Page 24 of Twisted Empire

We walked several hundred yards south, well away from the road and deep into the forest. For a while, it grew so dark that I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead, but then the moonlight sliced through the thick canopy, lighting yet another clearing before us. On the other side of it was a narrow track, presumably leading out of the woods to another road.

“I found this spot on Google Maps,” Elias said by way of explanation. “Figured it was the perfect place to hide our real getaway vehicle.”

“Thank god for the internet,” I murmured, squinting at a dark silhouette in the middle of the clearing.

Elias switched on his flashlight again, illuminating a large navy blue van with ‘Jim’s Plumbing’ emblazoned on the side in chunky white letters.

I turned to him, incredulous. “Where did you find this?”

“Craigslist. A guy a few towns over was selling it.”

“Elias King on Craigslist,” I said slowly. “Never thought I’d hear those words.”

He smirked and ruffled my hair. “It’s perfect, right? No one would ever think I’d drive something like this. Plus it’s huge.”

“Again, thank god for the internet.”

Elias stepped over to the side of the van closest to us and opened the sliding side door. “Come and have a look.”

I climbed inside as he shined the flashlight around the van’s interior. The far side was mostly taken up by a single mattress, covered in thick blankets and pillows. Near the front were several stacked boxes with clothes, shoes, toiletries and other miscellaneous items we might need—flashlights, burner phones, wads of cash, matches, cookware, crockery, utensils.

Toward the back were more boxes, filled with food and bottled water.

“You’ve been busy,” I said, marveling at the veritable treasure trove.

“Yeah. Basically haven’t slept these last couple of days,” Elias replied. “I couldn’t exactly send one of my family’s PAs to go and buy all this stuff, as easy as that would’ve made things. I had to do it myself.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. “You’ve done so much. I can’t believe it.”

He reached down and stroked my hair. “You don’t need to thank me,” he said, a gruff note in his voice. “It’s my fault you’re in this situation.”

I shrugged. “More like Crown and Dagger’s fault. You didn’t know what they were really like.”

“But I should’veknown.” He went silent for a moment. Then he turned and rummaged through one of the boxes near the front. “Here,” he said, presenting me with a wig. “You’re a redhead now.”

With his help, I fitted the wig onto my head. I expected it to be itchy, but it felt fine, and it stayed firmly put with the help of several clips on the inside which fastened it to my real hair.

“How do I look?” I asked.

Elias set the flashlight down so that it lit the whole van as he appraised me. “Still like you, only with red hair. I got more stuff to disguise you, though.” He turned around and rummaged around in the box again.

A moment later, he handed me a small cardboard packet, and I squinted at the label. Brown contact lenses. “That should help,” I said with a nod.

“There’s makeup, too, and bulky clothes to make you look bigger. I also got you some boots to wear if we ever have to be out in public. They look flat, but on the inside they have a stacked heel, so you’ll look a few inches taller than usual.”

I shook my head with amazement. “You really did think of everything.”

“Yeah. I even got you this,” he replied with an amused smile, handing me another packet.

“What is it?” I frowned, opening it to find what looked like a pair of dentures.

“They’re snap-on veneers. I got them from a joke store. That’s why they look so bad and uneven. But that’s a good thing, because we want you to look different. Plus it’ll change the shape of your mouth and make your cheeks look a bit puffier when they’re in.”

“Wow. I would’ve never thought to try something like this.” I opened my mouth wide and carefully snapped the top veneer in. Then I bared my new teeth. “Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Do I look like a chipmunk?”

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