Run, Girl (If You Can)

The police arrived to take Aaron's statement after a torturous forty minutes in the waiting room. He told them all of the basic details starting from the beginning when he received the text messages and showed them his phone.

They confiscated it as evidence but he didn't care. It would be easy enough to get a new one in the morning.

The problem was when they asked him if he had any idea who might be behind this or if either he or Keeley had any enemies that he knew of.

He knew it was Lacy but that could be difficult to prove. If he told them and they questioned her, she would know Aaron was onto her and might turn even more vicious.

Even if there was sufficient evidence, with her father's money she would undoubtedly get off scot free. She would become more cautious and it would be even more difficult to take her down in the future.

On the other hand, not doing anything about his suspicions left things open for further attack in his first life.

He couldn't risk that again but it seemed like no matter which option he chose, Lacy still had opportunities to strike back.

Aaron tried to think about what would be least harmful for Keeley instead of what would benefit his plans to destroy the woman.

Keeley was staying in New York after graduation while Lacy would be hundreds of miles away in Boston. If he let this one slide, she might just leave Keeley alone.

Aaron decided to let Lacy off for the time being though he wanted to see her punished more than anything. He needed to build up his empire before he could take that woman down permanently.

"No, I can't think of anyone."

The police officers fell for his poker face and let him go, heading over to talk to Robert about how they would come back and question Keeley to see if she remembered anything once she woke up. They handed him a business card and left.

The emergency room was busy for a Friday night. People tended to have more time to do dumb things on the weekend so the chances of injury were higher.

Wails of pain and frantic sounds from hospital staff rushing around filled the air. The atmosphere matched Aaron's mood perfectly.

Robert approached him where he sat with his head in his hands once again with a gentle voice.

"Son, why don't you go home and get some sleep? I can call you when she wakes up if you want to visit."

Aaron looked up at the man in distress. He wouldn't be so nice if he knew Aaron's role in all of this. All he ever did was let Keeley down.

He hadn't deserved to be her husband then and he still didn't deserve her now. Not yet. Not until he could give her safety and stability.

If she knew what happened tonight, all the progress they made would be lost. Keeley already didn't want to be around him and this proved why she had the right idea.

Being with him was dangerous. She had already been through enough in his first life. Why had he ever thought things could be different now?

"Mr. Hall, could you…not tell Keeley I was the one to find her? She didn't seem to recognize me so I doubt she'll remember and I don't want her to be uncomfortable."

Robert's eyes softened, remembering how his daughter acted the day Aaron showed up for dinner. The poor kid was afraid Keeley would hate him even more.

After seeing how upset he was by this ordeal, it was obvious he liked her a lot.

"I won't say anything," he promised. "I owe you that much for saving her. If you hadn't been there…"

"I'm glad I got there in time."

Aaron received a message from Carlton saying he had dropped Alice home and was in front of the hospital.

"My ride is here, I should go. If you could let me know when she wakes up I would appreciate it."

They quickly exchanged phone numbers.

"Of course. Get home safe, son," Robert said gently.

As he walked away, Aaron saw a nurse approach Robert and lead him down a hallway so he could see Keeley and be briefed on her situation.

He wanted to be there but didn't have the right. He wasn't her husband anymore.

He was a useless seventeen-year-old boy with no power, no connections, and no way to keep the woman he loved safe.

On the drive home Aaron's thoughts went a mile a minute.

Who did he need to get in contact with earlier than schedule so he could build up his empire? Many of the people who were vital to his business operations after Keeley's death either weren't born yet or were still in elementary school.

Which of his old contacts were either in college or already working their way up in the business world? He needed to make a mental tally of who was where at this moment.

Jeremy Ward, the man Aaron left his business to, wouldn't be born for another six years.

The genius hacker who managed to get the security footage of Lacy killing Max by hurling a heavy object at his head in a fit of anger was about to finish eighth grade. He might be approachable.

Darren Johnson, the trustworthy detective who eventually put the final nail in Lacy's coffin with his testimony, would be a beat cop right now.

As for everyone else…Aaron might have to start over from scratch. It was too early in the timeline.

"Master Aaron, it's nearly one in the morning. What do you plan to tell your parents?" Carlton asked hesitantly, breaking Aaron's concentration as he tried to think of more names.

He was so worn out from everything that his thoughts were all jumbled.

"That traffic was terrible after the dance ended. Alice doesn't care enough to tattle on me. They won't suspect a thing."

Carlton couldn't deny his logic. The young lady he dropped off didn't even seem surprised that Aaron wasn't there to accompany her home.

The world of the rich was unfathomable to him even though he had worked as a driver for the Hale family for nearly a decade.

In all that time, he never saw Master Aaron go out of his way to interact with another person until that girl Keeley came along. She must mean a lot to him.

Carlton didn't want him to lose that so he had never mentioned her to Mr. and Mrs. Hale, knowing they wouldn't approve. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.