Page 18 of Delinquents Turned Fugitives
7
Another twisting,convoluted, and backtracking two miles and then it was time for Gray and I to make a memorable impression, the kind that would stick in people’s memories if they ever got called into a police station.
Fun times.
The van dropped Gray and I off in an alley behind a couple swanky hotels. The night air was full of the scent of garbage from the hotel dumpsters and my nose crinkled.
Gray checked his new burner phone. "We gotta make this fast. Tears on."
Crap. Go time. I nodded and blinked rapidly, trying to make my eyes well up. It wasn’t hard. I just pictured the people that had been out on the lawn, took a second to imagine their fates … let the worry for my mother and Tia slip into my head …
I used my fingers and smeared my mascara with a couple tears to make it look like I'd been crying for a while. Then I pinched my cheeks and nose to make them a bit pinker. It was harder to shove away the fear than I expected. But we at least had to make our appearance. Gray had made a hotel reservation for after the dance. We had to show.
"Ready?" I looked up at Gray.
He checked my face over before gently moving my hair to cover my neck. Then he nodded. “Time for alibis and pretty lies,” he said with a broad smile. He slid his tux jacket over my shoulders and hustled me out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, which was well-lit and clean, unlike the space just behind it; it felt like we stepped from one reality into another.
I gave loud sniffles as we walked by couples on the street, trying to draw their attention to us.
"I just still can't believe you let her kiss you!" I moaned.
One woman out walking her dog stopped short. Her terrier took the opportunity to pee on a light pole as she openly gaped at us in the moonlight.
"I didn't let her. She just did it. How many times do I have to say it?" Gray growled.
He was a pretty good actor, I'd give him that. Or just naturally good at playing the asshole. I'd have to rib him about that later. But I couldn't let any admiration cross my face.
"Come on, baby, let's just go to our hotel. Talk about it in private."
"Oh, yeah, sure. You wanna 'talk'!" I tossed up my arms and did big air quotes, causing Gray's jacket to fall to the ground. He bent to scoop it up and shared a 'women, what can you do' look with a guy in a suit who walked past.
"Hales, you're making a scene!" Gray sighed, and reached out to gently rub my shoulder. "We've gone through this for the past hour."
Had it only been an hour? It felt like years ago we were at the ball. No, it had to have been longer than that.
I blinked, trying to get more tears to well up. But I was tired and dehydrated from the fiery tube we'd descended through and all the running we'd done, so I soon gave it up. I crossed my arms in a pout just as a family with doggie bags from a hotel restaurant walked near. "Yeah. And I'm still frickin' upset."
Even though I modified my language a little, the mom still glared at me like I was some terrible influence. Little did she know just how bad of one I was.
Gray put a hand on the small of my back, sending warmth up my spine as he escorted me to the front doors of one of the nicest magical hotels in the city. A doorman with a hat and jacket lined with brass buttons pulled open the door and touched his cap, like this was some 1920s movie.
Part of me felt like thiswasa movie. It was all so unreal. We stepped into a marble lobby with crystal chandeliers that were twice as tall as I was. They gave a warmth to the otherwise imposing space. My heels clicked against the floor as Gray headed toward the front desk.
I quickly swiped at my eyes like I was embarrassed. "I'm going to the powder room," I whispered. I needed to check on my mom and Tia. And Doctor Potts. Shit. I hadn’t even thought of her.
Gray nodded.
I slipped off to the side and let him take care of check in.
I was planning to use my burner, but I found a courtesy phone set in an alcove of the hotel lobby—a throwback to the old days. I dialed Mom’s number, one of the only ones I had memorized, my finger wrapping nervously around the phone cord as I waited impatiently for her to pick up.
“Please,” I breathed. “Please be okay.” I didn’t know if my pleas carried any weight after what I’d done tonight. When a voicemail box is full message popped up, I figured that God or the universe or whoever was listening had just shown me the finger.
Fine. I deserve it,I told myself as I set down the hotel’s phone and moved into the bathroom. I found Tia on social media—already posting about the Unnatural Ball with a couple selfies of her and Evan together. She had a ton of comments and I scrolled until I saw her last reply. Fifteen minutes ago.
I breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe.
I tried my mom again but had the same result.
