Gray laughed. “I think you’re right.”
They stared at each other for a second. An idea popped into Gray’s mind, and when Jameson’s eyes got wider, he somehow knew that they were each thinking the same thing.
“We have to get rid of our phones,” they both said at the same time.
Jameson snatched the devices up, then jumped off the bed and hurried into the bathroom. A second later, Gray heard two plops, followed by the sound of the toilet flushing.
Jameson stepped into the doorway and folded his arms over his chest. “Now no one can track us,” he said brightly.
“Did you just flush our phones down the toilet?”
“The flush was for dramatic effect. They’re still floating in the water, but that should short them out.”
Gray nodded. “I didn’t like that phone anyway. Nice work!”
Jameson laughed. “What else do we need? A new vehicle and a place to stay?”
“It’s harder to stay anonymous than most people think,” Gray said. “And especially without a whole team like you’re used to. Even if we had a lot of cash on us, we can’t just go and rent a vehicle or a hotel room without leaving a trail. And from what I understand, people make it a full-time job to track you down.”
“Isn’t that part of what you do with your guys in Albany?” Jameson asked. “Getting away with stuff?” He returned to the bed and bounced down beside Gray. “You’ve got to know some tricks, right? I’m not ready to go back there yet, with all those cameras pointed at my gate. I’m just not ready to give them this.”
Gray rubbed the back of his head. He thought about calling Declan back right then and asking for help, but then he caught Jameson’s eye, and there was only one path forward.
“Beautiful,” he said, “I’ll pull every trick in the book to keep you safe.”
Jameson
Halfway to the nearest town,Jameson started to worry that his makeup was running beneath the helmet. It was the funniest thing, but just getting to worry about something like that made him feel free. He squeezed his body closer to Gray’s, the cool air whipping by, and felt so fucking alive he could barely believe it.
Alive, and a little bit nauseous. He was still getting used to the strange feeling of being in public and acting like things were totally chill. That afternoon, he knew that he wasn’t actually invincible, but riding on the back of Gray’s pink motorcycle with a stylish helmet and a full face of makeup, he could at least let himself pretend.
“Come on, Gray,” he whispered into the wind. “Take me away.”
Gray pulled up to a chain pharmacy on the outside of town and parked the motorcycle off to the back. He slapped Jameson on the shoulder as he jumped off. “Be right back!”
Jameson went to grab his phone and then remembered that he had soaked it. He imagined his publicist screaming into his voicemail and giggled to himself, getting another thrill from breaking the rules. Literally anything could be happening in the news cycle, but instead of freaking out about it, he was skipping the whole thing.
That really was freedom, and Jameson hopped in place a few times, grinning underneath his helmet, while he waited for Gray to return.
Gray strolled out of the pharmacy in his black leather jacket, looking just as casual as he always did. With a big pair of sunglasses on and his strong gaze hidden, he almost blended in completely. As he approached, he reached into the bag he carried, then pulled out a large piece of fabric. “You know these things?” he said, holding it up with a wave.
Jameson took the fabric, and it unfurled into a large, heavy scarf. He turned toward the back of the parking lot, made sure it was clear, and then popped up his visor. “Yeah, it’s called an infinity scarf, is that right?” The scarf was meant to be worn wrapped a couple of times around the neck, and it swirled into itself.
Gray pulled a second scarf out of the large bag, then held it up to Jameson. “Horatio made a disguise out of a military scarf one time. He just cut off some fabric from a second one, then sewed it in place so it covered the bottom of his face. Actually worked pretty well.”
Jameson considered it. He glanced around the empty parking lot one more time, then popped his helmet off and tugged one of the scarves on. It was dark purple, and checkered through with a beautiful blue, and he easily tugged a bit up over his mouth. “What do you think?” he asked through the fabric.
Gray grinned. “You look hot.”
Jameson laughed. “Do I look like me?”
“You look like Jameson. That’s good. I think it means you don’t look like Justin Sweet. But here, there’s more.” He reached into the bag again, then pulled out a small silver ring. “It’s a clip-on earring.” He stuck his tongue into his cheek, then held the ring out. “You could rock a little metal, right?”
Jameson felt his cheeks warm. He took the ring, fiddled with it for a second, and then popped it on his ear. “I love it. I’ve always wanted an earring” He squatted down and looked at himself in the small motorcycle mirror. With his hair styled and pulled to the back, Justin Sweet did look pretty unrecognizable. And even if someone were to stare, the scarf covered enough of his face and his nose. He was sure he’d slip by.
And even better than that, Gray was right. The look was hot. It had a nice flare to it, and his eyes popped above the colorful fabric.
“I think it works,” he said. “I don’t even really mind having this thing in my face.” He breathed in hard a few times, sucking the fabric against his mouth then blowing it back out. “I can sew it up like you suggested in the car.”
