Tracing Hearts (17 page)

“I wonder how Peter’s getting along. He should be calling soon.”

He’s changing the subject.

“Sebastian, you had no right to what?” I ask again, desperate for the answer I’m hoping to hear come from his lips.

“Nothing,” he says curtly. “I need to call Peter.” He picks up his phone and dials. After a few seconds, he punches the off button and throws it onto the bed. “I’m going to take a shower, or would you like to go first?” I shake my head. He nods and heads into the bathroom. But, before closing the door on our conversation, he looks at me almost apologetically. “If Peter calls while I’m in here, let me know,” he says softly, then disappears inside. The door closes, and so does the conversation, for now. I’m not going to let this go though.

I slump down onto the bed. I’m tired. I don’t know if it’s from all the outdoor activity or the mental exhaustion from everything that’s been disclosed. Whatever it is, it causes me to flop back onto the mattress. With my hands behind my head, I stare at the ceiling and think about Sebastian’s words. He had no right to what? To be there? To interfere with my relationship with Cameron? What? And, he never got around to telling me why the boxes of letters were so important to him. I wish he wasn’t so closed off. I yawn, shut my eyes, and begin to drift.

I hear a noise. Jumping up to a sitting position, I look around the room. What was that? Then, I hear it again. Someone is knocking. Oh no. What do I do? Should I answer it? What if it’s the people from GA Newton? Slowly, I creep toward the motel room door. I move the curtains ever so slightly to see who is standing there, but I can’t tell. They knock again, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I’m about to look through the peephole when I hear Peter’s voice.

“Hey it’s me, douchebag. Open the door.”

I exhale forcefully, with relief, and open it. Upon seeing that it’s me, instead of Sebastian, he looks a little embarrassed.

“Uh, sorry, Julia. I didn’t mean to call you—”

I giggle.

“It’s fine. I knew who you meant.”

He blushes and steps inside.

“Where’s Seb?”

“Shower,” I say and point in that direction.

“Oh.” He looks awkwardly around the room. It seems as though he doesn’t know what to say. I understand how he feels, but I feel the need to fill the silence somehow.

“So, friends since third grade, eh?”

He snorts.

“Yeah. We’ve been through some crazy shit…uh…stuff.”

“You don’t have to sensor yourself in front of me. I don’t have virgin ears,” I laugh.

“Sorry. Force of habit. That’s what you get when you live decades on a military base. It’s sort of ingrained into your brain.”

I nod.

“It’s nice though.”

He nods back, and we both look around, hoping that another subject will fall into our laps. He begins to whistle when an idea hits me.

“So, I see you’ve retrieved the boxes.”

He looks down at the packages he’s laid on the table.

“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t have any problems either. Your apartment is nice, by the way.”

“Thanks. So…Sebastian started telling about how special those letters are to him,” I lie. “How’d
you
know he’d want them?” I’m hoping to rope Peter into divulging some information.

He puffs.

“Sebastian wouldn’t know how to survive without these damn boxes, no offense.”

What?

“Uh, none taken. I just don’t get why they’re so special, you know? I mean, they’re just a bunch of old letters. It’s not like they hold some sort of magical powers.”

He narrows his eyes. Is he onto me?

“To him they do. If it weren’t for reading those letters, I’m not sure Seb would be with us today.”

“What do you mean?” I say, trying not to sound shocked.

“I mean, when he was in a very dark place, those letters were the only thing that saved him.”

I hear the water shut off, and I know I only have seconds before Sebastian realizes someone else is in the room with me.

“Oh, yeah. Of course. I know what you mean. I’m glad he had them then.”

The bathroom door swings open, and Sebastian’s head pokes out.

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yep,” I squeak. “Peter just got here. We weren’t talking about anything important,” I say in a rush. Good God, could I be any more obvious? Sebastian’s brow furrows, but he says nothing. He nods at Peter and shuts the door again.

Minutes later, he emerges in a towel again. I could swear he’s doing this on purpose.

“You got them.” His face is relieved when his eyes land on the boxes. “Did you have any trouble?”

Peter shakes his head. “No. It was smooth sailing all the way.”

Sebastian eyes him suspiciously.

