Page 9 of Jack

“Nina?”

“Come on. Almost there.” She doesn’t slow our pace either.

Finally, she pushes the door open to the garage. A black pickup truck is parked near the door, not in a parking space. A man I’ve never seen holds the passenger door open—a huge, serious-looking man.

“Nina?” I take a step back.

She gently takes me by my wrists to keep from adding more pain to my left arm. Tears well up in her eyes.

“I’ve known for months what you’re going through.”

“I…” Oh my gosh. I’m going to cry. She knew but never said anything.

“Shh. It’s going to be okay. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday.” Nina sniffles. “I’ve been where you are. It’s why I know there’s help.”

I shake my head as the first tears begin to fall, for me and for her. “I can’t. You know I can’t. He’ll find me.”

She doesn’t listen. “This is Andrew. He’s going to start you on this journey to freedom. You’ll meet a couple more helpers along the way.”

“I can’t leave.” I really should leave.

She continues, “You have nothing holding you here. You’ll start over in a new town and a new state.” She taps the black bag in my hands. “There’s a few days worth of clothes in here and some cash.”

“Nina? What have you done?”

“I’m saving my friend.” She leans closer. “When you get to the final stop, ask for Jacob. Tell him I sent you and say Ariel.”

“What? Who’s Ariel?” I don’t understand any of this.

“Lily, pay attention, please.” She doesn’t yell and scream at me like Joel does, so I listen. “Do you understand what I just said? It’s important.”

“Yeah. Ask for Jacob. Tell him you sent me. Say Ariel,” I repeat the strange list.

“Good girl.” She taps the bag again. “Give Jacob the envelope, but don’t open it. It needs to be sealed when he gets it.”

Fear rises. “I don’t know.”

“If you stay here, you’ll die,” Andrew says.

“Well, thanks, dude, for not sugarcoating things,” I mumble.

Andrew shrugs. I can’t fault him for being honest. He’s not saying anything I don’t already know. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but they offer me hope. I already know howhope goes. Do I take it? I can stay and die, or I can die trying to get away.

“I wouldn’t do this if there was another way.” Nina gently wraps her arms around me. “I love you, my sweet friend.”

That did it. That’s where she broke through my fears. Well, I’m still scared, but maybe I can do this.

“I love you, too.” I wipe the tears from my eyes. I look toward Andrew. “You trust him?”

Andrew shakes his head and rolls his eyes. A hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

Nina smiles at him. “With my life. They’ve been saving women like us for ten years or more.”

Wow. I never knew something like this existed.

“We’re wasting time,” Andrew says.

“He’s right.” Nina smiles through her tears. “You have a long journey ahead of you.”

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