“Okay, so we’ve got money. Now what?”
“Well, Michael said that if I ever got in trouble and needed a place to hide that there was a safe house in Kansas that only he knew about. It was his little secret in case they ever had a spy. I have the address here in my bag.” She said, unzipping a side pocket and pulling out a big sheaf of papers.
“It’s not that far to Kansas, but I don’t think we should keep this car. It would get us there fast but a red sports car isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”
“We’ll have to trade it in. I’m sorry I know how much you love this car.”
“It’s just a car, I’ll survive. We can’t go to a dealership though, they might be able to trace us.”
They found an independent car lot, which looked less than reputable and made a quick deal, picking up not only a different car, but a nice wad of cash. It was a bit of a step down, but the car had a good motor and would be hard to spot in traffic. Their last stop was an electronics store where they bought several disposable cell phones to use.
After a quick stop for enough food to get them thought the next few days, they were on the road, throwing their cell phones out of the car once they were on the highway. Leslie should have felt scared and nervous, but Sebastian was with her and that alone made her feel more confident.
“It’s going to be about an eight hour drive, no one is following us, so relax. We’ll come up with a plan when we get there.” He said.
“I’m worried about Michael. What if something has happened to him because of me?”
“You can’t think that way, I’m sure he has lots of clients besides you.”
“It’s that second phone call that bothers me the most. He made it very clear that no one would ever ask me where I was. That was supposed to be my emergency contact and if that’s been compromised the only contact I have is the prosecutor.”
“Let’s take it one step at a time. We’ll get to the safe house and lay low for a few days. I know they’ll be searching for us, but they can’t possibly find us there.”
“You’re right. I need to stop thinking about it, Michael is a professional.”
“Exactly.” He said, taking her hand.
They found the little safe house on a deserted stretch on dirt road, far from any other people. It was surrounded by corn fields, a sea of green stretching in every direction. Leslie stood on the porch surveying their surroundings, she could understand why Michael had picked it. On the way here, signs of people had begun to disappear, making their isolation complete.
There was no way that anyone was going to sneak up on them here, the only other vehicle they had passed in the last hour had been a tractor. Sebastian finally got the door open and they stumbled into the house. They had been on the road for hours after a full day of work and practice, Leslie felt like she could barely keep her eyes open.
They’d stopped for groceries in the last large town they’d been through, getting just enough to get them through for a few days. Leslie hadn’t realized just how isolated they would be and hoped that they wouldn’t have to stay here long. She felt much too exposed out here, it would be nearly impossible to disguise the fact that someone was in the house.
“If you’ll put the groceries away, I’ll check out the rest of the place. Hope the windows have curtain, the sun will be up soon and I really need some sleep.” Sebastian said, turning to go back out to the car, once he’d propped the door open.
Leslie stepped into the dark house and tried the switch by the door. To her relief a dim light came on illuminating a room full of furniture draped in white sheets on her right. There was a closed door to her left which she chose to by. As she continued down the hall, she found a bedroom, a bathroom, and then finally the kitchen.
Each room was dark, but she could see heavy curtains on the windows, Sebastian would be happy to see that. The kitchen was small and covered in a fine layer of dust, but looked clean enough otherwise. When she turned the facet water came pouring out, clean and clear. She scooped some up in her hand and tasted it, pleased to find that it tasted as pure as it looked.
The refrigerator was humming quietly and there was even a microwave, opening cabinets she was pleased to see them fully stocked. They could stay here for an extended period of time if need be. They had everything they needed, but she still felt anxious about it. Michael still hadn’t called her, nor had the emergency contact.
She could hear Sebastian coming down the hallway, bumping the groceries against the wall as he came. “I’m back here.” She called from the sink where she was testing the hot water.
He dumped the groceries on the table, then looked around him. “Not too bad, looks like no one has been here in a while.”
“But we have electricity and clean water, I don’t think the hot water is working but the pilot light is probably just out.”
“I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted. Let’s put this stuff away and get some sleep.”
“We’re going to need sheets and blankets, I hope there are some here. Will you go look?” She said, taking the bags from him.
“Sure, no problem.”
By the time she’d gotten the food put away, Sebastian had the bed made and was already in it. She stripped her clothes off and joined him, snuggling up to his warm body. They were both asleep in minutes, too exhausted to say even one word.
Leslie woke hours later, disoriented at first. It was dark in the room, the curtains blocking out the light, so she wasn’t sure at first where she was. Then she felt Sebastian stir in his sleep, she snuggled up against him, feeling secure. But suddenly, it all came crashing back in a wave of images. The worst was the memory of those bullets smashing against the wall above their heads.
She was sudden wide awake, the reality of their situation better than any cup of coffee she’d ever had. Sebastian stirred as she slid out of bed, she really wanted a shower but that would have to wait until they had hot water. Instead she went to the kitchen, dug out the coffee pot she’d seen last night and made a pot of coffee.
