The Broken Road

by Melissa Huie

  “We’re going to talk about this later. You and the baby need your sleep,” he said softly.

  My eyes had been slowly closing but shot open at his remark.

  “You know?” I whispered.

  “Yeah, I know.” He leaned over and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Are you okay with it?” I wasn’t sure why I asked that. It just slipped out. It wasn’t like he had any choice about it. It wasn’t going to affect him either way. My speech was beginning to slur. I started to sound like a drunk. All of the side effects and none of the fun.

  “I’m okay. I can’t help but wish that it was under different circumstances. I mean, what baby wants a convict for a daddy?” He gave me an impish grin that told me he was kidding. I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Megs. I’m going to protect that baby. I’m going to protect both of you.” He leaned over again and kissed my forehead. “Take a nap. I’ll be here later.”

  * * *

  I woke up three hours later. The pills had really knocked me out. I hated feeling woozy all the time. Even though the doctor said that they were safe for the baby, I decided I wouldn’t risk it. I gingerly rolled out of bed, cradling my right side. I heard voices down the hall and I followed them. My mom, Uncle Bob, and Tommy were sitting in the living room talking. They stopped and looked up when I walked into the room.

  “Did I interrupt something?” I joked, feeling uneasy. It was clear that I did.

  Uncle Bob stood up. “Megs. I am so glad you’re doing better.” He kissed my forehead and led me to the couch. As soon as I sat down, my mother draped the afghan over my legs.

  “Mom, I’m not sick. I’m fine,” I protested. Her look hushed me and I sat back while she fussed over me.

  “I was telling your mother what sort of situation we’re in,” Tommy said gravely. I groaned and rolled my eyes. Great, just one more thing that she needs to stress about, I thought as I gazed at the worry etched on her face.

  “I think we should do what Tommy suggests and leave for a while.”

  I disagreed. “He’s right. You need to get out of here. But I’m not going anywhere. They know Shane is gone and they think that he’ll come back for me. If I leave here with you, they will come after the both of us. There is no way I’m putting you in danger, Mom.”

  “Megan Louise Connors! You listen to me and you listen well, dammit. I am not letting you or my grandchild stay here and wait for a potential bloodbath. Do you honestly believe that you’re safe here? You’re going to end up being their target!” my mother cried out.

  I turned my face and brushed away the tears that had started falling. She was right, obviously. I had to think about my child now and protecting it at all costs.

  Tommy coughed and said, “I think we’re too late for that. We’ve been noticing an increase in vehicle traffic in the neighborhood. Now, without putting Reggie’s crew on notice that we’re here, we can’t stop every single car and ask for identification. It isn’t safe for either one of you here right now. I’ve made arrangements for you to go with my partner, Rick Sims. He will take you to an undisclosed location for the time being.”

  My mom held my hand while we listened to Tommy lay out the plan. My heart sunk even lower. The situation that we were in seemed a lot more dangerous than I had led myself to believe. He described the tactics that Reggie’s crew used and it scared the crap out of me. Tommy was right. We needed to leave.

  “I’ll go pack a bag right now,” my mother said quickly. Her lips were pressed into a tight line and I could see the pain she was in. She was terrified, but putting up a brave front.

  “I don’t have anything here, besides the clothes I wore yesterday. What am I going to do?” I asked quietly. I didn’t want to become a bigger pain in the ass than I already was.

  “The plan right now is to take you separately. Your mom was already planning on a vacation to the beach with your Aunt Nancy. We’re going to stick to that. You were planning on leaving tomorrow, right?” Tommy looked at my mother for confirmation, who nodded.

  “Yes we were, but I canceled. I told her that I was going to stay home and take care of Megan,” my mother replied nervously.

  “Good. Pack your bags like you’re still going. You’ll load up your car and head out tomorrow morning. If Nancy calls, just tell her that you and Megan had to be alone for a while to help her recover. Megs, you’re going to go home and wait. A fellow agent, Kate Parks, will meet you there. You’re going to pack up your things and act like Kate is your friend. Tell Jen or whoever that you’re going away for a while. Make up an excuse that you’re going away for some R&R. Bob, you’ll tell the office the same thing. Tomorrow Kate will take you to the rendezvous point where you’ll meet up with Rick’s team. At no point will you have any contact with anyone else,” Tommy said. I was seeing the side of him that I rarely saw when we dated. I was impressed with his demeanor and his calmness amidst the chaos that was taking place.

