Chapter 92

An hour later, Justin and Anna boarded the train to Chicago that afternoon with no problems. They had a private room again and kept to themselves. With a private bathroom and meals brought by a porter, there was no reason to leave. Justin had packed a stack of books to read, and they had also purchased puzzle books and playing cards in Portland to ensure they had plenty to do during the nearly two-day journey across the country. Most of the time, though, Anna was content to watch the world pass by their picture window until the sun went down. She’d never seen such sights.

They talked a lot. Anna gradually shared her story with Justin. Or at least the parts he didn’t already know. Travis had told him a lot, but spending two days confined together gave her plenty of time to share her entire story. He let her cry on his shoulder and smiled when she shared the happy parts.

“I think the only people who know as much as you do are Wilhelm and Kurt. Alex knew everything up until he died.” She fiddled with her ring and stared out the window.

“Why do you still wear your ring?”

Anna looked down at it and shrugged. “I didn’t take it off when I was on drugs and...” She shook her head. “It’s all I have left of Alex. Especially now.” She didn’t even have his picture anymore.

On Monday afternoon, they arrived at Chicago’s Union Station and had over four hours to wait until their New York-bound train departed.

Justin held Anna’s hand as they walked into the busy main waiting area. “I’d love to take you out to dinner, but I don’t think it’s safe to go out on the streets.” He sighed. “In fact, I think it’s best we find a little corner to sit in and stay there. They have security cameras that might pick up your features. Keep your head down. There’s no doubt Devin knows you’re gone now, and will definitely be looking for you.” He kissed her cheek and led her to a wooden bench along the side of the wall. “This is why we took the train. It’s the last place he’ll think to look.”

Anna nodded and looked down at the floor as dread filled her heart. “I’m afraid.”

Justin put his arm around her. “It’ll be okay, A—Katrina.”

They sat together on the bench, Anna leaning her head against his chest.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

He stood. “Stay here. I’ll get us something to eat. Keep your head down.”

He walked away, flashing her a last smile over his shoulder.

She lay down on the bench with her head on the backpacks. A TV hung on the wall nearby, tuned to a national news channel. She stared at it, not fully listening, until her name caught her attention. She looked up and saw her own picture on the screen with “Missing Ballerina” at the bottom of the screen.

“Oh, no!” She flipped over to face the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. Where was Justin? Surely Devin would find her now! She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled, wishing she could bury herself into the wall behind the bench.

Justin returned a few minutes later. “Here,” he said, dropping something soft on her head.

She reached for it and then sat up. “A baseball cap?”

He shrugged. “It might help you stay hidden.”

She put it on her head, pulling her hair through the back hole. “Did you see the news?”

“No.”

“I’m missing. My picture was up on the screen.” She buried her face in her hands. “He’s going to find me.”

“Shit.” Justin sat down hard next to her. “Once we’re on the train, we’ll be okay,” he said in a calm voice. “We just have to make it ‘til then.”

The wait dragged on and on. Every passing second felt like an hour. Anna lay with her head on Justin’s lap, hat pulled low over her face. She could feel his tension as he rubbed her shoulder and back. “It’ll be okay, Katrina. It’ll be okay.”

No one bothered them and the minutes ticked by. Anna’s constant inquiries about the time didn’t seem to bother Justin; he cheerfully answered each time, even if only a few minutes had gone by.

Eventually, the time to board the train arrived. Anna kept her head down, feeling the press of bodies and the buzz of conversation keenly as they made their way through the crowd. They finally arrived in their small room on the train and collapsed on the couch, sighing with relief.

Justin hugged her to his side. “Once we’re in New York, we’ll be fine. I promise.”

Justin woke in the middle of the night to a trembling, sweaty Anna crying next to him. He held her tight and whispered soothing words until she fell back to sleep.

She huddled next to him all the next day, which Justin didn’t mind, except that she was frightened. He didn’t like her being scared and wished he could somehow take it all away.

Anna fell asleep with her head on his lap mid-afternoon, and Justin let her sleep until they crossed the bridge into Manhattan. The train was two hours late, and every stop had made his stomach churn. Apart from mealtimes, though, they’d remained undisturbed.

Justin hadn’t been back to New York since he’d moved to San Francisco. He’d grown up in Brooklyn with his parents, two older brothers, and a younger sister. His oldest brother, Charlie, was a lot like his dad. Steve, next in line, and Justin were only a year apart and had always been best friends. Gracie, his sister, was sweet, but spoiled as only the youngest girl in a family of boys can be. Justin had spoken with his dad more in the last few months than he had since he moved out of the house at eighteen. Strangely enough, his dad’s respect for him seemed to have increased as the whole situation unfolded. Maybe he’d finally realized that Justin wasn’t a sissy just because he was a dancer.

He smoothed his hand over Anna’s hair. “Anna. Time to wake up. We’re here.”

Anna sat up and looked around, and her eyes finally locked on his. “We made it?”

Justin nodded. “We made it.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. “What do we do now?”

“Someone will meet us at the station and we’ll go from there.”

“Who?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” Those in charge had kept a lot of things on a need-to-know basis. Ian hadn’t even been told where they were going, but he was a smart guy and Justin was pretty sure he’d figured it out. All Travis had told him was that someone would meet them at the station. Someone that they both knew.