A Little Bit of Hope

Epilogue

I didn't know what to expect from witness protection. I half thought I'd be whisked away to some top-secret facility to wait out the days until Ryan and James were put on trial, and then my testimony could put them away for good. Instead, it was mostly paperwork and hiding out in a backwoods motel, eavesdropping on hushed phone calls to Detective Wood. I could tell from what I picked up that they were having trouble tracking down the only people in the world that I was afraid of. When I asked about it, Wood was full of reassurances.

"Suspects slip away like this all the time, but we'll catch them. Give it a month, okay? That's enough time to locate them and arrest them, and all the while we're gathering evidence."

He promised a month, but he ended up promising that ten times before anything major changed. Nobody actually told me anything; I was just free to go with a plane ticket home in my hand, as far as they were concerned, but I gathered a rough idea of what had happened.

They found Ryan. I never knew how fastened his finger was to the pulse of the criminal world, but he was in the middle of a pretty hefty arms deal, with enough weapons to put him away for life even without my testimony. The informants and clues came through to catch him in the act, but the team that went in to arrest him got more than they bargained for. Smart as he was, to avoid the law as long as he did, Ryan didn't realize when he was beat. He and his people opened fire on the cops. By the time the smoke cleared, all of his people were dead.

Since Ryan was the one having witnesses killed, not James, they let me go. I asked about some sort of security, but more than one well-meaning officer gave me a smile and told me not to worry.

Next thing I knew, I sat on a plane for only the second time in my life, clinging to the armrest as if I meant to crush it every time there was even the slightest jolt. I'm glad for the experience, but I hate flying. The only part I like is the view, and even that makes me dizzy. Of course, being in a machine held up by what seemed to be sheer willpower wasn't the only reason I had to be nervous. I had spoken to Tina at the airport; she and Ian would be waiting for me when I landed.

What if...

There was a list of unsavory possibilities constantly refreshing in my mind. I hadn't seen them for almost a year! What if they didn't want me to live with them anymore? What if, after having some time to think about it, they realized that it was all my fault they had ever come into James' destructive path in the first place?

I shook my head to clear it, but the worries just came back. I was so intent on trying to banish them that I jumped when the captain announced we were making our final descent. Then every dip of the plane as we got closer to the ground sent my stomach twisting and my heart thumping. I closed my eyes for the final seconds of almost hovering over the runway, almost expecting the plane to shatter when we finally touched down. I think I caught a few glances when I sighed with relief that we didn't.

I took my time making my way to the exit where friends and family were waiting. I was so nervous I think I must have been shaking. Finally, I just gritted my teeth and marched out, looking for a head of bright orange hair.

At first glance, I didn't see her. My pulse began to climb again, after only just having settled from the terror of flying. It was a wonder that I didn't scream when something capped in purple slammed into me from the side. For a moment, I thought this was it; I had handled myself in all kinds of situations, and it was just like the universe to have me killed in an airport, one of the most secure locations in the world these days.

"You're okay!"

I relaxed the instant I recognized Tina's voice. I practically had to pry her off me, but then I could pull her into a real hug.