  “You’ll take the dogs with you. I want you to pack away as many items as you can. Anything that can’t be replaced, I want you to give to Bob. We’re going to keep watch on the house as best as we can, but our resources will be needed elsewhere.”

  I was processing all this new information, taking it all to heart. There were so many things I needed to do and so many questions to ask. I wasn’t sure where to start. I turned to my uncle.

  “You knew. This entire time,” I stated.

  Uncle Bob nodded. “After Shane was arrested, he immediately called the office. He wanted to talk and let it out. I was there when Shane signed the plea agreement. He wanted a better life for himself and for you. He loves you so much that when he agreed to talk, he demanded that you be protected. Even though you weren’t in danger initially, Shane knew that you would be the only one Reggie’s crew could use against him. Part of his plea agreement was that you were assigned a protection detail. Agents have been monitoring your movements. I wasn’t taking any chances and neither was Shane.”

  Tears rolled down my cheeks as I hugged my uncle. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Tommy checked his phone and glanced quickly at his watch. He looked uncomfortable at breaking up our moment but said, “Megs, I’m going to take you home. You’ll pack up what you need and be ready to go tomorrow morning.”

  I stood up awkwardly with my mother’s help. “I guess this is for real, huh?”

  Chapter 23

  “I’M STARVING. DO WE HAVE time to eat?” I asked as my stomach reminded me of the time. Tommy busily darted his eyes back and forth and quickly hustled me into his SUV. He got in on the driver’s side and we headed out of the neighborhood.

  “Yeah, we’ll pick up something on the way to your place. I’m sure Penny won’t mind a cheeseburger for dinner,” he said, giving me a quick grin. I guess my reaction didn’t suffice, because he quickly grabbed my hand. “Hey. I didn’t mean to scare you back there. I really didn’t.”

  “I know. It’s . . . It’s just that so much has happened in the last few weeks. I’m having a hard time processing it,” I said slowly. I felt so overwhelmed. If anything more happened, I’d probably have a nervous breakdown.

  We grabbed burgers and soup for dinner and made it back to the house. Penny happily followed the scent of beef into the house and had no issues settling into her spot under the kitchen table. I left my dinner on the counter and walked through the house. Tommy was right; the bastards didn’t touch anything. The only thing that was messed up was my front door. A man was already replacing the frame when we got there. I looked at Tommy, who was by my side. He answered the question on my face.

  “Mr. Stevens is with us. He’s part of our cleanup crew. We have people in place at Mr. Gentry’s house down the street. He’s visiting his kids for the summer and we talked him into letting us rent it for the month. We have every aspect of the street covered with cameras and surveillance teams. There won’t be a cat that we don’t see. You’re safe now. Come and eat dinner, Megs,” he said gently, pulling m
y hand and leading me into the kitchen.

  “If you have so much surveillance, why do I have to leave? Why can’t I stay?” I asked. Selfish as it seemed, I really didn’t want to leave.

  “If you stayed here you would essentially be a prisoner in your own home,” Tommy replied bluntly. There was curtness in his tone that didn’t leave much room for argument. “There would be no work, no dinner and drinks with Jen or Sarah, no jogs with Penny. You would be in this house 24/7. Do you really want that?”

  “I guess I understand,” I said, feeling chastised like a child.

  “Hey. I’m sorry. I just want you to take it seriously. I know it’s not easy, but I am trying to make this as painless as possible. I—” Tommy’s phone rang and cut him off. “Hang on.” He put the phone to his ear. “This is Thomas Greene,” he said as he got up and walked out of the room.

  I ate my vegetable soup without really tasting it. My appetite had diminished since I had gotten home and it just hurt to eat. I was putting off the inevitable packing that would take up most of the night. I sighed and poured the last of my soup into Penny’s bowl just as Tommy walked back in.

