Becoming His Assassin

9 - Uneasiness

Katerina

    Not long after leaving Cedric’s house, I noticed there was a small black car with dark tinted windows following close behind us.  Instantly, I went on high alert, worried it might be Luke.

    I had no clue what I was going to do if he caught up to me, and I didn’t want to lead Luke or his goons to Jason’s house.  Feeling panicked, I stomped on the gas and drove one more block, then I squealed tires as I suddenly turned right.  

    Without hesitation, I stomped on the gas again and sped down the road, as Jason anxiously asked, “What’s wrong?”  

    “There is a black car following us.  Luke must have tracked me down.  If he finds me with you, he will assume the worst, and I will be as good as dead,” I rushed to say in total dismay.

    “s**t!  We have to lose him, Aubrey!” Jason shouted in a panic of his own. 

    A few blocks later, I made another sudden turn to the left followed by an immediate right turn, then I came to a halt, stopping in a small opening between two buildings.

    During our college days, Jason and I had walked those streets and alleys many times, making it easy for me to find a good hiding spot.  Luckily, Cedric taught me defensive driving when we were younger, and those lessons finally came in handy.

    After turning off the car’s engine and headlights, we both ducked down as far as we could and tried not to make any unnecessary noise.  We stayed crouched down for at least ten minutes, then Jason peeked out the window to see if that car was nearby.

    Once he was confident the coast was clear, Jason whispered, “Quietly follow me out of the car.  My parents live just a few blocks over.  You will be safe there.” 

    My entire body was trembling in fear, as I crawled across the seats to exit through the same door as Jason with my keys and purse in hand.  I figured it was the best way to minimize the amount of doors needing closed.  

    After quietly closing the car door, Jason grabbed hold of my hand and briskly walked to the back of the car.  He quickly scanned each side of the street, then he whispered, “We should run.”

    I nodded my head in agreement, then Jason took off running with me beside him.  We ran one block up, then Jason stopped to quickly scan both directions in search of any suspicious cars.  Once he was confident all was clear, he gave my hand a squeeze for reassurance, then we took off running again.

    Upon reaching the end of that block, Jason pointed across the street at a little white house and whispered, “That’s my parent’s house.”

    “Thank goodness,” I breathed out, as he scanned the area for anything suspicious.

    A second later, we were sprinting across the street and up the concrete walkway to his parent’s porch.  Without bothering to knock on the front door, Jason barged into the house and pulled me in with him, then he slammed the door shut and immediately locked it.

    The next I knew, Jason was pulling me into the living room and shouting for his parents.  As we reached the middle of the room, his parents came running in from the doorway on the opposite side.

    “What is all the shouting about?” his dad huffed in exasperation, then he saw me and smiled, as he politely greeted, “Why, hello there, beautiful!  What’s it been?  Two years?  Three years?”

    I returned the smile and greeted, “Hello, sir.  It’s been three years.”

    “It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Jason’s mom sweetly remarked, as she made her way to us, then she gave me and Jason a hug.

    After that, Jason and I explained to his parents the jist of what was going on.  They were quick to offer me their couch for the night, then it was time for me and Jason to make a plan for how I would get out of town without anybody else spotting me.

    There was the possibility that the LTD was already compromised, but I didn’t have time to get a new one.  If Luke was able to find me that soon after switching cars, there was no point in taking the time to switch again.

    Eventually, I agreed to stay put until morning.  In the meantime, Jason drove his parent’s silver pick-up to his house with a plan to bring my stuff to me in the morning.

    Jason’s parents retired to their room shortly after Jason left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  For hours, all the bad moments I had with Luke replayed in the back of my mind, serving as a good reminder why I had to get away.  

    I had finally come to my senses and gave up on keeping his miserable ass content.  It was time for me to find my happy place, and it wasn’t anywhere near Luke.  He no longer held a place in my heart, losing that spot the moment he stepped out on our marriage. 

    Hours went by with me tossing and turning on the couch.  Every little noise made me jump out of my skin and peek out the window, fearing I would see Luke standing there.  The few times I did drift to sleep, I was haunted by the worst of all my nightmares.

    When the sun finally started to rise, I did the same, unable to lay there any longer.  For the next hour, I paced around the living room, while I waited for Jason to return.

    Finally, my friend appeared and with him came the return of my hope.  Right away, I rushed to the door and unlocked it, then I opened it to let him in, while keeping my face hidden from anybody else’s sight.

    As he walked inside, Jason cheerfully informed me, “I drove past the car on my way home last night and on my way here.  I didn’t see any suspicious cars, so I think it’s safe to retrieve it.”

    Instantly, a sigh of pure relief left me before I happily responded, “That is the best news I could have gotten this morning.”

    Jason flashed a smile my way and offered, “If you give me your keys, I’ll go get the car and bring it back here.”

    Without thought, I threw my arms around Jason and gave him a hug filled with gratitude.  He had been such a sweetheart since everything went down, and I wouldn’t be finally getting away from Luke if it weren’t for Jason, Cedric and Destiny.  

    After giving Jason my keys, he left again to retrieve the LTD from the alley where we left it.  While he was doing that, I combined the contents of the bags, so I could quickly throw them on the backseat and get the hell out of Phoenix!

    Less than ten minutes later, I watched my car pull up in front of the house.  Jason’s parents were still sleeping, so I jotted down a quick thank you note for them, then I grabbed my bags and purse.  

    On my way out of the house, I made sure to pull the door shut, then I sprinted down the walkway to my car.  Jason left the driver’s side door open, and he opened the back door when he saw me running his way.

    I hastily tossed the bags into the car and shut the door, then I gave Jason a tight hug, as I appreciatively mumbled, “I owe you my life, Jason.  You and Cedric.  None of this would have been possible without you guys!  Thanks so much for everything!”

    “You are most welcome!  Now get out of here before somebody sees you!  Once you get settled and it’s safe to make contact, call me at work,” he gushed in all seriousness.

    “I will!  Promise!” I assured him, then I pecked a kiss on his cheek before folding into the car.

    After buckling the seatbelt, I took one last look at my friend before throwing the car in gear and leaving him standing on the sidewalk.  I had to fight back the tears that threatened to fall at any second, knowing I might not ever see my friend again.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t just Jason.  I might not ever see my family or the rest of my friends either.  

    That was an extremely disheartening thought, but it had to be this way.  It was either this way, or the dead way, because that’s what I was sure to be if Luke were to get his hands on me again.