Fortune (Rafe): Fortune

My Fortune is missing.

I waited so long

Worked so hard

Over hill and dale

Beyond the valley

Not so far that it can never be found

But well out of my own grasp

My fortune is gone

And I shall never be the same

For she was my everything

1

RAFE

He’d finally found her.

Rafe had watched her playing in the big front yard. The brightly dressed child was a spot of life against the perfectly manicured lawn and dull brick house. The shutters were gray, the same shade as the house three doors down. The brick was the same shade as the brick used in the whole neighborhood—the faded, dark red that was meant to look old when the houses were clearly new.

A decade ago, this neighborhood hadn’t been here. He could tell because the treetops didn’t yet clear any of the rooftops. Aside from a few, big old oaks strategically left in place when the area was razed—indicating the area had likely been woods before—there was no shade. There had been nowhere for him to hide.

He hid in plain sight.

He’d been here before, many times. He’d sat on this street. It had taken so long, learning the codes to get in the gates. Relearning them when they’d changed. Of course, today the wrought iron gates stood open, broken. The small metal code box looked damaged as though someone had run into it with a too-big car.

His heart pounded. Today was the day.

But it wasn’t quite time yet.

In the front yard, a small boy played with her. The pair wielded sticks and plastic lightsabers in a mock battle. The lightsabers looked expensive. The sticks were more reminiscent of Rafe’s own childhood. For a moment he laughed, sitting there in the stillness of the car. Where had these children found sticks? What trees might they have fallen from? Leave it to an eight-year-old to find one, though.

Today he was in a silver Mercedes sedan. He looked so normal here, no one would even question his presence. No one would think twice, but he already had. He’d thought three times, five times, ten. He’d swapped out the plates with another car, one he’d scoped out before. Not far away, out beyond town, the farmland had horses, a barn, a car parked under an old tarp and rarely used. The barn where it lived was on the other end of the property from the main house.

A quick walk through the trees along the drive, a few turns of the screwdriver and his Mercedes had traded tags with an old Sentra. Up to date. He would not get pulled over.

He’d come by the house before driving beige or white sedans. He’d come once in the palest blue . . . he wasn’t sure. The color was so dull, even he didn’t remember it, but he remembered the little girl.

Like today, she’d been dressed as a bright spot in the repetitive neighborhood. His heart ached when he saw her. He had a picture book started for her, for when she was ready. The first time he’d come, he hadn’t thought she was ready yet.

More than once, he’d come by and not seen her. And one time, he’d seen her mother, Mia Long Flores, and her father, Eddie Flores. Only after watching them, wondering where they were going without their child, did he realize that she was actually with them. Dressed in a staid blue dress, the girl was almost invisible. She didn’t look like herself.

She didn’t look like Sarah.

That was what had killed him. That’s what made his heart ache. Wherever they were taking her, she wasn’t allowed to be herself. Fortune was neon colors. She was canary yellow or magenta. She was a pop of bright blue, often with splashes of color not found anywhere other than the small plastic ponies she loved.

He had a new one for her.

It had taken him three years to come to this moment.

Five years ago, he’d sobered up. Started going to AA meetings. He told them most everything, but not quite all of it. How could he tell all of it? They might think he was still drinking. Or worse. He altered his stories slightly to mirror their own. He leaned heavily on his sponsor. And he eventually passed a year completely clean.

They’d wanted him to become a sponsor to someone else. A year was early into the game, but they suggested that he think about it. He’d thought about it, but he wouldn’t do it. He had other things to accomplish.

While he’d been shitfaced at the bottom of the bottle, he’d told himself over and over and over that he was crazy. Then, he’d hit one year sober and it occurred to him that it wasn’t the bottle that made him believe. There he stood, bone dry, clear-headed, and ready to take on the world, but the world was still taunting him. He knew the truth. Or at least part of it.

He’d told his sponsor thank you and promptly disappeared on the man. He threw himself into his job. He’d earned a promotion. A big change for a man who’d spent three years hammered off his ass. He earned another. And he dug.

He’d dug up a lot.

But it was what he’d literally dug up that smacked him in the face.

It was three years ago that he’d started on the track that finally led him here. To this neighborhood. To this child.

In his job, he’d been promoted into sales. Over time, his region expanded to cover all of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He’d just had Colorado, Utah, and Arizona added. He had plenty of places to go. He had plenty of cover.

No one missed him when he visited here. In fact, his work was paying him for this. The silver Mercedes was the first car he’d rented on his own, though he’d done the license plate switch many times before. Nothing bad happened in a silver Mercedes.

