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He’d let Lucy and me sleep in this morning, but by mid-morning we were locking up the cabin. I hadn’t been foolish enough to hope he’d let me and Lucy follow him down the mountain in our car, but I had been expecting that I’d drive our SUV while he kept Lucy with him while he drove his truck. It was an idea I’d been wholeheartedly ready to argue with him about since whatever meager trust Lucy had initially had in the man had been wiped out by his actions the night before, but he’d surprised me again by saying we were all going in his truck and he’d arrange to have the SUV picked up. He’d seemed surprised at my lack of argument until he’d seen the way Lucy had flinched away from him as he’d motioned for us to head out of the cabin. He hadn’t said anything, but I hadn’t missed the mix of hurt and guilt in his eyes.
I’d ended up sitting up front because I’d wanted Lucy to have the room to stretch out in the backseat so she could get some sleep. Her constant weariness was always at the forefront of my mind, but I knew there wasn’t much I could do for her besides try to make sure she got as much rest as possible. Between the events of the day Eric had reappeared in our lives and the hell we’d been living the past six months as we’d tried to stay a step ahead of the man, she was enduring something no fifteen-year-old kid ever should. I’d taken her to keep her safe, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d done the right thing.
I cast a glance over my shoulder at Lucy and saw that she’d taken my suggestion to lie down once we’d gotten down the mountain and onto the Interstate. She still had her seatbelt on, but she’d managed to find a position where she could stretch her legs out on the seat while using her duffle bag as a pillow of sorts. Her eyes were shut and while that in itself wasn’t a guarantee of sleep, the relaxed expression on her face was.
I finally let my mind drift to what was about to happen. I knew nothing about Ronan Grisham other than him seeming like a decent guy…and a reasonable one. My hope was that I could convince him that Lucy and I were better off on our own and I wasn’t above begging the man not to tell anyone about us. I had no intention of telling him who Lucy and I were, but I’d started spinning a tale in my head that I hoped he’d buy. I’d already discussed it with Lucy and I knew she’d do what I told her and not say anything at all. I refused to let my mind go to a place where he called the cops. Technically he could do that anyway, even just for the procedure I’d performed on the patient the week before. And while I couldn’t regret my actions since the man had lived, I knew if he did make that call, I’d have to tell the cops the truth and hope like hell they believed me over the version of events Eric had come up with.
If it meant going to jail or being sent back to where Eric could get to me, I no longer cared…as long as Lucy was safe. And if telling my story to anyone who would listen, including the media, would help, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Hopefully someone would question things enough to see the truth and to make sure Eric couldn’t get to Lucy.
“Relax, Ethan,” Cain murmured. Despite his low voice, I still jumped. He shot me a glance that showed he wasn’t exactly surprised by my reaction. “I’m not taking you to the executioner,” he drawled.
“You seem like a smart man, Cain,” I returned as I turned my attention out the window. “But you’ll forgive me if I say you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
I heard the man sigh, but I didn’t care. Did he really think I was going to thank him for intruding in our lives like this? Frustration welled inside of me as I thought about everything I’d lost in the past few years. As hard as these last six months of being on the run had been, at least they’d been my choice.
“You and Ronan,” I whispered as I willed the tears away. “You have no right to do this.”
I hated how my voice caught. I kept my eyes on the window even as I felt the car slow and we took the next exit off the Interstate. I didn’t know Seattle all that well, but I knew enough that we weren’t anywhere near the city. I tensed up when Cain turned onto a quiet looking road and then turned again on a side road with nothing but farm land around. He pulled off to the side and threw the truck into park and turned it off. He snatched the keys out of the ignition and quietly said, “Get out of the truck, Ethan.”
