Page 6 of Moon Blind Hearts
“Nope! I got it! You just worry about all that fancy equipment,” Bonnie called, before I hear her start rustling around in the other room followed by a giggle.
Ivy levels me with her gaze. “You sure three weeks is doable? We’re almost at the end of our four months here.”
I nod. “When we come back, we’ll start prepping to move. Three weeks in Wyoming will be good for us. It’s fall. Things are starting to slow down. And the middle of nowhere on a ranch in Wyoming seems like the best place to avoid . . . well, you know.”
“Mmhmm,” she agrees, as if she does know. As if I know her reason for running. She grins. “Look at us. Just a couple of mysterious bitches.”
I snort and shake my head. “Yeah. That’s exactly what we are.” I look around and frown. “Have you seen Ratrick?”
Ivy rolls her eyes. “Your rodent is on the kitchen counter chowing down on an apple. Again.”
“He’s clean,” I promise. “Rats are actually super clean. They spend a lot of time cleaning themselves and?—”
“Rarely even need bathing. Yes, I know,” Ivy finishes, laughing. “Of all the things you do, I think Ratrick Swayze is the hardest to get used to. A dog would have made sense. Even a cat. But a rat? Only quirky bitches like you get a rat.”
I grin. “At least it wasn’t a tarantula. It was almost that. Or a scorpion. Those are cool, too.”
“Whatever,” Ivy says, laughing. “I swear you and I are opposites when it comes to stuff like this.”
“You could always get a pet yourself,” I offer. “I seriously don’t mind.”
“Nah,” Ivy says. “There isn’t an animal in this world that deserves the likes of me.”
She says it so flippantly, I’m reminded again that there really isn’t much I know about Ivy. We don’t talk about personal things, especially who we are and where we come from. I don’t know where she’s from originally, though her accent feels like it’s from the south somewhere. I’m not the best at placing accents, though. I don’t even really know if she has family or people she cares about. She doesn’t seem to have hobbies besides screaming at the men on reality dating shows when they do something stupid. Usually, I’m there screaming with her though, so we do have that in common.
Who exactly is Ivy? Do I even have a right to ask when she doesn’t even know my real last name?
“So, we’re driving your car, right?” Ivy asks as she finishes zipping up a case of equipment and turns to me. “We know my clunker won’t make it the ten-hour trip to Steele.”
I nod. “Yeah. I already took it to get the oil changed and everything. We should be good to go.”
“Good, good.” She looks around the room. “I’m gonna go make some lunch. You done in here?”
Nodding again, I straighten and shove my hair from my face. I’m currently sporting soft bangs, a look I’ve grown to love. The bright purple and yellow colors were hard to get used to, but I love the way it looks with my full body black ink tattoos. Every time we move, I change my hair color. I’m going to miss this color combo, I think.
I’m not looking forward to the long drive out to Wyoming, but it’s a necessity. We can’t exactly fly. With a family like mine, they’d know the moment I stepped foot on an airplane. My father likely has alerts for that very instance, which means I can’t ever just leave the states. It would have been far easier to escape to Central America if not for the power my family has. Albie warned me to stay in the mainland states purely because of my father looking for me. And he knows what he’s talking about.
After all, he’s Dad’s right-hand man now.
I plop down in my office chair and pull up a secure chat before typing up a message.
Hey baby brother. I’ll be in a difference place for three weeks starting tomorrow. A job opportunity came up that was hard to pass. If there’s an emergency, I’ll be in Wyoming.
I hit send and wait. I don’t ever give him the specific place, mostly because he should be able to see his phone location that he gave me. But it also helps not to write it down. I trust Albie with my life. But things are fallible. Even the location on his phone is locked behind three passwords and two biometric scans. We haven’t taken any risks.
A message pops through a few minutes later and I smile at the words.
You’re older by three minutes. That hardly makes me a baby. Be safe, Sis.
Three minutes, and I never let him forget it. That’s what twins do, right? Fight about who’s older. That’s been the hardest part about being on the run, being apart from Albie. We were inseparable before I left. Now I haven’t seen him in person in four years. I’d almost caved a few times and run back home just to see him, but his words of reassurance always keep me sane. He knows going back home would kill me. He understands why I’m out here.
I close the laptop and tuck it into my backpack before standing and going to the kitchen. A squeak nearly scares the shit out of me and I panic, thinking I stepped on Ratrick only to realize it’s just a toy. I sigh and reach down to pick it up before tossing it on the counter. Ratrick immediately comes over and inspects it, his brown and white fur bright against the counter. Ivy watches the interaction as I pick him up and offer him my shoulder.
“I thought that was you,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I hope you’re ready for an adventure, Ratrick.”
“You should get him a tiny cowboy hat,” Ivy offers as she eats a spoonful of peanut butter.
“A tiny cowboy hat?” I laugh.
