Page 31 of Look for Me

Fifteen minutes before noon every day except Sunday, Corinne had to sit outside on the bench facing the traffic. Somewhere across the street, Flavian’s men would watch her.

It was the strangest agreement, but it was the only thing that Flavian had offered her to keep her unborn child and her three-year-old safe.

Corinne put on her sunglasses and opened her lunch bag. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich again today. It was pretty much all she could afford. She knew she should be eating more for the baby, but a meal plan wasn’t included in their deal.

Sometimes Corinne wondered if she should have just called Flavian and gotten it over with. Let Flavian and Nikos duke it out. Let them settle their differences—while she ran.

Where to?

She touched the bracelet on her left hand. It was still there, plastic and wood beads strung together. It looked cheap—which was the whole idea—but her FBI handler said she had to keep it on her at all times. If she was separated from her bracelet, an alarm would go off somewhere, and her handler would come running to her rescue.

She closed her eyes.

I want to be safe all the time, without any need to be rescued at all.

Corinne said grace over her lunch and added, “And Lord, runners may say they’re tired of running, but my journey is not over. Help me find someone who can take care of Dahlia and this little baby.”

Someone who doesn’t mind that my children came from different fathers, one consensual, one forced.

Both men should be in jail for their own reasons, if Corinne had anything to do with it.

The sun moved.

Or a shadow appeared.

A voice spoke.

“Corinne.” That familiar voice that had once been soothing to her in bed four years ago now sounded like metal grating metal.

Martin MacFarland.

Without looking at him, Corinne gritted her teeth as she replied. “You cannot be here.”

“But I am.” The voice came closer.

Corinne kept her eyes on the street.

“You put both of us in danger if you come here.”

“Danger? How?”

Corinne took another bite of her sandwich. Chewed it slowly.

The shadow didn’t go away.

Corinne swallowed. “Don’t come any closer. They already see you.”

“They who?” When Corinne didn’t say, he continued. “I was at church yesterday. Did they see me then? And what about at Angelina’s houseboat?”

“We have many visitors at church.”

“Exactly. So I happen to be in town and here we are, meeting at the bench. How do you do?”

Corinne put her sandwich back into her lunch bag. “Ask me for directions.”

“To your heart?”

Corinne nearly laughed. “To a place in town, silly.”

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