But he has eyes everywhere. The Kinahans are everywhere. Maybe I was a fool to think that escaping him was ever a realistic option.
Still—now that I’ve decided to run, I can’t face the thought of being dragged back to that house. To that life.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” the lips are saying.
I don’t bother answering. I turn and run.
“Ma’am! Ma’am!”
I don’t turn back. I start weaving through the crowd, my feet digging into the ground hard.
I know there’s no way I’m getting out of the country now. Not today, at least.
But maybe I can hide out somewhere in Dublin. Maybe I can disappear into the city and find another way to leave. Surely, this isn’t the end for me?
More and more people are looking my way.
I’m on their radar. Everyone’s radar, apparently.
A couple of airport security guards start taking notice, too.
“Hey, you!” someone barks.
I spy the exit doors up ahead. Maybe I can grab a cab out of here. Or steal a car if I have to. The thought feels foreign, but I can feel my resolve solidify.
I’m not gonna let him take me back.
I’m going to fight.
I burst through the doors, back out into the Dublin air. The dawn is just barely peeking over the horizon in the distance.
“Stop her!” someone screams.
I don’t even have the chance to sprint towards one of the cabs waiting outside the airport for a hire before someone grabs my arm.
Another police officer seems to materialize in front of me an instant later.
“No!” I scream. “Let me go!”
“Calm down, ma’am. It’ll go easier for you if you stop fighting.”
It’s a portly man in an airport security uniform who’s gotten hold of me. More of his colleagues keep appearing with every passing second. They all look harsh, suspicious.
This one, though, has kind eyes, rheumy and gentle.
“Please,” I beg him. “He’ll kill me.”
Worry flits across his face and his grip softens. Just barely—but it’s enough.
I take the opportunity to wrench away from his grasp.
I turn, start to run—
And slam straight into Tristan.
His eyes are narrowed and bloodshot.
And furious.