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But not nearly as rough as staying, so we endured.
Isaac did his best to distract his sister, even as the days and weeks started to weigh down on him too.
We’d traveled several states before I noticed it.
Tucked away behind some of our food stores that we had no way to cook when we were living in the car.
The money I’d paid the old man for the car.
He must have stashed it all back in the trunk when he’d been helping me load it.
A couple grand.
It wasn’t a ton of money, but it was enough for a security deposit and possibly first month’s rent, if I found a cheap enough place.
I’d cried long and hard that day, scaring myself and the kids before I told them that they were happy tears, and that it looked like we could finally get a little place of our own.
Navesink Bank had simply been close to where I’d been when I’d discovered the cash. But featured a lot of parks for the kids, a great library, and even the beach. Tons of free stuff to do while I tried to build some stability for us.
I’d already been working on my writing jobs, but it had been slow to grow, waiting for reviews to come in, so new clients would see that I was legitimate.
I’d never finished college, but it felt good to put the skills I had learned to use.
To feed and clothe and provide for the kids and myself. Free of our abuser.
“And… that’s it, I guess,” I told Seth.
“You think he’s coming for you, though,” Seth said. “That’s why you’re practicing; that’s why you want a gun…”
“Yes. Actually, I… I know he’s looking,” I told him.
“How do you know that?”
“Because when I went to pick up the kids from the babysitter at my old apartment the other day, she and my super told me someone was around looking for me.”
“Do they know where you’re living now?”
“No. And I drove around for a long time after we left to make sure no one was following us before we went home.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because, at the time, you were just my landlord,” I said, shrugging.
“And… since then?”
“It hasn’t been that long,” I insisted. “And things with us are… new. I just wanted to enjoy it before I brought all this up. It’s a lot.”
“It’s… about what I expected,” Seth said, surprising me.
“Why?”
“Something Amos said. Then shit I observed. Especially with Isaac. He’s protective and suspicious.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, sighing. “I hope he eventually grows up and realizes that he doesn’t need to be that way, that I will be the one doing the protecting.”
“Your plan is to shoot your ex?” Seth asked.
“If he tries to hurt me or the kids, yes. In self-defense.”
“Why not do this through legal channels?”
“It takes time. And because I’m afraid of there being any paper trail leading back to us. It’s why the kids aren’t enrolled in school for the year yet. And why the doctors we go see are somewhat of a haul away. Simon has a lot of money. Enough that he could hire people to find that kind of information out.”
“Okay,” Seth said, exhaling hard. “So, let’s get you a gun.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Seth
I was getting her the gun.
Mostly just for her peace of mind.
But I never intended for her to have to use it.
Now that I knew the story—all the fucked-up details—I would be able to protect her and the kids better.
First, even though the electrician was finally coming the following day, they were not moving back into the cottage.
They needed to be in the house where I could keep an eye on them.
And when I was at work, I dunno. I guess I could try to convince Lana to bring the kids to the club. Or, barring that, have one of the guys at my house with them.
It wasn’t a permanent solution by any means. Something would need to be figured out to ensure their safety in the long term.
But for the time being, I could give my woman what she felt she needed to stay safe.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she followed me to the steps that went to the basement.
“To get the gun,” I explained, taking her hand and pulling her down with me. “Same type you’ve been practicing with, I assume?”
“I think that’s smart, right? Oh, wow,” she said, looking around at the space full of bunk beds and supplies. In case we needed to hunker down for a while to let shit blow over.
“Yeah, we like being prepared for anything,” I told her, going over to the vault, plugging in the code, then placing my hand on the sensor.
Not many of us had access to the vault.
Fallon, Brooks, Finn, and me.
Those of us who had been around from the beginning, save for Brooks who had simply proven his trustworthiness over time.
