Silas (Dirty Aces MC #4) - Lane Hart Page 0,12

That is so cool!”

“We’ll get you a golf cart, and I guess I could eventually buy you a car to keep on the mainland…I mean, WITSEC will buy you one.”

“That would be nice, just in case I have to leave.”

“You’ll need to dye your hair,” I tell her while we’re on the topic of changes.

“Dye my hair?” she gasps, as if that’s an idea worse than up and leaving everyone she knows. “But my hair is all natural, always has been. I’ve never dyed it.”

“Do you want to be recognized and found by those assholes who murdered Harold Cox?” I snap at her.

“No, but…”

“But nothing! You’re dying your hair, at least for the first few months to make sure no one recognizes you as a missing person.”

“Fine,” she huffs. “What color?”

“Whatever color you want, as long as it’s not red,” I reply. “Although brown would probably help you blend in more.”

“Brown. Fun,” she mutters sarcastically.

“Being alive is more fun though, right?” I point out.

“I guess.” Cora crosses her arms over her chest indignantly.

“Of everything you have to give up and adapt to, you’re pissed about your hair?”

“A man who shaves his head to the skin obviously wouldn’t understand,” she replies.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” I say, apologizing to her for the first time, and meaning for more than covering up her beautiful, natural hair color.

“What’s my new name going to be?” she asks.

“Anita Hutson.”

“Anita Hutson,” she repeats a few times. “That’s simple and easy to remember at least.”

“You’ll have a new driver license, birth certificate and social security number.”

“A whole new identity,” she says as if understanding that for the first time. “A fresh start. Although, it’s probably going to be difficult making friends or dating.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“Because I’ll have to lie to everyone I meet. All the time. It’s hard to get close to someone when you can’t open up and be honest with them, you know?”

“Uh-huh,” I mutter, knowing all too well what she means. All I’ve done is deceive her since the moment we met.

Chapter Six

Cora

* * *

“Wake up!”

I’ve just nodded off when Agent Sheppard barks at me, startling me awake and making me cough again.

“What? Why? We’re here already?” I ask, lifting my head from the car window to look out at the few vehicles surrounding us in a mostly empty parking lot. According to the clock on the dash, we haven’t been on the road long at all, no more than an hour. I thought he would take me to Texas or Kentucky, at least somewhere a few states away.

“Time to get on the ferry to head over to the island,” he says.

“An island that’s not far from Carolina Beach?”

“Only about fifty or so miles. But then you have to take a thirty-minute ferry. You’ll be surrounded by water and safe there.”

“Sort of like living in a castle with a moat around it,” I reply with a smile.

“Something like that,” the agent remarks. “September after Labor Day is the beginning of the off-season, so there are less people to interact with. But staying close means there’s a higher chance someone could recognize you from the news, though. You’ll need to lay low for a few weeks once we get you settled in.”

“Lay low as in never leave the house except under the cover of darkness with a hat on?” I joke.

“Right.”

“As soon as we get over there, we’ll look at some furnished rentals, decide which house you want to rent. Most will also come with golf carts, so you won’t need much after that, just groceries and all.”

“Okay. I can lay low.”

The agent types a quick message into his cell phone and then reaches in front of me, opening the glove compartment to shove the device inside.

“Do they not allow cell phones on the island?” I ask curiously.

“Probably not much cell reception, so no point in taking it,” Agent Sheppard says as he climbs out of the car. He grabs my bags from the trunk before I can get there.

I follow him up to the ticket counter where he purchases two tickets for the ferry, his round-trip and mine one-way. That’s the first time it really hits me that I’m actually moving to a place I’ve never been before, where I won’t know anyone and will have to start my life over. It’s a little overwhelming since I have a hard time opening up to people anyway, and doing so over there will be discouraged to hide my real identity. Sounds like it’s going