Chapter 14
“What a day, huh?” John asked.
Sarah gave a low whistle. “You aren’t kidding. So, how does it feel to be free?”
“A little strange, even weirder that I’m here of my own free will. Never thought I’d see the day when that happened,” John said.
“I can’t imagine,” Sarah said.
Her eyes flickered to Adam, the blush jumping to her cheeks instantly.
John, bless his heart, seemed to notice it and quickly made an excuse to disappear.
She couldn’t help but feel a little strange standing there with Adam despite knowing he was a free man.
One who had been wrongfully imprisoned from the start.
Yet she couldn’t deny the racing in her heart as she fumbled for words.
It was something she’d never expected to feel for anyone, let alone an inmate.
Did he really want to go with her to Maine?
It wasn’t something she had the time to think about with everything happening.
The day had been packed full of non-stop chaos.
Their conversation earlier had been the familiar flirtatious one.
Surely, he hadn’t been serious in his offer to go north with her.
Even thinking about the possibility made her stomach flutter.
From what she knew about Adam, he had no problem with her taking charge of situations.
He respected her as an independent individual, and she appreciated him for that.
The only way she could know for sure was by being direct with the man.
Never in her life had she struggled with that, but around Adam, everything changed.
She wasn’t looking for someone to take control of things, but having someone on the trip to watch her back would be incredibly helpful.
Plus, from his background, she knew he was smart and resourceful.
He had taught a half dozen survival classes since starting his time at Glenwood.
“Adam, I have to know something,” Sarah said.
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
“I’ve been wondering all day, and I need to know if you were serious about what you said earlier?”
Adam chuckled. “What do you mean?”
“Would you really consider going north with me to Maine? I mean, it’s a pretty state and all, but it’s a long way from Florida or Argentina.”
“If I’m being completely honest with you, Sarah, you’re the only reason I am still here.”
Sarah could feel an instant rush of blood to her face.
The blushing wasn’t something she would ever get used to, and she still didn’t quite understand her feelings for the man she had been in charge of for the last several years.
None of it made sense, but maybe it made more sense now that he had been exonerated.
After all, he wasn’t the man who had been arrested and charged years before.
Still, Adam had a way of making her feel something she hadn’t felt in a very long time, and the idea that he wanted to come with her was exciting.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m planning on staying here until tomorrow night. I’m going to go north just after dark,” Sarah said.
“Why are you waiting until nighttime?”
“I can use the cover of dark to make my way up the coast. I think it will be a lot safer, especially since I have no idea what it’s like out there and how people are reacting.”
“That’s actually quite smart,” Adam said. "You know, I’d love to accompany you north. I would understand completely if you don’t want me to, but I think two people on the road like that would be safer than you doing it alone.”
As Meredith blew a whistle from the guard tower platform, their conversation was cut short.
She was grateful for the interruption. It gave her time to think about her reply.
Of course, she wanted him to go. Sarah also wanted to make it clear that she didn’t have time for a romantic relationship.
Her only goal was to get to her parents’ property and make sure they were safe.
In all honesty, she was only waiting until the following night because she felt an obligation to Meredith.
Once Sarah left, Meredith would be the only female at the compound.
The overwhelming urge to get to her parents was consuming her.
They were smart but way too kind for the world they were now living in.
Making their way over to stand by the others, Sarah watched as Meredith readied herself to speak.
It was such a strange change from the atmosphere that had started the day.
Everyone was happy, even cheerful, as they quietly gathered around.
Had she not known it was a prison compound, it would have felt like a massive family reunion.
She could see the men respected Meredith, and that comforted her some.
“Everyone, I’d just like to say a few words.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you.
What we accomplished today and what we are going to do moving forward is really going to be something for the history books.
I know many of you are anxious to get back to the festivities.
Let’s keep in mind there is a curfew at ten.
Tomorrow we’ll start preparing to grow crops, and hopefully when this is all over, and the lights come back on, we’ll be just as happy as we are right now. Have a great night, everyone.”
As Meredith started to come back down, Adam gave her a smile and turned to talk with John.
With a plan in place, Sarah had to tell Meredith what she was going to do.
She wanted to give her friend as much notice as possible.
On top of that, Sarah had to tell Meredith that Adam was going to come with her.
It wasn’t something she was looking forward to explaining.
“I would have never imagined that we could accomplish all of this in such a short time frame,” Meredith said. “It’s going much better than I ever thought it could.”
“It is, but I knew it could be done. Listen, we need to talk.”
Meredith sighed. “I knew this was going to come. I’ve been waiting for you to approach me and tell me you’re leaving. When do you plan on heading out?”
“Tomorrow night. It’s going to be a long journey up the coast, and the longer I’m here, the more I’m starting to worry about my parents. I wish there was a way to get them a message, but that’s no longer possible. I need to make sure they’re okay.”
“Well, no one here can fault you on that. I wish I could get them that message. You’ve been so much help to me here, and I can’t thank you enough for helping me get this all up and going.”
“Just doing my job.”
Meredith chuckled. “I’m pretty sure this qualifies for going above and beyond. All I can say is thank you for staying a few extra days and helping with this. I’m grateful you made that choice.”
“They deserve a chance to survive as much as anyone else,” Sarah said. “Besides, if we didn’t do it, who would?”
“No one else would have done what we’ve done. That was made evident by the number of people who left the moment they could.”
“Exactly,” Sarah said. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it, Sarah?”
“I haven’t been sure how to tell you, so I’ll just come right out with it. When I leave tomorrow night, I’m going to be taking Adam with me.”
Meredith gave her a quizzical look but didn’t ask any more questions as a group of men approached and started asking her a few questions.
Sarah took the time to slip away from the woman.
If she was going to leave and now have a second person with her on foot, they had to be extremely careful and prepared.
There was a map of the surrounding area in her office and a compass in her car.
Her father had given it to her the year before.
Thanks to her generally cluttered life, it hadn’t made it out of the glove box.
As long as they kept heading north and stayed along the coast, they could make it there in good time.
Changing directions, she headed for the staff parking lot to scour her car for anything they might be able to use.
Sarah was excited about hitting the road before but now, knowing she’d have Adam with her, she couldn’t wait to leave.
Shaking her head, Sarah reminded herself that she needed to keep her head in the game.
As she left the compound and reached her car, she popped open the trunk with the key but only after trying the remote-control button first out of habit.
When she remembered the gear still loaded for the gym in the back, Sarah knew it was going to be okay.