Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I stop for gas just outside of Houston, taking the chance of being seen because I'm in desperate need of something cold to drink. The Texas heat doesn't allow for the enjoyment of a protein shake. Maybe I'm taking unnecessary risks because I no longer care.
New Orleans was the first city that came to mind when I pictured this dull existence, and I don’t know how I'll be living now that all of the light Raya brought into my world is gone. It's easy to get lost on Bourbon Street and that's what I plan to do.
I fuel up at the gas station before heading inside and grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler. It brings to mind the memory of when I approached Raya in South Padre, but I can’t linger.
I throw out all thoughts of going back to find her when I lift my eyes to the television playing near the cash register. Her reappearance has halted all normal broadcasting. I stand to the side, allowing several customers to go ahead of me as I watch cell phone footage of her being shuffled into the back of a dark SUV.
I take comfort in knowing that she's safe. That she didn't walk away from me only to be snatched up by some other devious son of a bitch. There are no tears in her eyes in the video that captured her leaving the hospital. If anything, she looks a little stunned, and it's very possible they medicated her while she was there.
There are no flashes of my name or picture in connection with her disappearance, but I know that's also only a matter of time. They would have done a rape kit on her. They won't find my DNA in any type of database, but they wouldn't need it to know my name. I have no doubt that Raya will give that to them.
That's why Liam Stone can no longer exist. It's a relief, actually. That man died with every step she took away from the hotel room. He wouldn't have survived, anyway.
I listen as the news anchor speculates about where she is, the trauma she may have endured, but they aren't stating any real facts. Neither El Paso nor the house I kept her in for over a month are mentioned. That also is only a matter of time.
New Orleans may be my first stop but that's definitely not where I can land. Staying in the United States isn't an option. But putting more than the width of Texas between us makes me want to claw at my own skin.
Part of me thinks that she will tell her family the truth about what happened and that scares me more than her demonizing me. Angel said she would become her father's prisoner, and I have no doubt about that. She wouldn't be the first person in a political family to be silenced. Hell, the Kennedys performed a lobotomy on one of their own in order to keep her under control.
Raya may be the number one story on the news reel right now, but I imagine that's only temporary. Before long, she'll go into seclusion. The story of her abduction and the resulting trauma would cause almost anyone to understand why she no longer wants to be in the spotlight.
Knowing that I may never see her face again, not even on television, adds to the misery I feel. Unable to watch any longer without being suspicious, I pay for my bottle of water and leave the gas station.
I pray she doesn't end up a shell of herself, but at the same time, I also hope that her time spent with me changes her. I hope that she voices her opinions and fights back against anyone trying to turn her back into the “yes woman” she was when we first met.
I know she's gonna tell them who I am. It's only a matter of time. I can't even be mad at her. I even understand. I know what it's like. People do a lot of things to protect themselves.
I've done countless, horrific things at the expense of someone else because it benefited me. Raya should be no different.
I can only hope that one day, when she thinks of me and the time we shared, that she does it with a smile on her face, instead of the tears that were in her eyes when she walked out of that motel room.
Chapter 36
Raya
I'm not asleep when my bedroom door opens, but unlike before, I don't immediately look in that direction. I want to be here even less I realize, when a clearing throat tells me I can no longer hide out in my room. I push the covers away from my face, taking my time before sitting up and looking toward the door.