Runaways by Nicole Dykes
“Merry Christmas.” A smile overtakes my face, and my eyes widen when I see a box in Lawson’s hand. We’re the only ones in the lounge after the large Christmas party ended. He worked the bar, and I worked the crowd.
It was fun, but this is better. So much better.
Luckily, I haven’t seen my mom on the news again since they ran the story around Thanksgiving, and no one has said anything about it. For now, it feels like we’re in the clear.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” I push my now dark hair behind my ears, actually getting used to the much darker color.
“Stop being a pain in the ass and open it.” I laugh and take the box from him. The only light in here is from the fireplace, and it only adds to my good mood.
I lift the lid, and tears instantly fill my eyes as I see what’s inside. I pull the necklace out and study the painting, which is different from the first one he gave me but is still so beautiful. It’s so Lawson with the watercolors and the care with which it was painted.
“I wish I could get the other one back.” This one is a picture of the lakefront we see every day.
“This one is better. This one . . .” I clasp it behind my neck. “This one is hope. Our future. It’s everything.”
“I like that.” He leans in, kissing my lips softly, which in turn makes my heart race. It’s ridiculous. It’s something we’ve done so many times, but I never tire of him. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this.
“I do too. I think about our future all the time now. And it’s not just counting down the days until graduation. It’s actually living in the now and planning at the same time.”
He kisses me again, a smile on his face. “Our future is bright.”
“And if Colin finds me?”
“He won’t. But like I said, it’s you and me.” He shrugs. “And Hayden.”
That makes me giggle before I kiss him again, pushing his body back and climbing on top of him. We should go to our room. I know that, but I need him. I love him—this absolutely perfect boy who has given up everything to be with me.
I lay on his wide chest and kiss his lips before moving down his neck, loving the feeling of his hands in my hair. I move lower, pushing up his long-sleeved Henley and revealing his defined abs, licking each ridge.
“Fuck, Rae.” His voice is sexy and raspy, full of desire.
I lick along the waistband of his jeans, ready to pop the button when I hear another voice, a shocked, totally freaked-out voice. “Oh my God! Oh my God, what are you two doing?”
This is bad.
This is really, really bad.
We both jump up, and I see Amanda with wide eyes as she stares at us in horror. “Amanda . . .” Lawson’s voice is far more calm than I could ever pull off right now. “We can explain.”
She shakes her head over and over again. “No. No this is sick. This is so sick. And illegal. God, oh my God.”
“Relax.” He steps toward her calmly, but she steps back, putting her hands up.
“Stay back. I cannot believe what I just saw. You two were . . .” She looks pale. “Ew.”
“It’s not ‘ew’ because she’s not my sister. Okay?”
I’m shocked he told her that, but I suppose he doesn’t have any other option. Still, she’s freaking the hell out. “Bullshit. I’ve seen your background checks. You’re siblings, and you’re . . . You’re—”
“No,” he quickly interrupts. “You did our background checks, but that’s not us. Our IDs are fake. I’m not Jack, and she’s not Rose.”
Amanda looks like she might pass out, and I feel shaky, thinking I might join her. This is so bad. Her brother is a goddamn cop. “No. Don’t lie. They wouldn’t have passed the background checks if they were fake.”
“They’re good fakes.”
She shakes her head again, and again, she’s clearly in shock. “No.”
He takes another step toward her. “My name is Lawson.” She looks at him, studying his face as if the answer is there. “Her name is Raelynn.”
She turns to me. “Why?”
My voice shakes when I finally open my mouth and answer, “We were in trouble. We had to run and not be found.”
“What kind of trouble?”
I sit on the edge of the couch, pushing my hair back out of my face and giving my trembling hand something to do. “Bad. My um . . . my stepfather was bad. Really bad.”
She turns to Lawson. “Did you hurt him?”
“No. I wanted to. But no. We ran away so he couldn’t hurt her anymore.”
“So, you aren’t Jack?”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m Lawson. Or Law.”
She puts her hand over her heart, looking so betrayed I want to weep for making her feel that way. She trusted us. “So, it’s all been a lie. You guys lied to Loraine. And to me. My brothers. Our guests.”
“Only because we had to,” he supplies. But did we? We betrayed all these people who have only tried to help us.
“Do you know how much trouble I can get in? That’s fraud. This place could be shut down.”
“No,” he tries to reassure her. “You didn’t know.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Her voice is a shrill cry. “I do now. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Tristan is a cop. If he finds out . . .”
“You can’t tell him.” Law’s voice has an edge now.
“What?” She looks horrified. “I’m not keeping this secret. No. I won’t.”
“We’ll leave.” I stand up, my voice quiet and weaker than I want it to sound. “We’ll pack and leave, and you’ll never have to see us again.”
She looks at me, hurt shining in her eyes. “I thought we were friends. I mean, new friends but friends all the same.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Look, he was going to rape her, maybe even kill her. We had to run.” Lawson’s patience is wearing thin, I can tell.
Amanda looks at him, sympathy shining in her eyes. “I liked you.”
His eyes soften, and I bristle a little, hearing her words even though I already knew that truth. “I uh . . .”
“I really liked you. I thought we had something, but you and her . . .” She looks over at me. “You two . . . This whole time?”
Lawson moves to stand next to me. “Since the day I met her our freshmen year, I was hers. Forever. I’m sorry we lied, I am. But I’m not sorry I did everything I could to keep her safe, and that’s not going to change.”
His words warm my heart more than I’m proud to admit, considering they probably crushed this girl. “I’m sorry, Amanda,” I offer. “We didn’t do it maliciously. They made our IDs saying we were brother and sister, so we had to hide our relationship. It wasn’t done to hurt you or play a game.”
She crosses her arms, looking like she’s about to cry. “He hurt you?”
I nod. “He was going to do far worse. We had no choice.”
“Why not go to the police?”
Of course, she thinks that’s an option when her brother is a cop. “The town we’re from is corrupt. My stepfather had a lot of power there. I was afraid they would take Law down.”
She chews on her bottom lip, lost in thought. “And Hayden?”
Lawson answers, “He was a kid we came across on the street. He saved us. Our own guardian angel.”
She nearly smiles at that but catches herself. “I don’t know what to do. Maybe Tristan can help.”
“No,” Lawson and I both say at the same time. Then Lawson goes on, “We can’t trust the cops. Once our location is known, Colin could find her. They’ve been looking, and there’s no doubt in my mind, he’ll kill her. Guys like him, they don’t let shit go.”
Amanda stares at the floor, tears welling in her eyes. “Let me think about all this, okay?” She looks up at us. “Don’t leave.”
“Can you promise us you won’t tell your brother? And if you’re going to, you’ll give us a head start?” Lawson asks, and I’m grateful he did.
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Amanda,” I say as I approach her carefully. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.”
Lawson and I head to his room, not bothering with our roles anymore.
We’ve been outed now by a stupid mistake, and our fate is up to a bubbly blonde I’m actually started to like.
