The Lies He Spoke

TWENTY SEVEN

He didn't seem fazed in the least by her irritation. If anything, he seemed intrigued. "Why?" he asked. "That is your name, isn't it?"

"No," she said, then realized her mistake. "I mean - yes, but - it's...my dad's name and I - he doesn't live with us anymore."

She resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. How many times had the witness protection marshal told them not to slip up? How many times had she stood in front of the mirror, repeating to herself that her name was not legally Olivia Jones anymore but Olivia Powers? And why couldn't she get a single excuse out of her mouth without flopping like a dead fish?

She must have lost all her brain cells during her argument with Logan the day before.

Angel, on the other hand, seemed perfectly functional. His gaze softened. "I'm sorry," he said.

Olivia wanted to curl up and die. "No, it's fine," she said quickly. "He wasn't a very nice person." Why was she running off at the mouth? "Why am I even telling you this?"

The corner of his lips pulled upwards in his heart stopping half-smile. "I've got no idea, but it's kinda nice. Now get in, Miss Olivia whatever-your-name-really-is. I want to get out of here."

They drove to a gas station just a few minutes from the school. Angel braked jerkily, took the turns way faster than even Logan did, and spent forever trying to park in between the lines, but thankfully, they made it in one piece.

Olivia walked the snacks aisle in the gas station store trailing behind Angel, looking at the packages but not really registering the words, her mind on her brothers. Ahead of her, Angel listlessly ran his hand over the shelves, his earlier playfulness all fizzled out, not even looking at the chips he claimed he wanted to get. After the third time they passed the same aisle, Olivia noticed that the cashier was starting to give them the stink eye.

"Come on, Angel, let's go back," she said. "The lady's looking at us weird."

"I'm not going back." His voice was pained.

"Then let's go outside. Or back to your car. She's going to call the police on us if we keep hanging out here." And Olivia was terrified of the police.

Angel sighed. "Fine. Do you want anything?"

"No."

As they turned to walk out, Olivia caught a glimpse of the large, convex mirror placed in the corner of the store for security purposes, the kind that helped people could see around corners and over aisles. Two men were in the store two aisles over. Neither of them were looking through the row of medications lining the aisle. They were creeping along, their heads low, knees bent.

Olivia squinted. She put a hand on Angel's arm to stop him.

"What?" he asked.

At the sound of his voice, Olivia saw one of the men turn sideways.

And she saw the splash of green tattoos on his neck.

Her fingers went numb.

Her hearing went muffled.

Her

heart

stopped.

"-ivia. Olivia? Oliv-"

Olivia pressed her fingers to Angel's mouth to quiet him, pulled him around the corner of the aisle, and shoved him flat against the wall next to a fridge full of soda and water. In this corner, facing the other way, they were slightly secluded. However, if the men moved down this way, they were screwed.