Page 39 of In a Perfect World

Chapter 20

Kairo~

When Triana had texted, asking me to meet her, I hadn’t expected this.After confessing that she’d had a meltdown the day that we’d had sex, I had expected that Triana might have some regrets, but nothing like what she’d just said.

Nevertheless, it was hard to fault her for losing her shit.While I was struggling with how to navigate our relationship, her entire world was falling apart, and I couldn’t imagine what that might feel like.With family being everything, I couldn’t imagine what it’d feel like to have my parents turn on me, not to mention wondering which side my brothers would take.All in a matter of weeks, Triana had lost her sense of family, security, and falling in love with me had done nothing but complicate her life more.

So, yeah, I got it.

Anyone with even one ounce of compassion could see how Triana would be entitled to be losing it a bit, but her plan to flee to Mexico was crazy.Even if she could make it all the way to the border, Mexico didn’t fuck around.They were anti-anything American, and their border patrol was known for shooting illegals the second that both feet were on their land.There was no chance for an explanation or anything like that; Mexico didn’t care.

Now, while Canada wasn’t as violent, there was no question of Triana being able to make it to Canada.She’d have to make it through Flower Realms and Ivory Meadows undetected to even get close to the Canadian border, and that probability was extremely low.Her Hispanic features were too prominent to pass for an Asian or Caucasian, so Mexico was still her best bet, even if the idea was crazy as hell.

The problem right now was that she was serious.Triana was serious about taking her chances in Mexico, and I couldn’t let that happen.I couldn’t allow her to put herself at risk like that, but I wasn’t sure what to say to talk her out of it.I could point out how dangerous it was, but the woman wasn’t stupid, so there really wasn’t anything that I could point out that she hadn’t already thought about.Right now, it was clear that she just didn’t care.

“Okay, just...let’s talk about...let’s discuss the details,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.“Have you thought about your house?Your car?”

Triana let out a calming breath before she said, “I have enough money in my savings account to pay off my car, so I can...I can make a quick payment to...to take care of that.”

“And your house?”

She was quiet for a second before saying, “Since I don’t plan on ever coming back here, then the bank can foreclose on it.My plan is to empty my bank accounts after paying off my car, so...so it’s not like the mortgage company can take my money.”

“What about your cellphone?”I asked.“They can track-”

“I’ll buy a burner phone,” she quickly stated.“I’ll scrub and delete all of my social media accounts, my emails...everything that the police can look into.I’ll get rid of it all.”

“And what of Tomasco and Sonia?”

“I can’t tell Tomasco without him stopping me, so I’ll...I’ll let Sonia know, and then she can tell him the details after I’m gone,” she said, and though it seemed as if she’d thought this all through, even the best-laid plans had blind spots in them.

“Okay, but...have you even ever been near the border?”I asked, hoping that I wouldn’t set her off with my questions.

“No, but that’s what the internet is for,” she answered, her voice a little cooler.“I can do a satellite search of the area to see what I’m dealing with.”

“And once you get into Mexico?Do you even know where to go?”

“No, but...but I speak and understand Spanish fluently enough to figure it out,” she pointed out, but that wasn’t entirely accurate.

“Baby, you and I both know that American accents differ greatly from the Mexican ones,” I told her.“You might be fluent in Spanish, but your clear accentuation of the words will be noticed by almost everyone in that country.”

“So, you’re saying that I don’t belong anywhere?”she spat, and the hurt in her voice was killing me.“I’m too American to blend with the crowd in Mexico, but I’m also too open-minded to fit in with the people of Rancher Hills.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” I quickly assured her.“I’m just saying that...that the devil is in the details, and I think that you should give this some more thought when you’re feeling less emotional.”

“It’s all that I’ve thought about for two days,” she said, her voice a bit steadier now.