Page 95 of Deliverance

"Okay," they both agreed.

I knew they weren't convinced, but the less they knew, the better. I hated to lie to them, but if somehow the bodies were found, I didn't want them to have the burden of thinking I had been involved or that Ric had.

"When are you moving?" Mom asked.

"I don't know, but I think soon."

"Why California?" Dad inquired.

"Ric has a job there."

"What kind of job?" Mom wondered.

"Private security or something."

"Does he have experience in that?" Dad questioned.

I couldn't tell them that he had been Saffron's bodyguard—or rather, her head of security—so I said, "He was a Navy SEAL, so I think he can protect someone."

"That makes me feel a little better," Dad breathed.

"Me too," Mom agreed.

Thank God.

Chapter Thirty-One

Ric

Momma and I cleaned up the house, throwing everything in a dumpster that I had rented. At the same time, we packed for our move. There wasn't much given Uncle Marco had trashed most of our stuff. We hadn't confronted him or called and told him we knew it was him. In a different world, I would have called the police and reported him, but that wasn't the world we lived in.

But, I had other plans for him.

Needing to hear Erin's voice, I grabbed my phone and called her. It had been three days since I'd seen her, and I missed her. I couldn't wait to be with her every day again. I couldn't wait to hold her, kiss her, tell her that I loved her whenever I wanted, and not have to hide in a stairwell with lowered voices, deleting any security footage of me talking to her.

"Hey!" she answered.

"Hey, baby. What are you up to?"

"I actually just got off the phone with the lead detective."

My back stiffened. "Oh?"

"He said that it seems Frank and Mad—Saffron are in the wind because they haven't used credit cards or been seen or anything."

"Okay?"

"I asked if I could move out of state, and he said that was fine, but I might need to return if he needs me."

"That won't be a problem."

"That's what I told him."

"So …?"

"You wanna come pick me up so we can move to Cali?"

"Tonight?"