“I think that I might. I’ll tell them hey.”
Chloe doesn’t leave right away. She stays and kisses me, hooking her arms around my neck like she doesn’t want to let me go. I have a feeling that there are times when she’s scared that I’m going to run again. I’m not. Not unless I need to. Not unless it saves her life because this is where I want to be.
“I will miss you today,” I tell her honestly with my arms around her waist.
“I’ll miss you too.” She strokes her finger gently down my cheek.
She pouts out her bottom but she knows that she has to go. I would love to be the one going to work to provide for her, but that isn’t safe for either of us right now. But, at least when she goes to the job she loves, and has been at for years, I can be safe in the knowledge that she is coming back.
All I can think when she leaves is, I want to say I love you. But, now isn’t the right time. When I finally get to say it this time, I want it to be perfect.
Ring, ring… Ring, ring… Ring, ring…
My phone drags me away from watching Chloe, and I find it half tucked under the couch. It’s my dad. “Hey, Dad.”
“Ted, are you at Chloe’s place?” He sounds stressed.
“Yes. Why, what’s going on?” My shoulders tense immediately.
“I need to come and see you. I will be there as soon as I can so just wait, okay? I won’t be long.”
He hangs up the phone leaving me a pile of nerves. I don’t know what the hell is going on, and I’m scared. If my dad can’t help me, I don’t know what I will do. I’ll have to go on the run. But with what money? Shit, I have zero fall back plan here.
I don’t know how long it takes for there to be a knock at the door, but it feels like hours. In that time, I get myself all tried up in knots. I practically run to the door to get it open.
“Dad, what is happening?” I pull him inside. “You sounded so stressed on the phone. I’m freaking out.”
“Yeah, well I am stressed, that’s why.” The strain is written all over his face. “I have been trying to fix things, just like I said I would, and this isn’t good, Ted. You need to really look after yourself here or you are in trouble.”
My blood runs cold. “What do you mean, Dad? Look after myself because of what?”
He rolls his eyes, looking frustrated. Either at me or the situation. “Because of the gang, Ted. I don’t know what your uncle was up to, but he upset some very dangerous people. These people are a criminal underbelly of the worst kind. All the money and connections in the world, and I have no idea what to do, or how to help you.”
“You mean I’m not safe here?” My heart sinks. I guess I’ve been allowing myself to get too settled here with Chloe. “What do you know?”
“They have details of everyone who ever worked with your uncle, Ted, including the runners. He ripped this very dangerous drug gang off, and they are out for blood. From what I can find, they don’t want anyone to survive.”
“FUCK!” I half scream back. “I don’t even know what happened. I wasn’t involved with any of it. I’m the lowest on the totem pole, they don’t really want to come for me, do they?”
My dad gives me a look as if he understands more about criminal life than I do. He probably does just from his research because I never did any of that before I joined, or even after everything went down. I was blissfully unaware, or so I thought. Turns out, it was more like ignorance. “They are coming for everyone. I don’t know what we’re going to do to keep you safe.”
I feel sick. I have gotten too soft, leaning into the false sense of security that this life has offered me. Now that’s about to come and kick me in the ass. I want to throw up, it’s sickening how stupid I have been, how much I have allowed other people to be at risk because of me.
“So, what do I do?” I ask my dad pleadingly. “How do I keep everyone safe? How do I stop them from coming for me? Should I go? I might be able to get far enough away if I start running now. There has to be somewhere I can go.”
“You need to lie low.” Dad rests both of his hands on my shoulders. “I’ve gotten some advice from people your uncle was friends with. People who cared about him but fortunately for them that they weren’t connected to his operation. They told me to keep you in hiding and don’t go to the police. We don’t know who we can trust.”