The Gambit

by Allen Longstreet

  I swallowed and closed my eyes. I tried to hold back the urge to cry, and it worked. When I opened them, I saw Grey typing away. His focus and dedication to our plan was visible in his incessant efforts, and it gave me an idea. It was something I knew for certain he would be able to carry out when the time came.

  Owen was leaving tomorrow. I tried to hold myself steady against the railing, but my world was still spinning. Part of me just wanted to yak over the edge and laugh as it fell forty stories down. I wasn’t sick from the alcohol…it was just all of this. I’ve had a knot in my gut since the day I met him. That was the day I realized that the only way I would be able to keep him safe was to get him out of the country before it was too late…before they got him.

  My eyes began watering, and I inhaled deeply to stop from crying. My breath shuddered as it came out. I let out a cough, and I glanced over my shoulder to see if Grey or Owen had noticed—I hoped they hadn’t. I wouldn’t want Owen seeing me all choked up. He would be concerned. Was it selfish to want him to stay? Was it hypocritical that my heart ached from the realization that my plan was going to take place tomorrow? The only person I had to blame was myself. I created it. I was the one who took the leap of faith and approached him that day at the coffee shop. It was me. Who knows where he would have wound up if we wouldn’t have met? Maybe he wouldn’t have even made it out of Raleigh. I didn’t know. It was grueling just imagining that tomorrow I would walk out of the airport alone. Sure, I would have my cousins, Briana, and Grey…but not him. Beneath his sarcastic shell was a guy that I wanted to get to know better. We had only known each other for days. Just shy of a week. Half of that time was spent planning, every word spoke and action took revolved around my idea.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him, nor the courage to admit it. I couldn’t put that burden on him. It would have been foolish to give into my desires. I was the definition of a hopeless romantic, and I knew that the words I wished to say so desperately would only hurt him. I didn’t want to leave him with that. I could have just imagined him on an eleven-hour flight with those words swimming around his head. I fantasized about what his reaction would be like when I said it. What would I wear? How would it sound when the words left my lips?

  Lately, I had caught myself rehearsing the moment. When I was alone, away from all of them, I would practice in front of the bathroom mirror saying those three words.

  I…love…you. I love you. I love you.

  Even in the wide array of tones I had said it in, it didn’t make any difference. I was in a mental tug-of-war between my desire to say it before he left and my guilt of not wanting him to know…in light of the fact he may never see me again. My gut wrenched from the thought. My breath was shuddering with every inhale, and I tried to steady it.

  Why was I getting so worked up over nothing? In reality, it didn’t even matter. Regardless of if I uttered those three words or not, he would still be gone. I didn’t even know if he would say it back, or if he even felt the same way. Maybe I was just another one of his flings. He could have just used me to get off that night on the train. My mother always told me I was too naïve for this dog-eat-dog world.

  No—that wasn’t it. That didn’t sound right. I knew it was completely idiotic for me to expect anything from a man I met just days ago, but when I gazed into the depths of his turquoise-blue eyes, I felt something. Inside, I knew he felt it too. He asked me to be his ‘Bonnie’. He wanted me to be his partner in crime, and I had, willingly. I seized the moment from the very get-go.

  I just prayed that everything worked out. I wished every night that perhaps one day we might be able to see each other again when all of this was over. Given my profession, I knew the chances were slim to none. It reminded me of the movie Jaws. Owen was the Great White and the town sheriff was after him. Except it wasn’t just the town sheriff…it was the behemoth of an entity we referred to as the federal government.

  I turned around to look at them. Owen was sitting in front of Grey, talking animatedly. He moved his hands around as if he was cooking an invisible meal, and the look on his face was intense. Although every hair on his face and head was so blond that he was unrecognizable to a stranger, I saw the same Owen. His strong jawline and wide smile—his features were so handsome, but that wasn’t the only reason I stared. I couldn’t turn away because I was getting a glimpse of something I had only seen a few times since I had met him. There was passion in his eyes, a restlessness about his body language. I tried to take a mental image of that moment. I felt as if I were looking at a ghost. Here today. Gone tomorrow.

  Grey nodded multiple times to Owen, and I noticed his ticket and computer were beside him. I wondered what they were talking about…

  He turned and my heart fluttered. His blue eyes were barely visible in the glow of the city lights, and he revealed a broad smile. I wondered if he could tell how flustered I became every time I saw him.

  “Rachel, come here,” he said.

  I quietly opened the terrace door and gingerly placed my bare foot on the smooth sandstone floor. It was cool against my skin. With the door fully opened, I slid out. Briana, Vinny, and Luke had drunk enough to pass out. Grey chose a room around an hour ago, and he had been in there since. Rachel was at the end of the infinity pool with her forearms propped on the ledge. Her brown hair was wet. It flowed down past her shoulders like a lion’s mane. I carefully dipped my foot beneath the water and onto the first step, trying to keep silent. When my body submerged, it created a small splash, but she didn’t turn around. I was almost certain she heard me. Gently, I swam over to the edge and propped my arms up beside hers. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

  “You’ll have to work a little harder next time you try to sneak up on me.”

