The Gambit (37 page)

Grey nodded multiple times to Owen, and I noticed his ticket and computer were beside him. I wondered what they were talking about…

He turned and my heart fluttered. His blue eyes were barely visible in the glow of the city lights, and he revealed a broad smile. I wondered if he could tell how flustered I became every time I saw him.

“Rachel, come here,” he said.

I quietly opened the terrace door and gingerly placed my bare foot on the smooth sandstone floor. It was cool against my skin. With the door fully opened, I slid out. Briana, Vinny, and Luke had drunk enough to pass out. Grey chose a room around an hour ago, and he had been in there since. Rachel was at the end of the infinity pool with her forearms propped on the ledge. Her brown hair was wet. It flowed down past her shoulders like a lion’s mane. I carefully dipped my foot beneath the water and onto the first step, trying to keep silent. When my body submerged, it created a small splash, but she didn’t turn around. I was almost certain she heard me. Gently, I swam over to the edge and propped my arms up beside hers. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“You’ll have to work a little harder next time you try to sneak up on me.”

I chuckled. “Who said I was trying?

“I heard you
trying
to be quiet. Good try, though.” She laughed with me.

“I’ll do better next time,” I said.

“There won’t
be
a next time,” she mumbled in a low voice. The words were practically forced out of her mouth. I turned to her, and I already felt the creases in my forehead form. I caught something in her expression…it was pain. Something was bothering her. I stopped drinking over an hour ago and had a meal. It helped me sober up a little. I had been dwelling on all the negatives. Maybe she was doing the same.

“Rachel, what’s on your mind?”

I heard her choke on a cry and she rested her chin on her right arm, facing away from me. I slid off the ledge and grabbed her shoulders. I smoothly turned her body around to face mine.

“No,” she resisted and pulled back. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”

“Like what? You are human just like the rest of us. People cry.”

“But still,” she sniffled.

I shook her lightly, trying to rouse her out of her reticent sadness.

“
Rachel
, what is it?”

She finally turned to me with tears streaming down her face.

“Is it wrong that I want you to
stay?
”

My gut panged from her words. I broke away from her stare and glanced down at the pool. I could see the distorted reflection of Downtown Miami in the rippling water. It felt like there was a rock in my throat as I swallowed, fighting back the tears. I couldn’t let her know that I didn’t want to go. We
had
to stick to her plan. We had come too far for me to stay here. Hiding wasn’t the answer, it never was to begin with.

“No, it’s not,” I answered. “I understand.”

I held her face gently with a cupped hand. Her hiccupped sobs only increased.

“Please,” I pleaded. “Don’t cry.”

Her breath shuddered and they slightly lessened.

“I’m sorry. It was my plan, and now I can barely face that tomorrow you will be gone.”

“For now,” I said.

“You don’t know that…”

“You’re right. I don’t,” I admitted, “but I believe it. Our time apart is only temporary.”

“I hope…”

“Rachel, I
need
you to stay strong. You’re right, this was your plan. So when tomorrow comes, I want you to be ready to say goodbye. Don’t you think for a second it won’t hurt me too, because it scares me shitless that I’m leaving my old life behind.”

“How can I be ready to say goodbye when we have barely just met?”

Her question was valid. We were at most, well-acquainted strangers.

“Well, while we still have time, what do you want to know? Ask me something.”

She looked up at me.

“What is your favorite color?”

“Red,” I answered. “Yours?”

“Purple,” she answered softly.

“Atta girl! Representing my party, eh?”

She let out a chuckle.

“I always did like the Convergence’s colors. Good choice.”

“Thank you. See what we just did? We can do that until we pass out. Sleep with me tonight.”

“I couldn’t imagine sleeping anywhere else…”

A smile tugged at her lips, but there was still sadness hidden behind her expression. It was something I knew I couldn’t fix. We were both reluctant to separate because we were just barely getting to know each other. I wanted to cherish our last little bit of time together. I wrapped my arms beneath hers and pulled her into an embrace. Our faces were inches apart. She stared up at me. Her brown eyes appeared black in the darkness, and her skin was an even richer bronze.

“You know…” I began. “The day we first met, when we were driving away from Raleigh, you told me the only reason you approached me was for the sake of the story.”