“Really…No sign of anything strange?”

“Nope. Why? Were you hoping?” Peter laughs quietly.

“No,” Sebastian simply says, but he looks unsettled.

“Okay well, if you’re done using me to do your dirty work, I’m gonna go. Call me tomorrow and tell me the plan.”

“You got it.” Sebastian walks over, and they shake hands. Then, he pulls Peter into a manly half hug.

“Thanks man. I owe you,” I hear him say.

“Yet again,” Peter adds. “But, anytime. You know that.”

They nod to each other, then Peter acknowledges me, before he takes off out the door.

Sebastian

It’s late when we finally settle in for the night. After more discussion on the sleeping arrangements, I insist, again, on taking the floor. I watch as Julia pouts but climbs under the covers. I grab the extra pillow from the bed, and resign myself to my self-induced fate. The floor wasn’t my first choice. The truth is, I’d much rather be sleeping beside her. I’m just too much of a gentleman for my own good.

Slumber is a challenge. The stained carpet smells like a combination of cigarette smoke and moldy cheese, but I do my best to block it out. Turning my mind off is a bit harder to do. I keep thinking of ways to keep us safe, until Mick can relocate us. The motel I chose for tonight’s stay is more toward the outskirts of town. It’s proximity to Julia’s apartment makes me uneasy, but I feel it’s a safe enough distance. Julia hasn’t been missed yet, but that’ll change in the morning, when she doesn’t show up for work. I’ll do my best to keep her mind occupied, but reality is eventually going to hit her hard.

***

I must’ve just started to doze, when I’m startled awake by noises outside of our room. I freeze, trying to decipher if it’s a threat or not. Leaping up, I head over to Julia, who’s asleep. I cover her mouth and shake her awake. Her instinct is to scream.

“Shh. Someone’s here,” I whisper urgently. “Get into the bathroom. Lock the door behind you, then get down low. Go. Now.” She throws back the covers immediately and does as instructed.

“What about you? Aren’t you coming with me?” she whispers frantically while peeking her head out.

I shake my head, then I see a pained look cross her face. I wave her off, and she quietly shuts the door. Knowing she’s safely tucked away, I grab the pillow I was using and quickly stuff it under the blanket. There’s no time left. I dash toward the door and stand flush against the wall beside it. The door creaks slightly as it opens. I stand perfectly still inside the darkened room as one man, about my height, steps in. The shadow of his gun projects onto the door. My heart races wildly, but I ignore it and try to focus. I hope there are no more than two of them. I let him get in far enough so the second man can enter. As soon as the second one is past the threshold, I attack. I lunge out and, with a tightly clenched fist and all the strength I have, I punch him square in the throat. The man stumbles backward and, instinctively, wraps his hands around his injury. With very little noise, he drops to the ground. By this time, the first man turns to see me. I throw an elbow in his face, landing the strike on his nose, and hear a loud crack. He’s knocked off balance and spins away from me slightly. I throw my arm around his neck from behind and render him unconscious from a very well-orchestrated choke hold. He drops to the floor with a thud. Flicking on the lights, I see the blood that is spattered on the door from an obvious broken nose. I step over the obstacles and run to get Julia.

“Julia!” I shout, and pound on the door. “We’ve got to go!”

“Sebastian?” she asks, her voice anxious.

“Yes, it’s me. Open up, we have to get out of here right now!”

She cracks open the door, then cautiously steps out.

“Get your things. We’re leaving.”

She nods and walks toward the bed. Then, I hear a gasp. She’s standing, frozen in place, her hands covering her open mouth while staring at the two, lifeless men.

“Oh, my God. What happened?”

“I’ll tell you in the car. We have to go,” I say, as I hurriedly pack up what few things I unpacked. I grab the boxes of letters and shove them into my bag. She’s not moving, so I gather her things as well. “That’s everything. Come on.” I sling our bags over my shoulder and grab her hand, pulling her toward the door and the bloody scene.

“Are they going to be okay?” she asks, as we step over top of the first man.

“That one will be fine,” I say, pointing to the man with the broken nose. “Now that one, less so,” I add, pointing to the other. He flails about, gasping for air, as we step over him. Julia still watches them in horror, as we walk briskly to our car.

