“No problem, Honor.”
I follow him deeper into the salon, around the corner to the sinks. As expected, Mike shifts his position so he can keep me in his line of sight. Ugh.
I sit and tip my head back into the cool sink. Anthony sings along to some country song in the background as he drags the foils from my hair. I blink up at him and he winks at me. We got this. Right? My stomach clenches as my hands fall to my waist. The trainer is a reminder of what I’m playing for—the free will God graced us with. Gideon Lowell is not a god—despite how highly he thinks of himself—so he has no rights to my free will.
Anthony shampoos my hair, digging into my scalp, and giving me the massage I dream of. It’s a small comfort and something I treasure. He rinses the shampoo once, twice. Time speeds up, like my future is racing toward me at a crossroads, and I have to choose before I’m torn in half.
“Leave in treatment. I’ll wrap you up and get you that coffee.” He winks at me, but I spot the tremble in his hands.
“Thank you,” I whisper. I know what he’s risking today. He jerks his head and disappears through a doorway into the kitchen. A minute passes and a string of curses erupts from the room, before a harassed-looking Anthony reappears with a glass of water. He juts his chin at Mike. “She needs her medication.”
Mike’s head swings to the clock. Eleven twenty eight. He digs in his pockets for the pill bottles as he approaches me. “Also, the coffee machine is broken. Be a doll and run down thestreet to get Mrs. Lowell a hazelnut latte with a shot of caramel. I’ll have an almond milk cappuccino—make sure they put fresh milk into the machine. Tell them Anthony sent you and to add it to my account.”
My lips twitch at the burly guy being calleddoll. Mike narrows his eyes as Anthony snatches the pill bottles from his hands. He makes a shoo motion. “Get something for yourself. Go on.”
Mike frowns. “Don’t leave the salon,” he grinds out.
“Of course not.”
Mike nods and spins on his heel. He pauses. “Lock the door behind me.”
Anthony sighs and follows him to the front door. The catch snicks closed. My breathing picks up speed as I rise from the chair. Anthony’s gaze collides with mine. “If we are doing this, it needs to be now. We have fifteen minutes max until he’s back.” He ushers me into the kitchen.
“Fifteen minutes for coffee?”
“I messaged Sarah. She will keep Mike busy.”
Anthony points at a pile of clothing on the marble worktop. “Change.”
I bite my lip. “For goodness sake, Honor, I’m not interested in your girl bits.”
I pull the bottle green dress shift over my head and toe off my designer heels. He sucks in a breath. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he snarls as he takes in the leather clinching my torso. He moves around the back. “He deserves to be fucked in the ass by an enormous spiky dildo covered in syphilis.”
I laugh as I shake my head and grab the plain white T-shirt. “Leave it. We don’t have time. I’ll remove it later.”
I yank on the blue denim jeans and pull on the plain white sneakers. He drags the towel off my hair and curls the damp strands into a bun before securing it at the nape of my neckwith an elastic band. I dig into my handbag and tear the seam to free the money hidden at the bottom. I collect my phone and drop the bag on the floor with a thud. Next, he hands me a plain navy baseball cap. I secure it on my head. He drags a black waterproof coat around my shoulders and I slip my arms inside.
He checks his watch. “Eleven minutes left.” He snatches a rucksack from a cupboard and hands it to me. I unzip it and suck in a breath.
“That’s every bit of money he’s paid me to do your hair over the last year, and some extra.”
I shake my head, hot tears dripping down my cheeks. “It’s too much. I can’t take this.”
“Poppycock. You can, and you will.” He unzips the small flap on the inside. “Tickets to Times Square. From there, hot foot it to Penn Station. The rest of the items are stored in a locker. Show the clerk the confirmation on this phone.” He slides an expensive phone out of his back pocket and hands it to me. “Then destroy it. There’s another one in the locker as well as a further change of clothes. After that, follow the plan you made. If you buy tickets, get at least three to different places to confuse the fuck out of them. But get out of the city as soon as you can.”
I drag in a breath and try to relax my shoulders. He wraps me in a hug. “We planned this, Honor. Run, and don’t look back.”
I pull away as my bottom lip wobbles. “I can never repay you or thank you enough.”
He pinches my chin between his fingers and tilts up my head. “You can repay me by living your life free of this pain I see on your face. I can’t watch as he chips away at your light and smothers it.”
He hands me the two pill bottles, which I slide into my coatpocket. His gaze scans my body, looking for the cause of the medication. “Do I want to know?”
My eyes squeeze closed as shame washes over me. “No,” I whisper.
“Fuck,” he growls, hammering his fist into the concrete. I flinch.
He drags in a breath. “I’m sorry. He will get his karma one of these days, Honor, and we will dance on his fucking grave together.”
