Page 41 of Peaks and Promises

“I think you and Nate need to leave town. Secretly. Go somewhere and start over.”

“I’ve tried that. They always find me.”

“You haven’t gone far enough. Mayhem is based in southern Nevada. That’s not far from here.”

“True, but… Wait, how do you know where Mayhem is based?”

The lie came easily, but it still rankled to keep the truth from her. “I looked them up.”

“You don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed of disappearing.” She lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. “Whenever I try to go somewhere new, there are always so many obstacles. And by that, I mostly mean money. Moving is expensive, and the farther you go, the more it costs.”

“For just a minute, don’t worry about the money. We’ll figure that out later. If that wasn’t an obstacle, would you go?”

“Where?”

It took me a second before I could get the words out. If I said it, I was going to do it.

“I’m from a small town in central Washington called Tilikum. It’s in the mountains. Real pretty. And really remote. Not a lot of people have heard of it. And it’s at least fifteen hundred miles away.”

“That sounds like paradise.”

“So, you’ll go?”

“Are you serious? You’ll really take us?”

“Yeah. I won’t be able to stay, but I can get you there and make sure you’re safe.” I stepped closer. “I won’t let him get your son. I promise.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded. “I’ll go. Please get us out of here.”

And just like that, I was going home.

CHAPTER 10

Reese

We weren’t going to risk another trip to Summer’s apartment, so I packed a bag while she made a few calls. Her job was no longer an issue, but she contacted Nate’s school and the neighbor who usually watched him while she worked. I’d have Gunnar or one of our other associates come pack up her apartment and haul everything to Tilikum. She protested about the cost, but I assured her it wasn’t going to be a problem.

I was used to leaving for months at a time for work, so prepping the house didn’t take long. Then I loaded all our stuff into the back of my SUV.

Nate came into the garage as I pressed the button to lower the liftgate.

“Hey, chief.”

“How long of a drive is it?”

“Depends on how often we stop, but we can make it in two days if we push it.”

“Mom says we aren’t coming back.”

“That’s true. Are you worried about that?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want to go back to school anyway.”

I chuckled. “I usually didn’t, either. But aren’t you going to miss your friends?”

“Not really. I just want to go away.”

It was the weirdest thing. A flood of memories washed over me, like when you smell something that reminds you of home and suddenly you’re there. Only it wasn’t a nostalgic scent, it was just a feeling. Desperation to leave. To get away. To cut all ties and be free.