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“Ma’am, you need to calm down,” the sheriff says, crouching down beside my car door.
“I left my wallet in Campbell. Daniel has my wallet! My ID, my driver’s license… oh, no, no, this can’t be happening. My bank cards. Whatever cash I had left. Oh, God, I think I’m gonna be sick.”
The sheriff opens the door a bit wider and takes me by the shoulders. “What’s your name?”
“Avery, Avery Madison,” I manage between sobs.
“Okay, Avery. Can I call you Avery?”
“Yes.”
“Avery, I need you to listen to me very carefully now,” the sheriff says. “You need help, you need a place to stay, and it is more than an overnight stay at the police station could provide.” I look up, barely able to see him through the rivers of tears constantly flowing from my eyes. “I’d like to help you, if you’ll let me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you don’t have any cash or cards. You said it yourself. You left your wallet behind when you were understandably fleeing for your safety,” he says. “You need a warm place to stay, at least for a few nights until you sort out a new driver’s license, new bank card, and anything else you’ll need. Shelter and food for yourself and for your daughters is first and foremost. Do you agree?”
I nod slowly. “Yes, sir.”
“Please, call me Kellan,” he replies, a warm smile sketched across his lips. “I can help you. There’s a place I know where you would be the safest. Will you let me take you and the girls there?”
Blinking the tears away, I try to process every word coming out of his mouth. “Where is that, exactly?”
“It’s just outside North Platte,” Kellan says. “It’s a big house, top notch security. It’s the HQ of a security firm, but one whole wing doubles as a private residence. There’s a room available for you and your girls. And once we get you settled in, we can work on getting your life back, one step at a time.”
All I can do is stare at him in sheer disbelief. My mind draws a repetitive blank as I try to think of something to say but nothing comes. What’s the angle? Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe the sheriff of Lincoln County is honestly offering me much needed help. I can hear Miley weeping behind me, Annie crying next to her. I can’t falter. I can’t hesitate.
My babies depend on me.
2
Avery
“Okay,” I finally say. “But I’ll pay you back for everything.”
“You don’t have to worry about that right now,” Kellan replies as he lets go of my shoulders and stands back up.
“You’re too kind.”
“Come on, let’s get your girls in the backseat of my car where it’s warm, the heat is on.”
Shaking like a leaf, I get out of my car and open the back door, bending down to help the girls out. Miley is the first to move, quickly wrapping her arms around my neck. She’s shivering, poor thing, mumbling something about it being so cold that her teeth keep clattering. Kellan joins us with a pair of blankets he fished out from the trunk of his vehicle, wrapping one over Miley.
“Go with the sheriff, honey,” I tell her. “He’ll get us warm in no time. I have to get your sister.”
“Okay, Momma,” she replies, her head already resting on his shoulder as I hand her to him.
For a split-second I watch my daughter as she so eagerly relaxes in his arms, and a peculiar kind of warmth fills my heart. We might actually be okay. Maybe it’s just fickle and treacherous hope toying with my senses, but at least my girls will be warm tonight.
“I’ll call my brother to come and tow your car,” Kellan says as he carries Miley over to his vehicle.
I get Annie from the backseat. She’s awake and cranky, but as soon as I wrap her in the second blanket and shower her cold, pink face with kisses, she calms down long enough for me to move her safely and smoothly to the warmth of the sheriff’s vehicle. Miley holds her close, constantly whispering words of comfort like the wonderful big sister that she is, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from breaking down again. They both deserve better than this.
I walk back toward my car where Kellan is just ending a call. “Thank you so much,” I tell him as he puts his phone away.
The wind is blowing harder now, each flake smacking my face like a tiny blade. I pull the hood of my parka over my head, having completely forgotten about how cold I am. My toes hurt. Kellan frowns as he sees me wrap my arms around myself in a tight hug.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “My brother will be here in twenty minutes. He was on his way back to North Platte after an emergency job with his pickup truck. Lucky for us.”
