Safe House Under Fire

by Elisabeth Rees

  “I really like you, David. My heart tells me that you’re an honorable man, but my head keeps reminding me that Rylan ran away as soon as the going got tough.”

  “Not all men are the same,” he said. “I can’t imagine why Rylan chose to walk away from his beautiful family, but that’s his loss. Don’t let it stop you from being happy again.”

  “Do you think that...?” She stopped, turned her head and blushed. Laying her emotions wide-open was hard. “Do you think that we could be happy together? I mean really happy?”

  He squeezed her hand again. “Yes, I do, but I have worries just like you, Lilly. Losing my wife and almost losing my daughter has left its mark. Seeing you and Astrid together sometimes breaks my heart because it reminds me of what my daughters have lost. It reminds me that it could happen all over again.”

  Tears sprung into Lilly’s eyes at the sight of David’s vulnerability, while he shared his innermost fears.

  “Looks like we’re both afraid to take a chance, huh?” she said.

  “I want to,” he said. “I really do.”

  “If it helps at all, Astrid told me she gives us her blessing.”

  David laughed, loud and long. “That’s good to know.”

  “Astrid might change her mind in a few days’ time, so I’m not sure that her blessing carries any weight,” Lilly said. “She has this amazing tendency to mess up all the good things in her life. It’s almost as though she sabotages her own happiness before something bad happens to steal it away. Does that make sense?”

  “Of course it makes sense. Astrid has been dealing with rejection from her father her whole life and that must’ve taken a toll. She has trust issues. You both have trust issues because of what Rylan has done. That’s normal.”

  “Where do we go from here?” she asked, conscious of a flush remaining on her face. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  He placed both palms on her cheeks, holding her face gently, his thumbs rubbing the skin beneath her eyes, the parts that had been sore and puffy yesterday.

  “You can trust me, Lilly,” he said, leaning his head toward hers. “I give you my word that I won’t hurt you or Astrid. I have no idea how this will work out in the end, but all I know is that you mean a lot to me.”

  “You mean a lot to me, too,” she whispered.

  When their mouths met, it was a moment of perfect calm, with the sound of rain splattering on the window behind them and the fire crackling in the room. Lilly closed her eyes and enjoyed the softness and warmth of David’s lips on hers.

  Yet her doubts refused to be pushed aside, taunting her with the possibility that her newfound happiness could be snuffed out in an instant. There was a good chance that Henderson would find them again and launch an even more audacious attack than before. Or Astrid could return to her old ways and decide to ruin her and David’s developing, yet fragile, relationship.

  In all likelihood, Lilly thought she would end up facing both scenarios.

  * * *

  David whistled a tune as he made coffee in the early morning light. Two nights had passed in the cabin without incident, and his mind was finally free of worry. It would appear that their plan to go off-grid had worked. They were untraceable.

  “You’re cheerful this morning,” Goldie said, entering the kitchen and placing some pastries from the store on the table. “Does it have anything to do with Lilly by any chance?”

  “Maybe.” He decided to keep this feeling all to himself. “But I’m also happy about this place being so secure. We finally managed to outsmart Henderson.”

  “I don’t want to spoil your mood but I just got some news from headquarters while I took a drive to the store.”

  “What?”

  “The alarm to Lilly’s home in Oakmont was triggered overnight, so it looks like Henderson broke in to search for her.”

  “Did the police respond?”

  “They were there within seven minutes but he was gone.”

  Far from spoiling his mood, this information buoyed David up.

  “This is great news,” he said. “If Henderson is looking for Lilly in Oakmont, that means he has no idea where we are, right? And if he continues to target her home, it’s only a matter of time before he’s arrested.”

  Goldie poured herself a coffee from the filled pot. “Wow, nothing can dampen your high spirits this morning, huh? What has caused this joyfulness? Because I’d like some of it too, please.”

  He smiled. “Lilly and I are growing closer. It’s not going to be plain sailing for either of us, but we had a good conversation last night and were totally honest with one another. Have you ever had one of those conversations where you make a strong connection?”

  Goldie made a retching noise. “You know I don’t like that kind of mushy stuff.”

  He laughed. “Maybe one day you’ll change your mind.”

  “Never.”

  He poured coffee into a cup on the counter, almost dropping the pot when a scream rang through the cabin and Lilly came tearing down the hallway in her robe and slippers.

  “Astrid’s missing,” she said, ashen-faced and clutching the door frame in the kitchen. “I think somebody took her.”

  David put down the pot and grabbed his gun from its holster. “Where did you last see her?”

  “She went into the bathroom to take a shower, but after thirty minutes I got worried so I went inside and the water was still running but the window was open and...” She covered her mouth and sobbed. “She must’ve been pulled out the window.” She grabbed at David’s shirt. “You have to find her. Please.”

  “You stay with Goldie,” he said. “I’ll go into the woods and look. I’ll organize a search party if I don’t find her.”

  Lilly collapsed into a heap on the floor, head in her hands, weeping uncontrollably.

  “I’ll find her,” he called, as he ran to the front door. “She can’t have gotten far.”

