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NaturesBounty

By:J. Rose Allister

Chapter One




Sitting on her suitcase did nothing to help Lydia jam in the rest of the belongings she had hoped to fit inside.

“You’re not listening to me, Ly,” Valerie said over the cell phone while Lydia bounced up and down on the case lying on her bed. “And don’t say ‘mm-hm’. I hate it when you pretend to be listening when you’re really ignoring me.”

The latch on her case still refused to close. “Then you should know better than to talk to me when I’m busy trying to leave town.”

“This isn’t funny.”

“I’m not laughing. And I really should get going.”

“Listen to me. You can’t up and leave this way. Running is the absolute worst thing you can do right now.”

“Actually, going to jail would be the worst thing. I’m not going to stick around while my boss slides me into a six-by-six cell. I’ll spend the next ten years with some tattooed bitch who wants to be my husband.”

“You don’t know that’s going to happen.”

“You’re right, because I’m getting out of here until I figure out a way out of this. Look, if it’s the bail money you helped front for me, I told you I’d pay you back.”

“It’s not the money! I’m worried for you. As soon as you don’t show up for your court appearance, they’ll think you’re guilty. Then it won’t matter if you’re innocent or not.”

Lydia hopped off her uncooperative suitcase with a sigh and started yanking clothes out of it. “What do you mean ‘if’ I’m innocent? I was framed.”

“Sorry. I mean they won’t care that you are innocent. Running is as good as saying you did it.”

“I didn’t steal a damn thing from FTI aside from an occasional pencil over the years. But no one’s going to believe me, Val. Not when Andrew’s covered all his bases.”

“They’ll catch you eventually. There’s no way you can get out of facing that day in court.”

“And before I have that day, I want to turn this around where it belongs.”

With that, Lydia sank down on her bed and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced around her room, which resembled the aftermath of a hurricane. Clothes, shoes and underwear had been thrown every which way while she decided what to leave behind and what to take for her new life on the run. Now there was a fashion collection she’d never seen hit the runway.

“For the well-dressed fugitive,” she muttered, holding up her white slacks. “A stunning piece that will take you straight from the bail bond office to a long road trip.”

“What was that?” Valerie asked.

“Nothing. So, will it be okay for Angel to hang out with you a while longer?”

“The beast can stay as long as necessary.” There was a pause. “She misses you, you know. Sometimes she wanders from room to room, meowing as if she’s calling for you.”

Maybe it was stupid to let that be the thing that undid her, but Lydia’s eyes watered up nonetheless. The tears blurred her view of the room she’d just redecorated in creams and powder blue. Had she known she was about to be slapped with a phony embezzlement charge, she could have saved the money to help bankroll her escape plan.

“You’re just trying to hit me in the soft spot,” she said shakily. “The only time that black ball of fluff ever meows for me is when I’m dishing up her dinner.”

“Don’t go, Lydia.” Valerie’s voice had softened to a gentle pleading. “Come over and visit the beast. You haven’t seen her since you got arrested. We’ll sit and talk this through. There’s got to be a better way.”

“You know there isn’t.” She stood. “I’m going, and I’m staying away until I’m one hundred percent certain I can prove my innocence. Then I want to see that son of a bitch pay for making me take his fall.”

She wandered to the closet, where she kicked off her heels and rummaged for a pair of flats. They would be easier for the long drive across state lines. A few of them, considering her rapidly unfolding plan.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Do you need money?”

An odd laugh bubbled out of her. “That’s an ironic question, considering the nice chunk Andrew conveniently transferred to my bank account. I can’t touch any of it, of course.”

“Hence why I’m asking. They froze you out, didn’t they?”

“Yes, but remember who you’re talking to.” She tiptoed up and grabbed the hatbox off her closet shelf. She tugged off the lid and was reassured to see a few tightly rubber-banded rolls of bills. “You know I keep an emergency stash.”