He looked into the yard again.

Fortune still looked like a splash of happiness against the grass that her little friend almost blended into. They were growing weary of sticks and lightsabers. The boy said something and wandered off.

Now, it was time now.

Did she know? Had she seen him?

He did not want to get out of the car.

His heart pounded.

Turning on the engine, he pushed the gear into drive and pulled out. He was on the wrong side of the street, far back. It was easy to watch from here. Easy to see her without being seen, but that was exactly the problem.

Out of sight, he felt the rush of fear that his plan would not come together. Three years he’d spent looking. Last year he’d found her. He’d been so patient, almost not believing this day would come. He reminded himself that if today was not the day, another one would be. Safety was paramount.

Pulling onto a short side street, he followed the arc of the cul-de-sac and let it spit him back out onto the street the Flores family lived on. He knew this neighborhood even better than he knew his own. Hitching a right-hand turn, he headed back past the house, only this time headed in the correct direction.

He hugged the edge where grass met pavement and he began to have second thoughts. He couldn’t give her this life.

Despite the promotions, despite being alone and saving his money, he couldn’t afford anything like this. He probably never would. But he could give her something more. Knowledge was power, and though she was only eight, she needed it. The beautiful life awaiting her had holes in it. Holes even he was only just beginning to find.

Did Mia and Eddie know about them? Did they gloss them over? Cover them with smiles and seemingly sincere handshakes?

He didn’t know. He only knew he’d once met Eddie and Mia Flores in person. He’d shaken their hands and said his name and saw no spark of recognition from either. It was still possible that they were as innocent as Fortune. It was just as possible they weren’t.

This was the only way to keep her safe. Or at least to let her know the truth, at least as much as he knew of it.

He pulled up, rolling slowly as he hit the edge of their property line. The little boy, Derek, had gone across the street and inside his own home. Rafe had been waiting for that moment. Now was the time. If any of the neighbors were nosy, they might see something. He wore sunglasses to obscure at least some of his face.

It was a sunny day, and he told himself nothing bad could happen. This car fit into the neighborhood and several of the people here falsely recognized him as one of their neighbors anyway. He’d been at this for a year. He’d been careful. Today the last piece would fall into place. He hoped.

Looking up into the yard, he didn’t see her. No splash of pink from her hoodie. No Fortune.

His heart plummeted as he reminded himself to be patient. If today was not the day, then next week could be. He had an appointment in Arizona in three days. He would have to make it. He couldn’t try again tomorrow. Though he would come back and park at the house under construction at the end of one of the outer streets. He would say it was his if anyone asked. No one asked. Here, the neighbors waved, they smiled, they walked on. And later, no one would have a clue. Even though they’d all seen his face and most had looked him in the eye. His clothes and his car fooled them all. He was nice. Open. He was driving a silver Mercedes. Who would suspect him?

Slowly, he rolled forward. He couldn’t look like he was waiting, couldn’t afford to be suspicious.

Had she ducked back inside? Opening the grand front door by its center-placed knob? Chances were it wasn’t as heavy as it was designed to look. Fortune’s whole life was designed for appearances. But Rafe had no clue if the foundations were solid and steady or not, if anything was as it appeared.

He caught a glimpse of movement at the side of the yard. The dollhouse. He hadn’t considered it. His heart skipped another beat, but then there she was, coming out of it, her bright splash of pink beckoning him.

Rolling the car to a stop, he held his breath. Quickly, he looked around the neighborhood. Who was out? No one.

Who might be home and looking out the window? It could be any of them. His only hope was that they didn’t pay enough attention to each other to even begin to notice, but he had to play it as though someone would.

The shocking colors of Fortune’s outfit would catch someone’s eye, but he couldn’t bear to squash her spirit. It was a risk he would have to take. She was only eight.

He blinked then, noticing her hands were full. One had held a clutch of tiny plastic ponies. Their bright colors were no match for the girl who grasped them by their hair. They mesmerized him, swinging as they did from her small fist.

Her other hand held a suitcase. Small and blue, it had a character on it that he couldn’t make out. But her hands were full and she was heading down the slope of the lawn toward him.

Reaching over, he popped open the door and pushed at it. It didn’t open enough. He glanced around again, paranoia hitting him full blast like never before. Suddenly, he doubted every decision, every step, but it was too late to pull back.

Though the door was only barely ajar, she pushed it open with her elbow and wedged herself into the passenger side. Her eyes lit up as she saw him, her face blooming into a smile that captured his heart. He knew that smile.

