Page 65 of Peaks and Promises

“What kind of gang?” Zachary asked.

“It’s a motorcycle club,” I said. “Please don’t judge me too harshly. I was young.”

“No judging,” he said, and turned to Reese. “What’s going on? Is this guy around? What do we need to do?”

“If he knows she left town, he doesn’t know where she went. We should be good for now.”

He nodded slowly. “Cool.”

I hoped they wouldn’t start talking about the intricacies of our plan to hide from Axel. Nate knew what was happening, but I didn’t want him to hear too much. It might start to scare him.

Fortunately, Marlene stepped in and redirected the conversation back to breakfast. It turned out Zachary and Marigold hadn’t planned to stay long, so they said their goodbyes before we sat down to eat. When Marigold came running back in and asked for my number, saying I probably needed a friend in town and she’d love to get together for coffee, I almost cried.

Breakfast was amazing—a big frittata with tomatoes and feta cheese that Marlene insisted was easy to whip up, alongside sausage and toast. Reese glanced around as if he were still surprised to be there, and Paul got Nate talking about cars. I didn’t even know Nate was into cars, but he knew all sorts of things.

As much as I wanted to relax into their warm welcome, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. What was the catch? No one was that nice. Were they? On a certain level, I knew the way I’d grown up wasn’t normal. But even after leaving the world of Mayhem, I’d still encountered a lot of crappy people. There had been a few bright spots, but far more dark.

This house, and this family, felt like a burst of light.

But it was also a place Reese had avoided for a long time. I didn’t know what to make of it all.

The meal wound down, and Paul got up to start clearing the table. I stood and took my plate to the kitchen.

“We should probably get going,” Reese said. “I need to find a hotel.”

“Hotel?” Marlene asked. “Don’t be silly. You don’t need a hotel. You can stay here.”

“You don’t have to put us up.”

“Of course we do. And we will. We have plenty of room.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t argue with your mother,” Paul said.

Reese chuckled and turned to me. “Does that work for you?”

“That’s so generous,” I said. “We won’t make a mess, and we’ll help around the house. You’ll barely know we’re here.”

Marlene smiled at me. “We’re happy to have you.”

A lump rose in my throat, and I was worried that if I tried to speak, I’d burst into tears. So I just nodded.

We had a place to stay. And not just any place. One that was safe.

“I guess I’ll go get our stuff,” Reese said. “Where do you want us?”

“Use any of the bedrooms down that hallway.” She gestured toward one side of the house. “You can put Nate in the room with the bunk beds. Come with me, Nate, I’ll show you.”

Marlene led Nate to his new temporary bedroom while Reese and I went out to his SUV to bring in our bags.

I had the strangest thought. Maybe Axel showing up had been a good thing. If he hadn’t, we’d still be in that dusty, desert town, with the threat of Mayhem looming on the horizon of our lives. We wouldn’t have come to Tilikum.

And maybe, just maybe, it was the place we could start over and finally live without fear.

CHAPTER 15

Reese