“Here,” he says, handing me a bag that I didn’t see from the front seat. “As soon as this car explodes, I want you to take off running through this treeline. I have someone waiting for you on the other end. She will help you with anything you need. Answer any questions you might have.”
“Who is she?”
“My sister,” he whispers, swallowing hard.
“Is she a good person?”
He snorts. “Depends on your definition of a good person. She’s the kind of person cops work hard at putting away. But she’s not evil. She doesn’t hurt innocent people. She helps people like you.”
“Oh,” I whisper, looking down at the bag. Opening it, I see clothes and a pair of running shoes.
“Change into those,” he says. “I don't think what you're wearing is the best getup for a night like tonight.”
I look down and grimace when I remember I’m in nothing but a white nightgown. “Yeah, I don’t think so.” Looking back up, I narrow my eyes. “This all seems too good to be true. After all these years, how is today the day I’m going to be set free?”
“We’ve been working on getting you out for a long time,” he admits. “We thought he would have gotten tired of you a while ago.”
“Boy, were you fucking wrong.” I laugh, but it’s not a funny one.
“I’m sorry, Savannah,” he whispers before opening the door and leaving the car to give me a bit of privacy.
That just earned him a shit-ton of brownie points in my book.
Anyone else would have enjoyed the show. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Once I’m changed into the sweatpants, t-shirt, hoodie, and my new sneakers are laced up, I knock on the window to let him know I’m good.
He pops back in, drenched from the rain.
“I wish I could stay longer, talk more, explain more—I really do,” he starts. “But if we don’t do this now, Corbin is going to get suspicious. I’ve turned off any trackers, but if I don’t get you where you're supposed to be going soon, he’s going to want answers. The details are nothing for you to worry about.”
“Got it.” I nod.
Listen, do I think this is all too good to be true? Sure, I fucking do. Because when you live a life like mine, you're not stupid enough to believe you're going to get a happily ever after.
I’ve come to terms with how my life will turn out a long time ago. Did I dream about a pack of Alphas breaking in, rescuing me, and sweeping me away from the big bad man to love and adore me like the Omegas on TV? Yeah, I did. Corbin didn’t ruin Alphas for me. I’m not stupid enough to think all of them are like him. And sometimes it was the only thing that got me through the day; I’d often pretend I was in the movies I watched, living that life instead.
Does part of me still hope to find my pack? Yes. I’d give my left fucking tit to have a pack of men to love and adore me. I think after all the shit I’ve been through, I fucking deserve it.
But this is reality. And good things don’t happen to me.
Right now, my life’s mission is to stay alive long enough to get my revenge. After that, I don’t care about what happens to me.
“Alright, Jerry. What's the plan?” I ask, pulling the backpack on.
“It’s Jeremy,” he corrects. “Whatever. You're going to get out of this car and do as I said. Go through that treeline, run straight. It’s going to take you about an hour, but eventually, you're going to get to a road. Wait there. Someone will come pick you up.”
“Oh, yes. Let me just wait for a rando car to snatch me off the side of the road,” I huff. “Do you think I’m that stupid? I might be missing a few screws but I’m not an idiot. I might not remember much, but I do know what stranger-danger is, dude.”
“You're right. It wouldn’t be very smart to get into just any car. That’s why you need to ask for a password.”
“A password.” I grin again. “This sounds like some sneaky spy shit. Okay, what's the password? Rocket launcher? Obi-Wan Kenobi, oh! Is it SpongeBob?” I laugh. “That little yellow fucker is funny. Although his best friend has a few missing pieces, if you know what I mean. Can someone really be that dumb?”
Jerry blinks at me, lips parted.
“What?” he asks, staring at me for a moment. “You're an interesting one, you know that?”
“Thanks.” I beam.