Page 9 of Master of My Heart

Mr. Baker handed her the two bags of clothing and other items Eloise had purchased while they were making plans. She put them on the passenger seat. He leaned in and hugged her tightly. “Be safe,” he said, kissing her cheek.

She hugged him back. Hard. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears of gratitude filling her eyes. “You, too.”

He gave her a tight smile. “Keep it between the lines, follow the directions on the screen, and you’ll be fine.”

She nodded, glancing over at the fancy GPS system in the center of the car’s dashboard. “I remember my parents had one of these,” she said, a twinge of sadness in her heart.

Mr. Baker closed the door. She waved before putting the car in drive and pulling away from the sidewalk. When she glanced in the rear-view mirror, she saw the door to the studio closing, Mr. Baker gone from sight.

Phoenix was a much bigger city and easier to hide in. The GPS would guide her directly to the cheap motel near the bus station. It wasn’t a very nice place, but it took cash, and that was what mattered.

Ninety nerve-wracking minutes of driving later, she pulled up in front of the seedy-looking motel, thankful she made it safely. After checking in with the creepy-looking middle-aged man at the front desk, she found her room for the night and unlocked the door. It clearly hadn’t been updated since the 1980s, as evidenced by the pink-flowered bedspread and matching curtains. The bathroom ceramics were yellowed with age, but clean.

Sabrina sighed deeply as she sat down on the surprisingly comfortable bed. Step one was done. She was over a hundred miles from the compound and feeling safer already.

Mostly.

Doubts threatened to creep in again as she fought back the fear of Khyan slamming open the door and dragging her back to hell.

But how could he find her? She was no longer Immortal. She was human. Could he trace humans?

She had to look forward, not backward. Otherwise, she’d drive herself insane with worry.

Later, when the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains, she ventured out in search of dinner. A fast-food burger place was only a few hundred feet from the motel. Not wanting to be out in the open too long, she ordered her food to go before hurrying back to her room. No one bothered her while she was out, but she sighed in relief when she was safely back inside her room behind the locked door.

She ate, then fell asleep with the TV on.

*****

The bus to Flagstaff didn’t leave until the afternoon, so Sabrina spent the morning watching TV, something she hadn’t done in five years. It kept her mind off her fears of being caught.

After lunch, she put on the ball cap Eloise had included in her purchases and walked the few blocks to the bus station. She picked an aisle seat on the crowded bus, thinking it would be safer to not be by the window. Each mile took her farther and farther from hell and brought her closer to safety. She couldn’t help but smile a little. If Khyan had returned and not found her yet, she felt confident he wouldn’t find her now.

At least that was what she kept telling herself. She had to stay positive.

A new life awaited her in Boston.

She would get there a little later than expected, but she would get there.

And it would be wonderful.

Before dawn on Sunday morning, Sabrina sat in her private room on the train heading east, hope blossoming in her heart once more. In the glass of the window, she could see herself grinning, practically from ear to ear. She felt free for the first time in years!

I’m free!

She looked past her reflection and watched the scenery as it passed. Her heart was full. For the first time since she was taken, she felt optimistic for her future. Hell, she now had a future for the first time since she was sixteen.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chase’s handsome face. The earnestness in his eyes as he handed her his ring, which she wore on the thumb of her left hand. It was too big, but she wanted his memory at the forefront of her mind.

The landscape changed subtly over the next few hours as the train moved eastward into New Mexico. Mountains she’d never seen before, rivers she’d never crossed... They all passed by her window as she watched her new life unfold before her.

She sighed deeply, breathing in unrestricted air. She dozed occasionally, relaxing into her freedom. When the train stopped in Albuquerque mid-afternoon, she stepped out to get some fresh air, not worrying about what anyone thought.

I am my own person.

I am happy.

I am free.

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