“I reported him first to the MPs but they didn’t do anything, so I went to the police and filed a report. They brought him in, but didn’t have enough to hold him. Therefore, they had to let him go. The next day, my husband and his team were pronounced dead, and the man—” I have to stop to catch my breath. It’s hard to think about that day, the menace I heard in his voice. “He came back, asking for my daughter, and I did what any mother would do. I ran.”
After clearing my throat, I continue. “A friend told me about a guy who helped people escape. I went and saw him, and he gave Chloe and I new identities, and then drove us to the bus. We got off here when I saw the ‘help wanted’ sign in the window at the gas station.”
“Amy,” Ray covers my hand with his, “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this now? Why not earlier? Why keep the secret?”
“I’m sorry I lied,” I choke out, covering my mouth to keep some of my cries muffled.
“I’m not worried about the lie. You did what you had to do to protect Chloe.”
“Is my name Claire?”
My eyes dart to hers as I seek her face for any sign that she’s known this entire time.
“Where did you hear that name?” I demand, more forcefully than I intended.
She shrugs. “Some lady at the Green came up and said it.”
Some lady … Frannie. Cara and Ryley were with me, and neither of them would do that. It has to be Frannie. There’s no other woman it could be.
“What’d she say exactly?” I ask as my voice quivers.
“She said, ‘Wow, Claire you’re all grown up’.”
My body temperature is now non-existent as dread courses through my body, making me ice cold.
“She’s here.”
“Who’s here?” Ray asks.
“Frannie … is the woman who brought the man to hurt Claire.” Rising, I start to pace. “I have to call Tucker,” I say, reaching for the phone.
“Who’s Tucker?” Ray all but screeches.
“My husband.”
THE LOUD VOICES OUTSIDE the room have me scrambling from the bed. After Penny left, lying down was the only thing I could do to keep myself from falling into a heap of nothingness on the floor. My team members don’t need to see that. It’s not in our training to let our emotions get the best of us, regardless of the situation. The last thing I need or want is for Ryley to come and comfort me because that’s exactly what she’d do.
The door opens, smacking against the wall and causing me to jump even though I’m alert and can hear the rustling outside. Evan stands there, his arm holding the door open so it doesn’t come flying back to hit him.
“We have to go.”
“Where?” I ask. If he thinks I’m leaving this small town he’s nuts. As long as Penny and Claire are here, this is where I’ll be. It’ll be pure torture watching Penny with another man, but I’ll find a way to survive. I won’t leave them. Seeing her every day, happy with someone else, is better than never laying eyes on her again.
I made the decision seconds before she walked into the room that if she told me she was happy, I’d step aside. I refuse to be the cause of any more heartache in her life. My death and now subsequent return has and will continue to cause her more than enough grief. Only having Claire in my life will be enough to tide me over until death comes for me … again.
“Penny called—” is all I hear before I’m moving past him. I step out into the open-air hallway to find Cara at the end of it speaking frantically on her phone. Peering inside the other room, I find an arsenal of weapons being lined up on the bed by Rask. He looks up and winks at me, as if this is his favorite thing to do. In hindsight, our guns are the only things that haven’t let us down. They do their job when we need them to and I have a feeling we’ll be using them tonight as we chase down this bitch who seems to have a hand in destroying our lives. What I still don’t understand is why? What on earth could she possibly gain by doing the things she’s done? Or has taken part in? I think that is what we all want to know. For me, it’s the fact she brought a fucking pervert into my house after we let her into our lives. How much did River know? I have so many questions that will likely go unanswered. The idea of torturing Frannie to give us the answers we so desperately want weighs heavily on my mind. Cara would have to turn a blind eye in order for that to happen. And then there’s Lawson. Even though I know Penny is alive, I still want to talk to him. I need to know why he did this and why our lives were targeted. He could’ve chosen anyone, but he chose the team I’m a part of and I have to know why.
“Get ready,” Nate says, throwing a bag at me. I catch it haphazardly as it thumps against my chest. A quick pull of the zipper and its contents are displayed: brain bucket, night vision goggles, ammo, and camo paint.
It’s easy to let my mind wander, to let my adrenaline kick in and consider this another mission, but I know it’s not. I can tell myself that I’m going out to do my job, but my heart is telling me otherwise. My wife and daughter are in danger and I’m going to save them. And in the event that I can’t, my team will. They won’t let me down, not after everything we’ve been through.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I ask, setting the duffle bag down on the bed next to Rask’s gun display. He stands tall, as if he’s about to tell me, but it’s Cara’s voice behind me which has me turning around.
“We think Frannie is in town.”
“What? Why?” I try to keep my voice level and not show any signs of worry, but that doesn’t exactly happen.
“Ten minutes ago I received a call from Penny. She was frantic and not making much sense. When I finally got her to calm down and tell me what’s going on, she said she was telling her husband about her life and that her … your daughter asked if her name was Claire. Penny went on to say that a woman approached Claire this evening calling her by her given name and commenting that she’s grown up. Penny called me immediately,” Cara says, as if this is an everyday occurrence for her. I want to shake her for her nonchalance, but I know she’s doing her job even if I think she’s lacking eagerness or excitement in her voice. We’re both trained in different ways on how to handle situations. Thing is, no one ever trains you on how to handle your life being ripped apart or for your family to be in hiding. If this were left to me, I’d go in there with guns blazing and the ‘shoot first ask questions later’ mentality.