For a moment, he was frozen, transported back in time. Then he slammed harshly into the present. There was no going back.

Fortune pulled the door closed, settling into the seat. Her legs didn’t reach the floor and she shouldn’t be in the front, but he didn’t correct her on safety, not first thing. His depended on getting out of there.

Hi, Rafe! She beamed the words out at him.

Hello, to you, too. His heart soared, his smile matched her own, didn’t it? It’s time for our adventure.

2

Rafe handed the little girl a movie-sized candy box of Sour Patch Kids and watched her light up. She liked them. She snuck them from friends at school. Her mother and father said they were bad for her teeth and didn’t let her have them. She was stuck with boring old popcorn at the movies, she’d said.

Rafe’s own childhood had barely afforded movie tickets, let alone popcorn or candy. Those were treats reserved for birthdays or graduations. But he didn’t begrudge her perspective. Fortune attended a private school with uniforms and sweet-and-sour teachers. She had her own bedroom and her parents all to herself.

Where are we going? she asked excitedly between bites. To her, this was all an adventure.

Arizona, he said now with confidence. He’d not been able to tell her before. He’d not known his work schedule, nor when he’d be able to start. Rain would have thwarted him. Derek the neighbor kid might have. Yet here she was, sitting next to him happily munching on Sour Patch Kids. We have a few things to do first.

Like what? Her words were unclear. She had her mouth full and he didn’t correct her. Unless it was unsafe, he wouldn’t. She deserved to have some fun.

He didn’t like this part, but he had to do it. I need you to climb into the back where it’s safer.

She frowned at him, but when he didn’t budge, she crawled between the front bucket seats and into the back. He didn’t ask for more, not yet. Besides, Fortune was the one doing the asking. Between bites of Sour Patch Kids, she managed the question, How far away is Arizona?

Pretty far. So, first we need to make a stop at a farm, and you can see the cows and horses go by. Then I’ll tell you what the next stop is.

Okay.

Pulling out from the open gates, he hooked a right and headed back to the farm and the old Sentra. As they headed farther out of town and into farmland, Fortune watched out the window at the cows that milled behind the fences. Here and there, horses intervened, acting superior despite the fact they wore no cowboys and gave no herding instructions.

That old barn is cool. She was looking up into the hayloft, probably never having seen one.

It is. Give me a minute. Rafe swung his gaze around in a wide arc, looking for the people who owned the farm, checking for tire tracks that might indicate someone had been out here since he last had. Someone might have seen his work on their old car, but he found nothing to indicate anyone had.

While he was away from his rental car, with Fortune tucked safely into the back seat, he pulled out his phone and checked in. His heart raced as his information loaded slowly out here in the back of beyond. But then the beat slowed to a steady thump again when he saw he had no alerts. No one had yet identified the silver Mercedes as the vehicle that had taken her.

Did they even know yet that she was gone? They had to have noticed it by now. If he had pulled it off, they were looking at the neighbors. Checking with their kids. None of them would know his car was the one that had taken her. And he hadn’t really taken her, had he? She’d climbed right in. But in another day, he’d be across state lines and that was another level of criminal activity. He’d known what he was getting himself into.

He pulled the Sentra’s plate off his car, and then took his own back from the Sentra. He’d never driven up to the other car, only walked. Even then, he’d walked to the side of the path. They would have to sift through a lot of information before they even thought to look for anything here. Rafe was confident of this part at least. The rest was a bit of a crapshoot.

As he closed up his car with its regular license plate back in place, Fortune stuck her nose to the window, making faces at him. He could see Sarah in her. It was in the shape of her eyes, the shade of the gold flecks in her iris, the slight bow to her lips. It almost brought him to his knees. But he couldn’t let her see him waver, so he made a face back and tried to laugh at all of it.

He pulled open her door, letting her tumble out because she’d put her weight onto the window. Okay, kiddo. Gotta get into the car seat.

She tipped her head back, somehow managing an angst beyond her small years. I wanted to ride in the front!

You can’t. I’m sorry but it’s not safe.

It’s fine. She looked put out, as though suddenly she’d become the director of the J.D. Powers award for automotive safety.

Ah, no. It’s not. Besides, it’s illegal. I don’t want to get arrested. He squinted at her to see if the imminent threat of his demise was enough. It wasn’t. Do you?

She shook her head slowly as though the decision was not an easy one.

Rafe tried again. If we get arrested and thrown in jail, we’ll be in separate cells. And then where will our adventure be? So, go ahead and get in the back.

You said I can have pictures. Can I have a picture with the cows?

