The Drumbeat Years (girlxgirl)

17

17

8th. October 2005

They found another hotel, a little more upmarket than the motel they had stayed at the night before, paid for by Dawn's prepay card. Untraceable and with an unspoken amount of money available on it. Tina didn't know what they intended doing from this point on, but she knew she had to contact Kyle, at least, to let him know what had happened.

She had stared at the bedside phone for some time while Dawn showered. This had to be the strangest, most stupid thing she had ever done, and she had made many strange, stupid mistakes in her life. Picking up the handset, she typed the memorised numbers into the dial, listening to the ringing tone with trepidation.

"Hello?" Kyle's sing-song telephone voice felt like aural gold to Tina's ears. It felt as though they hadn't spoken in so long.

"Kyle? It's me." She heard a little cough at the other end of the line, hands moving against the handset. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry. I'm with Dawn."

"Oh, you want Ms Wentworth?" Now Kyle sounded strange, as though playing the part in a play. He couldn't act to save his life and his voice had risen in tone. "Well, I'm afraid I don't know where she is at the moment and she does have a lot of people that wish to meet with her."

That seemed odd. It sounded like he emphasised that last sentence, trying to impart some kind of information. She could only think of one reason for that. He wasn't alone. Her mind began to whirl as Dawn came out of the bathroom. She held up a finger to her lips, telling Dawn to stay quiet, then she returned her attention to the phone and Kyle.

"Is someone there with you?" Frowning, she hoped she hadn't brought trouble to Kyle's doorstep. She could never forgive herself if something happened to him. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, absolutely! There are one or two big things in Ms Wentworth's future." He added emphasis again to the word 'big'. Tina could imagine who one of those 'big things' were. "She won't be staying much longer, so, if you wait, you might catch her on the next leg of the trip. Or you could try again in the morning, to be safe?"

"Alright. Look, don't put yourself in danger for me. I'm not telling you where I am, so you're not lying if you say that you don't know, okay?" Pausing, she bit her lip, hoping that Dawn's bodyguard was not as violent as he looked. "Just, look after yourself. Don't worry about me. I'll call again in the morning."

"Why, yes, I will have a nice day. Thank you. And you have a super day, too." In Tina's imagination, she could see Kyle almost tugging his hair from the roots, teeth gritted, sweating at having to lie. "Bye bye."

The phone clicked as Kyle put down the handset and Tina returned hers to the cradle. Leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, she ran her fingers through her hair. After a second, she felt an arm falling across her shoulder. Almost in tears from what she had forced Kyle into, she leaned over, laying her head in Dawn's lap.

"I've caused you so much trouble. I'm sorry." Leaving a hand on Tina's shoulder, Dawn twisted, doing something behind her. "I should go back."

Dawn's hand appeared before Tina, holding a mobile phone, her thumb moving to the power switch, ready to turn it on. Catching Dawn's hand, she stopped her from starting up the mobile, taking it from Dawn's hand. Sitting up, she looked into Dawn's eyes.

"Not yet." She cupped Dawn's cheek in her hand. "Just one more night. I know we can't run forever, but, just one more night. Together?"

"If I turn that phone on, my husband will have people here within minutes. I'll go back, willingly, if you want me to." Pressing her forehead against Tina's, Dawn closed her eyes. "If you tell me to run away with you, I will. It's only been a few hours and I can breathe again. Imagine our whole life together. Breathing."