Page 8 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
Sabrina
I’d been introduced to the town of Prescott in the dark of night.
The sparse light from old-fashioned lampposts had given me hints of the town’s small downtown shops. The only signs still illuminated at that hour were those for two bars on Main Street. The narrow roads had been deserted and eerily quiet with the exception of the truck’s humming diesel engine.
Even in the dark, I could see Prescott’s appeal. It had a quaint and charming atmosphere with its Western décor and small-town flair. The community fishing pond, one-room theater and soda-fountain café seemed wholesome and family friendly. There wasn’t a single similarity to Seattle, not even a McDonald’s.
“I can see why you like it here. Why you’d want to move home,” I told Felicity. She was sitting by my side in the back of Beau’s truck while Beau and Silas were outside loading up supplies.
“There are some things I miss about Seattle,” she said. “The Thai restaurant that was below our apartment when we were in college. The little salon where we used to get pedicures on Sundays. Mostly, all the places where we went together, but I’m happy to be home. I’ve missed my family.”
Right before I had taken on the Federov story, she had moved back to Montana. Felicity had fit well into city life, but even after sixteen years, her country roots had never stopped pulling. That and the feelings she’d had for Silas since she’d been a teenager.
I grinned. “And you missed Sexy Silas.”
She tried but failed to hide a smile. “And Silas.” She turned to look out the back window where the guys were loading boxes.
We’d been running around Prescott for nearly two hours. Our first stop had been the grocery store. The men had gone inside the store and come out one minute before closing time, each pushing a shopping cart piled high with overflowing plastic bags. From there, we’d gassed up Beau’s truck, then stopped by Felicity’s house to collect toiletries, clothing and linens.
Now we were backed into Beau’s driveway, waiting for him and Silas to finish packing.
When we’d pulled up to Beau’s house, I’d thought he’d just be picking up his own personal articles. When I saw that he was loading a chain saw and an ax, I’d asked Felicity if Jess would just let me live out of a jail cell for a few months. She’d laughed but I hadn’t been joking.
The idea of a jail cell had become even more appealing when Beau had welcomed a dog into the truck. Boone, some sort of red hound dog, was currently panting in the front seat, infecting my air with his hot breath and getting short hairs over everything. Most people would think he was adorable, with his floppy ears and wrinkled forehead, but animals were not my thing.
With the supplies loaded and our last stop complete, the men jumped back into the truck and we all rode in silence back to Silas’s ranch. Emotions were swelling and I struggled to breathe past the lump in my throat. My hand instinctively found Felicity’s, and I squeezed tight, drawing from her strength for these last few moments before she went back to her life with Silas and I was whisked away to a nowhere forest hideout with Beau.
When the truck was parked next to Silas’s wooden barn, I swallowed the urge to heave. Felicity’s door opened and Silas stood at her side. “All set. Time to head out.”
We slid out of the back and stood next to the barn, instantly locking in a tight embrace. “I love you,” she said. “Watch your back and listen to Beau.”
“Love you too, lady. Be safe.”
If I could have just one more wish come true, it would be for Silas and Felicity not to suffer any repercussions from me bringing this mess into their lives.
“Take care of her,” I said those words to Silas at the same time Felicity said them to Beau.
With one last hug, I turned and marched to my doom.
Wherever Beau was taking me, I knew for certain the creature comforts I’d taken for granted would be missing. There would be no more quick trips to the mall for new shoes. No pizza delivery on Friday nights. No more phone calls with Felicity to gossip and hear her voice.
The clock on the dash showed 12:42 a.m. Not twenty-four hours ago, I had been celebrating a job well done in my tenth-floor apartment. Now I was sitting next to a dog, about to drive into the wilderness with a modern-day mountain man.
The reclusive life I had always feared was about to become my reality. My heart ached as I mourned the loss of my freedom and independence.
My eyes stayed glued to my lap as Beau settled into the driver’s seat and pulled the truck into the black night. Every bump on the gravel road hammered down my spirits. Not even the prospect of spending time with a ruggedly handsome man could cheer me up. A charcoal cloud settled over my heart.
“It’s a long trip,” Beau said. “You should get some rest.”
That wasn’t going to happen. I was keyed up and on the verge of tears. “Tell me why we can’t just stay here tonight.” The idea of setting off into the forest after midnight seemed ludicrous. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t rest and get a fresh start in the morning. The lovely motel I’d spotted during my brief tour of Prescott had looked warm and inviting.
“I don’t want to risk the chance of you being seen in the light of day,” Beau said. “People around here talk. A lot. If someone sees you walking around with a face that looks like tenderized meat, the old gossips will be jabbering on about it for months. If the Federovs do come here, let’s not give them any chance of overhearing. Okay?”
“What if I promised to wear a paper bag over my head?”
The vibrations of his rich chuckle hummed through the cab.
I guess that means no. My shoulders fell as I looked out the side window. The control I had over my own destiny evaporated with every mile we went. Who was I kidding? I had lost control the moment Anton realized I’d been playing him.
