If we had rock solid identities, none of it would be aproblem. We’d lay low for a while and reemerge in a brand-new town as brand newpeople.
But we didn’t know these counterfeiters. We wereputting blind trust in strangers, which sat wrong with me. I wasn’t going tochance everything else too.
So what we needed was cash.
Or something of value that we could turn into cash.
“The office, Frankie. Sayer’s office. It’s flush.”
“Caroline…”
“Come on, it’s perfect. And it all belongs to meanyway. They stole it from me.” My tone hardened with conviction the more theplan developed in my head. “I’d just be reclaiming what’s rightfully mine.”
“This sounds like a terrible idea,” she warned.
“What other options do we have? Give me anothersolution and I’ll gladly take it.” Although that wasn’t entirely true. The moreI thought about getting all of my things back, the more I liked the idea.
It was mine anyway. Sayer had no claim to it. The facthe had it in the first place was a good reminder he had never trusted me likehe claimed to. He had never believed my promises. He’d used me, manipulated meand then counted on my trust in him to pocket a hell of a lot of insurance.
“We could do something here. In town. Something fastbut low maintenance. Like a laundromat or something.”
“You want to rob a laundromat?”
“Or the till here. I could just walk out with it todayafter I get off. They’re insured. The Lodge would be fine.”
“No way. You’re crazy. Come on, Frankie, think thisall the way through. They would catch you on camera. And as soon as word hitDC, whatever’s left of the syndicate would come for us. We have to be smarterthan that. We can’t make mistakes.”
“Sayer will know that it’s you,” she argued.
“But he won’t send an army after us. If anything,he’ll come after me himself. Just him. Just me.”
“And Juliet?”
That made me pause. What would Sayer do if he found mydaughter… our daughter? “Give me something else then. Anything else. I’ll takeit. I’ll do it. Whatever it is. Just tell me what to do, Frankie. I’m out ofoptions.” My voice was a ragged whisper. I could feel the exhaustion all theway to my bones. It was a painful, intolerable thing, like a clenched fist onthe jugular of my soul. I wanted to escape just so I could find somewhere newand take a nap.
I just needed to catch my breath.
When Frankie spoke again, she was resigned. We bothknew the answer. It was dangerous, but it was possible. And nobody in Friscogot hurt.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
“Where is the guy? Where can we get the papers?”
“Denver,” she whispered. “He said a week.”
“Set it up then. We’ll leave tonight and lie low untilthe papers are ready. As long as they’re in process we can live off cash for aweek. That will give us time to fence the goods and come up with enough to payhim.”
“Tonight?”
“Can you pick up Jules? I’ll meet you at home. Haveeverything packed up and ready.”
I guess all of my leave in good standing, don’t raisequestions philosophy was thrown out the window. But with Sayer’s basementoffice calling my name, it finally felt like we had a solution.
“Sayer will never forgive you for leaving him twice,Caro. Are you sure you’re up for this?”
She was right. Sayer would never forgive me. And if Iran off with all his cash, he might never give up looking for me either.
But that was a risk I was willing to take.
