Chapter 26: Whispers In The Air
Troy must be crazy! The way he bursted in yelling that they had to leave now almost gave her a heart attack. Her adrenaline is going a hundred miles an hour. There is obviously something wrong, and she needs to be included in the information or she will go crazy. He has all but ignored her for several days, and it has to stop now.
"Troy, if this has something to do with my sister, I need to know. I am sick with worry, and I know you say that Jake will do anything to keep her safe, but not knowing is making me physically ill."
"What do you mean, like ulcers or something?"
He'd been such an ass. He had been so busy following leads to find her sister and bring her some peace that he hadn't even noticed she was sick. She had been cooking and cleaning and running her heart out, so he thought if she stayed busy she wouldn't ask questions he couldn't give her answers to yet. She has worried so much that she's worn herself out−enough that her body is telling her to slow down.
"No, not ulcers; Amber replied: I don't think. I'm just so tired and worried. All of these scenarios keep playing in my head about what is happening to my sister. I'm also concerned about my dad. Is he eating or sleeping?"
She moves to sit up, but he just rubs her arm while pressing down to keep her in place. He's going to have to tell her something, but what? He has to figure out where they are going for a while off-grid. It's not like they can't survive with what they have with them. Hell, he practically kept her naked for weeks. That memory brings a smile to his face.
"Okay, Amber, just stay down and listen to what I'm going to say. I don't know myself what all of it means yet, so don't draw conclusions of the worst case scenario, okay?"
"She nods her head and whispers, "Okay."
"Jake and I have worked together for years, and after a few cases, we developed a way to communicate through coded email. I have checked that email several times a day, but nothing has come through until last night.
"Oh my God, you heard from Jake, how is my sister? Why didn't you tell me last night? You should have woken me up; you know how worried I've been!"
Her rapid-fire English was already hard to understand, but then she started squirming to sit up, so he was concentrating more on keeping her down than on what she was saying.
"Goddammit! Amber, stay still."
She froze; he felt like shit for barking orders like that, but he was thrilled at the obedience and trust that she shows him.
"I'm sorry for yelling, but I need you to stay down. You may be in danger, and I can't keep you safe if you don't cooperate, okay?"
Amber remain silent but not moving around, so he continue at her nod.
"The email was vague, so it could mean several things. All it said was,
"Found her, RUN!"
She stiffens but remains still.
"To me, this could only mean two things: 1. He found Tori and is on the run with her or 2. They have found you, and he is telling me to take you into hiding. This is the most concerning since Jake doesn't know where my cabin is."
"No one does, so if he's saying they've found you, it's because I have exposed you several times and someone has recognized you. They may be scouting the area nearest the crash site and asking people in town if they have seen you. I don't know for sure, and I'm not taking chances on your safety, so for right now, we are going into hiding."
She is so quiet that he thought she'd fallen asleep, so he turned on the radio and just kept driving. They have about a fifteen-hour drive to where he could charter a boat to a small island in the Bahamas. He will keep her hidden as long as there's danger, and if it doesn't go away, he will become the hunter and destroy every last one of the bastards that would threaten her.
She'd never been on the run before and don't even know the safety precautions to take. She sent a silent thank you for sending me this man. She would probably be dead or sold into sex slavery if it wasn't for him. That thought breaks her heart for her sister and all that she has possibly endured. She prays silently for her, that Jake was able to get to her in time; that he will keep her safe until they can be reunited. She felt very guilty now for feeling neglected and pouting. Troy has been nothing but good to her, and she had acted like a whiny brat, luckily not to him but in her head.
She convinced herself that he didn't want her anymore when in reality he was tirelessly working to help her sister and her family. Tears spills over her lashes onto his pants. Hopefully, he won't notice as long as she doesn't progress into hiccuping sobs. She took a deep breath and will herself to calm down. Maybe she should go to sleep; they have a long way to go.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know yet. I think we will head south and maybe charter a boat to a small island in the Bahamas. We can lay low and have a vacation at the same time. Jake knows how to reach me; I'm sure he will when it's safe. Also, since Savage is gone and hasn't come back, I'm pretty sure he is with Jake. They had a code, as well, that if no contact was made by a certain date, he was supposed to head to NY and wait for instructions.
"Are we going to NY?" she whispers, almost afraid of the answer.
"No, we are going to Florida. I don't want you anywhere near that area or those people. Having you in danger will not help Tori, and if she's anything like you, she'd be pissed if we put you back in that situation."
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