“Is it lunchtime already?” Heather asked.
Audrey’s response was no surprise. “Can we have mac ‘n cheese?”
“Only if we run back as fast as we can,” I said with a grin.
“Last one up has to eat dirt!” Audrey exclaimed.
Heather threw her head back and laughed as my daughter took off up the hill.
“Do you really expect me to run the entire way back up?” she asked as she slipped her shoes back on.
“Nope, and Audrey won’t, either. She’ll get twenty feet up before she has to stop and walk the rest of the way. But it helps get some energy out of her so she goes down for a nap after lunch.”
“Sneaky sneaky. I’ll be learning those tactics soon enough.”
Her statement caused us both to pause before our eyes connected. I watched a glow emanate from her stare that almost gave off the perception that she was happy about that, happy about having my child despite everything that had been thrown at her. I offered my hand to her, and she took it. Together, we began to climb the uphill trail back to the cabin.
Audrey busted into the house, covered in sweat and rummaging through the fridge for a bottle of water.
“Help?” Audrey asked.
“Here, I’ve got it,” Heather said.
She cracked the bottle of water open before handing it to my thirsty child. I went to go pull some macaroni out of the pantry, but Heather put her hand down on my wrist. I looked over at her and she shook her head, then took the box from my grasp.
“You made breakfast. I make lunch,” she said. “Now, go clean up. You stink.”
I grinned at her as she tossed me a playful wink, a shower did sound nice.
Audrey sat at the table gulping back her cold water as I slipped away. I made my way into the room, and my phone caught my eye. I decided to check it to make sure nothing was happening I needed to be aware of, and the second I saw I had a missed call from Hudson, my entire body went on high alert.
I called him back and held the phone to my ear, but Hudson answered before the first ring was finished.
“They know where you are,” he said.
My heart stopped in my chest. “What?”
“I traced a few of the guys to an area right outside of Whitefish. They don’
t know your address, but they know you’re in town.”
My entire world stopped as footsteps came down the hallway. I slowly turned toward the entryway to my home, watching as Heather’s beautiful body came into view. She was holding a bottle of water meant for me as she turned into the room but stopped dead in her tracks the second she saw my face.
“I’ll have to call you back,” I said.
“Cameron, listen to me. You have t—”
I hung up the call and tossed my phone to the bed as Heather’s face sank.
“What is it?” she asked.
Guilt swallowed my body whole as I drew in a deep breath. “They found us.”
The terror that raked over her features made me physically nauseous. Yet another innocent life thrust into this world of darkness because of me.
I had to find a way to make this right.
CHAPTER 22