Amity Steffen - Reunion On The Run

“‘Friend’?” Claire echoed. How close of a friend? Was Alex in a relationship? Had he found someone else to love after he’d told her his work had to come first? The thought sent a stab of pain through her heart. It wasn’t jealousy she felt, she assured herself, but rather the old hurt. The realization that she wasn’t enough for him.

Had Gretchen gotten through to him in a way she hadn’t been able to?

“Colleague.” He shot a look her way. “She’s a colleague, and I trust her to keep them safe.”

“Right.” Claire fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan as worry began to niggle at her. “Beth lives in a gated community and her house has a top-notch security system. Do you think they could be in danger?”

Leaving her daughter behind had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. She’d only been able to go through with it because she’d been so sure that Mia would be completely safe with Beth. Far safer than if Claire had taken Mia on the run with her.

“Gretchen will check over Beth’s security system, make sure it’s up to par. I asked her to stay with Beth and her husband until this is over. I don’t think your sister will fight her on it. She sounded frazzled when we spoke.”

“I thought Mia would be safe with Beth,” Claire admitted. “Wouldn’t it be foolish of Xavier to go after her? It would draw unwanted attention to him, to the situation. He’s framed me, wants me to look guilty. If something happened to Mia, it would be too suspicious. Do you think I was wrong? You never answered my question. Do you think they could be in danger?”

“You’re probably right and Mia is probably safest with Beth,” he agreed. “If he were to go after Mia, if she were harmed in any way, it would bring the investigation to a whole new level. Given how reporters are covering this story, something like that would cause a media explosion. But I’ve seen desperate people go to desperate measures. I prefer to err on the side of caution.”

Claire’s stomach clenched at the thought of anything happening to her daughter.

“Thank you. I appreciate the extra protection for my family. I’m sure Beth will, too,” she said. Her sister was married to a cardiologist. Though Steven was brilliant, he was in the business of saving lives via complicated surgeries. Not protecting them by fending off gunmen.

She missed Mia so much her heart ached with it. Prior to this ordeal, she’d never spent a night away from her. Beth had always been actively involved in Mia’s life. Claire knew Mia would be comfortable with Auntie Beth. Yet the child had to be confused. Claire didn’t want her daughter to feel abandoned. She knew all too well how much it hurt to be left behind.

“Claire?”

Her head snapped up.

He motioned to a sign up ahead. “We’re here.”

* * *

Tourist season was over for the year. The small campground was nearly deserted. It was the perfect, indiscriminate place to stay. A Place in the Pines offered small, one-bedroom cabins in addition to its nearly empty campsites. The setting was rundown—or rustic—depending upon your perspective.

Alex scanned the parking lot as he returned to the Jeep. He was confident they hadn’t been followed. He’d driven the back roads long enough to be sure they hadn’t had a tail. Claire had not seemed happy with the prospect of spending time with him. Yet she hadn’t argued, confirming just how afraid, how desperate, she was.

After what he’d put her through years ago, he owed her and he was going to take care of her now, the way he should’ve done back then.

His mind was still reeling, trying to come to terms with what he’d inadvertently uncovered earlier in the day. He had a child. Though the online article he’d read hadn’t mentioned him by name, he was sure of it. It stated that Claire had a three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. It didn’t take a mathematician to figure that one out. The fact was driven home when the article stated that the girl’s father had been absent from her life.

At the time, he thought he had good reason for leaving. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Regret stabbed at him when he remembered how difficult he’d been. How withdrawn. He’d been plagued by nightmares, riddled with guilt over what had happened overseas. How could he ever make Claire understand that pushing himself, going to the extreme, had been the only way to quiet those feelings? It had worked, but only for a while. The guilt always came back with a vengeance. It wasn’t until after he’d found a connection with God a couple years ago that he’d been able to find peace within himself. It had taken being jumped in a dark, grungy alley and nearly losing his life to get to that place.

Now he did his job for the right reason. He was no longer running from the past but living for every moment when he could reconnect a person with their loved ones. Sure, his job was still dangerous, but he was good at it. He was cautious now in a way he hadn’t been back then.

He’d returned from breaking up a human trafficking ring just this morning. Now he wished he’d returned weeks ago. He could’ve been helping Claire all along. Helping her with what, exactly, he wasn’t sure yet. He was going to find out. She’d mentioned Xavier Ambrose a few times now.

While reading about the murder of Jared Mitchell, Xavier’s name had come up several times. They were business partners who owned a successful hotel chain.

The media suggested a volatile marriage between Claire and Jared. His gut instinct kicked in. Claire and volatile were not words that belonged in the same sentence. If their marriage was truly volatile, he had no doubt Jared was to blame.

Alex felt a surge of anger. His mind took off with scenarios he didn’t want to think of. If Jared had hurt her...

He pushed out a breath. If Jared had hurt her, he would face judgment with the Lord for that. There was nothing Alex could do. Especially not now that Jared was dead.

He reached the Jeep and hopped inside.

“Do we have a place to stay?”

“We do.” He held up the key. Claire’s face was plastered on newspapers, the television, the internet. They both knew she had to stay out of sight as much as possible. “It’s the one on the end.”

He drove the short distance to the last cabin in a row of five. All were painted the same deep brown with green shutters. Only one cabin in the middle had a car parked in front of it.

“Tomorrow morning we’ll have to run into town,” he said. “I’ll need a couple changes of clothes. I had a duffel bag in the vehicle I left behind, but we’re obviously not going back there.” He tapped the backpack she clutched on her lap. “Do you have enough to get by?”

“I should.”

“Let’s get you into the cabin.” He got out, pulling the seat forward. Roscoe dropped to the ground with a grunt. His stubby tail wagged as he scoped out their new surroundings.

Claire clutched her backpack as she followed.

Alex quickly opened the door, flipped on the light and ushered Claire in.

The cabin was sparsely decorated but appeared to be clean. When he went into town for clothes, he’d have to grab some groceries, as well. There was no telling how long they would be there.

“It’s not exactly paradise,” he said to Claire, “but it’ll have to do.”

She gave him a cool look. “Compared to where I’ve been staying, it is paradise. At least it has running water.”

“How did you get by in that shack?” Alex asked.

“I took the Jeep into town a few times a week. There’s a truck stop that has showers. I had a propane cookstove, water jugs, a cooler. I made it work.” She moved into the cabin, placing her backpack on the table.

“You went into town and no one recognized you?”