Red was quickly packing his things as he gently prodded Lizzie to do the same. "We need to hurry, our ride will be here momentarily."
Lizzie tried not to be short with him, it wasn't his fault they had to keep moving. She was the one who shot the AG. It was she who was being framed for the senator's death, but here he was nonetheless, making sure she was safe and at least one step ahead of the Cabal and FBI. "I'm trying, I guess I haven't taken as easily to a life on the run as you."
She turned around to avoid seeing his hurt expression and shoved the last of her clothes into the bag. "Maybe next stop you can show me how to organize a little better." She looked back at him and offered him a conciliatory smile.
He smiled brightly and brought her toiletries pack over and placed it in her bag. "That is a splendid idea, Lizzie."
He took hold of her elbow and escorted her out of the root cellar they had been holed up in for the past few days.
They had been on the run together for a month now, growing closer in their cramped little safe places. Not houses, because that would be far too noticeable to the FBI. They had stayed in tack rooms, haylofts, bar basements, tornado cellars, a theater and even once in a small cave, though there was no monsoon to wait out.
She had caught Red looking at her with heat in his eyes, like he could devour her at any moment quite a few times but he was quick to regain his mask once she caught him and launch into one of his stories about adventure and women that would effectively deflect her from reciprocating.
This time they found themselves in another hayloft, they had mucked out the stalls and she was sore and tired. Red had insisted, saying a hard day's work would be an effective sleep aid, but the stress of travel and staying in a new place only to run before she could settle into the last had taken it's toll.
Lizzie woke up to unfamiliar sounds outside of the barn they were currently hiding in. Red was already on his feet pulling on his pants, when he noticed she was awake he motioned for her to do the same. She started to put her clothes in her pack after getting dressed, but Red grabbed her wrist and shook his head, leading her to the far side of the loft. They peered through the crack in the hatch only to see that the barn had been surrounded.
She knew the plan, they were going to climb down the rope attached to the hatch and make a run for the ATV hidden in the orchard. He gave her a nod and she wound her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Once she was securely fastened to him, he grabbed the rope and pushed open the hatch and lowered them out into the night.
Shouts were raised and agents came running in all directions. Red started shooting the moment his feet touched the ground. Lizzie detangled herself from him and ran as he instructed towards the orchard. She heard a familiar voice ring out ordering them to stop, she turned her head in time to see Agent Ressler catch up with Red.
Everything was happening in slow motion, like she couldn't move in time to stop what was happening; merely observe. She saw Red stop and turn to Ressler, gun raised. Ressler and Red seemed to shoot at the same time. Red's shot hit Ressler in the leg, but Agent Ressler wasn't so kind, hitting Red center mass. She screamed Red's name and made her way over to him, he was lying on the ground bleeding out, but there was no Dembe here this time to help her lift him into the car to treatment and safety. He looked up at her and tried to speak, but she was violently pulled off of him by Samar and another agent. They threw her to the ground and tried to subdue her, but she only wanted to be with Red. She fought them with all her might, a desperation to be near him taking hold.
Red woke up to Lizzie screaming his name, struggling in vain with the blanket that had wound itself around her body. He left his pallet and knelt down beside where she lay gently freeing her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her as he tried to wake her. "Lizzie... Lizzie, it's me. I'm right here. It's okay, wake up."
Her eyes shot open and she looked around wide eyed and frightened before settling her gaze on Red. When she saw him she sat up and threw her arms around his neck and pulled him back down with her on the pallet. She was sobbing into his neck. "He s-s-shot you, and they… they wouldn't l-l-let me help you."
He settled down beside her and cuddled her into his chest, comforting her as well as he could. "It's ok, I'm fine. No one is going to find us here."
She cried for a while longer and then slowly began to come back to herself and surroundings. She was mortified to realize she was wrapped up tightly in Red's arms. He must think her a fool to be so worked up over a stupid nightmare. She quickly pushed herself into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her knees self consciously. "I'm really sorry I woke you. Thank you for waking me."
Red laid there next to her for a few beats before slowly sitting up. She was like a scared colt who might bolt at any moment. He sighed inwardly. He knew he shouldn't be disappointed that she was shying away from him, it was what needed to happen. No matter how much he wants her, she deserves so much more than he can offer. "It was my pleasure Lizzie. We may as well get up as it's almost time to help with the apple harvest."
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" She shook her head and huffed a laugh, no wonder he was able to evade capture for so many years. This man was hard to pin down and profile, there was seemingly no limit to his skills, resources and interests.
He busied himself with folding and putting away his pallet while he thought of how to answer. He could tell her another story about the last time he had been in an apple orchard trysting with the wife of the local mayor, but that would only upset her. He settled for a small bit of reality. "Unfortunately you will soon learn that in this world of mine, one must take pleasure in the moments that are given."
