My fingers finally touched the edge of said baggie and I yanked it from the ground.
Inside was organized cash, two thousand and some change last I checked, a P.O. box key, and an old Nokia that Wendy had given me.
I switched the phone on and called the only number on the contacts list.
“Mina?” Wendy’s voice was groggy, telling me she’d called it an early night after a long day of being a teacher. The sound of a gruff voice in the background told me that her husband, a tiger beastman named Reggie, was probably also asleep in the bed with her.
I sucked in a steadying breath, trying to calm the shakes and nerves reverberating throughout my body. “I have to move my timeline up.”
That seemed to wake her up.
“Do you have enough to do that?” Wendy asked. I could hear the sound of her footsteps on the hardwood floor which told me she was probably heading for her home office.
I wasn’t sure if I did. My goal was to get as far away from Mike as possible and disappear. To do that, I’d set my sights on the West Coast. San Francisco specifically.
That city was massive enough for me to disappear completely into and never be found.
California was also a haven for supernaturals and had been since the Monster Accords of 1965. Mike hated monsters and would avoid them at all cost, so it made the monster-friendly San Francisco an attractive place to escape to.
“I think so,” I said as I hurried to cover the hole I made, patting the dirt down flat before standing. “Or, well, I hope so.”
I passed Mike’s unconscious form on my way back through the living room and paused.
Was he dead? The wound on the side of his head was slowly oozing blood and he didn’t even stir at my too-loud footsteps.
For just one, secret moment I wished he was. Mike being dead meant he wasn’t capable of coming after me.
But even though the man had spent half a decade making my life a living hell, I couldn’t imagine being the reason he died.
Cursing under my breath I crouched down next to him and pressed two dirty fingers to the side of his neck. A sigh of relief left me when I felt his thready pulse underneath my fingertips.
“What are you doing?” Wendy asked in my ear.
“Making sure he isn’t dead,” I informed her a little numbly as I stood and made my way through the house.
I heard her gasp. “What do you mean dead? Mina what the fuck happened?”
“I knocked over his beer and he came at me, so I hit him with a fire poker.” I stepped into the en suite bathroom of the master bedroom and began to wash my hands, scrubbing away all of the dirt that was caked under my nails.
I half-expected Wendy to tell me she couldn’t help me, especially since I could go to jail for assault now. But then she reminded me of why we were such good friends.
“Fuck yeah you did, I’m proud of you babe,” Wendy crowed into the phone, making me laugh in spite of the situation I’d gotten myself into. “Okay, I’ve booked your uber. It should be at your place in fifteen minutes.”
That meant I needed to hurry. Turning off the taps, I dried my hands and arms off and wrapped my dirty bag of cash in a towel.
At the back of my closet was a tiny duffel bag. It was one of the few things from my childhood that I’d managed to hang on to.
Inside were pictures of me and my mom, a ratty stuffed dog and as many clothes as I dared pack without Mike noticing. My bag of cash went in last and I zipped it up with a finality.
“Babe, two minutes,” Wendy’s voice reminded me that I was on a tight schedule.
Shouldering my bag I quickly changed into comfortable clothing. A pair of jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt and a baggy black jacket. It felt like too much, but I didn’t want to regret not bringing a jacket when I got cold later.
Mike was thankfully still out like a light when I passed him again. I couldn’t remember how hard I’d clocked him, but obviously enough to put him out of commission for a while.
“Don’t follow me,” I whispered to him, still feeling a thread of fear in my chest despite his current state.
“Your Uber is arriving, red Prius,” Wendy sounded as breathless as I felt. I practically ran to the front door, throwing it open and stepping into the cool night air.
