Jason walks in front of us and calls out, “The family will be issuing a formal statement later today. But right now, Christopher and Ember need time to heal and recover.”
He then tightens his grip on mine and turns us around to enter the house once again.
Safe.
But I feel anything but.
7
Christopher
“I have a surprise,” I tell Ember after a long day fielding phone calls.
The FBI had been relentless, asking to speak to both Ember and me several times throughout the day. They kept asking the same questions over and over, and it was enough that I finally decided to hire an attorney. Although no one had gone straight out and said as much, I got the feeling they were questioning whether Ember was an accomplice in the murders Richard committed. I need to make sure they don’t paint that picture or somehow trap Ember into saying something that could hurt her.
Jason—which then means my mother as well—doesn’t like the optics of us hiring legal counsel, but I have to put my wife first. They keep saying that I didn’t do anything wrong. And that I was a victim. But not once do they say we—including Ember. And if they didn’t necessarily feel Ember is innocent, then who knows what the authorities and even a judge and jury will believe. It’s time to lawyer up. No doubt about it.
Ember lifts her eyes to me, the blue nearly being swallowed up by the dark circles underneath. Her knees are pulled up to her chest, and she rests her head on them. She hasn’t said much unless she has to answer direct questions. And though I feel like I’ve really gotten to know a lot about her with all our constant time held captive together, there is still so much I don’t know. I wish I could read her better. I wish I could hear her thoughts.
“Surprise?”
“Come on. I just got off the phone with a really good friend of mine who is doing us a favor. It means we’re going to have to make a run for the car I just ordered, but once we do, it’s going to be fun from then on.”
My mother is standing by the couch, nervously spinning the diamond rings on her fingers. “You aren’t really going somewhere, are you? With all those reporters out there? It’s not safe, Christopher. Security isn’t arriving until tomorrow morning.”
“We won’t need security. Don’t worry. I got this handled. I’m taking Ember shopping.”
“Shopping!” she spits out with shock. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I just got off the phone with Christina, and she’s shutting down her boutique for us. We’re going to come in from the back alley. Even if we’re followed or seen, her doors will be locked while we shop.” I look at Ember and smile. “We’ll have the entire place to ourselves.”
Rather than being afraid as I had expected from Ember, she instead seems curious and even happy to have a chance to get out of the house. I can’t blame her. It does feel as if the walls are closing in on us.
Watching the town car pull up to the front, I reach for Ember’s hand and help her up off the couch. I don’t wait for my mother to object or for Jason to tell me that I’m about to create a PR nightmare. This isn’t about anyone but me and Ember.
We need to breathe.
We need to be free.
We need to have a moment where we aren’t trapped in the house just like we were trapped in Hallelujah Junction.
As we walk to the front door, I can hear my mother mumbling under her breath, but it’s quickly replaced by the roar of the reporters and photographers as we bolt toward the awaiting car.
Once we are safe and driving off, Ember speaks for the first time. “Are you sure we’ll be safe?”
“I’m sure.” I pat her leg reassuringly and add, “Besides, you can’t wear my mother’s clothing and her ridiculous heels for long. And I need new stuff as well. It’s time we get our lives started.”
“I’ve never been shopping before,” she says as she stares out the window at all the scenery passing by.
I can’t imagine what it all must be like for her. To see such tall buildings and bright lights. Everything is new for her. Unknown. To do something as simple as shopping for the first time at twenty-five years of age… it’s still unbelievable to me.
Every time I find myself about to completely lose my shit—which is often since arriving home—I pause and remind myself that no matter how bad I have it, Ember has it worse. When I want to punch my fist through a wall, or scream out in frustration, or tell everyone around me to go fuck themselves… I look at Ember. Just like in the schoolhouse of a rundown ghost town, she is still my beacon of light. She is still what keeps me sane. She is still my grounding force in all this madness. The least I can do is try to keep my cool and return the favor by at least appearing strong for her.
“My friend Christina has an excellent clothing store. We’ll be able to get whatever you want there, and she’s anxious to meet you. She said she’s already pulling out items she thinks you’ll love.”
I have to hand it to the driver; he somehow manages to quickly take side streets and loses all the media. I know it’s only momentary until they somehow track us down, as they have a scent for a good story like a hound dog for a hunt, but for right now, we have peace. Ember and I are both able to walk into the back door of Christina’s without anyone there snapping a picture or asking a million questions. I’m happy to see my friend covered the front glass windows so no one will be able to see us from the front.
“You were able to lose them,” she says with a smile as she ushers us in the door.
“Not sure for how long,” I reply.
She gives me a long, hard hug, then pulls away to make eye contact that tells me all I need to know. She’s happy I’m alive and well. She doesn’t say anything, which I’m happy for. I need a break, and oddly… Christina seems to know it.
When we make our way to the main part of the store, she gives the warmest smile to Ember and extends her hand. “You must be Ember. I’m Christina. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ember reaches out and shakes her hand, and I’m happy to see her return the smile right back. I haven’t seen Ember really smile since the escape—at least not a genuine one.
“It’s really nice of you to open your store for us,” she says as she glances around at the rows and rows of clothing that flank the walls.
“Christopher is an old and dear friend. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.” She turns to me and says, “Michael is also shutting his restaurant down an hour early tonight so we can go have dinner without curious eyes.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, shaking my head. “You’ve already done enough for us by allowing us to shop in privacy.”
Christina waves her hand and rolls her eyes. “It’s done. Don’t even try to argue. You’re both having dinner with us, and that’s it. Michael would kill me if I didn’t make it happen. Once we max out your credit card, the least I can do is have my husband cook you both a great meal.” She winks at me before looking Ember over from head to toe. “I think I have some great options for you that are going to fit absolutely perfect.” She places her arm around Ember’s shoulders and leads her to a rack of dresses. “Let’s go break Christopher’s bank.”