Heavenly Virtues

Part 63

The plan wasn't entirely awful. It just meant some time apart, but with all the time a part recently, Ashley felt as if this would be the end. There was a good chance it would be if things didn't go to plan. There were a million different senerios that could end with them never coming back to her. The plan meant leaving everything, everyone that meant anything to her.

Her granda and Mary. In reality, that's all she had left. The people that really meant anything to her. They said it would be a month, two tops.

*****

"Lass. It's time." "Aye, love. We have ta tell ye about the plan." Ashley rolled over in the bed, burying her head in the pillows. "Can't we just stay here? We're safe here." Connor shook his head as Murphy rubbed her back. "No lass, we aren't. It's gettin us by fer now, but we've got to start making moves soon."

Ashley sighed heavy, squeezing her eyes shut tight before turning over still shirtless from the night before. "I don't want to leave you two again, and I can't bear the thought of either of you not coming back to me if you do." She said, nervously playing with the edge of the blanket.

"It'll only be for a short time, love. Two months tops." Murphy stated in a soothing voice, not enough to calm the worry that stirred in Ashley, though. "Two months?!" She repeated in shock. "Aye lass, it's not what we want, but we 'ave ta know you're safe."

"And what? I just wait here the whole time and worry about when you two to come back?" She asked with furrowed brows. The boys shared a look that she caught. "What?" She asked, starting to get annoyed. "Just tell me, please." She sighed, feeling partly annoyed and partly anxious.

"It won't be safe for ya to be here." "Anywhere near here, love. They know who you are, your face." The boys took turns, like they had rehearsed the speech to their girl. They hadn't. "Do ya remember when Smecker said we'd 'ave ta go underground? Disappear a while?" She nodded slowly, not liking where this was headed.

"He meant all of us love." "Ye can't be wit us fer a while though, have ta make sure we're not being followed before we come for ya." Ashley's head dropped, brows furrowed as she searched her lap for answers to this awful situation. "Come for me?" She asked, still confused. Murphy rubbed his chin, just below his lip as he looked up at her. "More like send for ya love."

Ashley dropped her hands to her lap with force and rolled her eyes as she looked between the two. "What aren't you two telling me? This isn't making any sense." Connor sighed as he reached down to the floor where his pants were and pulled out an envelope. "Here." She took it from him and carefully ripped the end off, pulling out bus tickets. She flipped through them, the pit in her stomach growing bigger with each one.

Boston to New York.
New York to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia to Cleveland.
Cleveland to Chicago.
Chicago to Kansas City.
Kansas City to Memphis.
Memphis to Nashville.
Nashville to Atlanta.
Atlanta to New Orleans.
New Orleans to Houston.

"What the fuck is this?" She asked, holding the stack of tickets in her lap. "We have ta get ya outta here lass." He said rubbing her knee. "And you need me to take a week of buses to do that?!" She asked throwing her hands up in confusion. "It's three days love. Four at most." Murphy stated in a joking tone. Ashley shot Murphy a glare that let him know she didn't think it was funny.

"We're gonna hit em soon, and we need ya gone before we do that. Make sure you're safe before we continue our part in this." Ashley started ripping at the side of the envelope as she questioned further. "The court thing? Do I want to know?" Murphy shook his head, looking to the window. "Nah lass, probably not." She nodded, looking back to the tickets.

"When do I leave?" The boys looked to eachother again, heartbreak evident in their eyes. "When?" She said with breathless anxiety. "Tomorrow love." She looked at them with worry filled eyes. "Tomorrow?" She repeated as she played with the edge if one of the tickets. There was a silence that fell over the three. "That seems too soon. I just got you two back." She said in a barely audible whisper.