“I don’t feel good,” Teeny says.
“She’s hungry. Let’s walk over there.” I point to the restaurant she showed me a few minutes ago and we get in line. Turning to Teeny, I say, “We’ll get this to go and head back to the room. I don’t like being out on the street.”
The line moves slowly. It looks like they serve those same powdery fried donuts I’ve had in Natchitoches and my mouth starts watering.
The restaurant itself is open-air and packed. I can’t help but laugh when I see the group of girls from last night. They’re wearing the same clothes and look really hungover. The bride still has the veil on but all the condoms are gone.
“Did you tell Will where we’re staying?”
“No, I want to be able to watch him when he gets here, make sure no one is following him. We came down here last fall for a Saints game and hung out in this bar on Bourbon. I told him to meet me there. I’ll get there early while you and Teeny hang out in the room. When I know it’s safe, we’ll come pick y’all up.”
I’m just about to argue with him that we shouldn’t be separated when my eyes fall on someone familiar. Just a passing blur at first but when I spot him again, I know it’s him the second I see his face. He’s dressed like a tourist, shorts and a T-shirt, but that short haircut and perpetual scowl is unmistakable. It’s Agent Hammond and he sees me, too.
Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:
Lay a false trail….
New rule by Anna Boyd:
Forget the false trail—better to just run for your life if you get the chance.
I turn around to Teeny and Ethan and start pushing them away from the man. “Go. It’s Agent Hammond. He’s here. Go!”
Ethan grabs Teeny’s hand and we sprint from the restaurant. I know Ethan’s side is still bruised and sore but thankfully it’s not slowing him down.
“You’re sure?” he calls back over his shoulder.
“Yes. And he recognized me, too.”
We both look behind us and see him not far behind. He’s not running full out but he’s gaining on us.
“Is he going to kill us?” Teeny cries out.
“No.” Ethan says then crosses the street and enters Jackson Square. As we get closer to the cathedral, there is a huge group of people on the front steps. It’s a wedding party. They are parading out of the church following a jazz band, swinging white umbrellas and dancing to the music. We run through the crowd, then Ethan pivots so we’re running toward the front of the parade.
He pulls us in close, and whispers, “Try to blend in.”
The group following behind the bride and groom is large and it is easy to be absorbed inside. I keep Teeny close and in the center. We try to fake the enthusiasm shared by the crowd around us but it’s hard. And I’m sure we look ridiculous.
Ethan stays to the edge, looking for Agent Hammond.
I catch sight of him in an alley on the side of the church. He busted through the crowd, same as us, but didn’t stop. He’s checking behind Dumpsters and coming up short. He glances back to the parade and Ethan pushes us deeper inside.
A large woman who seems plastered at nine in the morning hands me an umbrella and says, “Here! Shake whatcha mama gave you, honey. This is a celebration!”
I take the umbrella and hide us behind it. We stay with the parade for a couple of blocks. Ethan joins us under the umbrella and says, “He’s making his way back toward the phones we were just using.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Do you think he can figure out who we just called?”
“Hell, I don’t know. We’ll stay with this group until they get to where they’re going then try to get back to our room. We need to get off the street.”
The parade dances its way through the Quarter, ending in front of one of the fancier hotels. Once everyone starts heading into the lobby, Ethan, Teeny, and I break away from the group.
“Do you know where we are?” Teeny asks.
“Yeah, we’re about eight blocks from our hotel.” Ethan looks nervous.
