Safe House Under Fire

by Elisabeth Rees

  Lilly and David stared at each other, both shamefaced by this timely rebuke from a teenager.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Lilly said, holding David’s gaze. “We’re both sorry.”

  David put a hand on Astrid’s arm. Lilly guessed that the gesture was meant to be comforting and reassuring but it came off as awkward.

  “You remind me of my youngest daughter,” he said a little stiffly. “And that makes me overprotective. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  Astrid looked up at him. “What’s your daughter’s name?”

  “Chloe.”

  “Well, it must be a great feeling for Chloe to have a dad who cares about her as much as you do. I wish...”

  Astrid stopped mid-sentence and dropped her head, suddenly dejected. Lilly assumed that she was about to mention her own father and his lack of care for her.

  “I understand, honey,” Lilly said softly. “Let’s go check on Mr. Peters and I’ll call the principal to make sure that Noah makes it back to school.”

  “Stay close to me,” David said, picking up the gun from the sink and placing it in a chest holster. “Don’t leave my sight, not even for a second.”

  Lilly took a deep breath and nodded. If the last few hours were anything to go by, the next few days would be full of disagreement regarding the discipline and management of Astrid. But she and David would just have to learn to put their differences aside and cooperate for the sake of everyone’s safety.

  Astrid’s life might depend on their ability to work as a team.

  * * *

  David passed a cup of hot tea to Lilly. “It’s sweet,” he said. “I thought you might need it after the shock of this morning.”

  She took the tea and held the cup in her hands, wrapping her fingers around the china as if to warm them. The four-bedroomed apartment that had been designated as their safe house was incredibly cold, most likely left unheated for months. After switching on the thermostat, Goldie was walking through the place, ensuring that each radiator was working at full capacity. She often liked to joke to David that she was the handyman of their professional partnership, and her toolbox was always in the trunk of the car, ready for any necessary repairs or tinkering.

  “I can’t believe that I was on my way to work a few hours ago, thinking about what to cook for dinner, worrying that I would be late for work, stressing about Astrid’s birthday party.” Lilly took a sip of the tea. “The normal, mundane kind of stuff that seemed so important this morning.”

  David settled himself on the sofa next to her, making himself as comfortable as possible in this chilly and unwelcoming apartment with no trace of home comforts, not even a cushion.

  “A birthday party, huh?” he said with a smile. “Let me guess—Astrid wants a big celebration with a whole bunch of friends and a lot of bling.”

  She laughed. “How did you know?”

  “Just a hunch. Is she okay? She was quiet in the car.”

  After waiting a few hours for a replacement vehicle to arrive, the journey to the apartment had taken only thirty minutes. David’s original plan was to take Lilly and Astrid farther afield, but the lost time meant that he needed to change his strategy. Instead of driving out of state, he’d requested that the FBI source a property in Pittsburgh, and they’d rented this nondescript apartment in an anonymous block, where nobody would bother them or care to notice their presence. It was ideal. He knew that Henderson had dumped his stolen van in a parking lot just ten miles away, but that added to the appeal of the city. It was surely the last location the con man would consider as their hiding place.

  “Astrid’s in her bedroom, settling in,” Lilly said. “She decided that she wanted the room with the lime-green wallpaper and pink carpet. She thinks it’s retro.”

  He laughed. “I’m old enough to remember when retro was cool the first time around.”

  “She likes old things,” Lilly said. “She doesn’t care for mass-produced, generic kind of stuff. She likes to be unique, which is ironic because all her friends think exactly the same way.”

  “The problem with teenagers is that they mostly don’t know what they like.”

  “I don’t disagree on that.”

  David sipped his tea, consciously trying to keep the conversation on an even keel. He had clearly overstepped in previous discussions and irritated Lilly with his advice and concerns. Lilly obviously didn’t know why he felt so strongly about Astrid’s behavior, didn’t understand what his family had gone through due to Chloe’s actions. He decided that he would attempt to tread more carefully.

  “Is Astrid hungry?” he asked, eyeing the dark night between the gap in the drapes. “I’ll be getting some takeout soon.”

  “She’s writing in her journal at the moment, but she’ll eat pretty much anything.”

  He was surprised. “Astrid writes a journal?”

  “Yeah, since she was ten years old. She bottles up her feelings a lot, so it helps to get them down on paper.” Lilly’s face took on a melancholic expression. “She can tell her journal things that she doesn’t want to tell me.”

  “Like what?”

  “About her dad, mostly. She’s spent her whole life being disappointed in him, and I can’t make it better for her, so she often thinks I don’t care.” She closed her eyes, revealing smudged mascara on her lids, and David fought a strange urge to reach over and run his thumb across the black streaks. “I keep wondering if I should tell her father what’s happening. I guess he’s entitled to know where she is.” She fixed her icy blue eyes on him. “What do you think?”

  “Does he have shared custody?”

  Lilly laughed, high and brittle. “Technically, yes, but realistically, no.”

