Dreams of Desire 4 by Cassie Wright

Author:Cassie Wright [Wright, Cassie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2014-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The streets of Long Island City are bathed in soft dawn light as Eric drives me south to Brooklyn. The clouds overhead are bruised but breaking up, and long columns of sunlight illuminate the infinity variety of shops and storefronts as we weave our way through traffic. Churches, cell phone stores, restaurants and coffee shops, barber shops and corner deli's. The normal world, just a few feet away from Eric's pickup as we slide past invisibly. Nothing to do with us. I watch a group of school kids following a teacher, holding hands and looking adorable with their bright white shirts and backpacks. An old couple walking along, the man stooped almost completely over, his wife still going strong and leading him on with loving patience. A cop writing a ticket. A handful of young men standing on the corner, laughing as one of them shakes his head and tries to deny whatever accusation has just been leveled at him.

This isn't my world. I'm flying to Paris in a few hours, a fugitive, to try and take down an international human trafficker. And yet. It doesn't feel real. What feels real is what I'm leaving behind. Routine. The Killer Bean coffee shop I hang out in all the time with Rhea. Morning classes with Prof. Aswad. Catching up with Rachel. I'm going to have to call my younger brother Tommy. Let him know what's going on. I've been shielding him from all this, trying to keep him protected, but I can't just disappear altogether on him. Julian had taken my phone though before I left, snapped the SIM card in two and thrown the actual phone in the trash. I'd watched, dismayed. I'd saved up for six months to buy it.

"Eric, can I borrow your phone?"

He grunts and hands it over. I dial Tommy's number by heart. It's one of the three I know, the other two being Eric and Rachel. It rings. And rings. And of course goes to voice mail. Tommy's never up before ten.

"Yo, what's up, you've reached the one and only Tommy. Leave a message, and if you're lucky I just might call you back. Peace!" A wave of nostalgia and love passes over me, and I blink away tears. "Tommy. It's your sister. Look, I'm going out of town for a few days. And - well, people might come round asking about me. Where I am and stuff. I want you to know that I'm doing the right thing, but don't talk to anybody without a lawyer, you hear me? I'm going to get one to call you. His name's Simon Cobalt. I'm serious. Don't say a thing without Simon's approval first." I pause. My tone has become almost aggressive, anticipating the barrage of questions coming his way. "Delete this message when you've heard it. I love you, and trust me. Okay?" I pause. "I love you, Tommy." And hang up.

"Shit sounds real when you put it that way," says Eric, voice low.

I laugh, hand back his phone.

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