Save Me (20 page)

“ARE YOU READY?” I yell up the stairs to Ray and Chloe; both of them are taking their own sweet time getting ready. “We’re going to be late.”

Ray appears first, followed by Chloe. They both come thundering down the stairs. Ray pulls up short and kisses me on the lips before brushing past me.

“I’m not kissing you,” Chloe remarks with a smart little roll of her eyes. I remember when I was her age; my mother would tell me she’s going to slap my eyes straight if they kept rolling like that. I can’t say that to Chloe, though. For one Ray wouldn’t like it, and secondly, it would make Chloe cry. I’ve coddled her so much since we left California and I can’t bear to see her cry.

“I didn’t want you to kiss me anyway,” I say, walking past her and sticking my tongue out. It only takes a few seconds for her to start chasing after me to give me a kiss, but it’s the hug that follows which means more than she’ll ever know.

After my email from Buzz, I decided that telling Ray could wait. When I changed my name I chose something so common that it’d be hard to trace. The money I put into the bank is cash that I mail in. Once a month I travel to the bigger city and mail it. If it’s being traced now, after six years, then so be it. But I will not strike fear in my husband’s life about someone that may or may not be coming to get me.

If I told Ray now, he’d worry and he’d fuss over me. I can’t have that. He’d want me to quit my job and I need to stay busy. My mind has to have something to do so I’m not constantly worrying, although despite my best endeavors, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I feel like everyone who comes into the store is staring at me. The cracks are starting to show, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my lies straight. Yesterday, before I went to work I had to remind myself what my name was, where I’m from, and that Chloe doesn’t have a biological father. They’re all lies that I’ve told people in town so that when someone does come looking for Penelope McCoy, people won’t know who they’re talking about.

“Are you going to put a coat on?” Ray asks, shaking me out of my thoughts.

I smile softly at him and grab my coat before following him outside. This afternoon we’re heading to the Village Green for the winter flea market, arts festival, and snow-sculpting contest. I’m not a big fan of the cold, but Chloe has fun at it and Ray has a duty to make appearances at the town gatherings.

“Mom, did you know they had to bring trucks of snow in for this?”

“Yes, I saw them yesterday dumping it all. Then the drivers came in for lunch.”

“One of these years I’m going to enter,” Ray says as I look at him sideways. He’s never sculpted anything in his life.

“Well I’m sure we’ll get plenty of snow this year for you to practice.” I pat his hand with mine as he navigates down the road. We don’t live very far from the Green and probably should’ve walked.

The Green is bustling with people, a lot of them I don’t recognize, which is a good thing. Tonight at the store, Laura is working and I told her if she needs me to let me know. I’ll happily step out of the cold and into the store for warmth. But she won’t call. I know she overheard Ray saying how much he was looking forward to tonight.

Ray parks and we get out linking hands as a family. There’s live music coming from the gazebo and a few people are dancing.

“Are there fireworks tonight?” Ray asks. I nod, remembering the flyer that hangs in the store stating as such.

As soon as we hit the Green, Chloe runs off to find her friends. My heart races, knowing she won’t be next to me, but I can’t let my fear get in the way of her having a healthy and fun relationship with her peers.

Ray pulls me through the crowd and onto the makeshift dance floor, spinning me around before setting us right into a dance. The band playing has a pretty good following and you can tell a lot of their fans are here, singing right along with the lead singer.

Once our dance is over, Ray takes me by the hand, still dancing as we move toward the front of the market area. Each booth we stop at turns into a chat session, and it takes us about twenty minutes before we’re moving on to the next.

“Oh taste this.” I hold up a cracker with maple honey mustard for Ray to take.

“Hmm, that’s good. We should buy some. Hey, I’m going to go check to the snow sculptures.” He kisses me quickly before running off to the other end of the Green. I nod, and turn my attention back to the stall.

“I’ll take a jar.” The lady behind the table isn’t local and has obviously traveled to town to sell her products. “You should ask Laura at the General Store if she’d like to sell this. I’m sure you could work something out. We have other Vermont made products in there.”

“Thanks, I’ll give her a call.” She hands me my bag just as I pay for my purchase. “Thanks, again.”

I wave and start toward the next tent.

“Hello, Penelope.”

I freeze at the sound of my name, a name I haven’t heard roll off anyone’s lips since I left California. I close my eyes and fight the impending tears before turning very slowly.

“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person.” I’m not very convincing with the infliction in my voice, but I do my best to hide anything that might give me away.

“I don’t, and you know it.” She flashes her badge, but it’s so fast I can’t tell who she is. As I look at her face, I find that she looks familiar and it dawns on me that I had seen this very same woman the day before.

“You were in the store yesterday. How do you know who I am?” I try to keep my voice low and not draw any attention to myself.

“We’ve met a few times, a long time ago.”

I quickly glance around to see if anyone is paying attention to us. Thankfully they’re not.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember, but you need to leave.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, you know I can’t. Let me show you my badge again.” She does and this time I look at the name. Cara Hughes. I rack my brain, digging up long buried memories.

