The Kiss after Midnight (The Midnight Trilogy) by Marvin Amazon Page A

a garbage bag and threw her old clothes into it. She also cut up her credit cards and discarded them.
    After much deliberation, Tobias parted with his wallet. “I’ll change later,” he said.
    “Fine. Just put your clothes in another bag.” She held up a compact mirror and touched up her foundation. “I’ll be gone for a while. I’ll get us food and some new disposable phones if I have time.”
    Tobias’ eyes widened with surprise.
    Annabel stopped and met his gaze. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just need to work on our escape.”
    “Escape?”
    “We can’t stay here, Tobias. We need to get out of the country.” She resumed smudging foundation powder on her face. “Just not yet, not until most of this blows over.”
    “So what exactly are you doing? Do you need me to come with you?”
    She shook her head. “You stay here, I’ll be fine. I’m just getting the usual: passports, traveling money, drivers’ licenses, all that stuff. My guy takes some time to make these, so we need to get started as soon as possible.”
    Tobias knew that money would play a huge part in his attempts to escape The Dominguez Family. He thought about another avenue available to him, a member of his family who could help him significantly, a man with great wealth and influence around the world. After pondering the idea for a moment, he dismissed it from his head. The man was dead to him as far as he was concerned, and he was not about to take his money.
    With the garbage bag tied and by the door, Annabel reached into the traveling case and brought out a thin Canon camera. “Take a seat over there.” She pointed at a wooden stool beside the kitchen.
    “What for?”
    Annabel smiled and nudged him onto the stool with a hand on his shoulder. “Now, don’t say ‘cheese’”—she lifted his chin—“but try and look happier.”
    Tobias relaxed his face and maintained an expressionless stare. The camera flashed four times before Annabel announced that she was finished. She showed him the pictures. He didn’t think they were the most flattering shots, but that didn’t matter.
    Annabel put her phone, the camera, some documents and a small bottle of water into her handbag. She looked around the room before walking toward Tobias on the sofa. “Try and stay calm,” she said. “I won’t be long.” She extended her right hand.
    Tobias frowned at it. “What?”
    “The USB drive.”
    He hesitated, surprised that she had asked for it.
    “This isn’t the time for second thoughts. I thought we agreed to trust each other.”
    Tobias scratched his fresh stubble, stood up and edged away from her. “But why do you need it?”
    “What do you think will happen if they catch us?”
    Tobias shrugged.
    “We’re dead, that’s what.” She reached into her bag and drank from the bottle. “We have to get that somewhere safe so if they get us, we’ll still have some leverage.”
    Tobias scratched his head. The recording was his only safeguard, and giving it up made him less dangerous to the gangsters and virtually a walking target. “I don’t know. Who will you give it to?”
    Annabel moved toward him. “My friend, the same guy who will make us the passports. The same guy who will help us escape. Is that good enough for you or do you want his social security number and date of birth, too?” She hissed.
    “All right, all right.” This is a bad idea, but what the hell. She’s gotten me this far. He pulled the USB drive from his pocket and studied it. The look of a sterling silver fountain pen but, in reality, a memory stick with crucial information. He handed it to her, drawing a deep breath.
    She took one more swig of her water and closed her bag. “I’ll be back soon. Stay away from the window, and don’t contact anyone through that thing.” She gestured toward the laptop.
    Tobias nodded, and seconds later she was gone.
    ***
    Tobias found it difficult to remain still. He recalled the news story’s description of Chris’