She watched as he pulled on his pants and shoes and grabbed his dress shirt from the peg on the wall. She wondered if she would be like him one day, regaling people with stories of her travels and adventures. Never staying in one place for too long, settling for passing flings instead of real relationships. She shuddered at the thought. Was it different for men than it was for women? She couldn't picture herself jumping from bed to bed, one affair after another. Though she was nothing like Red, she didn't have the charisma and that special something he possessed that every female and most men were drawn to like moths to a flame, so she probably didn't have to worry about too many casual encounters.
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"Where are we?" Lizzie looked at the 'blink and you'll miss it' town.
"Booneville, Kentucky." He looked over to gauge her reaction to the boondocks they were going to call home for a brief time.
'Ugh', she thought. Of all the places they had stayed, this might be the most depressing.
"It may look deserted right now, but I assure you this town is populated; albeit sparsely." He wished he could take her to luxurious hotels, show her the best in life. He hated that she had to hide away, but hopefully this would all be worth it in the long run and she would be free.
"Aren't we going to stick out in such a small populace?" She couldn't quite keep the incredulity out of her voice. He had been doing this for years, of course, he knew what he was doing but this seemed a little reckless.
"The Chief of Police is a 'friend' of mine." He smiled reassuringly at her. Maybe one day she would trust him enough to know he would never lead her into harm.
"He's willing to uhh… overlook my indiscretions? She pulled her hoodie up over her head and slunk down in her seat. "What if someone recognizes me?"
"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll be safe here. In fact, this will be an extended stay."
"Really?" She sat up and let out an excited squeal. "How long? Are we going to use aliases?" She was so excited she was practically bouncing in her seat. It had only been a month but it was hard to remember what a life not moving from place to place every couple of days was like. Being able to put down roots, so to speak, even for a little while would be a welcome change.
He chuckled at her abrupt change in demeanor. He loved that he could bring her a little happiness in such a stressful time. "Yes, we will be Bill and Judy Engle. Married for four years, no children. You're a blogger and we're staying her for a while while so you can write an interesting piece about life in this impoverished appalachian town."
On the outskirts of town, they pulled up in front of a single story home, badly in need of a fresh coat of paint and an assortment of carpentry tools.
He saw her face fall as they pulled up and he got out and came around to open her door. He gave her a propitiatory look and tried to make light of it as she stepped out of the car. "It looks better on the inside?"
She didn't want to seem ungrateful, he was doing his best and she needed to let him know she appreciated what he was doing. "It may as well be a castle, as far as I'm concerned."
He was thankful she was being so amenable and not refusing to enter. "Well my lady, shall we?" He motioned for her to precede him into the house.
The house was small, maybe the size of a New York apartment. The front door led into the meager 'living' room. There was a small sofa sitting in front of the window opposite the door with a coffee table in front of it that was missing a leg and being propped up with a stack of old newspapers, what looked to be a homemade three shelved bookcase sat against one wall and a wood stove with a large pile of chopped wood next to it on the other wall. To the right was the tiniest kitchen she had ever seen. The oven seemed right out of the 1950's. One cabinet with a wooden countertop sat next to the refrigerator. To the left was a small bedroom. She looked around but didn't see a bathroom.
"Please tell me there is a hidden bathroom here somewhere." She turned to look at him in horror of the thought of trekking out to an outhouse.
"Just passed the refrigerator is a door that leads to the bathroom." He chuckled as he watched her let out the breath she was holding.
"Why don't you take the shower first, I'll bring our things in from the car." He turned and left to get their bags.
She took her bag from him when he returned and made her way into the bathroom. The toilet was to her right and a vanity to her left, her knees pressed against it as she sat to relieve herself. The showertub ran along the remaining wall. Well this place had a silver lining after all, a good soak will be heaven.
When she finally emerged from her lengthy soak, Red was sitting on the sofa ostensibly reading one of the books that had been left on the shelf. She sat down next to him and asked, "What are you reading?"
He could smell her as soon as she opened the bathroom door, he was simultaneously regretting and pleased that he had purchased the apple scented bath products for her at their last safe spot. She smelled heavenly which was hellish, since he wanted nothing more than to draw her to him and inhale her apple scented body from tip to toe. He masked his thoughts as he looked up to answer her. "A kind of dime store novel of some sort. Lurid and outlandish, but fun in spite of that."
She had been around him long enough to know when he wasn't telling her everything and there was something he wasn't saying, she knew better than to ask though, he would just deflect and she was in no mood to hear another story just now. "Sorry I took so long, but there is a bathtub in there and I couldn't resist soaking for a while."
He kept a placid smile on his face but the vision of her breasts just below the surface of the water, her shapely legs rising out the the water while she rubbed soap… He mentally shook his head and abruptly stood up. "Why don't you get some rest while I take a quick shower." A very cold one, he thought.
She understood then what he wasn't saying, it made her feel sexy and powerful. She smirked playfully at him as she stood and made sure to sway her hips just a little more than usual as she made her way to the bedroom.