Chapter 14

“What the fuck happened to you?” Candace cries upon opening the door to her hotel room and seeing Luke standing there.

“You should see the other guy,” he jokes.

“It wasn’t Randy, was it?” she asks. The fear in her voice is there and easily recognized.

“I did win, sort of,” he says with a nod. “It was three against one, but I made it out alright.”

“Did you get their names?”

“Yeah, Andy and Benny,” he says. “I heard Randy says them. I didn’t exactly ask them their names.”

“Andrew and Benjamin,” she says almost to herself, “Randy’s two best friends.” She shakes her head. “I’m glad you got away, they could have killed you.”

“I think that was their intention,” he says grimly. “I think the only thing that saved me is my martial arts training.”

“He’s trying to force me to go back with him,” Candace continues as if she didn’t hear him. “I need to disappear again.”

Candace,” Luke says serious. She looks at him with eyes that silently plead to him. “Do you really want to get away with me and hide? Do you want a second chance at a new life?”

“I want a life with you,” she says.

“Good,” he says with a nod. “I found a guy that can help with that. I give him the money and we’re as good as gone from here with new identities and new lives. He’ll even make us married.”

“What’s he going to do for us?” she asks.

“Identification, passports, marriage license, the whole nine yards,” he says. “Everything will be in the computer system so it will never get a second look.”

“That sounds pretty good,” Candace says with a hopeful smile.

“Once we get them, we can disappear,” he continues. “He’s just waiting for the money.”

Candace averts her eyes past him. “The briefcase there has money.”

Luke goes over and picks it up, opening it to count it. “There’s more than enough here,” he says, sounding astonished. “We can go anywhere we want with this.”

“How about a cruise?” she suggests.

“I’ll have him book it,” he grins. “So we’re doing this then?”

“Yes,” she says sincerely.