Page 13 of Free
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Dyson Fowler, roll up!" The pounding on his cell door and the words yelled into his cell had him jumping out of bed.
"What the fuck?" Patrick stared at him from the top bunk.
"Don't question it. Just act like it's normal. I swear once I'm out, I'll do all I can to help you. Keep my shit. I won't need it." He grabbed his legal papers to make it look like he really gave a fuck but none of it mattered. Once he was out the door, he wasn't looking back.
"Dude." Patrick continued to stare.
"Stay strong, Patrick. And if the same thing might ever happen to you, go with it, don't question it, and remember the word, penguin. It will let you know that it's me. I'll do what I can for you." He gave Patrick a confident smile as he stood beside the cell door, waiting for the guard to open it.
"How?" Patrick looked confused.
Dyson put a finger to his lips a second before his cell door opened and he stepped out into the pod.
There were four other men from his pod being released and the guard had them all line up at the door. Until they were officially released by the office, the guard was still treating them as if they were the scum of the world, barking orders at them.
Dyson ignored it. He needed his full focus on his surroundings. This was the part of the plan that was the most dangerous. It was where everything would go wrong if anything did. As they stepped out of the pod, he stayed in line, following the guy in front of him to the area where he would sign his release papers.
He prayed that no one got suspicious. He didn't know what Carter did to show he was up for release, but he bet it was a simple bail bond, and that could be put on hold quickly if anyone questioned it. He kept his head lowered, not wanting to remind people of who he was. With his face in the news, it would bring him the attention he didn't want or need.
Once in the main office, he waited as the guy in front of him was given his clothes to go change into. When he was handed his own, he quickly took them and headed for the small changing room. He pulled on his black pants, and a black t-shirt, but tied the hoodie around his waist.
Being out of the jail jumpsuit was the first step of many, but he still wasn't in the clear. Once changed, he stepped out and waited again for his turn to sign his release agreement and get the check for the money he had on his books. As he looked around, no one seemed to be paying any attention to him. It was fifty yards from the office to the jail doors, then another twenty-five yard to the road.
"Do you need to use the phone to call for a ride?" the clerk at the desk asked.
"No, I should be okay." Dyson smiled his thanks as she handed him the paperwork.
"Through that door." She gestured to the exit.
"Thanks." He took the paper, added it to his legal papers, and walked out. He didn't rush. Running would draw attention to him. He had no idea what the plans were once he got out the door. He was sure Bryon had something planned. All he could do was wait and see and go with it. He trusted Bryon to have everything covered.
As he stepped outside, free for the first time in nearly a month, he took a deep breath, enjoying the cool air as he looked around. He saw several men and women gathered at the end of the walkway, but no one that looked familiar.
He kept his pace slow as he walked down toward the parking lot, aware of everything going on around him. The others being released rushed past him, excited to be free. He didn't blame them, after nearly a month in a cell, the world was a little more beautiful now.
"Penguin," a man he was walking near softly said.
Dyson didn't make eye contact with the man, but turned and slowly followed him into the parking lot. He was glad to see the man stop by a car he didn't recognize and not one of the team members' cars. As strange as it was to get into a car with a man he didn't know, the code word assured him he was safe and that Bryon had sent him.
He climbed into the car without a word, continuing to keep his head down and remain calm. He couldn't knock the feeling that at any minute police would surround the car and drag him back inside. His pulse raced as the man started the car and pulled out onto the road.
"We drive for twenty minutes, then switch cars. Drive another two hours, and spend the next twenty-four to forty-eight in hiding, then the team will be in touch." The man kept his speed low, not drawing attention to them.
Neither of them spoke until they were several miles away from the jail. It was then the man finally glanced over at him. "My name's Brad. I'll be with you for a few hours, then Rob will take over. We'll keep you safe until Bryon comes for you in a couple of days."
"Thank you. You have no idea how good it feels to get out of there." Dyson slowly started to relax, the tension he'd been holding for weeks gradually easing. "Just promise me, if anything goes south and we're at risk, you forget about me and get yourself safe. I won't have anyone else facing charges because of me."
"Nothing is going to go south. We've got everything planned out to the second, and every possible scenario covered. We're headed to a warehouse. Once we pull inside, I need you to follow me to another vehicle several bays over from the one we are in. This car will leave again with two people in it, then we'll wait another twenty minutes and we'll leave with four other cars. Before we get in the car, I'll take your old ID and give you a new one. I want anything you have on you that connects you to your old life. You're no longer Dyson, you're William D. Liston. Once we get farther south on the freeway, we'll split from the other cars and head to a safe house. I need you to put that hoodie on to cover your tats, and there is a hat in the glove box, use it. We're nothing more than a couple dock workers headed home for the night once we leave the warehouse."
"William?" Dyson cringed. "Seriously?"
Brad laughed. "I thought the same thing. Bryon must have it out for you."
Dyson was sure it was Carter's doing, not Bryon's, but he couldn't be sure. "He could have chosen some kickass alpha name."
"I think that's the point. He wants you as far away from kickass alpha as you can be right now. Think accountant, insurance salesman, or car salesman. You need to create a persona that is so far from who you were that no one is going to blink when you tell them what you do. You want as far away from your old identity as you can get. Look at it as a way to leave all the old behind and start fresh." Brad smiled as he glanced over at Dyson again. "I know. I'm just the messenger."