“Back then, yes,” she interjected. “Now, there are other forces in play.”

Her eyes darted across my face, and her voice was smooth and seductive. I tightened my fingers around her back and pulled her closer to my body.

“I know, I feel them too. I can’t wait to get to know you better, Rachel. You are great. I promise when this is all over we will have time—”

“Don’t make me a promise you can’t keep. For my sake, Owen—don’t do that.”

“Now you’re the one telling me not to make any promises.”

“I know, I said the same thing last night. I’m being a hypocrite, yes…but when we are talking about you, it’s hard to make any
real
promises. Whether they are from you, or me.

“I am confident your plan will work. I’m not taking back what I said, but I need you to do me a favor.”

“What might that be?”

“Please, no matter what happens…
don’t
forget the reason why you approached me in the first place, that day. You knew I was framed, and you saw an opportunity to figure out the real story. You wanted the truth. Whatever happens to me, don’t give up. Find out who did this and use your connection with Ian to get it out there. Like your father told you, ‘Justice is like fire; if you cover it with a veil—’”

“It still burns…” She whispered, cupping my face with her hands.

“
You
are the fire, Rachel. Remember that.”

She nodded with glistening eyes, and we began to kiss.

You almost here?
I touched the screen to send the message. I paced around the living room, waiting for a response.

My phone vibrated.

Yes
.

I walked over to my home phone and picked it up. With my free hand, I placed my index finger over my lips to ensure my three friends stayed quiet while I called. I knew
they
were listening. I dialed zero for the concierge.

“Front desk, this is Joseph.”

“Joseph,” I said in the lowest possible tone. “Let up my guest when they come in, please.”

I hung up. My friends sat quietly while we waited. After a few minutes, I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to the peephole and saw my good friend, Tyler, so I opened it. He nodded and revealed an awkward smile. He must have been curious as to why I asked him to come here. I was sure the other three were wondering the same thing.

I grabbed the small remote that laid on the coffee table and pressed the on button. My surround-sound system came to life, and it was playing techno music. I turned the volume up loud. I motioned with my hand for my friends to follow me to my room. I prayed that with the noisy synths and the deep wobbles our voices would be lost in the sound.

Once in my room, I led them to the walk-in closet and opened it.

“Can we talk now?” my other friend Henry asked.

I nodded.

“You said it was urgent,” Tyler said. “What’s up? I have work in an hour.”

“Guys, I’m being watched by the FBI.”

“What?!” my other friend Evan asked over the music.

Our voices were so muffled by the music it was almost like we were reading lips.

“There’s no time for questions. I just need your help. Our very freedom might depend on it.”

Their eyes grew wide.

“I’ll explain everything once I am able to talk about it again. Take off your jackets and leave them here at my place for a few days.”

“What? Why?” Tyler pressed.

“You can keep these instead.”

I began pulling my many pea coats off the hangers. I had at least five of a similar shade. One blue, one gray, and two black. I gave one to each of them, and they hesitantly began to put them on.

“We need to hurry. If they hear this music, they could be up here any minute. Traffic is thick.”

“Where are they?” my other friend Richard questioned.

“Outside. They sit at that gas station across the street.”

“No shit…” Tyler mumbled.

“Exactly. Put these on, let’s go.”

I pulled a handful of flat caps off the shelves and they fell to the floor. I picked four different shades of gray and handed them one each. They began to button up.

“Turn around,” I instructed. They all four turned around in my bedroom, and each one looked identical from behind. This was all a part of the plan.

“Okay, it’s time to go. When we get down to the lobby, we will go out the back exit, the one that faces the opposite side of the gas station. We will each wave down a taxi and get in.”

“Where do we go?” Henry asked as we neared my apartment door.

“No specific place. In the general direction of Boston.”

“Will you text us when you’re safe?” Evan asked.

“Yes, but that might be a while. I think the only thing that kept me safe from texting you to come here was the fact we were all supposed to go eat breakfast together.”

Once we exited my apartment, I locked the door. We began walking at a hasty pace towards the elevator. When we reached the lobby, I didn’t see anyone—a good sign. We all walked side-by-side to the back entrance and made it to the street. It felt like I hadn’t seen the sunshine in days.

