CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ATHENA
It took a few days before I was able to relax. Upon arriving in Mexico, I’d been a bundle of nerves. Jumping over every little thing. Constantly looking over my shoulder.
Damon didn’t seem to have the same problem. He felt fully confident in our ability to escape the law back home. Using money from an offshore bank account he’d opened years ago under a fake name, we were able to pay for a stay at a decent resort. A place with tourists so we would blend in.
The first thing we did was buy a few more things that we needed. Personal supplies and clothing items. Otherwise, we did our best to lay low. Spending a lot of time in our room while venturing out on occasion for a meal in the restaurant or to hang out by the pool.
I would’ve been happy to hide in the room the entire time until we were ready to move on. Damon wouldn’t hear of it. He dragged me down to the pool one afternoon, insisting that we enjoy the sun and beautiful weather.
“We’re here, so we might as well enjoy it,” he said, tossing the bikini I’d recently purchased onto the bed next to me. “Put this on.”
He’d long since ditched his previous burner phone, purchasing a new one after we arrived.
Nobody but Noah had the number. The latest news back home was that the police were still looking for Damon.
They had found his vehicle abandoned near the crime scene.
They didn’t seem to realize that he’d left the country.
Mexico was only our first stop. A place to get our bearings and figure out our next move. Damon wanted us to end up in China eventually. A country that didn’t have an extradition treaty with our home country. Something that may work to our advantage if they ever figured out where we were.
I’d slipped into the bikini, tying a wraparound skirt around my waist before letting him lead me from the room. Now I sat beside the pool, sipping a pina colada while Damon lounged beside me.
“Damn, I almost wish we didn’t have to leave. I could get used to this.” He tipped a frosty cold beer to his lips, drinking back a generous portion.
Using my straw, I stirred the contents of my drink. “It really is nice. I’ve never been here before. I can see why so many people vacation here.”
The sun was bright in the cloudless blue sky.
The resort itself was beautiful, boasting all the amenities one might possibly need.
People were everywhere. Littered all around the pool.
Filling the restaurants and bars. I understood why Damon believed it was a good place to blend in. So far nobody had looked twice at us.
“We fly out to Thailand the day after tomorrow,” he said, far too casually. “How does that sound?”
“It sounds absolutely insane,” I laughed. “But I’m here for it. There’s no one else I would rather be with on this adventure.”
He stretched out on his lounge chair, drawing my gaze to his naked torso.
Nope. Definitely nobody else I would rather be with.
I ate up the sight of him, my eyes taking in every inch as I looked him over.
I noticed a lady a few chairs over doing the same.
Not that I blamed her. He was damn easy on the eyes.
When the heat became too much, we took a dip in the pool. Wrapping our arms around one another as the cool water washed over us. Despite the fact that we were here running from the law, I’d never felt so free or alive.
On our way back up to the room, we were halfway down the hall from the elevator when a man called out behind us. “Excuse me, sir.”
Immediately I stiffened, fearing the worst. When we turned around to face the man, it was simply a hotel staff member holding out some cash. Maybe a few hundred pesos.
“I think you dropped this.”
I breathed what I hoped wasn’t an obvious sigh of relief. Goddamn, that scared me.
Damon shook his head, waving a hand. “I don’t think it was me. Why don’t you keep it? Thank you though.”
We continued to the room, both a little shaken. Just in case, we decided to stay put until it was time to head to the airport.
“Will it always be this way?” I asked when we were safely back inside our hotel room. “Having a mini heart attack every time someone speaks to us?”
“Of course not. You’re just jumpy. That’s understandable. Things will get better. We won’t always be on the run. One day we’ll be able to go home.” Damon sounded so sure.
Noah had informed us that he and the other Kings were working on rounding up the gang that set Damon up. They intended to obtain a confession about what really happened that night. Something they could use to clear Damon’s name.
With every piece of me, I wanted to believe that would happen. However, I couldn’t imagine how the Kings would achieve something like that while keeping their own hands clean. There was nothing I wanted more than to go home one day. Preferably sooner than later.
I had yet to speak with my own mother or any of the girls. I knew they would be worried. I already missed them unbearably.
Several days later, we arrived in Thailand. I hated leaving Mexico behind. So beautiful and welcoming. Yet Thailand was a whole new world, and I was excited to check it out.
We started out in Bangkok, a city that was massive and intimidating. So much going on everywhere we turned. We busied ourselves with some light shopping, enjoying the food and the nightlife.
From there we went to an island with a luxury beach hotel. I worried about Damon spending so much money, but he assured me that he had more than enough. He’d been stockpiling for years. He may have been a criminal but he had pretty good money management skills.
After two weeks in Thailand, we moved on, finally making our way to China. This was where we planned to stay for a while. Despite the culture shock, I enjoyed every moment. Experiencing life so far from home made our troubles there feel far away. Almost nonexistent.
When we were finally able to get online safely, I was overjoyed to connect with my friends.
They kept us updated on how things were going.
The Kings had located a few gang members, working on finding their current leader.
Noah was determined to make him talk. Doing all he could to make it happen. He wanted to bring Damon home.
The girls had been checking in on my mom, making sure she didn’t freak out and report me as a missing person.
The police still didn’t know Damon had fled the country or that I was with him.
We wanted to keep it that way. Right now they believed he was hiding out locally. Eventually, they would figure it out.
When we were curled up together in bed that night, I tentatively asked, “Damon? Do you really believe we’ll get to go home?”
Without missing a beat, he kissed my forehead and murmured, “With every piece of me, creampuff.”