After that, I lay on my bed for a long time and stared at the ceiling, my heart pounding, my body aching from the exertion of thinking alone. There were a thousandwhat-ifsrunning through my head, but I knew in my gut, I had to take this chance because there would never be another one.
When I heard the infamous dinner bell, I stayed put, only getting up slowly to put on my sneakers. It would raise suspicion to change into the one set of clothing I had—jeans and a T-shirt. We were all required to wear the same hospital gown every day. They were navy blue at least and mine hung on my frame.
The weather outside looked frightful, and the universe chose today for a downpour. I walked to the dining room, keeping my head down, when I saw the guard at the door engrossed in a conversation with one of the patients. I hurried to the end of the passage, where the nurse said the person helping me would be. I was met by a guard, and my heart skipped a beat. This was it. I was about to be caught, and it would be solitude for me for the rest of my days or who knew what else.
He was large and overpowering. His dark skin was glistening, and his eyes were hooded. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or not, then he frowned at me, and I dropped my head. I was in so much trouble. I walked past him, trying to pretend to be lost.
“Take a right and wait for me,” he said as I passed him. I didn’t know what to make of that, but I did as I was told. Would he report me to the matron? Would this mean they would have to put me on trial again because if I had the sense to escape, I had the sense to serve my sentence?
Turning the corner, I leaned against the wall for support and tried to catch my breath by resting my hands on my knees.
The guard came around the corner and motioned with his head which direction I should follow him. I did, with my heart in my mouth. This was a different world. The guards in here could get away with just about anything.
“When I open the service door, you slip out and run south. You don’t look back until you reach the fence. He’ll be waiting for you there.”
It was then I noticed he did have the kindest eyes, and with a small smile, he opened the door. The rain was coming down hard, but I stepped into the downpour. I was free, if only for this moment.
I was free.
I ran the second the door closed behind me.
I ran until the mud got into my shoes.
I ran, gasping for every ounce of air I could get, and I didn’t look back. When I ran to the fence, I spotted a small hole. It was a tight squeeze, but I could make it. I squeezed myself out and slid down the embankment. I was soaked through by the time I hit the road.
It was dark and windy, making it hard for me to see, but then I saw it, a faint light. A black SUV was parked on the side of the road.
The driver’s door immediately opened, and I froze until I realized it was Luke. Before I knew what I was doing, I ran to him. He wrapped his arms around me as we stood in the rain.
“You’re safe,” he whispered, and I held on tighter. “Nobody’s going to hurt you again.”
I cried for the second time today, wrapped in the arms of a man who risked everything to be here. I didn’t have to be a genius to know he’d put his career on the line.
I pulled back, and he set me on my feet, pushing a few stray hairs behind my ears. “Let’s get you dry, shall we?” He smiled, and I smiled back.
There was hope.
I would find my daughter if it took my last breath to do so.
ChapterTwenty
Luke
Now I had her with me, I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. But it might be an impossible task. The one thing I knew about Alyssa was that she was strong-willed and stubborn.
We’d been driving for at least two hours. She’d finally warmed up and dried off, changing in the back seat into a pair of my joggers and a hoodie which she drowned in. Thankfully, I had packed a towel in my bag, which helped.
“You okay, I can turn up the heat.”
“Thanks, that’ll be great,” she said, wrapping her arms around her.
The rest of the drive was spent in silence, but I was screaming out loud in my head.
This woman didn’t deserve to be on the run, and I hoped that what I’d done proved my allegianceand she could trust me enough to let me in. I kept looking over at her as she snored gently next to me, her head resting on the window. Every time a car passed us by, she’d wake up in a panic at the noise. When I held her hand in mine, she would doze back to sleep.
I’d taken a leave of absence, and my superior granted it without question. In the time I’d been employed, I hadn’t taken much leave. No one would suspect I had anything to do with Alyssa’s disappearance if I wasn’t around.
There was nothing to say to Audrey. She’d been to the house and cleared her stuff out when I was at work, left the key under the potted plant, and that was it. She left a note to say it wasn’t about me. It was about her now. I guesshedropped everything and rode off into the sunset with her.
