After sneaking along side the housekeeping cart, a quick trip down a freight elevator in the back of the hotel and blocking themselves from view by ducking behind dumpsters, cars and even a park bench, Megan and Jack found their way behind a small, slightly run-down strip mall. There was a plain white truck sitting behind one of the shops with the back doors open. The truck wasn’t as big as a semi - it was the size of one of those moving trucks that people rent. There would be ample room for them if the back wasn’t full of ski equipment. Myra hadn’t said whether or not her ex-husband would help them, so they decided to sneak onto the truck.
A man in a red plaid flannel shirt, jeans, a John Deere baseball hat and a navy down vest came out of the building and picked up a large brown box. He took it into the back of the building, and the door slammed behind him. Holding Megan’s right hand, Jack began the approach to the back of the truck. He helped her climb up the back bumper and then used his left arm to hoist himself in as well. The truck was only half full. He quickly worked to arrange the boxes so it wouldn’t be noticeable that anyone had maneuvered their way toward the cab. Jack and Megan crouched in the corner as the door to the store opened and a man’s voice called, “See you next week, Rick.” They took another look at each other as one of the doors closed. They lost light. Megan noticed for the first time how tight Jack held her as the other door slammed.
It was cold and dark. She shivered as Jack released her. He pulled the flashlight out of his backpack, so that he could see the boxes. He put the flashlight in his mouth, felt around in the dim light and opened a box. He stumbled over another box and opened it. He took the flashlight out of his mouth. “I found some coats,” said quietly. He pulled the box back toward the corner with him.
“Jack, what are you doing?”
“Trying to keep us from freezing to death,” he replied. He shuffled his feet so he wouldn’t step on her. He made it back to her and knelt down handing her the flashlight. “Move so I can put some of these on the floor for you.” She scooted to the side while he placed a layer of coats on the floor. He reached back in the box and grabbed some more coats. “Come on.” He crawled onto the coats, and she followed. He took the flashlight from her. He leaned in the corner and took her arm as she tried to position herself on the coats. He pulled her to him, and she didn’t resist. He spread the coats on top of her first, then himself. She snuggled into him and rested her head on his chest. He turned off the light.
“What happens next?’ she said.
“I don’t know. I guess we just take it one step at a time,” he said. “You were amazing in the hotel.” She smiled.
“Thanks. I can be a manipulative little bitch, can’t I?” Although she had smiled at his praise, she wasn’t at all sure she should be proud of her ability to lie to get what she wanted. While sometimes she seemed like a totally different person than Kristine Larkin, Megan was still Kristine at the core. When push came to shove, the ugly parts she didn’t like and even some of the parts she did like, came to the surface. Megan wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
“I don’t think I would have called it that,” he said. “I call it survival. I call it doing what you have to do to protect yourself.”
“Is that how you justify doing it? I mean, you manipulated me, but it wasn’t for your survival.”
“No, it was for yours.”
“Why didn’t you just keep following me? You did it for a month without me knowing. Why did you reveal yourself on the mountain?”
“It was too hard to follow you and not be seen. Especially after the plane ride - you’d recognize me,” he said. “And I guess I was a little curious,” he added.
“Curious? About what?”
“I had been keeping an eye on you for weeks. It’s weird reading someone’s file and practically becoming part of their life without ever talking to them.”
“Hm,” she said.
“What was that for?”
“I guess I just thought that was part of your job - remain a mystery or something,” she said. He didn’t answer her.
She hugged him tighter for warmth. The motion of the truck over the roads and the humming of the engine lulled her to sleep.