Page 61 of Shadow of Hope
The right place for right now. True for both of you. Keep saying it.
“Time to go,” he headed for the door.
She jumped up. Ran to him. Hugged him tight and kissed his cheek. Then turned to Colin. Hugged him, too and almost laughed at his surprised look when she pulled back. “Be careful. Both of you. And good luck with the police.”
Micha gave a sharp nod and opened the door.
Colin exited first, and Micha, after a lingering look at her, stepped through the door. She twisted the deadbolt behind them, the click echoing into the space, sounding like a finality she didn’t like. She rested her forehead against the door and offered up a prayer for Micha and Colin. Then one for Devan and herself.
She took a hearty breath and joined Devan in the living room. He was looking at his phone, but he glanced up.
“So where will we go?” She settled on the edge of the sofa cushion.
“You won’t like this, but I found a motel that will take cash only so we don’t leave a trail.”
“Probably a dump then.”
“Not probably. It’s most certainly one.” He grinned. “But we’ll only stay there until Colin and Micha finish with the questioning.”
“Then where will we go?”
“To the cabin you inherited.”
Okay. Much better. But…“Why not just go directly there?”
“You mentioned that cell service was sketchy there, and we can’t risk not hearing from Micha. Plus, the police will likely figure out I’m with you and be looking for me. They could get a warrant to track my phone and or download my call history with cell tower locations. I don’t want to risk the phone leading to the cabin.”
“I’m sorry, Devan,” she said sincerely. “I hate that the police will come looking for you too.”
“First, call me Dev. Second, it’s what we do when an injustice is occurring.”
These men. Fine men. Giving. Sacrificing. It was almost beyond her to comprehend after a childhood of takers, and she didn’t know what to say. “Saying thanks doesn’t sound like enough, but thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
He waved a hand. “It’s more than I need.”
Tears ached to be released at his kindness, so she had to move on before she was blubbering like a baby. “You think my cabin is safe? That they won’t find us?”
“They haven’t made the connection yet. More importantly neither did Colin. If he didn’t, it would be extremely hard to do, so it should be fine.” He held out his phone. “Plus, I checked satellite views, and it looks like there’re two ways off the property, so we have good escape routes if we are located.”
“Three actually,” she said. “Two driveways lead to two different roads, and if you count the nearby river, there’s a third way out.”
Dev’s eyes lit with interest. “You have a boat?”
She nodded. “A small aluminum fishing boat with a trolling motor. Nothing fancy but could be used to make an escape.”
He frowned.
Why did his interest wane? “Is that a problem?”
“We’ll check the boat out when we get there, but it won’t be a fast escape. Not with only a trolling motor.”
“I’ve never used a motor of any kind, so I had no idea.”
“No worries. We got it covered.” He smiled. “Time to get packed.”
“Should I leave things behind like you guys are doing or take everything?”
“If you leave items behind to make it look like you’re still staying here, the police might think you’re coming back. They’ll put someone on watching the apartment for your return, and it will take them longer to be certain you’re gone and start searching.”
