Escaping Parker - F.T. Zele Page 0,24

in, holding an envelope, instantly breaking up this thing going on between Rig and me. “I have your next destination.”

“Great, thanks. Well, I guess it’s time to pack up and get going,” Rig says, grabbing the papers and looking at them as if nothing had happened.

“Just like that?” I ask, sad to be leaving Alice and James.

“That’s how it works. Get your stuff ready, we have to get going.”

I nod and walk to my room to pack my stuff. I wonder if this is always how it’s going to be: every time I start to get comfortable in one place, it’s time to leave. Never having that stability I crave so much.

Once I’m done, I wait in the living room for Rig, so we can get on the road to the new place. There really isn’t any point to ask asking where.

“Well, let’s go,” Rig announces when he walks in the room.

Alice and James are waiting at the door. “Parker, dear, it was a pleasure to have you here. Thank you for all of your help. We couldn’t have done it without you.” Alice pulls me into a tight hug.

“Thank you for having me. I wish we could have stayed longer.”

“You’ll be just fine. Trust Ryan, he will not let anything happen to you. And start letting down those walls,” she whispers in my ear before letting go.

“Alright guys, thanks again for having us. We must get going now.” Rig smiles and opens the door.

When I open the backdoor of the car, he says, “You know you can sit up front if you want to.”

“I didn’t know. Okay, I’ll do that. Then I can bug you more while you are driving,” I joke.

It’s starting to get late, and I’m sure I’ll be asleep in no time, once again making me horrible company.

“Do you think we could stop and get an energy drink or something? I’m pretty tired and you must be also.”

“Yeah, we can do that first. You know, you don’t have to try and stay awake; you should get some sleep,” he says as he climbs into the driver’s seat.

“I know, I just don’t want you to get too bored. It’s fine, I’ll sleep when I really need to.”

“Okay.”

After stopping at a local convenience store for drinks and snacks, we start driving endless miles of open road.

“So what is it that you love so much about what you are doing?” I ask, fiddling around with the bag of snacks.

“There are a lot of things. But this, right here: driving, the feeling of not being trapped, being able to travel open roads not congested by city traffic, and finding hidden places that most people don’t know about. I also get a huge rush knowing I’m winning. It’s really enjoyable knowing I am taking something from someone who took it for granted. My head works in a sick sorta way. Does that make you uncomfortable?” he looks over to me, his eyes making his point clear.

“No, not uncomfortable, maybe a little worried, but nothing compared to the feelings I’m so used to having. Do you think this constant need to look over my shoulder will ever go away? Always feeling panic and fear of being caught? You know he said the next time he found me, I would never be able to run again because he would kill me?”

“I won’t let that happen, not on my time. I won’t ever leave you alone until I’m certain you are not in danger. Like I have said before, this isn’t something that will happen overnight; it takes months, sometimes years.”

“Well, I hope that’s a promise you intend on keeping, because I not sure what kind of match we are to the people who he associates with. I know things, things that will bring a whole bunch of people down if I said a word. That’s why he is so certain on keeping me, and if he can’t keep me and be assured I won’t talk, then there is no use to have me around.”

“Well, that’s no longer your life, you have my word. It’s all about adjusting now, figuring out where to go from here, and what will make you happy.”

“It’s going to take some time. I’ve been so overwhelmed with the way he crowded me for so long, being alone doesn’t sound half bad,” I say with a yawn.

“Why don’t you get some shut eye? We’re going be on the road for a while,” he says, and I glace at the clock,