My Life Of Evasion

21. Forever And Always

***Get your tissues ready, guys. You're certainly going to need them. I sure as heck did!***

Chapter 21

Forever And Always

"I told you not to tell him, Calliope!" Vince's voice said, carrying on all around us as we ran down the alleyway toward where our car was parked.

"Callie?" Max questioned, looking over at me as we ran.

"I'm sorry!" I cried.

He didn't say anything to me as we jumped in the car and he started the engine. I looked behind and saw Vince getting in a car only a few places away from ours.

"Go! Go and put some distance between us!" I yelled.

The tires squealed as he pulled out onto the busy street, narrowly missing another car in the other lane as he dashed across the road, turning onto another. I knew what he was going to try and do. He was going to try and lose them, even if that meant getting ourselves lost.

"So you were working with him?" Max asked, his eyes straight ahead on the road as he tried to concentrate on where he was going.

"I'm sorry!" I cried as tears sprang to my eyes. "But I told you everything. Vince was behind all of this tonight. He told me everything I needed to know and where to find the clue in the box. He already knows where everything leads to. He just wanted our help with the last. But I couldn't tell you anything or he said you would get hurt. I can't let you get hurt!"

Max didn't say anything. He didn't even look over at me like I almost expected him to. The only thing he did to let me know he actually listened was to reach other and grab my hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth before," I whispered. "And now..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you either, but it's already too late," he whispered back.

"What...?"

Just then, his phone started ringing. After he let go of my hand, he dug it out of his pocket and quickly answered.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice hard. He waited a few moments before nodding and taking his phone away from his ear.

"Who was that?" I asked.

But he didn't say anything. He just accelerated and then turned the car on the road that ran right next to the river.

"Max? What are you doing?" I asked, my voice rising in panic, as I looked at the speedometer. It kept creeping high and higher as he swerved in and out of the cars that were traveling on the road also. This wasn't going to end well, I could already tell.

"Max, you have to slow down."

He didn't.

"What are you doing? Slow down!"

He shook his head, grabbing my hand. "This is the only way I can keep you safe," he said, looking over at me.

I'd only seen Max cry a few times in the time that I'd known him...and this was the time that scared me the most. Because it wasn't just tears in his eyes. They were already streaming down his face and his lips were pressed together in a hard line, like he was trying to keep himself from screaming out.

He lifted my hand that he was holding and brought it to his lips. And when he did, I could feel both his kiss and his tears.

"I'm so happy that I had you in my life," he whispered, his voice thick, as he looked back toward the road. It was like he was trying to take the car somewhere planned.