“Okay.” She nodded.
I lifted her out of bed and set her on her feet. She moved faster than most adults, the training Black and Blue were giving her, showing even when she was half-asleep. She grabbed her little bag from the corner like she had practiced this scenario in her mind already a thousand times. The thought of this being her current reality made my stomach turn. I never wanted thisfor her. Once she had packed her bag, I helped her pick out some warm clothes before she went into her bathroom and got herself dressed. When she was ready, I walked her into the hallway where Nova was already moving with purpose. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her beautiful face was composed of a mask of calm. She looked at Timberly and forced a small smile.
“Adventure time, baby girl. You ready?” Nova asked, gently.
“Are we leaving because the bad people are trying to hurt us again?” Timberly asked with a straight face.
“Nobody is going to hurt us,” she said. “Not with your daddy and your uncles keeping us safe.”
Timberly smiled and nodded, satisfied by the certainty in Nova’s words. I grabbed their bags and we headed downstairs to the foyer where Black and Blue were waiting. They were dressed in all black tactical gear, their weapons concealed. Their eyes scanned the room until they fell on Nova and Timberly.
“Uncle Black! Uncle Blue!” Timberly squealed.
She ran full force, launching herself at the twins as soon as they came into view. She crashed into Blue's legs first and he caught her under the arms, easily lifting her like she weighed nothing at all.
“You ready Timber?” He asked.
“Yeah, Daddy said we're going on a trip. You two are coming with us, right?”
“Of course we are. We still need to work on your aim and start hand to hand combat training.”
Timberly squealed with excitement before asking.
“Does that mean I get my own knife?”
“Of course, as long as you promise to practice your skills every day," Black said, like a proud teacher.
I walked past them with our bags, opening the door and handing them to one of the men stationed at the front ofthe house. There were at least 100 men positioned around the property but only fifty of the most loyal would be going with them to the safe house. There were nine SUVs positioned in the driveway ready to take them to their destination. Once the bags were inside the trunk the men loaded them inside. I turned toward the stairs and held my hand out for Nova. When her hand was in mine, I guided her down the stairs and over to the middle SUV.
The vehicles were positioned strategically so that the one they were riding in would be flanked by the others. Black placed Timberly into the back seat with Nova before getting into the front seat with his brother at the wheel. I took a deep calming breath before getting in next to my wife and daughter. Timberly was clutching her stuffed animal and looking at me like I was invincible. But I felt anything but, because the nightmare had shown me the truth I had been trying not to admit. Waiting for Valdez and Sabrina to come to me wasn’t going to end well for any of them. Sooner or later, I would have to hunt for what was hunting us.
“Let’s go.” I said once we were all secured.
First things first, I had to get my family to safety before I implemented the first part of my plan to take down Valdez but once that was finished there wouldn’t be anything standing in the way of our happiness. This had to end now.
Chapter 2
Nova
The dark roadstretched on for what seemed like forever. The longer we drove the more secluded our journey became. I couldn’t remember the last time we saw a building or even another car on this road. Timberline was big but this had to be outside of city limits. I must have dozed off when we left the interstate because this couldn’t be it.
The two-laned roadway was pitch black as we drove. We were surrounded by nothing but the large trees of the forest and the mountains in the distance. The sky above was still dark, but I could tell that the light would be creeping through soon enough. I watched as a soft gradient of deep indigos, oranges, violets, pinks and the darkest blues blended together through the window to create a masterpiece, as Timberly’s head rested against my shoulder, her small body warm and heavy with sleep. Her stuffed animal was tucked under her arm, its worn ear pressed against her cheek like it was guarding her dreams.
I rested my hand on my belly and breathed slowly and tried to calm my mind. The baby kicked, giving me a soft nudge like he was checking in. Crew’s hand found mine in the dark, intertwining his fingers with mine. He raised my hand to his lips and pressed his mouth to my fingers before he finally spoke.
“This will be home until this is over. I want to make sure that you and baby girl are comfortable, so I have a surprise for you when we get there.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“You’ll see when we get there,” he said.
We drove for about thirty more minutes before the vehicles slowed and then turned off the road entirely onto a path that would only be noticed by someone who had driven it before. Gravel crunched beneath the tires, loud in the quiet making Timberly stir in my arms.
“Are we here?” She mumbled.
“Almost, baby girl.” He said to her, rubbing his hand across her back.
That seemed to satisfy her and she yawned, curling closer into my side, fingers brushing the edge of her stuffed animal. My chest tightened at how quickly she adapted, how little reassurance she needed to trust that her parents had it all handled. Children shouldn’t have to be brave, but I was glad that she was.
