Page 51 of A Corruption Dark & Deadly

Something started tickling her brain, something that had to do with Bruce.

"I might be able to get in contact with some friends," Jericho said but he didn't sound particularly hopeful. "They might be able to bribe some TSA officials to get us out. The problem is, it's getting way to strict to sneak out of the country."

Annie didn't immediately respond. She was trying to figure out where the Bruce thing would lead. Bruce would be able to figure this out, yes. But why? Because Bruce knew how to calm down and focus. His ideas were odd and not what Annie would think was logical but he still made his decision and he still somehow made it through another month. Annie had no idea how investing in a cabin in the middle of the woods would make him money when there was no one around for miles and miles and -

"I have an idea," Annie said, snapping her eyes up to Jericho. "I know what we should do."

Jericho pushed his brow together but didn’t say anything.

“The cabin,” Annie explained. “Bruce’s cabin. No one knows Bruce has it except for us. We can hide out there and no one would even know. Bruce could bring us food and supplies.”

“I’m sure they would watch him,” Jericho said. When he saw Annie reaching for her cell phone, he grabbed her hand to stop her. “Don’t call him. They’ll trace our phones once we disappear and if they see that you’ve made a call to your brother, they’ll suspect him and start looking into him. Actually, they’ll look into Bruce no matter what.”

“Do you think they’ll find out about the cabin?” Annie asked.

Jericho was silent for a moment and Annie knew it was because he was thinking. “I don’t think so,” he replied after a moment. “But we can’t call him and ask. We have to pack up and go to his place and hope that he’s there.”

“Do we have time to pick up supplies?” Annie asked. “I know you can’t be seen at Costco but if I went and used my credit card, that wouldn’t be terribly suspicious, would it?”

“Anywhere you go now is going to be scrutinized,” Jericho told her. “The detectives might not know now that you’re my wife but it will come out, sooner or later. You should go now. Take your car and return here like nothing weird, that you don’t know anything other than what they’ve told you. I’ll get in touch with your brother. His shift is starting soon and I think I have at least one cell phone I can use without it being traced back to either of us. We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours, okay?”

Annie nodded and Jericho gave her a hard kiss on the lips.

“Be careful,” she told him.

“You, too,” he said, and with that, he vanished.

---

An hour and a half later, Annie returned with three hundred dollar’s worth of items from Costco that should last three to four weeks, since she and Jericho would be hiding away, just the two of them. Jericho was nowhere to be found. Annie tried not to let it worry her; he still had a half hour before he was supposed to show up, and the extra time would give her the perfect excuse to load Jericho’s Jeep with all of the food. She would pull her car into the garage so no one would notice it sitting on the street for an indeterminate amount of time and look into where she might be.

It took her another twenty-three minutes to move the supplies from her car to the Jeep. Once she was finished, she pulled her car into the garage.

Her heart was hammering in her head. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream and she knew her body was going into survival mode. She needed to calm down. If she didn't, she was going to have a tough time relaxing and having a clear head. Jericho did not need a hyperventilating princess who couldn't help him make a decision or think rationally.

The problem was, Jericho still wasn't here.

Once her car was parked, she headed into the house and tried to keep herself from pacing the length of the front room. As of right now, Handen and Powell only had their suspicions. They didn't have any evidence.

Annie let a slow breath slip out of her mouth. She bounced on the balls of her feet and shook her arms, trying to rid herself of the anxiety that had accumulated during her Costco run. She needed to have faith in Jericho. She needed to believe that wherever he was, he was all right.

"He's probably with Bruce right now," she murmured to herself quietly. "He's probably with Bruce and he's grabbing the keys and getting directions. Everything is going to be okay."

At that moment, the door burst open. When Jericho saw Annie, he swooped her up in his arms and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"When I didn't see your car," he began but let his voice trail off and shook his head.

"I'm okay," she promised him.

He nodded his head once. "I know," he told her. "I know you are." He pressed his brows up. "You ready to go? You can go through the rooms one last time. I don't know when we'll be back."

Annie shook her head and took a step back from him. "I'm okay," she repeated. "This place... this is my past. You're my present and my future. I'll go wherever you go and I'll leave everything else behind."

Jericho was silent for a moment but kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that sent goosebumps all throughout her body. He didn't say anything else. Instead, he took her hand and led her out the door and opened the passenger side of the Jeep for her. Once she was in, he locked the front door and headed to the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" Annie murmured as they pulled out of the small neighborhood and hopped onto the road to get into the city.

"The Red Door," he explained, not taking his eyes off the road ahead of him. "Your brother is expecting us."