  “That was Kate. She is on her way from Baltimore and will be here in about thirty minutes or so. I’m assuming you may need a few things so write them down and let me know. I’ll have her grab them on the way here.”

  I quickly went through the list of my toiletries. I had gone to the store last week and was pretty well stocked on everything. “A pregnancy book,” I blurted out. Real smooth. I mentally rolled my eyes and tried to keep the blush from spreading. “I just found out yesterday. I haven’t had time to get a book or vitamins or clothes or anything.”

  Tommy looked slightly embarrassed. “That’s it?” I nodded. I wasn’t sure why he was embarrassed. He sent a quick text to Kate. “Okay. Right now I want you to call Jen. Tell her that you’re joining your mom and your aunt on their vacation. Play it cool. Keep it simple. Don’t overact or be too casual. Jen knows you too well. Be yourself.”

  I picked up the phone and dialed her number. “Hi, Jen,” I said quickly.

  “Hey, I was going to call you. How are you?” she asked warmly. My eyes started to burn and I blinked furiously to stop the tears.

  “Um. I’m good. I’m actually calling to cancel our plans for the weekend. With everything that’s happened, I need a break. I’m going to the beach with Mom and Aunt Nancy.”

  “Oh good. Yeah, you need to get away from all this drama. How are you feeling?” Jen inquired.

  “I’m . . . I’m okay. I do have some news,” I said, putting the fake smile back into my voice.

  “Oh yeah? What’s—wait. Hang on. Lauren Amanda Walsh! You better get your naked behind back in that bathtub right now or you’re going to be in so much trouble!” Jen said distractedly as she yelled at her precocious three-year-old. I heard giggles in the background and busted out laughing. I hadn’t laughed in ages and I felt the weight of all the bad news and stress lift off my chest. It felt so good, but it hurt my ribs terribly.

  “Oh God, that hurts!” I gasped, as I tried to hold my sides and breathe calmly.

  “Just wait until you have kids. Then we’ll see who’s laughing,” she replied smugly.

  What a perfect lead-in.

  “Oh, I’m sure. I’ll let you know how it is in about eight months,” I replied cautiously. I eased myself onto the chaise lounge in my study. That left the normally talkative Jen absolutely speechless for a full minute.

  “Are you—? Did you just say—?” she stuttered.

  I giggled then said calmly, “Yep.”

  The shriek that came out of my phone was so loud it could have been heard in Florida. “Dammit. I am coming over. Give me an hour to get Matt home, then I’ll be there. Is it Shane’s?” she demanded.

  What the hell kind of girl did she think I was? “Of course it’s Shane’s, you dingdong,” I scoffed. “But you can’t come over. I’m exhausted. I need to pack and by the time you get here, the pain meds would have kicked in. I’ll call you when I get back. Okay?” I said. “But hey, I wanted you to be the first to know. Well, besides Mom, but still. I love you, Jen,” I said quietly.

  Jen chuckled. “Those hormones are already getting to you, huh? We will talk about this tomorrow. Call me when you get to the beach. I want to know everything.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up. I stared at the phone, feeling slightly disconnected. I wasn’t sure if or when I would be able to call her back. It frightened me to not know the ins and outs of the plan. I hated feeling this way.

  I headed upstairs with my empty suitcase in tow. I grabbed all the yoga pants and gym shorts I could find. I wasn’t sure how long I should pack for. I had a horrible over-packing issue as it was. I simply took everything that had an elastic waistline and that I thought I could wear for a month or two. I left my beautiful heels at the bottom of my closet, settling for the more practical flats, sandals, and sneakers. As an afterthought, I grabbed the picture of Shane and me and wrapped it in Shane’s favorite sweatshirt. I had just managed to get the suitcase zipped when Tommy knocked on my door.

  “Come in,” I called.

  “Hey. Kate is here. I wanted to introduce you guys,” Tommy said. The person who walked in shocked me. With beautiful pale skin and bright blue eyes, she looked like the Allison that Shane had dated, but Kate’s hair was a light brown instead of the raven black. My mouth dropped; I was flabbergasted.

  “Allison?”