  Flying through the door, he immediately began to shout Astrid’s name, running up the hill toward the thick patch of trees that overlooked their secluded cabin. Keeping his gun at his side, he fought hard to stop himself imagining Astrid in the hands of Henderson and how she could be used as a bargaining chip to get to Lilly. This simply couldn’t be happening. All windows had been secure on his morning checks, so how had Henderson gained access?

  “Astrid!” he yelled into the quietness, disturbing a flock of birds in the trees. “Where are you? Call out to me if you can.”

  He waited and listened, his breath short and ragged from sprinting up the steep incline.

  “I’m here.” A voice traveled from the top of the hill. “I’m right here.”

  Astrid jogged toward him, wearing a sweat suit and sneakers and looking as though she didn’t have a care in the world. He ran to meet her.

  “Where were you?” he asked. “Your mom thought you’d been snatched out the bathroom window.”

  “I wanted to go for a jog,” she said innocently. “I needed the fresh air and exercise.”

  He took a moment to regain his breath and gather his thoughts. Something didn’t add up.

  “You wanted to go for a jog?” he said. “So you decided to jump out the bathroom window without telling anybody?”

  She avoided his eye. “Yeah. I thought Mom would say no, so I snuck out.”

  “I want you to tell me the truth, Astrid.”

  “I am telling the truth.”

  He felt the need to emphasize the importance of honesty. “Remember our code of conduct, Astrid. I trust you and you trust me, so we keep no secrets from each other, right? And we absolutely do not lie.”

  She finally looked him in the eye and he saw fear. “I didn’t tell a lie.”

  Astrid’s cosmetics purse was in her right hand, almost behind her back as if she were trying to shield it from view. “Where have y
ou been?”

  “I told you,” she said defensively. “I went for a jog.”

  “With your makeup purse?”

  “Yeah. I like to take it with me everywhere I go.”

  He fixed her with a steely eye. “Let me see inside.”

  “No.”

  “It wasn’t a request, Astrid. It was an order. Let me see inside the purse.”

  She took a step away from him. “You have no right to pry into my things. You’re a bully.” Here was the old Astrid, rude and defiant as ever. “Leave me alone.”

  He heard a voice and glanced back to see Lilly running up the hill, closely followed by Goldie. Lilly had changed into jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, and her messy hair was flowing behind her. The look on her face was mixed—part anger, part relief.

  “Astrid,” she shouted. “Please tell me you didn’t climb out that window of your own free will. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “I went for a jog, Mom,” Astrid replied with a huff. “Why do you all have to make such a big deal of it?”

  Lilly reached her daughter, breathless and sweating, and enveloped her in a hug before admonishing her.

  “You’ve never jogged anywhere in your life. What are you hiding?”

  David’s fears intensified in his belly. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what Astrid was hiding, but she was refusing to cooperate.

  “I think Astrid might be our mole,” he said. “She’s the reason Henderson keeps finding us.”

  Astrid was incredulous. “That’s not true.”

  “Isn’t it?” His eyes flicked to her purse. “Then you don’t have a secret cell phone in your purse that you’ve been using the whole time you’ve been in protective custody?”

  She turned pink, deciding to come clean. “I’ve hardly used it. I keep it switched off nearly all the time and I’ve literally only sent about six or seven instant messages to Noah.” Her voice faded under the horrified gaze of all three adults. “I never used it for emails or public posts on social media. It was just a few private messages. I figured they’d be safe because they’re private.”

  “Oh, Astrid.” Lilly ran a hand down her face. “How did you get this cell phone?”

  “Noah secretly passed it to me through my bedroom window just before we left Oakmont to go to the safe house.” Her bottom lip began to wobble. “He said I could use it to keep in touch with him while I was away. We didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

  “You didn’t think it would be a big deal?” David’s voice echoed through the trees. “You placed us in danger repeatedly, and to make matters worse, you lied to me, Astrid. A few days ago, you promised me that you wouldn’t contact anybody while we were in the safe house.” He shook his head. He had totally misread the maturity of this young woman. “We have to leave immediately. Henderson will already be on his way here.”

  “But it’s just one little Snapchat message to Noah,” Astrid said. “I didn’t even tell him where we are.”

  “All online messages can be tracked with geotagging,” he said. “And the first person whose internet accounts Henderson will hack are Noah’s. All it takes is one little message for him to discover our general location and then he just needs to stake out the area and look for ways to flush us out.” He ushered her down the hill. “I’m so angry with you right now that I can’t even look at you.” He held out his palm. “Give me the phone.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, unzipping her purse and taking out the cell. “I honestly never realized it was me leading Henderson to us. I thought it was somebody inside the FBI, just like you said.”

  “You betrayed us.” After everything he had been through with Chloe—the lies and deceit and arguments—he couldn’t overlook the dishonesty. “I thought you had matured, but I was wrong.” He took the cell and removed the battery. “This might be the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

  “Hey,” Lilly said, pulling on his sleeve. “She knows she’s messed up and she’s sorry about it. Cut her some slack.”

  “She’s been putting us in danger time and time again,” he said. “You might be able to tolerate her lies but I can’t.”

  Lilly and Astrid struggled to keep pace with him, while Goldie hung at the back, keeping watch.