Finding one of the burner phones, she tried to call Michael again, but only got his voice mail. This time she didn’t leave a message, simply hung up then filled the sink with water and dropped the phone in. She was taking no risks that someone might find them.
Once the coffee was done, she got a cup for herself and another for Sebastian and went back to the bed room. As much as she wanted to let him sleep, they had to come up with a plan, she felt way too exposed here. They needed to lose themselves in some large city, a place where they would blend in better.
When they’d stopped for groceries they’d certainly gotten a lot of looks, evidently a bi-racial couple was a bit out of the ordinary in Kansas. They’d have to find someplace where people wouldn’t look twice at them.
She set the cups on the bed side table, then climbed back under the covers and put her cold feet on Sebastian’s leg. She was disappointed when he only laughed and pulled her into his arms. “Did you think I was still sleeping?”
“Yes, but I’m glad you're awake.” She said, kissing him.
“Hmm, what did you have in mind?” He said, biting her neck.
“Stop that. I brought you some coffee.” She said, untangling herself from his arms and handing him the cup.
“Almost as good as you.” He said, taking a big drink. “What time is it?”
“It’s the middle of the afternoon.”
“So, what’s the plan?” He asked.
“I tried to call Michael, but he still didn’t answer. I think we’re on our own.” She said. “Don’t worry, I destroyed the phone.”
“Okay, well let’s see where we are, I though it looked pretty deserted on the way out here, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad.” He said, getting out of bed.
“The hot water isn’t working. I would love to take a shower but not a cold one.”
“Hot water first then.”
After they’d both showe
red, it was time for dinner. They worked together in the small kitchen making a simple meal of chicken and pasta. Leslie made a salad and sliced some fresh bread and they had a perfect meal. By the time they’d washed the dishes, it had gotten dark and the little house was beginning to get cold.
“I know there’s a fireplace, but I don’t think this place has central heat. I’m afraid to light a fire, I’m sure the smoke will be visible for miles.”
“I think you’re right. It’s not that cold yet, we’ll just hunker down and snuggle for warmth. I don’t think we should stay here. It has everything we need, but we’re so isolated here, and we stick out like a sore thumb.”
“I agree, but we need to take a day to make some plans. I need to make some phone calls, I have an idea where we can go, but it won’t be very fun. How are you with the cold?”
“That doesn’t sound good. What have you got planned?” She asked.
“Let me get everything put together first, then I’ll tell you my plan.” He said, pulling her into his arms. “For now, I say we climb back into bed and see where the night goes.”
“Sounds good to me, it’s starting to get cold in here.” She said, shivering.
The next morning Leslie awoke to find Sebastian’s side of the bed empty. She followed the sound of his voice and found him in the kitchen talking on the phone. She grabbed a cup of coffee, waiting while he finished his phone call.
“Okay I have a plan but it’s kind of crazy. Just promise me that you’ll listen to the whole plan before you start interrupting.”
Chapter 8
Leslie settled down at the kitchen table, ready to listen, at least Sebastian had a plan. The thought of spending the next few weeks on the run was daunting. She had already been looking over her shoulder, but now the danger was even greater.
“The first thing we need to do is get out of here, it just doesn’t feel right. I called my brother and....”
“Please tell me you didn’t tell him everything.”
“Leslie, he can help. We can’t do this on our own, we need someone who can advocate for you.”
“But, now he’s in danger too.” She said.
“My brother will have the protection of Terrell industries to keep him safe. Besides, once they realize who and where he is, we’ll be long gone.”
“You keep talking about Terrell industries but I’ve never heard of it.”
“I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“Besides the ranch, which is the first property the family owned, we also own a ski resort and the town around it. I’m sure we have a lot of other investments as well, but I’m not really involved in that part of the family business.”
“You own a ski resort?”
“Well, just part of it. The shares are split between my dad and his brother’s families, so technically I only own a small part.”
“So when you said that you were worth billions the other day, you meant that.”
“Well, yeah. I wasn’t exaggerating either.” He said completely serious.
“Your brother must hate me for dragging you into this.”
“Not at all. We were taught to help anyone in trouble if we could. My parents didn’t want us to turn into spoiled rich kids, or even worse spoiled rich adults.”
“You’re making my head spin. I can’t believe I didn’t know you were super rich not just rich like I thought.”
“Does it change anything? I’m still the same person.”
“No, it doesn’t change anything, I just didn’t know.”
“Well now that you do, you can understand how bringing Donovan in was the best choice we had. He can do a lot with Terrell industries power and money. He’ll contact the prosecutor for us and make sure everything is arranged when it comes time to testify.” He said, sitting down with her at the table after refilling their coffee cups.
“Okay, I agree. So what have you two come up with. I really should be helping you make these decisions.”
