“This is as far as I go for now. If they follow anyone thinking they’ll find you, it’s going to be me.”
A silver SUV pulled up beside them, and panic welled up inside Valerie. “I can’t do this without you.”
“Yes, you can.” Ellie forced a smile and handed Valerie’s backpack to Flynn. “I’ll come get you when it’s time for the trial. You’ll be safe until then. Trust me.”
A tall brown-haired man got out of the SUV and opened the rear door on the driver’s side.
Valerie turned to Ellie, eyes wide with fear. “Do you know him? How do we know we can trust him?”
“His name is Nick, and I’ve known him all my life. You’ll be safe with him. I promise.”
Valerie nodded, but her stomach was still in knots, and her hands trembled.
Nick waited patiently beside the vehicle as Flynn took up position next to the open door, and Zeke got in on the passenger side, waiting for Valerie.
Grabbing Ellie’s hand, Valerie fought the urge to run, and Ellie’s calm eventually broke through her panic.
“It will be okay. You’ll be safe with him.” Ellie repeated the words, her voice soft and reassuring. “I promise.”
Valerie impulsively threw her arms around her new friend, hugging her tight. “I believe you.” Valerie’s voice shook, giving her away. “But I’m still scared.”
Ellie nodded and untangled herself from Valerie’s embrace, pushing her toward the waiting vehicle with a smile. “Bravery is not the absence of fear. It’s being terrified and doing it anyway. You’ve got this.”
“We need to leave,” Flynn urged her, motioning toward the waiting seat.
Valerie bit her lip and nodded, finally getting into the SUV. Flynn closed the door behind them with a muted thud, and Ellie slid into the driver’s seat of the still running sedan and drove away. The glass was cold beneath Valerie’s hand as she followed the sedan, her eyes wide with uncertainty until she lost sight of the vehicle as it turned the corner.
She leaned back against the leather seat, catching her quivering lip between her teeth.
Nick’s bright blue eyes watched her in the mirror as he meandered through the streets of North Charleston before finally making his way onto another highway headed northeast. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“I have property on the water. It’s only a little five-acre piece of land, but it’s surrounded by trees and easy to protect.” He smiled, reminding her of a Ken doll. “I bought it as a secret getaway for Ellie and me. You’ll be able to go outside without risking your life, and the gentle lapping of the water at the shore is rumored to have healing energy.”
She glanced at Flynn. “Are you staying too?”
He nodded. “Zeke and I will be the only ones with you once Nick leaves. We won’t leave your side. You have my word.”
Valerie nodded, some of the tension that had settled into her chest fading. “And no one knows where this place is?”
“Just me and Ellie.” Nick nodded at her in the mirror. “And now you.”
She puckered her lips, thinking she wouldn’t mind sitting lakeside. “I guess it’s better than staying at a hotel.”
Nick grimaced. “I wouldn’t want to be confined to a hotel room until the trial starts.”
“Do you have a caretaker? Won’t they be suspicious if you bring a woman who isn’t Ellie?” Valerie chuckled. “Even from far away, it’s obvious I’m not a tall redhead.”
“I gave the housekeeper a month off, and the landscaper only comes every other week until everything starts growing again.” He glanced at Flynn before turning his attention back to Valerie. “Flynn and his crew gave me a list of precautions, and we’ve got it all covered. I promise, no one will find you here.”
He turned off the highway, winding down a long road while Flynn watched out the rear window. “All clear, Nick.”
Nick gave a quick nod and turned down a gravel road lined with evergreen trees on both sides. At the end of the long drive, he stopped at a heavy gate, punching in a code and waiting for the gate to lurch open. It closed behind them, and they continued through the woods.
Valerie was already so turned around, she wasn’t sure which way led back to Charleston. She hoped that meant their hideaway would be equally hard to find.
When the road widened what seemed like a mile later, and the two-story house came into view, Valerie’s jaw went slack. Painted in the same brown and forest green palette as the surrounding woods, the log-cabin-style home blended seamlessly into the landscape. But it was the large windows overlooking the water and the balcony circling the entire second floor that caught Valerie’s attention. Beyond the yard, a large lake glistened in the late afternoon sun.
“This is your little cottage by the water? It looks like a postcard.”
Nick laughed. “Ellie and I thought you would like it.”
“I could live here forever.” She sighed, the panic that had held her hostage for the past hour slipping away as Nick parked in the garage and closed the door before they got out of the SUV.
“Well, until the trial is over and you figure out what you’re going to do with your life, this place is your home.” He grabbed her backpack, letting Zeke and Flynn sweep the house before leading her into the modern kitchen and gesturing at a massive fridge. “I hope you’re hungry. I bought enough groceries to feed a small army. I didn’t know what you like, so I bought a bit of everything.”
Valerie yanked open the door, and a wide smile spread across her face. Even after she’d escaped Arthur Fink and survived being hunted by Tucker Penland, her carefully guarded freedom had been no better than living a life of captivity. But Nick had given her something she hadn’t had in years. Space to breathe, and a kitchen filled with endless choices. No more bland, restrictive diets for her. She was going to eat like a queen.
And she was
