Chapter Thirty-Four
Ariya's P.O.V.
I'm tucked behind a building in town so I can see when D's contact turns up. There's been a lot of people coming and going, more than I'd expect for such a small town. This leads me to believe Justin has spread the word that I'm on the run. Why couldn't he just keep it to himself? It's not like I'm dangerous or anything. This would be where I fake an innocent look, which probably doesn't work if I'm completely honest.
I'm tired and thirsty now. I need to get some sleep, but I can't do that until I'm safe. I also can't run the risk of missing my ride out of here. I play mental games with myself to try and stay awake and alert until I can leave this awful place.
The sun has gone completely now and the moon is quite high, meaning it's probably close to midnight. Surely they must be near by now? He knows how urgent it is. No, he'll come through for me. He always does. I have no real idea what the time is and there's no where I can go to find out. Not without being seen and I'm definitely not risking that again. The town is still busy and the diner is open. I'm not sure if that's normal. I wouldn't have thought a small place like this would have customers all night, but maybe I'm wrong. Just as I'm thinking about this, a shiny black SUV pulls up in front of the diner. That's one of D's men. I don't know how I know, but I do. I watch the Latino guy get out of the driver's side and I'm just about to come out of hiding when I see the bandana hanging from his pants pocket. It stops me dead in my tracks. The bandana is red.
Shiitake mushrooms with a side of frogs!
It's not green like D said it would be. He's sending me a message, he has to be. He doesn't miss details like this. He doesn't get important things wrong, otherwise he would have been caught a long time ago.
I don't wait around to find out what's going on. I make a move and jog out of town. I need to find somewhere to rest and think without worrying about getting caught. I have to find somewhere to hide.
My jog slows into a walk after what feels like an hour and I stumble on a small forest. It looks like I'm at the base of some mountains. I suppose this is as good a place as any to hide for now. I locate a sturdy tree and climb as high up as I can without the branches being too small to take my weight. I take my pants off and tie myself to the tree in case I fall asleep. I don't want to fall out in my sleep. In a sad way, I feel more comfortable now than I have since I arrived here. Being outdoors, with no one else around me is where I'm the most at ease. Ok, so I'm hiding from a Marine or ex Marine, whatever, which I'll agree is not the most ideal situation. However, I doubt he's going to come looking up in trees for me, so I should be safe for now. I need to come up with a plan though.
Now I'm relatively safe, it gives me a chance to think. Something is wrong. What if D got snatched up in New York? I didn't put him in danger, did I? His phone has always been untraceable, hasn't it? I can't allow myself to panic or freak out because my judgement will be cloudy if I do that. I have to stay calm and keep a level head. I don't want to get D in trouble though. He's been good to me and I don't want to be the reason he gets caught.
I know he's not exactly a saint (ok, so that's an understatement), and I don't make him get involved in the stuff he does, but I don't want it to be my fault he gets sent down. That won't be good for either of us. I don't have friends, but D is the closest thing to a friend I know. I will stay loyal to him because he's been loyal to me. I know I'm a liability for him. He knows I can fight, but he also knows I get myself into more trouble than I should. He had a massive fight set up for me before I got sent to this hole and by losing me, he lost a lot of money. This would be one of the reasons I don't take his money; just in case I'm pinched and can't turn up, at least it balances out my tab to some degree.
I don't remember when, but at some point sleep pulls me in.
I'm woken up by the sun's beams dancing across my face. There's a slight breeze, making my skin come alive with goosebumps. It takes me a few moments to remember the events of yesterday and when I do, it hits me like a ton of bricks. I haven't felt this vulnerable or the pressing need to survive since.... I shake my head trying to rid myself of those memories. No, I can't think about that now. I've got to find a way out of here.
I have to call D. I have to know if he's ok. I might not care about much, but I need to know he's ok. I'm fully aware that I'm not a sentimental person, but I do take care of my own. I hate people treating others badly, like how Todd talks to Louise. I know, I know. Pounding his face in for that was an excuse to give him a beating, but I also didn't like the way he spoke to her. My father used to talk to my mom and me like that and I won't have anyone talk to me that way. I will rip them apart for treating me that way, just like any woman should.
I put my jeans back on and slowly climb down the branches to the ground. That was not the most comfortable place to sleep, I'll freely admit that. The alternative was not acceptable. I refuse to get caught. I won't give Justin the satisfaction of finding me. In the back of my mind I do question how I can possibly stand up to the skills of a Marine, but I will give it a good shot. I'll die trying if I have to.
I need to find some water. I can go days without food, but I need water. I am aware that my time is limited if I can't find things like basic sustenance. I don't want to resort to stealing, that would be like putting a massive billboard out telling Justin I was there. May as well add some flashing lights for extra effect too. No, stealing is a majorly last resort. I can trash dive if the diner is closed tonight. Don't judge me. You'd get food whatever way you could to survive as well. Only when you're truly desperate can you begin to judge me.
My plan for now is to go back to town after dark and get a call to D. Once I find out what's going on then I'll make my next move. I don't know where the next town is, so I can't exactly start walking and hope I'll stumble upon a phone or someone to help me that hasn't been brought in by Justin.
I almost chuckle at the thought of this being like a military operation. I so could have been a Marine. I'd be better than most of the recruits. I mean, I'm tougher than Mike, that's for sure. On my walk, I stumble on a little river and I assess my surroundings before walking in to it. I duck under the water, trying to wash off the last week of filth. I'm dusty, sweaty and gross. As I run my hands over my face, I see the cuts on my wrists from the zip ties and I let out a growl. If I ever see Justin again, I'm going to kill him. I really am. I'm going to wrap my hands round his throat and choke the life out of him. I don't want to use a weapon, that's too good for him. I want to feel the life drain out of him with my bare hands.
Now, you may think that's extremely violent and not necessary, but I assure you it is totally necessary. He took advantage of the fact that I trusted him to some degree and I'm going to make him pay for that. He betrayed me and lied to me, so I will make him suffer for it. Killing my father hasn't haunted me or made me some crazy person. The prospect of not killing him was way worse. Granted, my mother should have handled the aftermath differently. She shouldn't have lied and abandoned me. I could almost forgive her giving me away, but to have her lie to the cops and social services? That's just going too far. Taking my father's life didn't mess up my life, it was what came after my mom's lies that affected me the most.
I dunk under the water and stay under until I physically can't hold my breath any longer. I need to rid myself of these thoughts. This is not going to keep me calm and level headed, quite the opposite actually. It's going to drive me crazy with anger and then I really will mess everything up. I should kill Justin just for making me think about these things. I pushed everything to the back of my mind years ago, so why did he have to go and open the memory bank?
I get as clean as plain water will allow me and then I head back to the tree so I can dry in relative safety. I really want to do some training, but I'm not stupid enough to use up the little energy I have left. I need to get some food before I can think about hitting something. Unless it's to get out of a tricky situation, I need to keep myself from hitting anything or anyone.
While I'm waiting for nightfall, I can feel myself dozing off again. I suppose I need as much rest as possible. Just a few minutes, that's all I need.