The old photograph stared at him.

Kit felt a single bead of sweat trickle down his back and he shuddered despite the warm sunlight on his neck. He looked into his own eyes, knowing he hadn't changed that much since the photograph was taken. It wouldn't take someone too long to notice the similarities between him and the poster, especially if they were standing next to it. They needed to leave before they were spotted.

"Kit." Emily tugged on his arm. "Look."

She pointed to the other poster placed just beside his own, but it wasn't a wanted poster. It was a missing one. Emily's photograph had been placed in the middle, along with details about both her and Kit. It seemed no one had connected her to the shootings of the police officers, and if they had, they'd decided to pin it on Kit, anyway. He had been described as armed and dangerous.

"We need to go," he said.

"What if someone has already connected us to the posters?"

"They won't be able to do anything if we get out of here quickly. The sooner we're on the road, the better."

Emily nodded. She tightened her grip on Kit's arm and used her other hand to tuck a few loose curls up into her cap. Her red hair gave her away more than her face did, so the less that was shown, the harder it would be for someone to connect them to the posters. Still, anyone with a good eye would be able to spot them, and it was a risk he didn't want to take.

Kit could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage and threatening to jump out of his chest. He took a small, shaky breath and tore his eyes away from the poster. With Emily still gripping his arm — her nails digging into his skin — the two of them began the walk back to the motorcar. They kept their heads down and Kit made an effort to angle his cap in a way that completely hid his face.

He glanced at people who walked past them but did his best not to make eye contact with them if he could help it. Emily kept her gaze firmly directed at the stone ground beneath their feet. Kit could feel her trembling with each step they took, and that familiar burst of anger washed through him. All they wanted was one day where they were free of being watched, but Mr Masters wouldn't even give them that.

"Almost there," Kit said when they stepped onto a familiar street.

"Do you think anyone knew it was us?" Emily looked over her shoulder before snapping her head back to look in front of them. "So many people saw us before we saw the posters."

"I don't know. I hope not."

"We'll be fine."

Kit wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure Emily or to reassure himself that everything was going to be alright. If those posters had gone further, they didn't stand a chance of finding somewhere to go where they wouldn't be known. Mr Masters was ruining any chance they had of being completely free and it angered Kit.

When they reached the motorcar, Kit paused. Two men stood behind it, running their hands along the metal and taking a little more notice in it than he would have liked. Kit's fingers twitched towards the gun tucked into the back of his trousers. Using it would only draw unnecessary attention to them, but he didn't have much choice if it came to it.

Escaping mattered more.

Kit cleared his throat. The two men jumped, spinning around and tucking their hands into their pockets.

"Can I help you?" Kit asked.

"We was just looking. Ain't never seen a Rolls up close before. Is it yours?"

"Yes, and I'd prefer it if you didn't touch it. It's an expensive motorcar and we need to be on our way."

"Alright, keep your hair on. We weren't doing no harm in looking at it."

The men stepped away from the motorcar, but Kit kept his hand close to the handle of the gun just in case. Emily released his arm and walked around to the passenger seat, sliding in as Kit did the same on the driver's side. He could feel the men watching his every movement. Kit turned on the engine and quickly pulled away from the curb and the men who had barely moved.

"Hang on! Wait a minute!"

Kit pressed the accelerator down as far as it could and willed the motorcar to move faster. He knew they had read the licence plate and it wouldn't take long before the police were back on their trail. All he had to focus on was getting them out of there as fast as humanly possible.

Emily kept glancing through the back for any sign that someone was following them, but after over fifteen minutes on the road, they decided they were safe once more. She slumped down in her seat, breathing shakily and tapping her right foot against the car. After being so carefree just a few hours before, Kit hated that it had all disappeared in a matter of minutes.

He wanted to do something, to find a way to make everything disappear so they could finally drive without looking over his shoulder. That was the true freedom they both craved, but Mr Masters wasn't going to let that happen. He was never going to let them live in peace.

When he was certain they weren't being followed, and that they were far away from the town, Kit pulled over. He sighed and slumped back in his seat, running hands over my face.

"This is all my fault," Emily said.

"No, it's not."

"I should have stayed with him. If I hadn't run away, he wouldn't have put a price on your head."

"You did what you had to." Kit reached over and grabbed her hand, lightly running his thumb over her knuckles. "None of this is your fault. It's his for being such a terrible father and a horrible person. You deserve to live your life without having to worry about him. We both do."

Emily looked at Kit, tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked and several of them fell down her soot-covered cheeks. Kit reached out and brushed them away, his hand lingering on her soft skin for several seconds. The swooping sensation returned to the pit of his stomach. Heat rose in his cheeks, and Emily smiled.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

~~~

First Published - February 12th, 2024