(Victoria)
It's two days now since I've been here. I sat on the edge of the sagging motel bed, staring at the peeling wallpaper. The room smelled of stale cigarettes and disinfectant. I had paid with my card at the front desk, hoping it would buy me a few more hours to think, to plan my next move. The clerk barely looked up when I signed the register with a fake name.
I told myself to keep moving, lay low somewhere else. But I did not move. My hands were clenched in my lap, gripping my phone like a lifeline.
When I heard the heavy footsteps in the hallway, my stomach twisted. There they were. Police and FBI. I could see them through the thin curtain, lined up outside my door like they had been waiting for me. My eyes widened. My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to turn, run, disappe
