Chapter 7
Parker
We strategized for hours trying to find the best way to get to Georgia without being followed.
Charles was clever. He had evaded arrest twice.
He somehow knew that Evelyn had given his name to Officer Grant and hurt her friend.
That meant the police couldn't be trusted, and she was on her own.
He wanted Evelyn isolated, so that he could toy with her. I wasn't going to allow that to happen.
As Eric, Danny, and I sat around the kitchenette table devising a plan, Evelyn sat on the couch staring into space. She barely moved when Eric offered her a small meal of Sopa de Pollo and only spoke to thank him.
The first part of our plan involved Danny obtaining a fake ID and a new SIM card for Evelyn.
We all agreed that it would be best for Evelyn to hide her identity while in Oakland Ridge.
Although it was a small town where no one would know her, we didn’t want to take any chances.
Luckily, Danny knew someone who could get the job done in under twenty-four hours, so we would have it by the morning.
By sunrise, I had already called the fire chief and explained I would need an emergency leave of absence.
In the ten years that I had been a firefighter, I hadn’t even taken a vacation.
At the age of twenty-eight years old, I was the youngest fire captain at Station 66, and I had risen to this position because of my dedication to the house and community.
Fire Chief Bradden was more than happy to give me as much leave as I wanted, no questions asked.
The only part of the plan still left up in the air was notifying my parents.
I knew I couldn’t just show up. The last time we had all been together, I was packing for New York and giving up my inheritance ten years ago.
They would have questions, and more so, they would be wondering who the hell Evelyn was.
I stepped away from the kitchen and into the bathroom across the hall, pulling out my phone with unease.
Three rings and my father's gruff voice came through the line.
“Son, I can only assume something is wrong, or perhaps this is a butt dial.”
“No, Dad. I meant to call you, and I guess you could say something is wrong—very wrong.”
“Well, spit it out already. I don’t have all day. I’m meeting the mayor and the sheriff for golf soon.” He tutted.
“I’m coming home, and I’m bringing someone with me. We just need to get away from New York right now. I know we haven’t been seeing eye to eye, but I need you to put that aside right now. This is important.”
“I’m listening.”
“I met someone—they’re in danger and need to lay low.”
“A woman, you mean.” I could practically hear him preening through the phone from his assumption. “Did you save her, too?”
I counted to ten in my head before responding. This wasn’t the time to lose my cool.
“Yes,” through gritted teeth, I continued, “she lost everything in a fire. I’m just trying to help her out. She’ll be under an alias. This has to stay between you and me. The less people know, the safer she will be.”
There’s a long pause once I’m finished. So long that I pulled the phone from my ear just to check if he’s still there.
In a clipped tone, he barked, “Alright, I’ll have Tonya prepare the pool house for you and your guest. I only ask one thing.”
Here we fucking go. This was what I was worried about. Everything with him was a transaction.
“In a week's time, there is a fundraiser gala being held by the Delaney Legacy Foundation for the unhoused people of Atlanta. Sheriff Strauss will be announcing my candidacy for mayor. It will look great for optics to have the whole family together, and it will win favor with the community. Should you choose to come back to Oakland Ridge, your attendance will be mandatory. While you’re here, you’ll play by my rules. ”
My father wasn’t leaving anything up for discussion. He was a man of his word, though. He would allow us to stay on the estate; provide accommodations and security as long as I did as he asked.
Holding in a heavy sigh, I agreed. I knew what he meant by “my rules,” the man only cared about one thing: Gentry Co.
He would probably have me in a suit every day, moonlighting as a businessman.
We stayed on the phone only a few moments longer.
He didn’t attempt to make small talk. I heard the shuffling of paper and the distinct sound of a pen scratching paper on the other end of the line. His silence was a dismissal.
“We’ll be there in two days.”
The beep coming through the phone let me know he had disconnected the call.
Shaking my head, I returned to the living room only to find Evelyn standing there waiting for me, balancing between one foot and the other with nervous energy radiating off her.
“Before—” she started and paused as she gathered herself. “Before, I wasn’t sure I wanted to live in a world without Celeste, but I continued because there were still people here who knew her and remembered her. She wouldn’t have wanted me to leave them.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, a new look taking claim on her face.
“Now though? I’m angry at what has been taken from me. Those people, my reasons to stay, are gone. There is nothing left for me here. I’ll leave with you, but only because I realize now that living would be the best form of revenge.”
I approached her with caution. She said she wanted to fight, but everything about the woman in front of me told me she wanted to run. “If you want to fight, we’ll fight together. The most important thing now is getting you to safety. We’ll stay away as long as it takes to bring Charles to justice.”
With steel in her eyes, she nodded. I barely knew her, but I already admired her. I would endure the judgment from my family because she was worth protecting. So many people had already let her down. She was worth my own discomfort.