  “Well, my name is actually Kate. I work with Tommy,” she said and gave me a huge smile.

  “Um, wow! You look completely different. Great, of course, but different,” I stammered, startled by her transformation. She was still beautiful, but somewhat less intimidating.

  “Thanks. I switched back to my normal color after Shane and I ‘broke up’,” she replied, using air quotes. She was quite blasé about the whole thing, which confused me even more. But then again, when wasn’t I confused lately.

  “You sound so casual about it. Does that mean . . . ? You guys weren’t really dating?” I questioned, feeling slightly relieved. A girl never wants to compare herself to her boyfriend’s ex, but sometimes it’s hard not to. In Allison—or Kate’s case, it had been extremely hard not to be critical of myself.

  “Shane and I were never dating. It was all part of the story. We were working together. I was his handler. Having me here was a good way to keep an eye and ear on the situation,” Kate replied nonchalantly. “Besides, I don’t think any girl could handle her boyfriend mooning over some other woman the way Shane swooned over you. He may not say much about his feelings, but his feelings were quite evident whenever your name came up.”

  I was floored. I couldn’t believe it. Was I so blind that I couldn’t see what was clearly obvious to everyone else? I didn’t know what to say. Luckily for me, Kate handed me a shopping bag as she sat down.

  “I stopped by Target and picked up a few things for you. Some prenatal vitamins, the bible of all pregnancy books, and a couple of magazines. We have a long drive ahead of us in the morning.”

  “Yeah, speaking of that. Where are we going?” I asked as I shoved the items into my tote.

  “I’m not sure. I know we’re meeting up with Rick’s team and heading up north. I’ll know tomorrow. Are you packed?” she asked, flicking her head at my overflowing suitcase.

  I grimaced. “I guess so. I still have to get Penny’s stuff together. I’ll grab enough of her food to last a week. We’ll have to go shopping at some point.” Kate nodded.

  “If you need anything, let me know. We can always send out for it. Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact time line. Your uncle is trying to talk the prosecutors into a quick trial. But Reggie’s defense may try to push it back. In the meantime, you’re going to get a break from all the drama that’s unfolding. You’ll be able to chill out and rest. You and your baby certainly need it.” The idea made me uncomfortable. I hated feeling that someone evil was pulling my strings like I was
a marionette.

  “How’s Shane?” I asked quietly. I had known better than to ask Tommy about Shane. I didn’t feel that he could handle any more questions from me, and surely not about Shane.

  Kate thought for a minute. “He’s safe. He is going to testify against Reggie. They know that he’s mysteriously out on bail and they are going to make it a point to make sure he stays quiet. They are going to go for his weakest point. That’s you. That’s the main reason why we’re leaving here tomorrow. Well, for two, actually. Shane is worried sick about you. We’ve been telling him that you’re fine, and we’re keeping what happened to you last night under wraps for now. But if Shane finds out that you were assaulted, he’ll run from that safe house and come find you. He would end up taking matters into his own hands. That is all great and romantic but that would damage the case. Shane could get hurt or worse. Without Shane, our case is finished. And while the world wouldn’t necessarily grieve if Reggie Cruz was taken out, we need him alive so we can grab whomever is supplying him. So with Reggie looking for you, you’re toast. We’re doing this to save both of you, and to save our investigation.”

  Kate’s brutal and honest assessment of the situation gave me pause. The thought of Shane dying felt like a punch in my gut. I pushed down the scream that was desperately trying to come out and asked, “Say this whole thing blows over. Reggie’s in jail, no more threats. What is going to happen to Shane once this is all over with? Will he be able to return?” And stay with us as a family, I silently added. Kate’s face looked remorseful.

  “Megan, I’m not sure. As part of the deal that he has with the prosecutors, he tells us what we want to know about Reggie and then we cut him loose. His record gets expunged. But will he be able to live a normal life? I’m not sure. His life before you was not great. He dealt drugs and was involved in a bunch of shady activities. Granted, he was working toward a normal life and getting everything straight. That’s a good thing. But the dark side has a way of seducing even the strongest men. He’ll have a hard time adjusting, but anyone can change if they really want to.”