  I chuckled. “Who said I was trying?

  “I heard you trying to be quiet. Good try, though.” She laughed with me.

  “I’ll do better next time,” I said.

  “There won’t be a next time,” she mumbled in a low voice. The words were practically forced out of her mouth. I turned to her, and I already felt the creases in my forehead form. I caught something in her expression…it was pain. Something was bothering her. I stopped drinking over an hour ago and had a meal. It helped me sober up a little. I had been dwelling on all the negatives. Maybe she was doing the same.

  “Rachel, what’s on your mind?”

  I heard her choke on a cry and she rested her chin on her right arm, facing away from me. I slid off the ledge and grabbed her shoulders. I smoothly turned her body around to face mine.

  “No,” she resisted and pulled back. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”

  “Like what? You are human just like the rest of us. People cry.”

  “But still,” she sniffled.

  I shook her lightly, trying to rouse her out of her reticent sadness.

  “Rachel, what is it?”

  She finally turned to me with tears streaming down her face.

  “Is it wrong that I want you to stay?”

  My gut panged from her words. I broke away from her stare and glanced down at the pool. I could see the distorted reflection of Downtown Miami in the rippling water. It felt like there was a rock in my throat as I swallowed, fighting back the tears. I couldn’t let her know that I didn’t want to go. We had to stick to her plan. We had come too far for me to stay here. Hiding wasn’t the answer, it never was to begin with.

  “No, it’s not,” I answered. “I understand.”

  I held her face gently with a cupped hand. Her hiccupped sobs only increased.

  “Please,” I pleaded. “Don’t cry.”

  Her breath shuddered and they slightly lessened.

  “I’m sorry. It was my plan, and now I can barely face that tomorrow you will be gone.”

  “For now,” I said.

  “You don’t know that…”

  “You’re right. I don’t,” I admitted, “but I believe it. Our time apart is only temporary.”

&nb
sp; “I hope…”

  “Rachel, I need you to stay strong. You’re right, this was your plan. So when tomorrow comes, I want you to be ready to say goodbye. Don’t you think for a second it won’t hurt me too, because it scares me shitless that I’m leaving my old life behind.”

  “How can I be ready to say goodbye when we have barely just met?”

  Her question was valid. We were at most, well-acquainted strangers.

  “Well, while we still have time, what do you want to know? Ask me something.”

  She looked up at me.

  “What is your favorite color?”

  “Red,” I answered. “Yours?”

  “Purple,” she answered softly.

  “Atta girl! Representing my party, eh?”

  She let out a chuckle.

  “I always did like the Convergence’s colors. Good choice.”

  “Thank you. See what we just did? We can do that until we pass out. Sleep with me tonight.”

  “I couldn’t imagine sleeping anywhere else…”

  A smile tugged at her lips, but there was still sadness hidden behind her expression. It was something I knew I couldn’t fix. We were both reluctant to separate because we were just barely getting to know each other. I wanted to cherish our last little bit of time together. I wrapped my arms beneath hers and pulled her into an embrace. Our faces were inches apart. She stared up at me. Her brown eyes appeared black in the darkness, and her skin was an even richer bronze.

  “You know…” I began. “The day we first met, when we were driving away from Raleigh, you told me the only reason you approached me was for the sake of the story.”

  “Back then, yes,” she interjected. “Now, there are other forces in play.”

  Her eyes darted across my face, and her voice was smooth and seductive. I tightened my fingers around her back and pulled her closer to my body.

  “I know, I feel them too. I can’t wait to get to know you better, Rachel. You are great. I promise when this is all over we will have time—”

  “Don’t make me a promise you can’t keep. For my sake, Owen—don’t do that.”

  “Now you’re the one telling me not to make any promises.”

  “I know, I said the same thing last night. I’m being a hypocrite, yes…but when we are talking about you, it’s hard to make any real promises. Whether they are from you, or me.

  “I am confident your plan will work. I’m not taking back what I said, but I need you to do me a favor.”

  “What might that be?”

  “Please, no matter what happens…don’t forget the reason why you approached me in the first place, that day. You knew I was framed, and you saw an opportunity to figure out the real story. You wanted the truth. Whatever happens to me, don’t give up. Find out who did this and use your connection with Ian to get it out there. Like your father told you, ‘Justice is like fire; if you cover it with a veil—’”

  “It still burns…” She whispered, cupping my face with her hands.

  “You are the fire, Rachel. Remember that.”

  She nodded with glistening eyes, and we began to kiss.

  - 13 -

  You almost here? I touched the screen to send the message. I paced around the living room, waiting for a response.

  My phone vibrated.

  Yes.

  I walked over to my home phone and picked it up. With my free hand, I placed my index finger over my lips to ensure my three friends stayed quiet while I called. I knew they were listening. I dialed zero for the concierge.

  “Front desk, this is Joseph.”

  “Joseph,” I said in the lowest possible tone. “Let up my guest when they come in, please.”

