Nora Stevenson

Chapter Ten

Piper thumbs through her mail. Glumly. It's been a week since she's heard from Eli, and his last letter was anything but loving. Plopping down on the couch in her grungy apartment, she fingers through magazines and bills and more magazines. On the bottom of the pile, however, is a letter, from Eli. Who else?

Her stomach immediately lurches and she races toward her office, socks skidding on the cold linoleum floors. She launches herself across the room to grab the letter opener, which sits, rusty, on the desk. Flicking it across the top of the envelope and barely noticing her sliced thumb, she sets down the knife and tears the letter open. She sniffs it, as is customary when she receives mail from Eli.

Mm. Evergreens.

Without hesitation, she unfolds the letter, nearly ripping it in her excitement. She reads:

My dearest Piper, December 8, 2016

Sadly, I do not have the time to talk of my missing you and my hope to see you

Again. I really shouldn't be sending you this letter at all. But I must. My

sister, she knows. She knows about you and how you impersonated her and

murdered that man. So I beg of you, please run. She's coming for you and if I

know my sister at all, she will find you. It's in her nature, liberty and justice for

all. Run as far as you can, across the ocean if you must. Just say the word and

I'll be there if you need help. Just run. Please.

All my love,

Eli Stevenson

Piper folds the letter back on its creases, then walks down the hall to the living room and flumps on the couch. Face numb, mind rampant.

Nora's coming. She's slipping – can't even fool a CIA agent. There'd been a time when she'd tricked the army general of the Western Bloc, acclaimed doctors and governors. But now she couldn't get past anyone, not even a CIA agent. A disgrace.

Piper weighs her options. What is Nora expecting me to do? Nora's expecting her to run, as Eli is telling her to do now. Of course. She, then, will do the exact opposite.

Newly inspired, Piper jumps up off the couch and begins to impulsively clean her apartment. Better have it nice for the guests.

"Would you move?" Liam says as he shoves himself past Nora. After a long and awkward plane ride, he's cranky. He hates planes. Nora glares at him as he passes and he shrugs irritably, ignoring her. What's up with her? She's been acting weird the whole trip. Quiet and jumpy, just not herself.

He grunts and stomps through the terminal, not checking to see if his friend is behind him.

All of a sudden, he trips over thin air and attempts to grab onto his suitcase, but he lands flat on his face. Liam groans and looks up to see Nora pass by him, her black stilettos tapping on the shiny floor of the airport. She looks back and sarcastically blows a kiss, and Liam knows he's forgiven.

He drags himself sorely off the floor, limping after his friend and hauling his suitcase behind him. Catching up to Nora, Liam laughs slightly. Nora smiles at him.

Together they walk out to the rental car parking lot. Blinded by the sudden sun, Liam twirls the key ring on his index finger. After spotting the red Honda Accord that would be their transportation, they climb in and pull out of the parking lot.