Not in Texas

Chapter 8 (Finale)

The other man came back that night with pizza. He stayed and watched TV while Ben argued on the phone. From his conversations, Susan realized he was talking to her dad and to Dominic. She was being held hostage, and the highest bidder would get her back. Susan sat on her bed under the covers, trying to hide from the despair she felt. She had willingly left the only people who had protected her, in order to chase someone who had never cared at all.

Ben slid a chair by the door before he fell asleep. It didn't seem too heavy, but Susan was afraid the attempt might wake him up. But she could not sleep. She stood up and paced around the room. Ben lifted his head and watched her for minute, and then he put his head down. Soon she heard him snoring again.

Both phones were on the desk at the front of the room. Susan picked up hers and walked with it for a long time. Dom, John, and Valerie's numbers were right there. She turned the sound off and sent a text to John.

Please help me.

The response was almost immediate. We know you're at the Sunset Inn. What's the room number?

I don't know. She tried to keep the tears in her eyes. I'm sorry.

Look for the room key. Susan looked around her narrow walking path.

I don't see it.

Room phone? Floor plan on the back of the door?

No. Nothing. Susan sank down on the bed. Finally, a response.

Take a picture out the window. Turn off the flash. Delete the picture and this thread as soon as you send it. We're coming. She walked to the window and quietly pulled the curtain back. The outside balconies were lit by lamps every few doors. She took a photo looking into the parking lot and sent it. She deleted everything and returned the phone to the desk. She went back to her bed and stared at the ceiling for hours.

The night passed quietly, and even at sunrise the hotel was not very busy. Ben woke up and checked both phones while yawning. Susan continued staring at the ceiling, even though she had to go to the bathroom. When he went to move the chair from the door, she rushed to the bathroom and back to her bed. She saw where the curtain was still slightly pulled back from her picture, but Ben kept the room dark as he washed up at the sink and turned on the TV.

Finally, a knock at the door. Ben yelled, "Who is it?"

"It's me," she heard the other man say. "I got coffee."

"Shit, yeah," Ben said, walking to the door and removing the chain. "Man, I'm waiting to hear back from the dad. He say he got Union money--" the door slipped out of Ben's hand and slammed against the back wall. Ben fell down on the floor, and she wasn't sure why until John jumped on top of him and punched him several times. He stood up and looked around for Susan. He sighed heavily and said over his shoulder,

"We're good." The man walked into, holding two cups of coffee and staring at Ben's body. Dom followed behind him. He nodded at Susan and walked over to the desk. He picked up both phones and took a look at them. Susan stared at the other man.

Dom said, "You have two options. One, I give you one thousand dollars and you walk out that door. Two, you end up like your friend here."

The man was still in the doorway at Ben's feet. "Hey, we were supposed to be getting a million..."

"Split among how many people?" Dom asked quietly. "And do you think your dumbasses are going to get anything now?" The man nodded a couple of times. He stepped around Ben's body and set the coffees on the desk. Dom put a stack of bills in his shaking hands. He carefully stepped back to the door, and Susan heard his steps running back toward the stairs. Dom nodded to John. "Let's go."

John pulled Ben's legs around and caught the door before it swung shut. He motioned to Susan, who climbed out of the bed and tiptoed to him. She looked down at Ben. He nose was bloody, but she could hear a slight snore as he breathed in. He was alive. John placed his hand in the small of her back and gently pushed her out the door. Dom grabbed it and let it slam behind them. Susan looked up at John and bit her lip.

"It's OK," he said quietly. "We're going home."

She slept in the car, and she slept at home. John was on the edge of her bed whenever she woke up, but he didn't say anything else. She felt too embarrassed to even apologize. Finally, when she felt like she couldn't fall back to sleep, she asked, "Where's Dom?"

"Working," John said simply.

"What about my dad?"

"Well, he definitely knows where you are now. He promised not to get ICE involved. He just wants you back."

"I can't go back," she said.

"You know he has guardianship over you? Because of your disability."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, legally, you're still a child." She sat her head on her knees. "But Meredith isn't."

"I want to talk to him," she said. "Maybe I can change his mind." John shrugged. She saw a generic shipping box sitting in the corner of her room. "What's that?" she asked.

John followed her gaze. "Dom got it for you. A sewing machine."

"I don't want it here," she said. "I'll move it to my own place."

Later that day, she talked to her dad for the last time. He was mad, but more than that, he was happy she was safe. "I don't know who those people are, but you'd better stay with them until you come back."

"I'm not coming back. I need you to change my guardianship."

"Susan, that's not a good idea..."

"It's what I want," she said.

She heard the all too familiar sigh. "You don't know what you're doing."

"This time, I think I do." Dom and John were both listening to her call. She looked at them after she ended it. "I need my own place in town. Close to the university. I'll pay you back after I start working."

John started to ask a question, but Dom said, "OK." John frowned at him, but Dom just looked at Susan. "We should have a place by the end of week."

"Thank you." He nodded.

"Are you sure about this, Susan?" John asked.

"Shut up, John. You can still visit her. She'll give it up when she's ready." John rolled his eyes. Dom walked to Susan and wrapped her in a hug. "We got you." Susan nodded into his chest. He stepped back, patted his cousin on the shoulder, and left.

Susan put the sewing machine in her new living room. She started classes at UNCC and took a part time job in the main school bookstore. Her dad sent money and a lawyer, but at the end of the day Susan still had a deportation order. So Meredith got married in a simple ceremony at the house and went back to her apartment the same night. She planned to work on getting her driver's license, but for now she was happy with John driving her.