“Knox?” I whisper, my voice small even to my own ears. I’m afraid to hope. To open this door and be greeted by Rick or one of his drinking buddies. I would never survive the night alone in a motel with them. I just know it.
Leaving was bad enough, but I stole something from Rick’s bedroom on my way out—a locked box that he keeps on his nightstand—and I shudder to think of how he’d punish me if he catches up to me.
“Vivienne?”
The voice is wrong. “You aren’t Knox.”
“No, I’m not. I’m your brother’s friend, Kyle,” the voice on the other side of the door says. “He sent me to come get you.”
This could be a trick. “Knox didn’t say anything about sending anyone.”
“It was a last-minute decision,” he says. “He got into an accident this afternoon and didn’t think he’d make it in time.”
My heart leaps at that. “W-what happened? Is my brother okay? How badly is he hurt?”
The voice turns reassuring. “He fell off his bike and ended up with a few bruised ribs, a broken ankle, and a banged-up knee, but no major injuries. He can’t exactly drive a car at the moment, but he’ll be alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“It feels weird talking to you from the other side of the door,” Kyle says with a slight sigh. “Can you open the door for me, Vivi? And then I’ll tell you all about it.”
I start to open the door but hesitate. “How do I know you weren’t sent here by Rick?”
He scoffs. “Your mom’s boyfriend? Fuck that guy. Knox made it sound like he’s a real piece of work.”
Well, that’s one way to describe the man I’ve spent five years of my life trying to hide from. “Did Knox really send you?”
“Told me to protect you with my life,” he says, his voice easing the tension in my body, but not completely. “I know you don’t have an ID and can’t fly to Chicago, so we’ll have to go by road. I’ve already rented the car and we can leave right away…” He stops, adds, “If that’s what you want.”
I bite my lip. I’m so close to getting my freedom. Do I really want to risk it by trusting a strange man just because his voice is warm and soothing?
“Call him,” I whisper, fingering the holes in my sweater.
Silence. “What?”
“If my brother really sent you, I want you to prove it.”
“Okay, no problem,” Kyle says agreeably. “He wanted me to let him know the minute I found you anyway.”
A tinge of guilt over inconveniencing my brother sets in, but the other option is blindly trusting a stranger and letting him into my motel room.
There’s some shuffling and I hear the ringing of the phone. I don’t realize he’s put the phone on speaker until my brother’s voice breaks through.
“Kyle,” he says in a deep, mature voice that’s a far cry from the young man he was when we were separated. “Did you find her?”
“Sure did, but she won’t let me into her room until I can prove you sent me. You’re on speaker.”
“Smart girl,” Knox says from the other end, pride heavy in his voice. “Vivi, you can trust Kyle. He’ll keep you safe. Kyle, call me when you get my sister the hell out of that city. Someone should have met you at the airport with a little gift. Did you get it?”
“Yeah, I got your present.”
“Get to Vegas. Pope has a care package ready. You know what to do if anyone tries to stop you.”
The call ends and there’s a bit more shuffling as Kyle puts the phone away. “Now will you open the door for me?” he says hopefully.
I nod before realizing that he can’t see me from the other side, so I offer a quiet, “Okay.” I unlock the door, slowly pulling it open.
I see the boots first.
