Chapter 41 The Escape
The door splintered. A loud snap. It's lock broke. There was a thud of footsteps in the corridor. Their speed was quick.
“Annabel come on!” Carson shouted.
He tried to take hold of my arm but I resisted.
“No. Wait.” I replied.
I stared at him. The woman's words kept repeating in my mind. Those you trust the most are the ones who betray you the most dangerously.
Fred had just confirmed that a mole was with us or among us. A mole in our midst. However, how did they find the apartment and know to come here now?
They were approaching us directly.
“Carson.” I said.
I uttered a whisper. “What gave them the idea to look for us at this precise moment?”
He didn't respond.
With his hand still extended he simply gazed at me. His eyes were not light. Chilly. Right now he was not the man I knew. The footsteps were approaching.
He pleaded in a desperate whisper “Annabel we have to go!. Now!”
There was no waiting for a response. I stepped back and touched the flash drive. I couldn't take my eyes off his face. His face changed. Something flickered. A glimmer of fear. A glint of reality.
My eyes showed me the realization. He perceived the uncertainty. The charge. But he had no time to respond. A black-clad figure rushed through the broken door. Another came after. They had large frames. Armed.
They searched the room for us with their eyes darting around. Carson shifted his position. He didn't rush to the door. He took hold of my arm firmly this time and dragged me to the rear of the apartment.
“Let go out to the back!” he grunted. “Immediately!”
I stayed away from him. I allowed myself to be pulled. We had the element of surprise at least for the time being. We ran out a rickety back door through the kitchen and into a tiny laundry room. It led to an alleyway for services that smelled of trash and old rain.
We ran. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My skin felt warm against the flash drive. A little but hefty. It wasn't until we got to the street that we stopped. Between two buildings we huddled in a shadowy alcove to catch our breath.
Even though the city's noises were loud they couldn't overpower the pounding in my ears. or the suspicion that I harbor. He took out his phone, Carson. His hands were shaking. He was struggling with the keypad.
He glanced from behind him. He seemed to be afraid. I was really afraid too. That is what I thought. I kept a careful eye on him.
He didn't act like a man who had deceived me. And they didn't appear to be a man who hadn't.
In a low urgent voice he said into the phone “I need a place. A shelter for safety.They found the flat…They are aware of we were were…. I'm not sure, no. Just give us a place. Now.”
He put the phone down. His eyes were on mine. Anxiety was a mask covering his face.
“I asked for a favor. They'll find a place for us. We need to leave this place as fast as we can.”
We moved quickly.
We steered clear of the main roads and took the backstreets. I remained somewhat apart from him. I had to. The uncertainty was tangible. It was evident in my gait, in my breathing, in my gaze on him.
He remarked “You look like you've seen a ghost.”
My lie was “I’m just tired.”
He didn't seem to believe me, I wouldn't believe myself either.
“Annabel, they have been trying to track us down all this time. We can't let them know our moves.”
I questioned “Are they?”
I spoke in a flat tone. “Or are they succeeding?”
He stopped in his quick movements. He seized my shoulders.
“I told you…I swore on everything. I kept it a secret. Never would I betray you. I need you to trust me. Would you please? You really need to.”
I gave him a look. A raw desperate emotion filled his eyes. The one I knew. The man I had put my trust in. The apprehension persisted. But so was the recollection of the previous few weeks, the nights we shared, the talks we had and his promises.
We had built trust. That is what I had thought.
“Tell me Carson, tell me you don't know why they knew to come now. This game consists of questions and answers. Yours has been answered. You must now respond to my question.”
His voice cracked as he said “I don't know. I promise. I am unsure. They might have been listening. According to Fred they might be. They must have found us through the security system in the apartment. The connection is simple to establish. There are countless options.”
We were physically separated by the lies. He was an excellent liar. That I knew. Yet he had never before deceived me. Or had he?
He gripped my hand.
The coldness was evident, unknown.
“We cannot stay together. They'll be searching for us both. It's too risky. We need to part ways and meet up later. They won't be expecting it. You need to move the flash drive to a secure place. Send it to Fred. I'll make a distraction. Let me guide them out.”
Withdrawing my hand I did so.
“We can still go together, why do you think splitting up is the best solution right now?”
He sighed. “Because it’s the only way.”
His gaze shifted to his back.
“Annabel. I'm letting you know. That's the only way we both can leave this place without getting caught. You need to trust me. Just this once.”
I gave him a look.
The uncertainty was poisonous. It was permeating every area of my thoughts.
He took a closer step. I got a kiss from him. Desperation was the reason. Remorseful. It was done in a haste.
“I'll find you,” he said in a whisper. “I will come back to pick you up.”
I took one final glance at him. Took one last look at the man I thought I know. I spun around and dashed into the night. Ahead into the unknown. Into reality. The flash drive in my hand.
It was all that mattered now.