Much like their time with Rob, the waiting was the worst part.

Kit remained as impatient as ever, knowing there was little for him to do but wait for Adam to give them the documents they needed. After a restless night's sleep, he spent much of the next morning pacing the floor of their small box room. It reminded him too much of those months in Newgate, with little access to the outside world or even to feel the sunlight on his skin.

Adam had given him the bullets from the motorcar, so he made sure the gun was fully loaded. He also knew that Adam had his own weapon hidden somewhere in the house, so they were not without defences if the police came knocking. Even with the gun, he was on edge. Every slam of a door or roar of a motorcar outside made him jump out of his skin. Not having access to the window wasn't helping.

"If you keep pacing, you'll wear a hole in the floor," Emily said. "I don't trust these floors much as it is."

"Sorry, I'm just on edge."

"I can tell. You're limping again."

Kit hadn't even noticed the small twinge of pain that came from his right leg every time he took a step. "I thought they would have healed by now."

"Come and sit down. You won't feel any better acting like that."

He joined her on the edge of the bed, grateful to have taken the weight off his legs, but still annoyed at the bruising that showed no sign of letting up. It was as though Mr Masters was determined to haunt them forever and that the bruises on Kit's leg were his way of doing so. If it came down to it, he wasn't sure he'd be able to run fast enough to get away. They could end up being his downfall if Adam got caught trying to forge the papers.

"I know you hate those bruises, but if Father had never struck you with the motorcar, we never would have met," Emily said. She folded her hands in her lap, watching Kit.

"Strange that. It took me almost dying for someone like me to give me their two-pence worth."

"Kit."

"What? You and I both know that our lives were too far apart to ever really meet, well, unless I was stealing from you." He laughed. "As much as I hate the bruises, I'm glad it happened. I ain't never had anyone in my life like you before."

"Me neither."

They smiled at each other, welcoming the silence that settled over them. It wasn't tense or uncomfortable; it was the most comfortable silence Kit had ever found himself in. Emily had this way of calming the voices in his head and the nerves that bubbled up from all the waiting. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but she made everything better.

Kit thought through everything that had happened since they first met. From running away to shooting the police officers, and being chased in the first town they came to. So much had happened, and the end was in sight. In just a few days, they would finally be away from all the trouble they faced. They'd be on a boat to a country where no one knew who they were or what they'd done.

He wondered if they could ever live a normal life after everything that had happened. Kit still found himself itching to get into trouble. Stealing had been a part of him for almost half of his life. It had been who he was, and he didn't think it would be something he could just throw away. His group always spoke of the mobsters in America, and Kit couldn't help but think he'd like to join them.

Notoriety sounded good to him, especially if it came with having evaded the English police for almost two weeks.

"You'll have to get a new Rolls Royce in America," Emily said.

"Hm. Maybe I can get another dark green one. It was a pity to leave that one behind, knowing it would go back to your father."

"We should have destroyed it, would have served him right." A bitterness sat on Emily's words. "I don't think I can imagine you in anything other than a Royce. It suits you."

"Oh yeah? Rob always said I was aiming too high, especially since they were always so well protected."

"He didn't bank on you getting hit by one."

"Neither did I." Kit laughed at the absurdity of it all. His dream car had almost killed him, but it had provided him with a means to steal it. It was almost a sign. "What should we do when we get to America? Where should we go?"

"Maybe one of the big cities. New York could be good. I've read a lot about it, and you'd blend right in with the Royce and the mobster."

He thought for a moment, thinking back to their conversation on the road. "We could always move around like we planned. Highwaymen, but in America."

"Could be fun, though I think a lot of it is still open space."

"We can make it work."

"Yes, yes, we can."

Kit sighed and leaned back against the mattress, staring up at the white, peeling ceiling above his head. Emily copied him, her hand finding his. He liked the idea of working with the mobsters, but a life on the road seemed more his style. The freedom to travel, not being tied to one place, and causing as much chaos as he possibly could was definitely something he could see himself doing. That, and he'd had enough of the big city.

A life in London had bought him nothing but misery. It just made the poor people poorer and the rich that little bit richer. Cities came with rules, with police officers, and smoke-covered streets. He wanted out. Spending his life on the road with Emily at his side, robbing people when they needed money or food, and having more freedom than he ever dreamed of was more his style.

He had no problem leaving the city behind, so long as Emily was by his side and the threat of being captured or arrested was long gone. The life he had always wanted was so close he could almost taste it, and he couldn't be more excited.

Yet they still had to wait. For the papers, for the chance to leave Adam's place without being caught, and for the next boat out of the country to America.

He hated waiting.

~~~

First Published - February 14th, 2024