“So, where are we going?”
“Let’s just wait and see. I can’t be certain this car is safe. We need to get rid of it.”
“What? What do you mean this car isn’t safe?” I asked as I looked around the vehicle in search of a bomb or something.
“I just think they might have a tracker on this, so they know where we are at. I’ve got a friend who owns a car dealership. We will leave this one at the police station and then walk to the dealership and get an inconspicuous car. Are you good to carry your bag?”
Nate looked at me and knew I was exhausted. I wasn’t exactly sure how far I had run out to the meadow and back, but my legs felt like Jell-O. It didn’t matter. I would do whatever was necessary to keep up with Nate and get to wherever we needed to go.
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll need to run into the police station to make a quick phone call when we get there. You can grab some water and use the restroom. I’m not sure how long we will be on the road and I won’t want to stop.”
His words were firm, and I could tell I would need to have a delicate balance between staying hydrated and using the restroom. I certainly didn’t want to have to make him stop for a potty break when we were on the run from men trying to kill me. My thoughts started to swirl as I tried to remember when the last time I ate or drank anything was. But then, as if reading my mind, Nate grabbed a bottle of water from behind his seat and handed it to me.
“Drink this now, then fill it up at the police station. I’ve got a protein bar in the bag; find it and eat it now. How long was your run this morning?”
“Probably ten miles or so.”
“Yeah, eat something, please, and drink that water.”
I did as he asked and then sat quietly as he drove us straight to the police station in Atlanta. I had expected him to take twists and turns to avoid being followed, but he didn’t seem to think it was necessary. I trusted Nate. No matter what was coming for me, I knew I was in the best hands possible.
Chapter Fourteen
NATE
I trusted the information Ana had given me. She might not trust her brain at all, but I knew that if she had seen and remembered the color of the curtains, it was real. A visual hallucination didn’t have colors or details that people could remember. What I didn’t know was how Stephano’s people knew where we were at and why they hadn’t attacked us or tried to hurt Ana yet. It didn’t make sense to me why they were just watching, unless they had been waiting to grab Ana again.
I hadn’t left her alone much, and if they weren’t constantly watching the house, they might not have even known I had left her at all. I didn’t like the idea of them getting so close to her. I hated the idea of leaving her in the U.S. while I went to my job overseas in just another day. It was agonizing to think of, and I couldn’t figure out a plan where I felt like she would be safe.
We made it to the police station and I parked my Jeep right in front of the building. With Ana close behind me, we went inside and I got my friend to come talk to me for a minute while Ana used the restroom.
“Hey, Leon,” I said as I saw him down one of the hallways. “I need your help.”
“Sure, what’s up, Nate?”
“My Jeep is out front. Can you take it over to the impound lot for me? I need it somewhere safe.”
Leon laughed at me. It wasn’t often that someone asked to have their vehicle impounded. But it was one of the safest places for me to store my Jeep and not have to worry about it being messed with.
“Sure, where is it?”
“It’s right out front. You can just report it and have it towed if that’s easier.”
“I’ll make sure it gets there. Is everything all right? You safe?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Can’t stay and chat long though. I appreciate you, man.”
“Let’s show that appreciation by actually showing up to poker night sometime,” Leon yelled after me as I walked back down the hall.
“I’ll be there next month if I can.”
It was a commitment without committing, something I was excellent at doing. Leon was one of my friends who had known my brothers and me since we were all children. He had joined the military but never made it into the Special Forces and ended up being hit by an IED while on his last deployment. He wasn’t on disability, but he walked with a limp, and he was alive. He probably could have given up and gotten on disability, but that wasn’t Leon. He wanted to work and he found a job he loved at the police force.
I used to feel bad for Leon because he was a janitor and couldn’t work in the action of the police force, but he knocked some sense into me. His life was simple and perfect. He had a wife and three children, a good paycheck, and great benefits. I often found myself jealous of his life instead of him being jealous of mine. The freedom to truly relax and enjoy his life was the gift that Leon got when he was injured.
I called my friend at the car dealership from the payphone at the police station. He found me a nice, four-door, inconspicuous car and had it gassed up and waiting for us when we got there 30 minutes later.