  “Legally, he has a right to know that Astrid is temporarily in protective custody, so I think you should call him.” As much as David didn’t want to give this guy any unearned authority over Astrid, he was her father and must be respected as such. “Tell him that you’re both safe, but don’t give any details about the case or your location.”

  “Can I use your phone?”

  “Sure.” He slid the cell from his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s a secure line.”

  He watched Lilly punch in the number on the keypad, noticing her jawline tense and her brow furrow. She clearly didn’t relish this task and he rose from the sofa to walk into the kitchen and give her a little space. As he heard her begin to speak, he felt a sensation descend, an unfamiliar one that caught him off guard. He realized that he was both jealous and angry. This stranger had not only betrayed his daughter but had also hurt Lilly. Lilly was wrong about plenty of things, but she had a good heart, and she deserved a good man. Rylan had once possessed a golden opportunity to be part of a loving family and he had squandered the chance. He was clearly a fool.

  “No, Rylan,” Lilly was saying, exasperation clear in her voice. “I’m not calling to ask for money. I never ask you for money. This is important. Astrid and I are in FBI protective custody.” After a few moments of silence, she seemed to finally lose her patience. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I thought you should know what’s happening but it’s clear that you don’t really care. I hope you enjoy your vacation. Goodbye.”

  David returned to the living room to find her sitting on the couch, forearms on her knees, pressing the edge of the cell to her forehead with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

  “Tough call, huh?” he said.

  She stood and handed him the phone. “Rylan is on vacation in Florida, and he wasn’t very pleased about being bothered while he’s at Disney World with his new girlfriend.” She let out a moan of frustration. “He’s got it in his head that I’m just looking for money or attention. Why did I have to choose such a deadbeat dad for my daughter? Why couldn’t I have chosen someone like you?”

  David felt his color rise. He hadn’t blushed since he was a boy, and he tried
to hide it by coughing and staring at his feet.

  “I wasn’t such a great dad either,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “I made plenty of mistakes too.”

  “All parents make mistakes, but at least you were there for your daughters. You tried your best.”

  Her words seemed to echo in his mind. Had he tried his best? Could he have done more? How he wished he could turn back time and be stricter in his approach. He would much rather Chloe hate him for being tough than to see her with irreversible brain damage. That’s why he couldn’t let Lilly drop the ball with Astrid.

  “Yeah, I tried my best,” he said. “But it wasn’t enough. If I could do it all over again, I’d be a different kind of father. I’d do it better.”

  She frowned at him. “Your daughters are grown women, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And are they happy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are they kind and decent people?”

  He didn’t even need to think about that one. “Absolutely.”

  She smiled. “Then you don’t need to do it all over again. You got it right the first time.”

  He inwardly groaned and raised his gaze to the ceiling. Lilly didn’t understand, and he didn’t want to explain it to her. Discussing the accident was always painful, always nudging his regrets.

  As if sensing his uneasiness, Lilly said, “You’re obviously a good father, David. Some men don’t deserve to be fathers and Rylan is one of those men. I’m starting to think that Astrid is better off without him.”

  “Mom!” David snapped his head sideways to see Astrid in the doorway, her blond hair flattened on one side from where she had been lying on a pillow. And her mouth was dropped open in horror and disbelief. “Why would you say I’m better off without Dad? It’s not true.”

  David ran a hand down his face. Of all the conversations for Astrid to overhear, this one might be the worst. Some careful backtracking would be needed.

  “Oh, Astrid,” Lilly gasped, immediately rushing to her side. “I didn’t want you to hear that.” She ruffled her daughter’s hair, disturbing the flattened strands. “Forget I said it.”

  “How can I forget it?” Astrid retorted, pushing her mother away. “You said it like you really meant it.” She caught David’s eye for a split second and he saw a chasm of grief that was quickly covered with rage. “I knew you secretly hated Dad. I knew it all along.”

  “I don’t hate him, honey,” Lilly said, her eyes now glassy with moisture. “I’m disappointed in him. It’s different.”

  “Disappointed in him,” Astrid repeated, imitating her mother’s cool and measured tone. “That’s just adult speak for hating on someone.”

  Lilly maintained her calm demeanor, at least externally. “I just telephoned your father to tell him that we’re both in protective custody. I thought he would like to know, but his offhand reaction made me angry and upset, and I spoke harshly without thinking. It’s totally my fault and I hope you can forgive me.”

  Lilly began to wring her index finger in the other hand, as if comforting herself in the face of Astrid’s cold and defensive body language, warning her mother to keep a distance. David found it difficult to watch the argument unfold, knowing that it wasn’t his place to step in, but feeling his temper rise at the insolence being displayed by Astrid.

  “I want to speak to Dad,” Astrid said impulsively. “Call him back.”

  “That’s not possible,” Lilly said. “He’s on vacation and he asked not to be disturbed again.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s not a good time to call him right now, but maybe we could send him a text from David’s cell and ask when he’d be available for a conversation.” Lilly was desperately trying to appease her daughter and David’s disapproval grew. “How does that sound?”

  “I want to call him,” Astrid demanded with a stamp of her foot. “Now.”

  “I told you he’s on vacation.”

