The Rules for Disappearing (29 page)

When everyone gets to where they thought you were, you’re somewhere else.

Pretty simple, huh?

Ithrow myself at him. “What are
you
doing?” I should be pissed he’s here but I’m not.

“Meg, what’s going on? I’ve been watching these dudes come

in and out of your house for the last twenty minutes. I checked that tracker and about freaked when I saw it heading down Front Street.

After seeing your mom tonight, I knew it couldn’t be her. I never even saw you leave.”

“I’ll tell you what I can, but we have to get out of here first.” I run to his truck.

He gets in and throws the truck in drive.

“I’m gonna ask a big favor. You can say no. I need you to drive me to Shreveport.”

He slows down. “You have to tell me what’s going on.”

“I’ll tell you what I can but don’t stop.” I wave my hands, urging him to keep going forward.

S—

He stops the truck on the side of the road. “Bullshit. I saw your N—

mom half-dead outside. I see all these people in and out of your 242

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house. Then your vanishing act. We’re not going anywhere until you tell me everything.”

I keep checking out the back window. “Okay, but just drive.”

He doesn’t move.

“You know I’m not Meg Jones.” He nods. My heart races. I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud. “Well, I’m not Avery Preston, either.” His head drops forward slightly. “My name is Anna Boyd.

I’m from Scottsdale, Arizona. Right outside of Phoenix.”

I’m getting the
what the hell
look and he hasn’t even heard the worst part yet.

“My family is in the Witness Protection Program. All those

suits you saw at my house are part of the U.S. Marshals Office.

We’re under their protection from some really nasty bad guys. The Marshals will be looking for me soon and I was hoping to get a little farther than two blocks down the road.” I put my hand over my mouth. There’s no going back now.

Ethan’s jaw drops but at least he starts driving. He glances at me a few times. “Okay, spill it.”

“I can’t give you any details that will hurt you later. I’m sorry I’ve gotten you this involved, but trust me, you don’t want to know any more than necessary. I need to get out of this town. I need to get to Shreveport.” I’m almost sitting backwards in the truck, keeping a lookout for any activity behind us.

“Why are you running from the Marshals?” Ethan asks.

“I can’t tell you that. Even if that means you stop the truck

again.” We stare at each other for a few seconds before he turns his attention back to the road.

—S

“Will they be looking for you because they’re worried about you

—N

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and want to make sure you’re safe or really looking for you, using every resource the government has to track you down?”

I bite my bottom lip. “Probably closer to the second one.” The suits know I remember. They know I can testify now. They’ve been waiting me out for months and months. They won’t let me just run away.

“Where are you going once I take you to Shreveport?”

“Ethan, please. It’s better if you don’t know.”

He looks at me squarely. “Tell me or we stop right here.”

It looks like he means it. “I’m taking a bus to Scottsdale. I’m going home.”

The truck swerves. “Are you crazy? Why are you going to the

first place they’ll look for you?” His voice is incredulous.

“You can let me out here but I’m not telling you. I’ve told you too much as it is.”

Ethan shakes his head. “So U.S. Marshals are gonna be look-

ing for you. Soon. Maybe even whoever these
bad guys
are, too. And you’re gonna get on a bus and head to Scottsdale?”

Okay, the way he says it does shoot a few holes in the compe-

tency of my plan. “Yes. I did have a really good plan but everything got screwed up. I wasn’t planning on leaving until Friday. Things have changed and I have to go tonight.”

“Do you have any money?”

There’s cash in my bag. Between what I already had and what I

stole from Dad, it’s about one hundred seventy-five bucks.

“Yes.”

S—

Ethan makes a couple of turns as I continue to stare out the

N—

back windshield. I get that creepy
hair standing up on the back of my
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neck
feeling when a black Suburban a few cars back makes every turn with us.

“Uh-oh.”

Ethan’s head swivels around. “What do you mean
uh-oh
?”

It looks like the same Suburban that was in the parking lot the same night the power went out in the laundry room and that was behind us on the way to Ethan’s last night. “There’s an SUV following us. I think I’ve seen it before.”

“Is it the Marshals?” Ethan makes a quick right turn and a few seconds later, the Suburban does the same.

My palms get sweaty. “Don’t know for sure.” It’s physically hard to get my next sentence out. “Maybe not.”

Ethan swears under his breath and makes a quick left turn, the speed of the truck increasing.

I twist in my seat, scanning the area for any other vehicles. Shit!

What are we supposed to do now!

“Hold on.” Ethan throws an arm across me and makes a very

sharp turn.

“Where are we going?” I glance at the speedometer, which is

inching up to 70 mph. The Suburban isn’t far behind us.

“The farm.”

The farm! What are we going to do at the farm? Sick the hog

dogs on them? I don’t say what I’m thinking, just hold on and watch for the SUV.

When we get close, Ethan pulls out a square device from under

his seat. He clicks it and I see the slow mechanical gate start opening.

The tires squeal when we make the turn on the farm road. He

—S

clicks it again, just as we pass through the opening. The Suburban

—N

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slows in front of the gate. It’s almost all the way closed now. A few seconds later, the Suburban pulls away. I collapse in the seat.

“What do we do now?”

“We’re going out the back side. It takes five or six minutes cutting through the farm but twenty if you have to go around. And that’s only if you know where the other side comes out.”

The farm is pitch black. The crop rows flick past the side window and I’m mesmerized watching it.

We finally get to the other gate, and Ethan clicks it open. We sit at the road for a few seconds but don’t see any lights either direction.

Ethan peels out of the farm. We drive for a few more minutes

before pulling into a dark, gravel driveway. It’s long, probably half a mile.

“What are you doing now?”