“You guys may end up being heroes for doing this. Trust me when I say the matter really
is
that serious.”

“Good luck, with whatever it is,” Tyler said.

We spread a few feet apart and raised our hands to signal the taxis. Within a minute, we had each flagged one down.

“Thanks. I know most of you work in Boston, so at a certain point just tell the driver where you
really
need to go.”

They all nodded.

I sat down in the back seat of the cab.

“Where to, boss?” the driver asked.

“The Greyhound station off of Atlantic. Step on it.”

I glanced down at my watch—it was 7:05. I had twenty-five minutes to make it to the station. Hopefully, the FBI wouldn’t follow…and if they did, I prayed they lost me in the mix of traffic.

I had made it. Wherever the FBI was, they weren’t nearby. The weather differed very little from what it was like back in Boston. The air was dry and crisp. My breath fumed out trails of moisture with every exhale. The sidewalks of Fifth Avenue were full of people, and a horn honked every other second. All the memories rushed back to me.

Sometimes it was hard to imagine that I actually grew up here. Most people dreamed of living in New York, but by the time I went to college I was more than ready to get out. Far too hectic for me. Boston was similar, but the size difference was of no comparison. Eight
million
people. It always amazed me to think of that many people in one city.

I climbed up the stone steps of the post office and inside. It was massive. There were dozens more here in Manhattan. This one almost looked like a courthouse in its design. The ceilings were high and the floors were marble. I walked toward one of the attendants. She was an older lady of African descent, and her hair was speckled with gray. She revealed a small smile.

“How can I help you today?”

“I need to access my P.O. Box,” I replied, jingling the gold key in the air.

“Sure thing, right this way. Push the door open when you hear the buzzer.”

I went around the corner to a metal door. I heard the buzz and pushed it open. Walking towards the far end of the hallway, I began to feel anxious. Emily was a perfectionist, and she was trustworthy. In the lab, when the FBI agents slammed us against the lab station, I confirmed with her if she had done what I asked. She nodded yes. I was so worried. Maybe the feds were getting stricter on the mail. What if they intercepted it?

I scanned the numbers engraved on the metal boxes as I passed. It had been over two years since I sent something here. Living four hours away, it was pretty useless. I was glad having the spare key came in handy in a situation like this. The reason I had to go through the locked door was because of how large these PO boxes were, and if I recalled correctly, his was the biggest one they had. Passing the eight-thousands, I found it.

PO Box 9000. I exhaled slowly to ease my stress, and I closed my eyes as I stuck the key inside and turned it. When I pulled the door ajar, I opened my eyes.

There it was. I gasped and a shuddered laugh slipped out. I glanced around to check if anyone heard me. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself. It was a one-by-one box, and I knew what was inside. Our data and an extra sample.

I carefully slid it out of the PO box and held it in my hands. There was an envelope stuck to the top, and I ripped it off, setting the box down momentarily to read it. I tore the envelope and pulled out the letter.

You’re welcome…

Get to your dad.

                            — Em

She signed her name
Em
. I cracked a smile at the thought. She always insisted that I call her Emily. Maybe she was warming up to me saying it. I shoved the letter in my jacket pocket and hoisted the box in my arms. With my free hand, I locked the PO box and exited the building. I felt a rush of energy surging through my body. My pulse quickened. I wasn’t in handcuffs. I didn’t see the black Denali anywhere in traffic, and I had the data I needed in my hands. Their lie couldn’t hold up forever. The country needed to know the
truth
about Black Monday.

“Taxi!” I shouted. One pulled up in front of me in seconds. I sat inside and set my box of evidence beside me. “Where to?” the driver asked, looking at me in the rearview.

“Corner of 8
th
and 41
st
.”

Fifteen blocks. When I stood up out of the taxi, I leaned back, staring up at the forty-story skyscraper that towered above me. On one of the buildings to the right, there were two huge posters that hung off of the roof with Owen’s and Rachel’s faces on them. At the top in bold, black letters was the word
WANTED
. I paused for a moment, staring at Rachel’s face. She looked familiar…
too
familiar…and I couldn’t figure out why. I had never seen her a day in my life, but for some reason it felt like I knew her at one point. Interesting.