  “You’re a liar,” Astrid yelled. “And I hate you.”

  “That’s enough,” David said, using the kind of deep voice that always made people sit up and take notice. He pointed to the door. “Astrid, go to your room and stay there until you’re ready to apologize.”

  Lilly held her palm in midair. “Actually, David, I think you should stay out of this.”

  “You need my help here,” he said. “That much is obvious.”

  Astrid adopted a slouchy posture. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad.”

  “No, I’m not your dad, but I can certainly tell you what to do,” he said, continuing to point to the door. “You may have your mom eating out of your hand, but I will not tolerate this level of disrespect. Go to your room.” When she failed to move, he added, “Or I can remove the TV from your bedside dresser. It’s your choice.”

  Astrid’s shoulders dropped and she let out a high-pitched whine. “I hate you too,” she said, storming though the door. “I hate everything here. It sucks.”

  This insult was water off a duck’s back to David. He didn’t care whether he had earned a place in Astrid’s good books. He cared that he had authority over her.

  But Lilly was clearly unhappy with his actions. “Who on earth do you think you are?” she challenged. “Astrid will now go into her shell and be silent for days. She’s very sensitive where her father is concerned, and you behaved like a bull in a china shop.”

  “I did what needed to be done,” he said flatly. “She runs rings around you.”

  “I know it might appear that way,” Lilly said. “But I prefer to try and reason with her than be a tyrant.”

  “Oh, come on, Lilly,” he said, feeling oddly as though they were arguing like a married couple. “I’m no tyrant. I’m just instilling a little respect in her. She needs to abide by some rules.”

  Lilly grabbed a handful of her blond hair and held it in a fist at her scalp, her exasperation clear. “You’re driving me crazy, you know that? You have no idea who Astrid is, but you act like you do. I’m her mother and I know her better than anyone else. She’s actually wise beyond her years. Underneath all the anger and rudeness, there is a scared little girl, and she needs love and kindness and support.”

  “Love and kindness and support won’t save her from the cruel world out there,” he said. “You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re doing her any favors by treating her with kid gloves.”

  “If I think kid gloves are necessary, then I’ll go right ahead and use them.” By now, her eyes were blazing. “I know my daughter.”

  “I thought I knew my daughter too,” he said harshly. “I thought she was mature and smart, but it turns out that I gave her far too much credit. You may think that Astrid is wise but she’s not. She’s a child, and if you don’t start taking a firmer hand in her upbringing, she could end up in a hospital bed being fed through a tube and facing years of grueling rehabilitation just to learn to walk again.”

  Lilly fell silent, her eyes scanning David’s face, confusion evident.

  “What are you talking about?” she said gently. “Did something bad happen to your daughter?”

  “I said too much already.” He mentally reprimanded himself for losing focus. “We need to get ourselves back on track. I’ll be drawing up a code of conduct to follow while we’re here. I’d appreciate your support in getting Astrid to read it. It’s vital that we’re all singing from the same song sheet.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your daughter?” Lilly said, ignoring his attempt to deflect. “It never helps to internalize your emotions.” She tried to smile. “Don’t take my word for it—just look at Astrid as an example of what happens when you bottle things up.”

  Much to his relief, Goldie entered the room, sparing him the embarrassment of disentangling himself from this conversation. He real
ly needed to talk about something else. But unfortunately, Goldie wasn’t bringing good news.

  “I just got a call from headquarters,” she said to David. “Apparently your cell was busy.”

  “Lilly was using it,” he said, noting Goldie’s anxious manner as she hovered at the drapes, peering through. “What’s going on?”

  “Maybe nothing, but we might have to move quickly.”

  “Why?” They had barely settled in. “What’s happened?”

  “A few minutes ago, a truck was stolen from a builder’s yard a few blocks away,” she said, continuing to peek through the window, gun in hand. “The security guard saw the thief drive away and his description matches Henderson perfectly.”

  “Mr. Berger struck me as a fairly average guy though,” Lilly said hopefully. “His description could apply to a lot of other men, right?”

  “I take your point, Lilly,” Goldie replied. “But the truck is fitted with an antitheft tracker and it’s heading our way, which we can’t put down to coincidence. We got Pittsburgh police patrols out trying to intercept him, and two officers are sitting in an unmarked car on the street as an extra precaution, but we know that he’s smart. If he’s discovered our location, he’ll find a way to get to us.”

  “My gut is telling me to get us out of here,” David said, pulling out his cell. “We leave right now. I’ll make some calls.”

  “I’ll go tell Astrid,” Lilly said, heading for the hallway. “We’ll be ready in two minutes.”

  As David dialed the number of his boss in order to request yet another safe house, he racked his brain to consider ways in which he might have inadvertently led Henderson to their location. He thought he’d taken every precaution.

  So how had they been compromised so quickly?

  FOUR

  “We have to go, honey,” Lilly said, picking up her daughter’s belongings from the floor and shoving them roughly into her suitcase. “David has found a new safe house for us.”

  Astrid was lying on the bed silently, facedown, her head buried in the floral duvet.