  I hung up. My friends sat quietly while we waited. After a few minutes, I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to the peephole and saw my good friend, Tyler, so I opened it. He nodded and revealed an awkward smile. He must have been curious as to why I asked him to come here. I was sure the other three were wondering the same thing.

  I grabbed the small remote that laid on the coffee table and pressed the on button. My surround-sound system came to life, and it was playing techno music. I turned the volume up loud. I motioned with my hand for my friends to follow me to my room. I prayed that with the noisy synths and the deep wobbles our voices would be lost in the sound.

  Once in my room, I led them to the walk-in closet and opened it.

  “Can we talk now?” my other friend Henry asked.

  I nodded.

  “You said it was urgent,” Tyler said. “What’s up? I have work in an hour.”

  “Guys, I’m being watched by the FBI.”

  “What?!” my other friend Evan asked over the music.

  Our voices were so muffled by the music it was almost like we were reading lips.

  “There’s no time for questions. I just need your help. Our very freedom might depend on it.”

  Their eyes grew wide.

  “I’ll explain everything once I am able to talk about it again. Take off your jackets and leave them here at my place for a few days.”

  “What? Why?” Tyler pressed.

  “You can keep these instead.”

  I began pulling my many pea coats off the hangers. I had at least five of a similar shade. One blue, one gray, and two black. I gave one to each of them, and they hesitantly began to put them on.

  “We need to hurry. If they hear this music, they could be up here any minute. Traffic is thick.”

  “Where are they?” my other friend Richard questioned.

  “Outside. They sit at that gas station across the street.”

  “No shit…” Tyler mumbled.

  “Exactly. Put these on, let’s go.”

  I pulled a handful of flat caps off the shelves and they fell to the floor. I picked four different shades of gray and handed them one each. They began to button up.

  “Turn around,” I instructed. They all four turned around in my bedroom, and each one looked identical from behind. This was all a part of the plan.

  “Okay, it’s time to go. When we get down to the lobby, we will go out the back exit, the one that faces the opposite side of the gas station. We will each wave down a taxi and get in.”

  “Where do we go?” Henry asked as we neared my apartment door.

  “No specific place. In the general direction of Boston.”

  “Will you text us when you’re safe?” Evan asked.

  “Yes, but that might be a while. I think the only thing that kept me safe from texting you to come here was the fact we were all supposed to go eat breakfast together.”

  Once we exited my apartment, I locked the door. We began walking at a hasty pace towards the elevator. When we reached the lobby, I didn’t see anyone—a good sign. We all walked side-by-side to the back entrance and made it to the street. It felt like I hadn’t seen the sunshine in days.

  “You guys may end up being heroes for doing this. Trust me when I say the matter really is that serious.”

  “Good luck, with whatever it is,” Tyler said.

  We spread a few feet apart and raised our hands to signal the taxis. Within a minute, we had each flagged one down.

  “Thanks. I know most of you work in Boston, so at a certain point just tell the driver where you really need to go.”

  They all nodded.

  I sat down in the back seat of the cab.

  “Where to, boss?” the driver asked.

  “The Greyhound station off of Atlantic. Step on it.”

  I glanced down at my watch—it was 7:05. I had twenty-five minutes to make it to the station. Hopefully, the FBI wouldn’t follow…and if they did, I prayed they lost me in the mix of traffic.

  I had made it. Wherever the FBI was, they weren’t nearby. The weather differed very little from what it was like back in Boston. The air was dry and crisp. My breath fumed out trails of moisture with every exhale. The sidewalks of Fifth Avenue were full of people, and a horn honked every other second. All the memories rushe
d back to me.

  Sometimes it was hard to imagine that I actually grew up here. Most people dreamed of living in New York, but by the time I went to college I was more than ready to get out. Far too hectic for me. Boston was similar, but the size difference was of no comparison. Eight million people. It always amazed me to think of that many people in one city.

  I climbed up the stone steps of the post office and inside. It was massive. There were dozens more here in Manhattan. This one almost looked like a courthouse in its design. The ceilings were high and the floors were marble. I walked toward one of the attendants. She was an older lady of African descent, and her hair was speckled with gray. She revealed a small smile.

  “How can I help you today?”

  “I need to access my P.O. Box,” I replied, jingling the gold key in the air.

  “Sure thing, right this way. Push the door open when you hear the buzzer.”

  I went around the corner to a metal door. I heard the buzz and pushed it open. Walking towards the far end of the hallway, I began to feel anxious. Emily was a perfectionist, and she was trustworthy. In the lab, when the FBI agents slammed us against the lab station, I confirmed with her if she had done what I asked. She nodded yes. I was so worried. Maybe the feds were getting stricter on the mail. What if they intercepted it?

  I scanned the numbers engraved on the metal boxes as I passed. It had been over two years since I sent something here. Living four hours away, it was pretty useless. I was glad having the spare key came in handy in a situation like this. The reason I had to go through the locked door was because of how large these PO boxes were, and if I recalled correctly, his was the biggest one they had. Passing the eight-thousands, I found it.