“I know how difficult this must be and I promise if you disagree with anything I have planned we’ll discuss it. I think we need to head back to the city and meet with my brother. I don’t think they will expect us to come back to the city.”
“You’re right, but we shouldn’t stay long. Where will we go after that? I think we need to be in a city where we can blend in.”
“I thought about that as well, but I don’t want to spend the next few weeks cooped up inside, no matter where we stay, people are going to notice us. I think we need to get completely away from civilization.”
“You think we should go to the ranch, don’t you?”
“Exactly. We can head into the hills for the next three weeks, not only will it be hard for them to find us, but getting to us will be a huge problem. Can you ride a horse?”
“Only since I could walk, riding will be no problem, but are you sure you want to put your whole family in jeopardy?” She asked, feeling like more and more people were suddenly getting involved in her problems.
“No, we won’t tell them we’re up there, only Donovan will know until it’s necessary for them to know. Don’t you see, it’s perfect. We’ll literally disappear into the mountains. We don’t even have to go up that far from the cabin, the snow alone will help deter anyone who might follow us.”
“Okay, you’ve convinced me.”
“There’s still a little more to my plan. Let me get this whole thing out before you interrupt. I have a few contacts of my own, a couple of heavy players who I’ve known since I was a kid and they both owe me a favor.”
“What do you mean by heavy hitters?”
“I don’t mean baseball players. These are guys who might or might not have their hands in some less than legal business interests, I met them when I was in my teens doing volunteer work in the city.”
“Are you telling me that you have contacts with the local mob?”
“No, not the mob. We don’t have that here, but these guys are high in the other organizations here. They can offer us some protection, by keeping their eyes open and alerting Donovan to any threats that come up.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. But I have a feeling there is more.” She said, thinking how out of control this was getting. Now she was going to have gangs protecting her.
“The thing is, those favors they owe me might be quite as big as what I’m asking, but there is one thing that we could do to insure their help.”
“This is the part I’m not going to like.” She said.
“Well, if we get married it becomes a family thing, those guys respect family above all else.”
“Married.” She said, jumping up from the table.
“Yes, married. It’s the only way we can guarantee that they will help.”
She was pacing around the tiny kitchen, too agitated to sit. “Sebastian, that’s crazy. We can’t just go out and get married. What happens when this is all over?”
“Well, maybe we stay married or maybe we get it annulled. The point is you will be safe.”
“I still say it’s too crazy. We’ve only known each other for a few months, your family is not going to like this.”
He got up from the table and came over to where she was leaning against the counter. “Leslie, it’s not like I’m asking you to commit the rest of your life to me. We just need to do this to keep you safe. Besides, in case you didn’t notice, I like you a lot.” He said, pulling her into his arms.
Leslie could feel the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, she was so tired of this whole thing. She just wanted her life back or what was left of it. If this was the only way then she’d let Sebastian make the sacrifice, but when this was over they were going to get the marriage annulled of that she was sure.
She relaxed into his arms and put her head on his chest, gaining strength just from the simple contact. There was a shiver of electricity pulsing through her as she listened to his heart beating. “Okay
, you win. I’ll marry you.”
She felt him release the breath he’d been holding, then he said. “Thank goodness, I thought you were going to fight me on this. Besides, how bad could it be to be married to me? I’m rich and good looking, plus I have a winning personality.”
“And you think very highly of yourself.” She said, laughing when he gave her a dirty look.
“So, Leslie Morgan, will you marry me? I don’t have a ring but we will stop at the first place we can find and buy you the biggest diamond we can find.”
“I will marry you, but you should know that we’re getting it annulled as soon as we can.”
“We’ll see. Now go get packed, I hate this place. Let’s get out of here, if we leave now, we’ll be back in the city by late afternoon. We’ll meet with Donovan first, he’s anxious to meet you.”
They were packed and on the road in a matter of minutes, flying though the countryside on their way back to where it was the most dangerous. By the time they got to town, Leslie was so wound up she could hardly sit still. She still thought that it would have been better if she’d left on her own, but circumstances had taken that choice out of her hands.
She had to trust that Sebastian and now Donovan could keep her safe long enough for her to testify. After that, she’d have to make some decisions, if she lived that long. When Sebastian had first suggested that they get married she’d been shocked, it was the last suggestion she’d expected.
But his reasoning made sense almost immediately, but she’d hesitated because she was afraid that she might actually be falling in love with him. Marrying him would only increase those feelings, no matter how many times she told herself that it wasn’t real. She might just be setting herself up for a broken heart, but at least she would be alive.
Sebastian was lost in his own thoughts, he never imagined that he would get married this way. He’d always imagined a big wedding in the middle of the summer at the ranch. All his friends and family around him and his love, but now he was going to be married in his brother’s office with only Donovan and his cousin there.
Be Mine Forever (Brothers From Money #2) Page 8
