Catch Me

Chapter 23

    Only a day had passed and we were already at another hotel. The both of us were terrified of getting caught, so we made the mutual decision to keep running. Even though the both of us were drained and we wanted nothing but to take a break, that didn't seem feasible given the SSI's capabilities.

     Kyle was placing pasta onto my plate and I got flashbacks from the day Kyle cooked at my place. We'd only been acquaintances back then, but I knew deep down I'd been into him even then. From the way my heart skipped a beat from simply being near him, I knew that our love wasn't a gradual one. Somewhere, deep down in my heart, I'd always felt something for Kyle, even when I thought I hated him.

    Once Kyle finished putting pasta on his own plate, he grabbed his fork and I did the same. We were seated at a small dinner table and we sat across from each other. I was trying my best not to stare at Kyle and Kyle being Kyle, barely seemed to notice my existence.

    No matter how much time we spent together, no matter how much I tried to remind him that I still loved him, Kyle didn't seem to forgive me. I could tell he fell out of love, but I kept brushing it off because I didn't want to face the truth.

    "How come you're with me?" Kyle asked, surprising me.

    "What do you mean?" I asked, trying my best not to get offended.

     Kyle pulled his eyes away from his plate and he looked at me. His face was unreadable and I stared back, wishing I could read him. Kyle had opened up so much when we got together, but now he was back inside his protective shell, trying his best to hide what he was thinking.

     "I mean I don't think you have to stay with me," Kyle said. "They're after me, not you. You could be back home and safe. You don't need to be running with me."

    "This is all my fault," I said. "I will do everything in my power to help you because of that. If you go down, I'm going down with you because I deserve to face the consequences, too."

    Kyle stared at me, a faint look of surprise on his face. But, he quickly concealed it when I wouldn't peal my eyes away. He then nodded and went back to eating, and I joined him as for a moment, we did nothing but eat.

    "Are the SSI really that good?" Kyle then asked. "Do you think they have a good chance of finding me?"

    "They are really good," I said. "I don't know if they will necessarily catch you, but they will be able to track you down no matter where you are. They're good at spying."

    Kyle groaned quietly and ran his fingers though his hair. I stared at him, noticing how much he aged in the last few days. Although Kyle was still handsome, he now looked worn out.

     "I mean you evaded getting caught by them though," I said. "As a drug dealer, I mean. You were one our teams biggest missions. For some reason we just couldn't confirm that you were the one making the drug deals."

    "I know it's surprising, but I'm not just a pretty face,' Kyle said.

     I grew surprised by his sudden joke and I broke out into a smile. Usually I would have rolled my eyes and scoffed at how cocky he was, but it was nice to hear Kyle joke around me, especially given the circumstances.

    "I left no trace, always chose a different spot to sell drugs, and I made sure everyone I sold to was trusted," Kyle said. "Not because I was scared for myself, but because I was scared of landing in jail and leaving my family to fend for themselves."

     My eyes softened as I thought of the Rivers family. As I realized they were currently on their own, fear bubbled up within me.

    "Are they okay?" I asked. "On their own?"