“Saving your ass. You won’t make it out of Louisiana if I put you on a bus.” Ethan grabs his phone and his coat and hops out of the truck. My body is glued to the seat until he pounds on the hood of the truck to get me moving.

This is more than I bargained for. I can’t put him right in the middle of my disaster. “Wait. Ethan, this is too dangerous. Maybe you should take me home.”

He stops and turns to me. “If I take you home, will that stop you from trying to get to Arizona?”

I don’t answer for a few seconds. “No. I have to go back.”

He spins back around and heads toward a house next to the

driveway. He’s walking fast and I have to hurry to keep up.

S—

He says over his shoulder, “I don’t think that was the Marshals.

N—

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I don’t know why they didn’t bust through the gate. Maybe they’re waiting us out. Thinking we couldn’t get off the farm another way.

I’m guessing the Marshals don’t know you’re missing yet? When do you think they’ll figure it out?”

I think for a second. “Probably around six in the morning.

They’re planning to relocate us first thing. I don’t think they’ll come in my room until then.”

This makes him stop cold.

“They’re moving you?”

I almost run into his back. He sounds pissed. “That’s why I have to go tonight. Tomorrow will be too late.”

He looks at me a moment then turns back around and starts

walking again. He glances at his watch. “It’s about eleven thirty now, so six and a half hours.”

We walk up a few steps to the back door. Ethan knocks loudly.

A light pops on just as the door opens. It’s Pearl.

“What in the holy hell are you two doing out here?”

“Pearl, we need a car, some money, maybe pillows and blankets, food, and water.”

She eyes Ethan carefully then looks at me. “Are you in some

kind of trouble?”

I nod. “Yes, but I didn’t do anything bad.” I feel guilty, the way she’s looking at me. “My family is in some trouble and I’m trying to get us out of it.,” I say softly. “I wish I could tell you more but I can’t.”

She holds her stare for a few seconds. Probably the longest few seconds of my life. She’s either going to help us or try to turn me in.

—S

“Well, come on in and let’s get you what you need.”

—N

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Ethan and I follow her in to the kitchen where she grabs a small ice chest from the pantry and starts filling it with food. Ethan grabs several bottles of water and a few Cokes. She hands him a paper bag to put them in. They work together in silence, Pearl never asking a single question.

I’m shocked. We could have just robbed a bank, or killed some-

one, and she’s making us lunch to go.

She digs around in her purse. “I guess you only want cash.”

“Please.” Ethan answers.

She pulls out several one hundred dollar bills and hands it to Ethan. “This is all I have on me here.”

“That’s enough. We both have some money, too.” He shoves the

bills in his back pocket.

I look at Pearl. “I’m so sorry to show up here like this. I’ll pay you back.”

“Just get yourself back here safe.” She puts her hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “You’re a good boy. I trust you, maybe more than I should.

Don’t make me sorry for it.”

He hugs her tightly. “I won’t. I’ll explain everything when we get back.”

Pearl lets him go and turns to me. “Is Mary all right?”

“Yes. She’s with my Dad.”

Pearl looks back at Ethan. “What about your parents?”

“I’ll send them a message once we get going.”

She hugs him one last time. “You’re positive this is something you can handle?”

S—

I look between them. There is so much he doesn’t know. I start N—

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to speak, to tell them both I’ll do this on my own, but Ethan looks directly at me, and his expression tells me not to say anything.

He whispers to Pearl, “Meg needs me.”

“Well, let’s get you a car so y’all can get out of here.”

We follow Pearl to a barn out back. Ethan helps her open the

two huge double doors. There are three different cars and one truck inside.

Ethan walks to a black car in the back. “This one still in Fred’s name?”

Pearl’s left eyebrow pops up. “Yeah.” She walks to a cabinet on the wall to get out the keys then tosses them to Ethan.

“What kind of car is that?” I ask.

Two sets of eyes flicker to me. “Girl, that’s a 1970 Ford Mustang.

I shouldn’t even let you ride in this car if you don’t know what it is.”

“Sorry, cars aren’t really my thing.” I let out a small, nervous laugh.

She comes close and hugs me. Her embrace is so warm and

tight, I can hardly make myself let go.

“If I can, I’ll call Fred to get a message to you. I’m gonna drive my truck around to the old barn.” Ethan says.

She nods. “I’m trying real hard not to be scared watching the

two of you pull out of here like this.”

“Pearl, we’ll be fine.” I hug her one more time.

We throw our things in the back of the car, including the ice

chest and drinks and get inside.

Pearl steps up to the car and I roll the window down. She pokes her head in. “I’ll tell whoever’s asking that I haven’t see you.”

—S

—N

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It’s hard to swallow. These two people I didn’t even know a

month ago are now risking so much for me. “Thanks, Pearl. I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

She ambles back off to the house. Ethan pulls up next to his

truck. “Follow me in the car.”

Ethan cranks his truck and we drive into the back pasture.

There’s an old barn that looks like it will fall down at any moment.

He jumps out and opens a side door. Once the truck is inside, he stacks some square hay bales in front of the door. You can’t even tell there’s an opening now.

I climb over to the passenger side as Ethan opens the door.

“We’ve got one more stop to make before we hit the road.”

I wrap my arms around my waist and stare out of the front

windshield. “Where are we going?”

“Ben’s.”

Okay, definitely not what I was expecting. Ethan dials his number as we pull in the driveway.

“Hey. Can you come outside a minute?”

Ethan hangs up the phone and we both hop out of the car. “I

don’t get why we’re here.”

Before Ethan can answer, Ben comes out of a side door.

He’s in pajama bottoms and a Natchitoches Football T-shirt. He rubs his hands together, blowing out a puff of warm air. “You better have a good reason for dragging me out here.”