind me, getting closer. I'm cornered, with nowhere to run.
Suddenly, a hand grabs my arm, pulling me into the shadows. I'm about to scream bloody murder when a familiar voice hushes me. “Hey, it's me, Parker.”
I throw my arms around Parker’s neck and relief floods through me, followed by an onslaught of tears.
How did he find me?
What's going to happen now?
And where’s Hunter?
But before I can ask him anything, Parker's expression hardens. "We need to move. Now."
We dart through several narrow streets, Parker leading the way, me stumbling behind. I can barely keep up, my mind racing with questions. Finally, we reach a black sedan I recognize, parked in front of a small strip mall and Parker opens the passenger door for me.
“This is one of Hunter’s cars,” I say. “Did you follow me here from LA?”
I’m so confused.
Has Parker been the plan to rescue me all along?
“Get in,” he simply orders.
As we speed away, I turn to him, searching for answers in his eyes. But before I can speak, his cell phone rings. He answers, his face turning pale as he listens.
"What's wrong?" I ask, my heart sinking. “Is it Hunter?”
Parker's jaw clenches as he ends the call.
“No,” he says, his voice barely a whisper.
“What’s going on, Parker? You’re acting strange. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.”
He drives with an intense focus.
Never asking me if I’m okay.
Never looking me directly in the eye.
Not giving me any fucking answers about Hunter.
“What’s going on?” I ask again, fed up with his weird silent treatment. “Give me your phone now and let me call Hunter.”
“Have I ever told you about my Mama, Megan?” he asks out of the blue.
Parker and Lars have been fixtures in my life ever since I met Hunter but I wouldn’t say that I know much about their personal lives, only the things that Hunter may randomly share with me about them.
“Well…no.”
“She worked her way up from a cafeteria worker to an executive assistant in the administration department in Cooper LA hospital.”
Uh, okay.
He continues. “If she had grown up with different opportunities, I’m sure she would have been a nurse or even a doctor though. My mom’s real smart and a hard worker.”
I still don’t get it.
What’s the point of this story?
“Why are you telling me about your mom, Parker?” I feel uneasy. “Are you going to let me use your phone or not?”
“I’m sorry, Megan. You know I’ve always liked you a lot.”
“Why are you sorry?” My stomach rolls and I have to take a few deep breaths to stop myself from gagging. “You just rescued me from Naomi’s crazy daddy. Why would you apologize for that?”
“My mama is sick, Megan. Heart issues. She’s a patient in the same hospital she worked in for most of her life. But that greedy ass place doesn't care about that. If she doesn’t pay her growing tab, they’re ready to send her to the teaching hospital across town.”
I stay quiet.
“And I can’t have that.”
“And so what does that mean?”
“I dropped Hunter off the other day. I was sitting outside waiting like I often do to take him anywhere else he may want to go. That's when Fabre approached me.”
Oh no.
“He knew about my mother," he continues. "And he knew about my financial situation. Hunter pays me fairly but I've spent a lot of the money on bullshit. I'm not a saver."
Please God, no.
"Fabre offered to pay me more money than I’ve ever seen in my life at one time to simply take a drive and not answer my phone for an hour. That's it.”
“Parker!” I cry. “What have you done? Hunter would have given you the money to pay your Mom’s hospital bill.”
His forehead creases.
“It never crossed my mind that Fabre wanted to snatch you, Megan. I swear. I thought he was going to take Naomi and just didn’t want any problems when he did.”
"So you were fine with throwing my friend under the bus? You've been around her a million times, Parker."
"When it comes to saving my mother's life, I'll throw anybody under the bus."
“So if you drove away and didn't answer your phone, how did you find me all the way here?”
“Everything happened faster than I guess he planned. I was just about to drive off when you approached his car, and I saw the other guy forcibly put you inside. That’s when I realized just how badly I fucked up.”
“Why didn't you help me? Why didn’t you immediately tell Hunter or even Lars? Do you give a shit at all about me, Parker? I thought we were friends?”
“We are friends which is why I came here to West bubble fuck Arizona, to try and figure out the best way to handle this.”
“Okay, great. Why not just call Hunter and tell him everything so we can put an end to this?” I demand.
“That’s the complicated part, Megan. I initially followed y'all here to figure out a way to bring you home and not get myself killed in the process. But I've had some time to think. It was one thing to sell out Naomi but now that you’re involved, and especially because you're pregnant, Hunter is never going to forgive me.”
"His first inclination may be to fire you but I can help you get your job back once you come clean."
"Fire me? No, college girl, Hunter Middleton will put me six feet under in a place where no one will find me."
“Hunter is not a cold-blooded killer.”
“Where do you think your daddy is?” Parker scoffs. “Do you honestly think Hunter put him in some sort of relocation program for abusive fathers?”
I've tried not to put much thought into what became of my father, his wife, and my half-sister. Whatever their fate, I'd already decided that ignorance was bliss.
“Hunter will not kill you, Parker. This was just a huge misunderstanding.”
“This was not a misunderstanding. It was a betrayal.”
“The one thing Hunter will want is me back in one piece. So maybe if you're the one to return me, he’ll be more forgiving." I try talking some sense into Parker. "I’ll talk to him for you. I’ll explain the situation. He’ll listen to me. Just let me call him. I need to hear his voice and tell him that me and the baby are okay.”
Parker turns his head and gives me a blank stare that makes me question whether I’ve ever been a good evaluator of character.
“I’m sorry, Megan, but it's decided. I’m not taking you back.”