Page 88 of Madness & Mayhem

“I understand, Reign,” I whisper.

“You’re my diamond, baby. The rare gem I’ll never let go. The piece of art people can’t help but stop and stare at, wishing they could just glimpse at it for a second. But they can’t, Lakyn, because you’re mine. You always have been, and you always will be.”

I nod, sucked into his words, into his raspy voice, into the way he holds me captive with the love in his tone.

“I love you, Reign,” I whisper, leaning forward and pressing my lips against his.

“I love you, my baby Lake,” he murmurs against my lips.

“Lakyn.”

My eyes flutter open to the sound of Reign’s voice. He stands above me, his clothes on, his hair damp, and freshly showered. Glancing up, I see my backpack already zipped and sitting at the foot of the bed.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

I turn my head toward the window, seeing the sun beginning to set.

Must be time to go.

He shakes his head. “Nothing’s wrong, Lakyn. It’s starting to get dark out. If you need to shower or whatever, do that now. We’ll leave in about an hour.”

I nod, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hand. I can hear the movement of everybody getting up and gathering their things. Time to move it.

Time to run.

Again.

I twist the towel around my hair as I walk down the stairs. Everyone is sitting around the TV in the living room, watching the national news.

Which, of course, is focused on us. As always.

A newscaster is in front of the jail in Hellcrest Heights, tape surrounding the entire exterior. FBI, police, SWAT, and even the damn bomb squad is out front.

“This is Kelly Halloway from USA News, coming to you from Hellcrest Heights in Maine. We officially have a manhunt on our hands. Local and national authorities are teaming up to search the East Coast. Borders are closed and barriers are being set up as we search for fugitives Reign Whitmore and Lakyn Ashford. They are believed to be with Kyler Barlowe, Posie Gray, Eloise Sharpe, and Archer Santrell. If anyone has any information on any of these individuals, it is urged to please call the local police department or the FBI hotline on the number at the bottom of the screen. They were last seen in a black Ford F-150 but could be traveling on foot or in another vehicle. These individuals are dangerous and should not be approached in any form. Please stay indoors, be on the lookout, and contact us if you have any information.”

Recent pictures of all of us show up on the screen, and I cringe, hating that it’s a picture of me in a dress from one of my father’s events.

Archer raises his arm, turning off the television. He sets the remote down on the coffee table in front of him before turning to us. “Well, we’re maybe essentially fucked.”

“We’re not fucked,” Reign says from beside me.

“So, what’s the plan?” Kyler says from the front of the room. He’s ready to go, his coat on, hood over his head. His eyes are narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Reign steps away from me, turning toward the kitchen. We all turn around to face him, watching as he steps behind the counter. He opens drawer after drawer until he finds whatever he’s looking for. He pulls out a pen and old takeout menu, turning it over.

“Come here,” he says, his fingers pressed around the pen. We all circle around him, watching him with confused eyes.

“This is us,” he says, drawing anX, “and this…” He draws a large rectangle. “Is Canada.” He starts scribbling lines andX’s and dots. “If we travel northeast, away from the highway and through the forests, we’ll hit the border tonight. We need to skirt around the big cities and go unnoticed through the small towns. If we leave now, it shouldn’t take us more than ten hours to reach the border. We could get there before the sun comes up.”

Archer narrows his eyes, leaning down to look at the haphazard map Reign has constructed. He points to the middle. “There’s always shit going down near the highway here. State patrol, police from all cities always hiding in the brush. We’ll have to be careful. They might even have the highway blocked.”

“We’re not taking the highway,” I say with narrowed eyes.

Archer swings his eyes to mine, looking irritated. “Obviously, baby Lake, and they will know that. So they’ll probably be looking in the nearby towns. We just have to be careful when we go through here.”

I nod.

“We good to go then?” Posie asks, zipping her coat up to her neck.