Strangers in Danger

Chapter 19: Lucas

We hadn't shut the curtains that night and sunlight began to filter into the room. I rubbed my eyes and checked my watch: 7am. I had gotten into the habit of getting up before Cara so we didn't have to fight for the bathroom. I had no desire to leave this bed or this room ever again, but I knew that every day we stayed in one place, the more likely it became that we'd have to run at a moment's notice.

I pulled the covers over her shoulder and brushed some hair off of her face. She always slept with it pulled back, but didn't last night.

I took a quick shower and threw on some clothes and a baseball hat. I left her a note letting her know I was grabbing some coffee in case she woke up before I returned.

I didn't consider myself a coffee snob, but I had enough with the watered down brew that we found at most roadside motels. Anytime we had the opportunity to buy a decent cup of coffee we took it.

The Starbucks attached to the hotel was bustling with professionals in office attire, focused on their laptops or their phones. Oh, right. It's Tuesday, I thought. Days didn't matter anymore and we often lost track of time.

I put in my order and waited at the other end of the room. I pulled out my phone and dialed Diane's number.

"I'm heading to your office today," I said when she answered. "We can't do this anymore."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. I was about to prompt her again when she said, "Ok. I'll text you the address."

I thanked her and hung up. Our coffees had been placed on the counter. I grabbed them both, raised one to the barista, and took a sip. I had a feeling that today was going to be a long day.

--

I pulled into a space in front of a nondescript office building just outside of Washington DC. Diane said she worked for a new department within the government, but declined to get into specifics. She was standing outside smoking a cigarette and I knew to tread lightly. Unless it picked up in our time apart, she only smoked when she was stressed.

Aside from the sleek office attire, she hadn't changed much since I last set eyes on her. Her once bright blond hair is now darker; closer to her natural color, she'd probably say. Her figure is still long and lean, likely from continuing to spend hours training at the gym. She was an expert in several styles of martial arts and the few times I accompanied her to the boxing gym, I watched her take down several challengers double her size. She took no shit and it seemed to pay off well.

"She can have me," I heard Cara whisper.

"Yeah, she's a ball buster. You'd probably fall in love with her."

I opened my door and stepped out of the car. I gave her an awkward wave and watched her stride toward us.

"Lookin' a little rough, Luke," she said with a wink. "I like the beard though."

"Yeah," I absentmindedly ran my hand over my cheek which was now covered over a short layer of coarse hair. "I might keep it if we stay alive."

She seemed to consider it for a moment and then invited us inside. After introducing herself, Cara fell quiet, letting me do all the talking while we followed Diane through the bland building. She seemed distracted. "You ok?" I mouthed as we sat down in Diane's small office.

"So, good news," Diane said before Cara could answer. She sat down at her desk. "I was finally able to get a safe house for you. It's not too far, about an hour and a half from here. You'll have round the clock protection, but they'll be undercover so you may not notice them. The information Cara got us was really helpful. We were able to track down a group that we think is responsible for all of this."

She slid a manila envelope across the desk. I picked it up and sifted through it.

"Keys to the safe house, new IDs, and everything else you need to stay off the grid for a while. We didn't split you two up, per your request, Luke."

Diane gave me a knowing look and I passed the envelope to Cara who put it in her backpack. "Thanks, Dee. I really appreciate this."

"Yeah definitely. Anything I can do, I'll do."

"Do you have a printer I can use?" Cara said, finally breaking her silence. "As you can imagine there aren't any office suites at the motels we've been staying at and I haven't had access to one."

"Umm yeah," She grabbed a post it note from the corner of her desk. "This is the guest network info and this is the printer you can access. If you need some time, the office next to this one is empty."

Cara gave her the sweet-tea smile she usually reserved for older women we encounter in small towns. I narrowed my eyes at her since this particular smile is followed by a scowl or an eye roll.

She stood up and took the post it note with a thank you. My gaze followed as she walked out of the room.

"You always did want adventure," I heard Diane say quietly.

I turned around and leaned back in my chair. "Yes. Adventure. Like through-hiking the Appalachian Trail, not running from human traffickers with a girl I met two weeks ago."

Diane adjusted herself in her chair and sat up taller. "So how long did it take for you two to start sleeping together?"

Yup. There it is. Ball busting right on schedule.

"Jealous?" I asked.

"Just curious," Diane leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "It seems your type has changed since we split."

I smiled and shrugged. "Well, I wasn't exactly given an option of accomplices before I was stabbed in the neck and thrown into the back of a box truck. But it turned out pretty well."

Diane opened her mouth to say something when Cara opened the door.

"Thank you! That was super helpful," she said with a concerning amount of enthusiasm.

Diane walked us out and followed me to the driver's side of the car. "I'll let you know anything as soon as I do," she said, gently touching my shoulder and planting a soft kiss on my cheek. Is this a power move?

"Thanks, Diane. I really appreciate everything you've done for us."

She squeezed my arm a little tighter. "Glad I could help."

I climbed into the car as Diane left to return to her office. Cara was already pulling her laptop out of her backpack.

"What did you do?" I asked as I put the car in gear and began backing out of the space.