“Nate’s girlfriend?” She nods as I cover my mouth and feel the first of what’s sure to be many tears falling.

“You need to come with me, Penny.”

“I can’t,” I tell her, shaking my head. “I—”

“Ray is with Claire, they’re watching the contest. You’re going walk with me, side by side, and people will be none the wiser.”

I nod and whisper, “Okay.” If Ray has Cl … Chloe—it feels so good to say her name in my head, and to hear someone else say it—if Ray has her, she’ll be safe.

I follow Cara across the street to where her car is parked. She waits until I’m in the passenger seat before she climbs in. I guess she’s waiting to see if I’m going to run or not. I want to, I want to grab Chloe and run far away from here.

“We aren’t going very far,” she says, starting the car and maneuvering into the road. The last time I saw her was maybe a month or so after the guys deployed. I don’t remember everything correctly, but I think she was still in college and just visiting. It seems like she’s doing pretty well for herself.

Thinking about those days brings my mind to Ryley. Oh how I’ve missed her.

“Ryley, how is she? Do you know if she had her baby boy?”

Cara nods as she turns into the parking lot of a hotel about a half-mile from where the Village Green is.

“His name is EJ.”

Evan Junior. Evan has a namesake and he isn’t even around to see him grow up. I wipe away tears that have been steadily falling down my face since I started walking to the car.

“How much does Ray know about your life?”

“Nothing. He doesn’t know anything. He thinks my name is Amy Jones and Claire’s … I mean Chloe’s dad left us. He doesn’t know about Tucker or anything else.” I trail off, not wanting to bring anything up that happened after Tucker deployed. I realize for the first time in years I’ve used my daughter’s given name and it feels good. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can breath just a little bit.

“We know about Lawson and the police report you filed. The last sighting of Frannie was in New York City yesterday, so she’s getting close.”

“How’d you find me?”

“Your storage unit. Buzz was kind enough to give us your name. You’ve been classified as a missing person by the Feds. I had the case assigned to me because of my relationship with Nate.”

“Are you guys still together?”

“We are, but weren’t for a long time. A lot of things have happened to a lot of people. Come on, let’s go inside.”

I hesitantly get out of the car, still clutching the brown paper bag containing my jar of maple mustard. Cara walks up the stairs and opens the door, allowing me to step in first.

My jar of mustard hits the floor when I see Ryley stand up from the bed. Her lower lip quivers as her arms open for me. I rush to fall into them, letting years of tears out while she holds me.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” I’m blubbering, but Ryley doesn’t seem to care. She holds me against her, stroking my back and hair.

“You should’ve told me.”

“I couldn’t. I had to run to protect Claire. He was going to take her from me.”

“Ssh, it’s okay, Penny. Everything is going to be okay.”

“How can you say that? Frannie is close and I’m going to have to run again. Claire, I mean” I take a deep breath and remind myself to call my daughter Chloe. I can’t get in the habit of saying Claire or I might slip. “Chloe is established here and I’m going to have to take her away from her friends.”

“That’s not going to happen. None of us will let that happen.”

“Penny,” Cara says my name to get my attention. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I have to tell you that I have a team of agents arriving very shortly. We want to use you to draw Frannie here so we can arrest her.”

I shake my head vehemently. “No way. I can’t put Chloe in harm’s way.”

“She won’t be, I promise,” Cara states. But she can’t protect us. No one can. I have to disappear again. I have to run, change our names, and find another place to hide. I can’t let Frannie find us because if she does,
he’ll
be right behind her.
He’ll
win and I’ll never let him have my baby. I don’t care if he’s in jail. He has people on the outside working for him.

I see the look of determination on their faces and realize that they’re not going to listen to me.

“Look, I understand that you think I’m missing, but I’m not. You can see me standing here, but my life as Penelope McCoy, it’s over. Cla—
Chloe
and I, we have a good life and you being here is disrupting it. I need to get back to my family.”

I bypass Cara and avoid Ryley’s outstretched hand. By tomorrow my daughter and I will be gone and poor Ray will be come home thinking everything is okay until we don’t return from the grocery store. If I could fake my death I would.

“Penny, please don’t go, I have something to tell you.” Ryley’s voice is full of desperation.

I shake my head as I turn the doorknob, and find myself eye-to-eye with a chest. I look up slowly and gasp, trying to catch my breath. My hand covers my mouth and tears cloud my vision. I feel hands on me before everything turns black.

WITH TODAY’S LACK OF security measures in place, it’s a shock that there aren’t more attacks happening on trains and buses. Buying the train ticket was easy. I was even thanked for my service now that I’m dressed in some Army issued fatigues. There’s no way in hell I’ll ever be caught dead walking around in the blueberry Navy working uniform. Besides, I think Frannie would expect that, and as much as I’d love to run into her out on the street, I need to get my ass to Boston.