I race out of the motel parking lot and speed toward the interstate. Julia is quiet. I look over to see a dazed look on her face. I reach out and place my hand on hers, and she looks at me. I think she’s in shock.

“Hey. You all right?” I say. She nods. “Are you sure?”

She nods again.

“Yes…I think so. What happened back there?” Her voice is small.

“Six years of Army training and eighteen before that of being a career soldier’s son.” I half smile at her, but she’s still blank.

“But how? How were you able to do all that in what seemed like two minutes?”

“It was about thirty seconds, but who’s counting?” I chuckle slightly at my own joke, then realize she’s not laughing. “Look, I did what I had to do to keep us safe. Those guys are ruthless. They don’t care about anything but their mission. And their sole purpose was to kill me. They wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you as a potential witness either. I wasn’t about to let that happen.” I glance over at her as a tear streaks down her cheek. “This whole situation just got real for you, didn’t it?” She nods, silently, and begins to sob into her hands.

Pulling off to the side of the road, I park the car on the berm. I wrap my arms around her as she leans into me, laying her head against my chest, and gripping my t-shirt. I whisper to her, telling her it’s going to be okay, not really knowing for certain if that’s true.

Sebastian

We drive for hours, headed south. Julia finally succumbs to exhaustion and falls asleep with her cheek against the shoulder harness. She looks so peaceful. I observe her brows knitting together in some sort of dream. She winces, and I know it’s not a good one. My subconscious glares at me and tuts. I look back at the road and yawn. I’ve been driving all night. I need some fuel. As I turn off into the parking lot of a rest stop, I pull out my phone and dial. It rings three times.

“Dude, really? It’s five o’clock in the morning. Why the hell are you waking me up? I was about to have a wet dream,” Peter complains sleepily.

“We’re on the run. Two guys broke into our room last night, with guns.”

“Shit! You’re kidding?”

“I wish I were.”

“Are you all right? Is Julia okay? Where are you guys now?”

“I can’t say. It’s not safe. I think you were followed last night after you left Julia’s apartment. I can no longer give you our whereabouts. I’m sorry.”

He sighs. I know he’s pissed at himself for leading them to us, but I don’t blame him. He’s always been more of a desk jockey than infantry.

“I know, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too,” he says.

“Don’t sweat it, man. You’ve been a huge help to me through all of this. You’ve done more for me than anyone else would. You’ve always had my back.”

“And you’ve always had mine. Seb, what are you guys going to do? Have you talked to Mick yet?”

“Not yet. That’s my next call.” I swallow, not knowing when or if I’ll see my best friend again. “Hey, I love you, man. Be careful, okay?”

“Dude, don't make it sound like you’re breaking up with me. We’re going to see each other again. After the trial, after all this crazy shit is over, we’ll go out and have a beer. So, shut up, and
keep
your ‘I love you’s’. Save ‘em for Julia.”

I chuckle softly and look at her.

“Yeah. Whatever, douchebag. Later.”

I press end on my phone and dial Mick’s number. He answers on the second ring.

“It’s the prodigal son,” Mick says. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?”

“You know me well, don't you?” I shake my head. “I just fought off two guys with guns at my motel room. I’ve been driving all night. I need a place to crash, Mick. What can you do for me?”

I hear a groan, but no swearing or yelling, which is a good sign.

“Okay. Let me see what I can do. Where are you? I assume Julia’s still with you.”

“Of course she is. Where else would she be?” I say, irritated. My mood is most likely caused by lack of sleep.

“I’m just asking, no need to get testy. Is this line still safe?”

“Yes, I think so. We’re at a rest stop near Savanah, Georgia.”

“I’ll call you back in five.”

He hangs up but as promised, five minutes later, Mick calls me with the name of a hotel. He says there’ll be another car waiting for me there, with two new burner cell phones, and a handgun under the seat. I’m instructed to ditch the phone I’m on, as soon as I get there. He’ll take care of the car we’re driving. I thank him, and he mumbles something I didn’t catch. Then, he tells me to just lie low for a while. He says he’ll call me with relocation information later today.

We roll into the address he provided, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find it’s not a roach motel. I gently jostle Julia awake.