Accidentally Kidnapped

Chapter 25

        To leave or not to leave, that was the real question.

        I stared at the set of keys dangling from the ignition, as if mocking me to grab them. When I licked my lips, they burned from being so chapped from the cold. The house was dark except for the one light upstairs. Everyone was inside. No one would be coming out to check on me soon, either. Damn, so close to freedom...I'd just have to make a decision whether to stick around or not.

        I took the opportunity.

        Can you blame me? I mean, I couldn't just not do something. Yes, Cage was probably going to die because of me. No matter what Micheal said, I knew the human anatomy well. The bullet hit Cage right in the back of the neck. It had to have hit a vein. It was lodged right underneath his brain, there was no way Cage could survive something like that. And yes, I kissed him because I liked Cage more than I should. This was a terrible idea but I had to take the chance that it wouldn't end up with me dead.

        Cage stole my car and destroyed it. Now, it was my turn to do the same. Car for a car, right? Kicking the bucket of cleaning supplies away, I closed all the doors and slipped into the driver's seat. God, I was such a despicable human being to make my great escape when Cage was hurt because of me. But I needed to get back to Fern. Despite my affection towards the Crows, I wasn't going to stay with them forever. I needed to leave, and this might be my only chance to escape.

        The blood was covering the backseat but the windows were tinted so I wasn't worried. My heart was pounding. It took several tries to get the key to turn because my hands were trembling so much. The engine roared back to life, making me flitter with terror. I hoped the noise didn't attract any attention. Carefully backing out of the driveway, I could only let out a deep breath when I hit the road and began to drive far far far away from Cage Vickers and the Crows and Delia's home.

        My stomach turned with nausea, but also excitement. I was finally free. They couldn't catch me. I had no idea where I was going but in that moment, I was too elated to care. I could finally go back home. Cage couldn't ever find me again. The only thing that I had left to tie up was the tracking chip in my arm.

        After following the twisting paths of the gravel roads, I finally came up on one of the main streets. Other cars rolled along smoothly. The sky was cast with grey, the promise of twilight looming close. A sloshing noise was consistent with every car from the unshoveled snow on the roads. Canada looked similar to Ivey. I didn't know what I expected. Rolling to a stop behind a blue Chevy at a red light, I started to rifle through the glove compartment for something sharp.

        There were a lot of green Jolly Rancher wrappers in there.

        Finally, I found a knife with a leather sheath covering the blade. The Chevy began to drive away as the light turned to green. Dropping the knife on my lap, I followed the main road for a while until public stores began to dot the sidewalks. Wow, this was going surprisingly well. As soon as I got the chip out of my arm, I was free to go back home. It would take a lot of work, but my will was strong enough to see Fern again that I believed I could find an airport.

        I also had the option of going to the police.

        It's been ten minutes since I left Delia's house. I decided that I was far away enough that I had a few moments to get the chip out. Pulling out of traffic, I parked the car in the lot of a closed Denny's diner. My stomach twisted with trepidation. I still couldn't believe I left. Perhaps it was for the best. Cage would throw a fit when he noticed I was gone. If he was still alive, that is.

        I stared at the blade in my hand. I had to do it. I had to. Desperation was strong in my head as I gritted my teeth and stared at the blade some more. Heath injected the microchip right above the blue veins in my left wrist. Okay, I can do this. November, you have to do this. You don't want Cage to find you, right?