menacing in its quiet
stillness. “Go ahead, now. Back you go.”
She started out of the basement and into
the alleyway, walking slowly, her heartbeat getting faster and faster.
She turned back to look at Max. “This car?” she said, suddenly more
scared than she’d ever been. “Are—are you sure?”
Max smiled, a little too friendly
now. “Yeah, of course I’m sure. Go ahead. Get inside.” He was standing in the doorway from the
basement, watching her intently.
She was at the car now, and she reached
out to open the door. As it swung
open, a smell came pouring out, a smell like…she didn’t know for sure. Later, she would tell herself it was
just her imagination. But she
could’ve sworn it smelled like a hospital, and she instantly pictured herself
getting in and being unable to get out again, the doors locking on her.
The driver was a hulking shape in the
front seat, and she imagined him coming back at her with a big cloth in his
hand, pushing the chloroform to her nose and mouth, holding her until she
passed out.
And then Scott’s voice echoed in her
mind, over and over as if on a loop.
…Within
twenty-four hours you’ll be halfway across the world, in some slum in Africa or
Asia where nobody can find you…
She stood there as if for an
eternity.
Distantly, she heard Max telling her to
get into the car, but then everything inside told her to run.
Run
where?
Back
to Jake .
The only place that was even remotely
safe for her anymore.
And so she did it. She turned and bolted for the gap
between the buildings.
“Where are you going, you crazy bitch?”
Max Mendez yelled, and she could’ve sworn he was coming after her, but as big
as he was, he wasn’t that fast.
And she was literally running for her
life, practically falling in her heels, but still able to scoot through the gap
and then out onto the crowded street where there were far too many people for
anyone to just come and grab her.
Raven walked as fast as she could,
blending in with the crowd, not looking back. At first, she found a small group of
Asian men and women who were excitedly talking to one another. They might have been
business colleagues , she had no idea . They didn’t seem to notice her walking
in the middle of them, and so she stayed with them for a couple of blocks and
then she saw a cab sitting on the corner and ran to it, jumping in and shutting
the door.
“Take me to…the hotel,” she gasped.
“Which one?” the driver asked her, his
eyebrows raised as she slumped lower in her seat.
“Hurry, drive! Drive!” she screamed at the top of her
lungs.
“Shit, relax,” he said, but drove anyway.
***
This time, she wasn’t as lucky with the
media. As she exited the cab in
front of the hotel, the paparazzi overwhelmed her, and she had no security team
to back them off. They were in her
face, snapping pictures and screaming questions. The questions were ridiculous, absurd,
insulting, and she tried her best to just ignore them all.
She put her head down and tried her best
to cover up, at least hide her face a little as she walked inside.
Once inside the lobby, the random
strangers were all staring at her like she was an alien.
She felt like one, too.
Tears were very near the surface, and
Raven was starting to feel like she might simply break down. How much more could she take?
The elevator ride was quiet, with an
older couple who spoke French to one another and
laughed softly, holding hands.
Raven got to her floor and walked slowly
to her room. Funnily enough, she no
longer had to go to the bathroom—it must have been nerves before. She was still feeling scared, but not
quite as scared as she had felt back at the Club Alpha building.
She was also quite certain that she’d
done the right thing in not getting inside that black sedan when Max had tried
to convince her to. There had been
something very wrong with that
stillness. “Go ahead, now. Back you go.”
She started out of the basement and into
the alleyway, walking slowly, her heartbeat getting faster and faster.
She turned back to look at Max. “This car?” she said, suddenly more
scared than she’d ever been. “Are—are you sure?”
Max smiled, a little too friendly
now. “Yeah, of course I’m sure. Go ahead. Get inside.” He was standing in the doorway from the
basement, watching her intently.
She was at the car now, and she reached
out to open the door. As it swung
open, a smell came pouring out, a smell like…she didn’t know for sure. Later, she would tell herself it was
just her imagination. But she
could’ve sworn it smelled like a hospital, and she instantly pictured herself
getting in and being unable to get out again, the doors locking on her.
The driver was a hulking shape in the
front seat, and she imagined him coming back at her with a big cloth in his
hand, pushing the chloroform to her nose and mouth, holding her until she
passed out.
And then Scott’s voice echoed in her
mind, over and over as if on a loop.
…Within
twenty-four hours you’ll be halfway across the world, in some slum in Africa or
Asia where nobody can find you…
She stood there as if for an
eternity.
Distantly, she heard Max telling her to
get into the car, but then everything inside told her to run.
Run
where?
Back
to Jake .
The only place that was even remotely
safe for her anymore.
And so she did it. She turned and bolted for the gap
between the buildings.
“Where are you going, you crazy bitch?”
Max Mendez yelled, and she could’ve sworn he was coming after her, but as big
as he was, he wasn’t that fast.
And she was literally running for her
life, practically falling in her heels, but still able to scoot through the gap
and then out onto the crowded street where there were far too many people for
anyone to just come and grab her.
Raven walked as fast as she could,
blending in with the crowd, not looking back. At first, she found a small group of
Asian men and women who were excitedly talking to one another. They might have been
business colleagues , she had no idea . They didn’t seem to notice her walking
in the middle of them, and so she stayed with them for a couple of blocks and
then she saw a cab sitting on the corner and ran to it, jumping in and shutting
the door.
“Take me to…the hotel,” she gasped.
“Which one?” the driver asked her, his
eyebrows raised as she slumped lower in her seat.
“Hurry, drive! Drive!” she screamed at the top of her
lungs.
“Shit, relax,” he said, but drove anyway.
***
This time, she wasn’t as lucky with the
media. As she exited the cab in
front of the hotel, the paparazzi overwhelmed her, and she had no security team
to back them off. They were in her
face, snapping pictures and screaming questions. The questions were ridiculous, absurd,
insulting, and she tried her best to just ignore them all.
She put her head down and tried her best
to cover up, at least hide her face a little as she walked inside.
Once inside the lobby, the random
strangers were all staring at her like she was an alien.
She felt like one, too.
Tears were very near the surface, and
Raven was starting to feel like she might simply break down. How much more could she take?
The elevator ride was quiet, with an
older couple who spoke French to one another and
laughed softly, holding hands.
Raven got to her floor and walked slowly
to her room. Funnily enough, she no
longer had to go to the bathroom—it must have been nerves before. She was still feeling scared, but not
quite as scared as she had felt back at the Club Alpha building.
She was also quite certain that she’d
done the right thing in not getting inside that black sedan when Max had tried
to convince her to. There had been
something very wrong with that
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