“Why?” Avery asked, even though he knew the answer.

“They aren’t nice men,” she replied.

This wasn’t the same answer.

She stood up and looked around. The bathroom wasn’t very big. She went to the window above the toilet. It had a crank to open it. She turned the crank and opened it as far as it would go. It was only about halfway. She put her palms on the glass and pushed. She wasn’t surprised when the rusty mechanism that prevented guests at the Sea and Sand Side Inn from opening the bathroom window all the way broke free.

She climbed on the toilet and looked out. She was glad they’d got a place on the first floor.

She climbed back down and knelt next to Avery again.

“Lock the door. If someone other than me tries to get in, I want you to climb through the window and go hide somewhere.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so. Look, when this is over, we’re both going to have what we deserve, okay? No more cheap hotels and no more you hiding in the bathroom or staying in the car. You understand? This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so.”

“What should I do after I hide?”

She didn’t have an answer.

“Find a policeman?”

“No, whatever you do, don’t do that.” There was a knock at the door, and she left Avery in the bathroom.

He knew he should put on his headphones and play a game on his tablet. He didn’t like to listen when his mom was working. This time, however, was different. He put his ear to the door.

“I heard you two were in jail,” she said after letting someone in.

“We’ve got good lawyers and bail money,” one of them said, “It’s nice to see you, ‘Jasmine.’”

“I figured you’d like that. I was expecting Serge.”

A female voice said, “Serge had an accident.”

“Oh,” his mom replied in a way Avery didn’t like, “I didn’t know.”

“Shit happens. Where’s the kid?” a different male voice said.

“Somewhere safe. Where’s the money?”

Avery heard some shuffling and a zipper being opened. He pictured a suitcase and his mom opening it up.

“What is this?” he heard his mom say, followed by the sounds of struggle.

“Looks like you’re going to have an accident too,” the woman said.

After a long couple of minutes, he heard a female say, “Shame, she was a pretty girl. Stupid, but pretty.

Avery was doing the ‘she was a pretty girl’ math when the man said, “I bet the kid ain’t far away.”

No one said anything more and Avery saw the door handle start to turn. He did as his mom had told him and climbed out the window. He could hear the sound of the door being kicked in as his feet hit the ground. He pushed the window shut and ran down the alley behind the motel room.

Avery ran around the building and kept going. He crossed the street and found some bushes to hide in. He stayed low and didn’t look back. He figured if he could see them, they could see him.

He stayed there and listened. He heard some footsteps and then a car went past driving too slowly. The car came back, moving even slower this time. The lights hit him, and he was sure he’d been found. The car, however, kept moving.

Avery stayed where he was for what felt like a long time. When he heard no more footsteps or cars and saw no more headlights, he made his way back to the motel. The window was open now. They must have opened it to look and see if he was in the alley. He must have run fast enough that they didn’t see him. Otherwise, he was sure they would have caught him.

He tossed his tablet in first and then climbed in. He moved past the broken door and saw his mom laying on the bed. For a long moment, he convinced himself she was okay.

He called out, “Mom?” but she didn’t answer.

Avery saw the blood then and knew everything was not going to be okay.

He got closer and looked. He wished he hadn’t.

Avery didn’t know what to do. His mom had been very clear that he should not go to the police.

He sat down at the foot of the bed, making sure he wasn’t touching any of his mom’s blood and cried.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep. The curtains were pulled shut and the room was still dark. He heard the door unlock. Avery considered running, but his body didn’t want to move. If the men and the woman had come back for him, then he was thinking he’d be fine with that.