Refocusing on the laptop bag, she cautiously pulled it to her. It was lighter than she expected, and she lowered it to her lap before tugging open the heavy zipper. Inside was a bulky envelope.
Her teeth closing on the sore spot where she’d bitten the inside of her cheek earlier, Jules unfastened the clasp without taking the envelope out of the bag. The unsealed flap opened easily, and she tilted the envelope so that she could see inside.
Catching a glimpse of the contents, she restrained a gasp that would’ve carried through the bar and down the street. Instead, she made a small sound, part squeak and part sigh, touching the stacks of twenty-dollar bills with a disbelieving brush of her fingers.
Her heart was racing as thoughts ran through her mind, too quickly for her to make sense of any of them. The first thing she was able to grab hold of was the idea that she’d just been given a whole lot of money—most likely dirty money. Jules thought she’d accepted her decision to dive into a life of crime, but the sight of the cash shocked her.
I can’t keep the money, one part of her brain kept telling her. She barely knew Mr. Espina. For goodness sake, she still called him Mr. Espina. Who handed off stacks of cash like that to a near stranger?
Apparently, Mr. Espina did. She supposed that was one more thing she knew about Mr. Espina, then.
A hysterical giggle bubbled into her throat, threatening to escape. She swallowed, holding down the laughter that would only draw curious stares. Jules did not want any stares, curious or otherwise, right now—not when she was toting a bag full of dirty money.
Should she keep it? Could she keep it?
For her family? Yes. Yes, she could.
Mr. Espina’s words rang in her brain, cementing her resolve. She’d wasted enough time, left her siblings in that hellhole for too long. It was time to do what she had to do, no matter how badly it scared her.
She resealed the clasp and zipped the bag with hands that trembled even more than before. Jules was surprised her entire body wasn’t vibrating with nerves. Gathering the precious bag and her purse, Jules stood and hurried for the door as fast as she could go without looking like she was rushing to leave the bar with a bagful of money.
Once she was in her elderly Camry with the air conditioner running, the windows up, and the doors locked, she called the number Mr. Espina had texted her. Dennis Lee. Jules knew that if she didn’t contact him immediately, she would talk herself out of it.
As the line rang, Jules tapped a still-shaking finger against the steering wheel.
“This is Dennis.”
The smooth tone took her off guard. Maybe she’d been watching too many movies, but she’d expected a “disappearance expert” to answer the phone with a barked “What?!” or even just a surly grunt. Dennis sounded like a college professor answering a call in his office.
“Hello?”
Jules jumped. “Oh. Sorry. Yes. I…um. I got your number from Mr. Espina. He thought you might be able to help me…plan a trip.” She winced. Her attempt at code made her sound like an idiot.
“Plan a trip?” Apparently, Dennis agreed with her; his words carried more than a hint of amusement. “I’m a travel agent now?”
“Well, I…” She trailed off, flustered. Did he really want her to tell him flat-out what she needed? Shouldn’t they be on a secure line or something? Although Jules wasn’t positive what a secure line entailed, she was fairly sure it didn’t involve cell phones in a parking lot at five thirty in the evening. “Could we meet somewhere to talk about this?”
As she waited for him to respond, she felt a trickle of sweat follow the line of her spine until it met the waistband of her skirt.
“Let’s take a walk,” he finally said, and her head fell back against the seat in relief. “Are you familiar with Collins Park?”
“Yes.” Glancing at the digital clock, she did some mental math. Taking the rush-hour traffic into account, she’d be able to make it there in about an hour.
“I’ll meet you by the dinosaurs at six.”
“Oh, but…” Her protests fell uselessly into empty air. He’d already ended the call. Jules let out a pent-up breath and tossed her phone into the passenger’s seat. Reversing out of the parking spot, she set her jaw.
She was going to do this. All her efforts to follow the rules had gotten her nowhere. She’d never get legal custody, and her brothers and sister needed to get out of that house. If she had to become a kidnapper to make that happen, so be it.
This is it. Jules, lifelong rule follower, was jumping across the line into felon-hood.
As she flew out of the parking lot, Jules was a bit disappointed that her tires didn’t squeal.
Chapter 3
Present Day
The cop was back.