He laughed. Of course she remembered that. This child had grown up digital. Pictures or it didn’t happen. He wanted them, too. Well, you can’t get too close, but you can stand on the fence and point to them.

Fortune obliged, her bright pink hoodie standing out amid the greens and browns of the field. Had anyone come by this deserted road, he would have be seen. His only hope was that she wasn’t counted as missing just yet.

She climbed the old wooden fence before he could get there to help, and he prayed she didn’t get splinters. For a moment, he stood there in stunned silence while she yelled for the cows. This was a contingency he had not accounted for. What if she became injured? Splinters, Band-Aids, things like that, he could handle. But a broken bone? A serious fall? A car accident? That would be the end of the adventure certainly. He didn’t have a plan for that. In all his heart-pounding, sweat-inducing moments of mapping every detail, that particular option had never crossed his mind. He had no plan and he would just have to pray for the best.

Take my picture now! She looked over her shoulder at him, and he pulled out his second phone. Not attached to any phone service or internet, he was using it to catalog their trip. If she saw the switch, she said nothing, only beamed for her photo.

Once she saw that he had taken the photo, she ran back to him, once again setting his heart to tripping at the thought of injury, but she was fine. Show me?

He held the small screen down and she grinned at how he’d captured all the cows in the background, the strange angle making them look closer. Rafe grinned. We’ll print it out and put it in our photo book.

We have a photo book?

It’s an adventure! How can we not have a photo book for it? He took her hand, reassuring himself he wouldn’t let her twist an ankle on the uneven ground hidden by the tall grass. In fact, I already got it started.

Can I see it?

When we stop tonight. It’s getting dark. Let’s get in the car and get back on the road.

Aye-aye, captain! She gave him a jaunty salute and he watched as she expertly climbed into the booster seat he’d put in the back of his car. It was exactly like the one she had at home. He’d checked. She buckled herself, not letting him help and gave him a thumbs-up.

His heart soared. He finally had his little girl. He’d waited so long, and here she was. It didn’t seem real.

Pulling the car out from the hidden spot along the road, he executed what he thought was a perfect seven-point turn, avoiding the ruts, and headed back down the long road. The sun was setting behind the trees and he was anxious to get onto pavement before it got too dark. If the cameras at the Flores’ neighborhood were working—and he didn’t think they were—they would trace back to this car. The Mercedes once again bore the out of state plate the rental company had slapped on it.

Still, he turned the heat up in the car, dealing with it, aiming the vents into the back until she became uncomfortable enough to take off that flag of a jacket. Without saying anything, she slid her arms out of it, and set it to the side in the middle of the backseat. Rafe breathed easier.

Next stop, dinner! he announced as he saw her start to nod off. She perked up when he started reading off fast food restaurants. When prompted, she chose one he wasn’t fond of.

Why that one? Do you like it? He asked and she replied only that she wanted to try it, she’d never been.

He let her have it. For her, anything. They drove through, getting burgers and fries. She was awed that he let her eat in the car. She even got a soda.

That was good, he would need her awake for a while tonight. There were two things he needed to do soon, but he was already behind. Though he’d plotted out all the times, somehow, he was running behind schedule. It didn’t matter what had messed up, but he could only get to one thing tonight. If that. He had to choose.

Rafe considered putting both off, but that would be too dangerous.

An hour later, they pulled into the back lot of a cheap motel less than two minutes off the interstate.

Are we here?

Well, we are at stop number one, he answered as he pulled open the back door for her. She was unbuckling and climbing out. So much to do. So much to see. Work to check in with. His brain churned with the unreality of what he’d done, including renting this hotel room earlier today.

She scrunched her face at the place, clearly used to better digs.

Oh, come on, Rafe remembered sleeping in the car with his mother and little brother on road trips. Even motels had often been out of reach. They camped in national parks with a tent from Goodwill and blew their budget on marshmallows. He could show Fortune how to camp maybe, but not tonight. Instead, he was looking at her disdain of his choice and trying not to laugh. It’s an adventure, right? Be adventurous.

She nodded and let him open the door with the old-school metal key, its diamond shaped plastic tag announcing that it opened a door to the Rocky Road Motel. He had no idea if the name was intended to be humorous or sad.

She jumped on the bed for a few minutes. He let her. Wanting to put on the TV, but knowing it was a bad idea, he waited, let her wear herself out. Then he announced step one. Or whichever step it was. She’d been his for three hours, and he’d already lost track of his steps.

He pulled out two boxes of hair dye that he’d stashed in the