It wasn’t to free him of his guilt.
It wasn’t to punish him.
It wasn’t anything other than an act of mercy.
There were no barriers between us, no blocks. His life spilled through my mind, whirling in colors and sounds I’d never been allowed to see, I’d never been strong enough to find. I took what I could and replaced it with something better. He had never been tested on, never been an Orange, never at East River, or in California. There were things I saw, secrets so horrible, I’d never wish to inflict on another person by sharing them. I focused on the brightness. I left him with only that—the simple story that he had been with his mother this entire time, that he had helped her all of these years, that the love he still felt for her was a good, pure thing to hold on to.
And when I turned to go, releasing his mind for the last time, he looked out the window again at the blackbirds diving and rolling around each other, fluttering across the blue sky, and he smiled.
I started back down the hall again, eyes down, thoughts a mess. I didn’t see the woman coming out of the ladies’ room until I collided with her, and ended up with a mouthful of her bright red curls.
“I’m sorry,” I said, untangling myself. “I’m sorry—I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Lucky for me,” the woman said, her voice low and smooth. “I’ve been trying to track you down for days. How’s the leg, kid?”
At that I looked up, finally realizing who this was. Alice. She’d pulled herself together today, traded the scrubby jeans and coat I’d seen her in at the meeting point for a full suit that didn’t quite fit her. Her hair was a loose, wild mane around her shoulders, held back by a pair of thick-framed glasses and a pen she’d probably stuck there and forgot about.
“It’s been better,” I said, eyeing her warily.
Seeing that I didn’t return her smile, she sighed. “Look, kid, if this is about me running your story, I’m not going to apologize. I have a duty to report the facts, the truth...and the truth here is that it’s a hell of a story. There are a few pieces of information you could fill in for me, if you have a second...”
“I don’t.”
Alice shifted uncomfortably, as if just remembering what I was and what I could do. She lowered her voice and glanced around to make sure that no one was listening. “I got a tip that Senator Cruz spoke to you and a few others about some kind of program—top-secret stuff. Ballsy of her, considering she just told that whole room that every nation is banned from using you all in any kind of military or clandestine services.”
I schooled my reaction, keeping it neutral. Not yet. But I didn’t doubt that the conversation was coming.
I stepped to the side, and she followed me, blocking the way again. If I hadn’t been in the mood for this before, I was even less so now. “I have to warn you. I really don’t respond well to being cornered.”
Alice held up her hands. “All right, all right.” Her hand disappeared into the purse looped over her arm, fishing around for something—a business card.
“If you ever want to talk,” she said, “you call me any time. I’m all ears.”
I waited until she disappeared back into the ballroom, then ripped the card in two and let the pieces flutter to the floor. I turned back to the ballroom just in time to see Zu and Vida come dashing out, holding hands as they ran toward the elevators. A moment later, Liam and a harried-looking Chubs appeared.
“Ah!” Chubs started to come toward me, his expression narrow. “You should be resting that leg—”
Liam released his shoulder and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go, let’s go—”
“What’s happening?” I asked glancing into the ballroom as we passed it. Someone was up at the podium making a speech, but the room was otherwise exactly as I’d left it.
“Jail break,” Liam said, his eyes bright as the elevator opened and he drew us inside. “Trust me.”
Fear released its grip on my throat as we rode the elevator all the way down to the underground garage, Liam bouncing on his heels the entire time. Chubs eyed him warily as we were dragged back out.
Liam freed a set of keys from his pocket and held the black plastic fob up, listening for the sound of the lock. Vida and Zu appeared from behind one of the rows of cars and ran toward the beeping, flashing, dust-splattered SUV with Arizona plates.
“You are ridiculous,” Chubs informed him as he walked toward the car, loosening his tie; but he went anyway, the smallest hint of a smile on his face.
I caught Liam’s arm, hating the way his expression fell when he saw mine. “What’s this about?”
I knew what denial looked like, and this had shades of it—the stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge that something was wrong. Something had overturned inside of him that could never be fully righted.
“It’s about...” He ran a hand back through his hair. “It’s about how everything will be different going forward. You’ll go back to Virginia with your family, and I’ll go back to North Carolina with mine. And if we want to see each other, I need permission to take the car. You’ll need to run it by your parents to get their okay. We’ll be living with a set of rules we haven’t had in years, and while there’s something a little wonderful in that, I just want this...I want to forget for a little while. Outrun the hurt. This one last time, I just want to go somewhere no one else can find us.”
I smiled, taking his arm when he offered it. He walked us slowly, carefully, around the back of the car. He opened the door and helped me up into the front passenger seat, arranging my awkwardly bulky walking cast with care. He leaned in to buckle my seat belt, using it as an excuse to kiss me again.
“Where are we going?” Chubs shouted at him as Liam ran around the back of the car to the driver’s-side door.
“Quiet, dear,” Vida said mildly, resting a hand on his leg.
“Yes, dear,” Chubs grumbled back.
Next to them, Zu beamed.
I was still smiling when Liam buckled himself in and turned to address the group. “Okay, team. Where to? I figure we have about an hour before the conference ends and, for once, we’ve got gas to burn.”
“Is this how you got around before?” Vida wondered aloud. “It is a miracle you dumbasses survived.”
“Told you,” Chubs mumbled. I reached back and smacked his arm. “Fine. Okay. Where does everyone want to go?”
“Beach, beach, beach, beach,” Zu chanted.
“Uh, not sure there’s one nearby, so we’ll have to take a rain check on that one. Anyone else?” Liam asked. “Vote?”
“I don’t care,” I said, leaning my head back against the seat. “Can we just get lost and see where that lands us?”
“Darlin’, that is the best damn idea I’ve heard in a long time. You’re navigator. Tell me when and where to turn.” He turned the keys in the ignition, letting out a “Yes!” as an Allman Brothers song came pouring out of the speakers. By the time we rolled up the ramp and out of the parking garage, even Chubs’s groans had turned to laughter.
We drove, winding through the city streets until we found green, tree-lined roads, making our way toward the lazy lines of the river that ran along the curved spine of the city. Liam glanced over at me, taking a break from his off-key crooning. Lit by the warm afternoon sunlight, his fingers entwined with mine over the center console. Zu rocked in time to the music, chattering excitedly about each and every sign we passed. Chubs slid a book out of the backseat pocket in front of him, examining the cover for a moment before flipping it open. His fingers absently tapped the cracked spine to the beat as Vida leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
I brought my window down, letting my free hand drift out to catch the wind.
And the open road rolled out in front of us.