Mallyne Farm near Inverlochy village, 2020
Amber heard steps outside the front door and raised her head to listen.
“Amber Ryan, stop worrying.” Her aunt shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. “It’s only Rob. He went to feed the cows.”
Amber sighed and poked her porridge with a spoon. She’d been here for a week. She should’ve gotten used to Rob, Aunt Christel’s son, feeding the cows and sheep first thing in the morning. And she should start liking porridge. Where was peanut butter and jelly sandwich when she needed it?
At least Scotland had good coffee. Her mug stood on the checkered tablecloth steaming with a comforting aroma. The rustic kitchen was bathed in sunlight, but it was still cool, even in summer. Old Scottish farmhouses were probably never warm.
Or maybe Amber was just too used to the summer heat in Afghanistan. The thought sent a shiver through her, and she glanced at the door. She was safe for now. No one was coming for her.
Yet.
“I should leave you guys soon,” Amber said. “I need to keep moving. Sooner or later, the police or someone will come here with questions.”
“Aye. Well—” Aunt Christel shook her curly, red hair, “—you know that neither Rob nor I will say a word.”
Amber reached out and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, it means so much that you believe me.”
Aunt Christel squeezed her hand back. “I knew your father, lass. He was my cousin, and I spent every summer with him for eighteen years. And I know he didn’t raise a murderer. People easily use a gentle soul like you. So, aye, I believe you were set up.”
Amber released a shaky breath. It felt good to know that even though the government thought she was a murderer, she had people in her life who were on her side. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t keep her from a death sentence or from a life in prison.
Aunt Christel took another sip and studied Amber with her soft, brown eyes. “But, sweetheart, what do you want to do in the future? You can’t hide forever. You’re innocent. Why don’t you stand up and prove it?”
A chill snaked down Amber’s spine at the thought. Helplessness weighed down her arms and legs.
“I don’t think there’s any point, Auntie. Powerful men can crush normal people like me. Especially when money and drugs are involved. And murder.”
“Aye, dearie, but you must seek justice at some point. You’re not a coward. How can you live on the run your whole life? What’s the point? You can’t have any friends. Can’t marry. Can’t have children. Always looking over your shoulder, seeing shadows.”
Amber fingered a white china flower at the base of the cup handle. She knew her aunt was right. Amber had joined the army because she wanted to see the world, fight for her country, and protect innocent people from the terrorists.
So why was she behaving like a coward now? She wasn’t the type to cower from a fight. Growing up, she hadn’t been afraid to take the blame for her three older brothers’ small sins, such as broken vases or scratches on the car. That had been her way of protecting them. But instead of appreciating her sacrifice, they’d treated her like a doormat.
“I know, Aunt Christel, you’re right. My mom raised me to be a good girl. To go to church. To live an honest life. Dad is probably turning in his grave watching me hide like this and not seek justice. Everything inside of me is screaming at me to stand up and fight and prove I didn’t commit that murder.”
“Aye. So why don’t you?”
Amber brought the cup to her mouth with a shaking hand, coffee threatening to spill on the tablecloth. She took a sip, her favorite drink tasteless against her tongue.
“I’d be a naive little girl if I trusted the system. Major Jackson is using me as a scapegoat to cover for his crimes. He managed to get the drugs from Afghanistan to America for years. So imagine how many people he must have in his pocket in the military. And now that he murdered a US officer, he’ll be even more ruthless.” She shook her head. “No. I cannot take him on alone.”
“Perhaps nae. But why don’t you ask your brothers to help? Jonathan was in the military, too. He knows people, doesn’t he?”
“Right.” Amber snorted. “Jonathan doesn’t want anything to do with me. He sold our house after Dad died, and everyone lives their own lives.”
Amber was still a teenager when their mom died, and the family had started to fall apart. After their dad’s death two years ago, they’d stopped meeting for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kyle was a kick-ass lawyer in New York. Daniel was in San Francisco last time Amber had heard, still trying to sell his sculptures.
“But still,” Aunt Cristel said, “if you ask for help… Kin is kin.”
“Maybe that’s how it is in Scotland. And I can’t thank you enough for helping me. But if I went to Jonathan for help, he’d be the first to rat me out to the authorities.”
Aunt Christel covered Amber’s hand with her own, and Amber squeezed it back, her caramel skin looking even darker compared to her aunt’s pasty complexion.
“Surely, nae, dear?” Aunt Christal said.
Amber sighed. “He wouldn’t risk his ass for me. He has the right connections in the military, I’m sure, but he also has two kids and a wife and a beautiful house.”
“But—”
“Police! Police!” Rob cried.
Everything moved in slow motion. There was the distant rustle of car tires and engines. The front door swung wide, and Rob stood in the doorway, his silhouette black against the sun. “Police!” he shouted.
Amber jumped to her feet, jostling the table, and the coffee mugs and porridge flew off from the impact.
Aunt Christel cried, “Back door!”
Amber ran, her feet heavy, as though she were moving through a swamp. It was like she