  “Don’t be so hard on her,” Lilly said. “She’s a child.”

  David couldn’t believe he was back here again, arguing about Astrid and her behavior. He’d known she would take a couple of steps back on her path to adulthood, but this went far beyond anything he could abide.

  “She’s not a toddler, Lilly,” he said. “She’s almost sixteen, and I clearly hold her to a higher standard than you do.”

  “Who do you think you are?” Lilly challenged as they approached the cabin. “You have no right to judge me for showing compassion to my daughter. I can’t believe I ever allowed myself to feel something for you.”

  His heart heaved with pain and regret and a fear of losing Lilly’s affections, but they were facing an imminent attack and Astrid’s foolishness was the cause.

  “Everybody get in the car,” he yelled, noticing that storm clouds had gathered overhead. “Leave your belongings behind. I’ll arrange to get them transferred to us later. It looks like heavy rain is coming so let’s go now.”

  Astrid didn’t argue. She climbed into the SUV, pulled on her belt and sat beside her mother, tears rolling down her face.

  No matter how hard David tried to summon a spirit of forgiveness, it would not come. The only emotions he could feel at that moment were anger and disappointment. Astrid had let him down in the most terrible way, and he didn’t think that his and Lilly’s relationship could survive the betrayal.

  * * *

  Lilly gripped Astrid’s hand as the SUV sped out of the woods, wipers moving fast to clear the rain as it lashed down from the darkened sky. She knew that Astrid deserved to be punished for her lies, but she first needed to be forgiven and Lilly was making a big attempt to be supportive rather than judgmental. David, however, was making the situation ten times worse with his refusal to even try to understand.

  “Do you think you could slow down a little?” Lilly said, watching the fat raindrops bounce on the surface ahead. “The road is wet, so it could be dangerous.”

  David’s face was stony in the driver’s seat. “We need to move quickly. If Henderson was in Oakmont overnight, he could be here already. It’s not that far away from us.”

  “She didn’t understand that her private messages could be tracked,” Lilly said, seeing Astrid’s chin drop onto her chest. “She just wanted to stay in touch with her boyfriend like any teenager would. I know she’s done a bad thing, but she realizes her mistake, and she’s sorry.”

  David looked in the rearview mirror, resting his eyes on Astrid. “Are you sorry, Astrid?” he asked.

  She refused to raise her head, but Lilly saw her jaw clench as she sniffed. “I’m sorry I ever met you,” she said bitterly. “You’re mean and cruel and I hate you.”

  Lilly sighed as dismay sunk down into her belly. Astrid was lashing out, wanting to cause David the same degree of pain as she felt. After yesterday’s wonderful night of happiness, this change of atmosphere was painful.

  David slid his gaze from Astrid’s and across to Lilly’s, saying nothing with his lips because his eyes said it all. Astrid had proven that the faith he’d placed in her had been wrongly given. Her daughter had let David down and he was clearly taking it hard.

  “She doesn’t mean what she’s saying,” Lilly said. “She’s hurting.”

  David remained silent, while Goldie twisted in her seat to reach around and pat Lilly’s hand. Lilly was thankful of the gesture, but it made her frustration with David all the more intense. He should be the one providing comfort, not Goldie. Lilly thought they’d made a special connection, become a united front, but now their union had seemingly fallen apart
.

  “Why don’t you say something?” she said, raising her voice. “Or are you going to now give me the silent treatment?”

  “I’m thinking about where to go from here.” David replied. “I need a plan.”

  The next words out of Lilly’s mouth were a no-brainer. “I want to go home.”

  “There’s no way you can go back to Oakmont,” he said. “Henderson has already broken into your home and it’s the first place he’ll look for you when he finds out we’re no longer in this area.”

  She repeated her request. “I want to go home. I want to be in my own community, surrounded by people who love me and Astrid. Take us home, please.”

  “Lilly,” he said, his eyes flitting between her and the glistening road ahead. “You can’t be serious. Oakmont is the very worst place you can go right now.”

  “I’m not under arrest, right?” She was determined, exhausted and terrified, but she would not take orders from this man any longer. “I demand that you drive me home this instant.”

  David took his time to formulate a response. “I won’t let you put yourself in danger like that, Lilly. I’ll go to a rest stop while we organize another safe house.”

  “No!” Her shout caused Astrid to jump and Lilly rubbed her shoulder soothingly. “I’m prepared to face whatever comes our way because I have faith that we’ll stay safe. If you won’t take us home, I want you to stop this car right now and we’ll get out and walk through the storm.”

  She knew David would never ever allow her to leave his protective custody, and this was her trump card. All she wanted was to tuck Astrid into her own bed surrounded by her childhood teddies and photos of her friends on the pin board. David might not be able to understand Lilly’s reasoning, but she didn’t care. In the darkest of times, home offered the most comfort.

  “You two need to stop with the fighting,” Goldie said, holding up a hand. “If this is what it means to fall in love, then I’m glad I’ll never experience it.” She turned to David. “If Lilly insists on going home, we’re obliged to take her there. We’ll stay with her until Henderson is captured.” She looked between Lilly and David. “The tension between you guys is too much. Take it down a notch.”