Page 40 of Like An Animal
She slowly nods. “I’ve gotten calls periodically on your phone with updates from a Mr. B. I’ve just told him that I’m your assistant. He’s still in prison. He has another two years if he keeps up the good behavior. There haven’t been any incidents reported or so he says. The first call said he took a plea deal for four years and he’ll get ten years of probation once he’s out.”
Only two more years, but then I’ll be running from him instead of The Fathers. I doubt even Lottie’s innocence would be enough for him to not get his revenge for what I did. Jeremy Borza was never the forgiving type.
“Thank you, Aunt Cheryl. You’ve done more for me than I could ever repay in a lifetime.”
She waves me off. “Oh, hush. The day I stop caring for you will be the day I betray my sister’s memory. I swore to her before she died that I’d look out for you until my last breath.”
“I kepteverything you told me to. Even the duffle bag. I haven’t even looked inside of it.” She put the bag I stuffed under Jeremy’s bed on the dining room table and I stare at it for a moment, flashes of that day running through my head.
“Thank you.” I hand Lottie back to her before I stand up and unzip the bag, pulling out my bracelet and necklace, slipping them on for the first time since I put them in there. I thumb the ghost charm on my wrist before I pull out Jeremy’s hoodie. It was the one he would wear every day. It’s a plain black hoodie, but it’s special. It’s one of the last things I have from him so I slip it on over my head. The scent hits me and it takes everything for me not to drop to my knees from the memories that run through my brain.
I’ve written our history off, but wearing it is like getting a hug from my shadow. I’m so glad I thought to pack it up before I left.
“I also got you a new identity with a driver’s license, birth certificate, social security card, and a bank account with the documentation where all of your funds are. You should be set up so you won’t have to worry about money, period. You’ll be able to live comfortably.” Aunt Cheryl holds a manilla envelope as I pull the sleeves of the hoodie down over my wrists. I was a little too slow because horror bleeds down her face.
She must’ve seen the burn scars and the marks left from all the lashes I got with a whip. My body is covered in those marks and I doubt they will ever fully disappear. I don’t know what I’ll end up telling Lottie when she eventually asks. I might be able to get away with saying it was an accident for a few years, but at some point, she’ll see through the lie.
How do you explain to a child that you were punished for being loved and hiding from abuse?
“You do too much,” I whisper as I take the envelope from her before placing it in the duffle bag.
“Nonsense.” She takes my hand and my gaze darts up to hers. “You are all I have left, Bron. Nothing matters more than you and your safety. Other than me, you and Charlotte are the only ones left in our family. You need to get to where the two ofyou can be safe. Maybe Georgia or Virginia, somewhere far away from any trouble you’ve found.”
Clearly, New Jersey is out of the question. I’m done with the southern heat. Maybe we can go somewhere where it snows, where winters are cold and summers are warm. Perhaps Nebraska or Ohio, somewhere nice. I don’t want to be near any big cities.
“You could come with us,” I offer as my gaze darts to Lottie, sleeping on the couch.
“No, sweetheart. You need to leave before they track you here. Once the coast is clear and you’ve had time to settle, I’ll come find you. And don’t you dare tell me where you’re planning to go. I don’t want them to get it out of me.”
She’ll be in danger if she stays. If she comes with me, she’ll be okay, but I also know how stubborn she is. If she says she’s staying, there’s nothing I can say to stop her.
I nod.
I pick up Lottie in my arms, making a mental note that I’ll need to pick up a car seat once I get a safe distance away from here. Aunt Cheryl helps me carry the bag out to the garage and my eyes widen when she pulls a tarp off of a vehicle to reveal…Jeremy’s car.
“I thought you sold everything,” I mutter, confused.
“I knew you would need a vehicle and I’ve kept up with the maintenance. It will get you wherever you’re going and probably even further.” She flashes me a sad smile with tears in her eyes. “Go, sweet child. We’ll see each other again soon.”
This was the point of everything I set up. I knew I would have to make a run for it at some point, but the thought of never seeing her again gives me pause. Looking at her is like getting to see my mom again and god I miss her.
I give her a one armed hug and squeeze tight before whispering, “Thank you for everything.”
She hums before pulling away. She throws the duffle bag in the back seat as I climb in the driver’s seat, feeling uncertain about driving Jeremy’s car.
He never let anyone drive his car. It was his baby. Anytime I ever asked he would give me a nasty look.
I lay Lottie down in the front passenger seat before placing her baby blanket next to her to keep her in place. It should be a relatively smooth drive until we get to where I can get her a car seat.
Then it will be smooth sailing until we reach somewhere so far away that we can settle down.
“Good luck, sweetheart,” Aunt Cheryl says before she closes the back door. I pull the hood over my head and reach into the compartment inside the armrest and pull out the big sunglasses Jeremy used to always wear. I tuck my hair inside the hood before I turn on the car and back out of the garage.
I speed out of the driveway and take a deep breath, but my heart twists when I pass by a black van with no defining stickers, blacked out windows, and missing a license plate–key indicators of the Jephthah and their henchmen.
An instinct deep inside me demands I turn around and protect Cheryl, but what stops me is the coo of Lottie beside me.
This is for her. She will never be a Daughter of Jephthah. That’s not a life I want for her or anyone else, but she’s the only one I can save right now from living the way I have. She will have a carefree childhood full of love and laughter. I won’t let anyone stop me from giving that to her.
