Nowhere to Run - Chapter 20

When he was still with the Team but knew his time with them was short Michael had begun to hide money. Knowing conventional banks were out of the question he had liquefied all his assets and packed up the cash and sealed it in jars. Then he took trips around the country hiding it in public places. Playgrounds, cemeteries, and public parks. Making the country his nest egg. That was part of the money he had Evie dig up.  Working methodically, he had hidden his entire life savings plus everything he could liquidate, his house, car, stocks bonds. He stashed as much as he could and even with a 30% rate of loss, there was enough to keep him on the run for years.  He lived mostly in dives and worked under the table, never using the hidden money unless it was absolutely nessassary. Until meeting Evie, he hardly had to use any of it.

     Now he wanted to dig it all up and give it too her. She was just too nice to be in this mess.  She deserved a house, a normal husband and a couple of kids to take care of. Something he couldn't give her. Not unless he could bring down The Team. Expose their crimes. The incident at the Boarding house had been a massacre. But it made him realize how badly they must want him. He wondered if this was new or he just never noticed their urgency before he met Evie. Either way he couldn't leave her here anymore than he could have left her in the boarding house to die. The idea that had been brewing in his mind for the last twenty-four hours was coming to full boil. Evie deserved more than this and now he knew what he had to do. He headed for the door.

****

     Evie had been walking an hour. There wasn’t a lot to this little town and it was getting late. She was tired and thirsty and decided she could finally face Michael without the tears. She didn't know if she could stand sitting across the table from him, making small talk and knowing he was leaving in the morning. This feeling was so different from what she had felt with her ex. This was love. Scott had been insanity. Perhaps it was Scott's blond, surfer-boy good looks that had infatuated her when she first met him. His carefree attitude and flirtatious ways were easy to get caught up with. But things were so different with Michael. There were none of Scott’s pretentious ways. Michael was more honest and up front. When he said something you could believe it. With Scott, she never knew what to believe. He stole her sanity. But with Michael she knew she would have been happy forever. He was so much stronger than Scott in all the ways that counted. Michael knew what was important in life and took nothing for granted. Maybe that was his training, thought Evie, or the fact he spent the last few years running that had made him so compassionate, but it didn't matter. It was all part of what made Michael so special to her. Her mind drifted to last night and the thought lit the slow burn deep in her belly. She ached for his touch. Just to be with him again, one more time might make it all worthwhile. A last dream to remember when she was all alone in the world again.

     She arrived back at the motel with new resolve in her heart. Broken glass crunched under her shoe sending a trickle of fear down her spine. She reached for the light switch.

     "Michael?"

     He was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room.

     "Michael? Are you alright?" she asked again, her eyes scanning the room to see if he was alone. “Why are you sitting in the dark.”

     He didn't answer.  Evie moved into the room and shut the door. She looked down at the broken ashtray on the floor and spotted the dent in the door.

     "I did that." Michael said calmly, "I'll clean it up."

     "Are you okay?" Evie asked for the third time.

     "No, not really." His voice was flat and void of emotion. "Evie, I'm sorry for all of this, I never meant for you to be involved."

     “No, no, Michael don’t apologize.”

     “All of this has been so rough on you. I’m so sorry you got sucked into this.”

     “But it’s been unfair to you too Michael. You lost your whole life. Your home, your name, everything you ever owned.”  Evie smiled, “Michael you saved my life. If it hadn’t been for you barging into my room that morning, I might be dead by now. Maybe this was the way it was meant to be.”

     “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Mexico with me tomorrow?”

     “I can’t.”

     “Can’t?” 

     "I can't go down to Mexico and watch you walk out of my life. I can't do that, Michael, please don't ask me to."

     "I'm not walking out of your life. There are just some things I have to do and.."

     "And I know the situation well enough now to know you may never come back and I'll have no way of knowing what happened to you."

     "I just want you safe."

     "You keep saying that." Evie sat down on the bed. "You say you want me safe, but will I be? Ever?"

     That hurt too much and Michael just shook his head.

     "I'll be just as safe here as there." Evie continued, "I don't want to be dumped in Mexico. If I'm going to go on my own I want to go where I choose."

     "I guess I can understand that." Michael sat down next to her, "I just don't know if I can just leave you here like this. Alone."

     Evie forced a smile. "I'm gonna be okay. I'll find another boarding house and blend into oblivion. Maybe I'll dye my hair black to throw them off the track."

     Michael's hand reached up to stoke her hair. "Don't you ever change this hair. It's beautiful."

     Unable to resist Evie leaned in and gently touched her lips to his. 

     "Evie…" his words were a whisper on her lips, "Should we do this?" His hand came up to cup the back of her head and he kissed her again, more urgently. His mouth devouring hers as his other arm slipped around her to pull her close. 

     Evie turned her head, breaking the kiss, "No, Michael."

     He stopped, pulling back to gaze into her eyes. She shook her head, fighting the urge to pull him back, to finish what they had started. She wanted to crawl into bed with him and never come out. But he was leaving tomorrow and she didn't think she could bear it.

     "I don't think we should." Her voice caught as her heart ached to take the words back. “I did, but now—“

     Michael let out a deep ragged breath, "I understand. Let's go to dinner. I gotta get out of this room.”

     Evie hesitated. She was going to refuse, but the look on his face stopped her. Maybe going out to dinner and acting normal for just a few hours was what she needed. From the look on Michael’s face, maybe he did too. Her heart fought with her head as she struggled for the right answer. But in the end she just said, "okay."