"You ain't getting out of here anytime soon, Jonesy. Not if you want to do it with your life." Rob took off his cap and threw it onto the broken couch. "You're a wanted man."

Kit scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg, and brushed the dust off his trousers. "That bad?"

"Worse. Every police officer is looking for you and the Rolls Royce. They want you for what we did to Phelps, stealing the motorcar, and kidnapping."

"But he didn't kidnap me." Emily stood up, brushing her hair off her face. "I went willingly."

"We know that, but they don't. The motorcar is our biggest issue. You drive that, they'll find you, same if you try to sell it on. But they don't know I'm with you and I can make a car disappear like nobody's business. Will take a few days to do the work, mind."

Kit nodded, scratching his chin. He knew getting the motorcar out of the city wasn't going to be an easy task. Just driving the car through the streets would have the police after him. If he had just driven the motorcar through the night rather than stopped, they could be well on their way to the seaside by now. But he hadn't. That was his mistake and whatever he had to do to ensure their safety, he was willing to do it.

If Rob could get the motorcar disguised, they stood more of a chance, but there were other things they needed to take into account. Mr Masters knew his face and Emily's. Every police officer in the city would know what they looked like and what they had been wearing upon their escape. For the getaway to be smooth and without issue, they needed to disguise themselves.

He looked at Emily, who chewed on the skin of her thumb. Despite less than a day having passed since leaving the Masters' household, she was a far cry from the pristine girl he had seen that first morning. Her red, curly hair was knotted together, falling in front of her face like a thick curtain. The dress, which was usually pristine and without a single crease, was wrinkled after a night of her sleeping in it. Despite that, she hadn't lost her beauty.

Emily met his eyes, smiling a little. Kit wondered if she was as prepared for what was to come as she said she was. It was one thing to dream of freedom and to take those first few steps. It was another to walk head-first into the dangers. Getting out of the city might have been the hardest step, but surviving with nothing but clothes on their backs would be another. Kit couldn't blame her if she decided to go back home, but he had the feeling she would remain no matter the risk.

"We're going to need new clothes and a form of identification," Kit said. He wrapped his fingers around the back of the couch to keep his balance. "It might throw them off."

"You can take something of mine, but I ain't got any dresses. Can't buy one neither, not without someone getting suspicious."

"I don't need a dress. It will make me stand out too much," Emily said. "I'm better off disguising myself in a pair of trousers."

"That ain't ladylike."

"I never said I was a lady, nor do I intend to be."

Rob laughed, shaking his head. "I like her, Jonesy. Reckon you lucked out."

"Do you have a pair of scissors?" Emily picked up a strand of hair, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "This is more of a giveaway than the clothes, but Father won't think I had the guts to cut it. They'll all be out looking for a young girl, not a boy."

Kit looked at her, tilting his head to the side. Perhaps she had more determination to get away than he first realised. Maybe she really was in it until the end, especially if she was willing to go to such lengths to avoid being caught.

"You sure?"

"It's only hair. It'll grow back. Besides, I've always wondered what I'd look like with it short, but Father never let me. He said it wasn't ladylike."

"I'll let you two sort all that out," Rob said. He looked at Emily with an awe-like expression, shocked that she wasn't the lady she appeared to be. "I'll see about the motorcar and get you some form of identification. You can stay here until it's sorted."

"Thank you, Rob."

"You saved my backside more times than I count, Jonesy. It's about time I repay the favour."

Rob tapped him on the back, his hand beating against one of the bruises that had yet to fade. He grabbed his cap from the couch and disappeared back through the front door, leaving Kit and Emily alone once more. Silence settled over the room except for the echoing voices and engines coming from just beyond the door. It was strange to Kit that there were people so close to him, yet they could have been in another part of the country.

If everything went according to plan, they would be out of the city in a matter of days. The thought of finally being free of the enclosed brick buildings and driving the car of his dreams made Kit all the more excited to finally be on the road. He just had to hope that nothing got in their way, especially when they had so much to lose. It was no longer just about his freedom, but about Emily's, too.

He looked at her, watching as she rummaged through the few possessions Rob had in search of a pair of scissors. Kit couldn't remember the last time, if ever, he felt such a connection to someone, especially a person who on the surface appeared to be the exact opposite of himself. Emily had a determination he hadn't expected, a willingness to do whatever it took so long as she didn't have to see her father again.

It certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.

Emily turned back to face him, a pair of rusted scissors in hand. She smiled, the sunlight glinting off the blades. He watched her slip a single strand of hair between them and snip, letting the red curls fall to the floor.

There was no going back now.

~~~

First Published - February 5th, 2024