Nita came running around the house. "What are you doing over here?"
"Just talking to the cop," Ellie answered. "Giving him all of the information I have."
"He blew up your car?" Nita looked incredulous.
"Seems that way." Ellie frowned. "How did you know to get here?"
"The alarm company called me when you didn't answer your cell phone. Pretty shocking if you ask me."
"I'm sorry." Ellie told her what happened to her phone. "I was a little distracted at that moment."
The cop interrupted. "I'm going to talk to the captain of the fire department. If you think of anything, let me know."
They watched him walk away before Nita turned back to Ellie. "You climbed down from the balcony?"
"I did, and now I know I can depend on those little fire ladders. Saved my ass."
"We need to get you out of here."
"Yeah, now that I have no gate, no car, and no desire to stay in my own house, I think you're right."
Nita pulled a brochure from her pocket. "I found this a long time ago, and I always forgot to give it to you. I happened to find it early, and I set it out so I could show you, but then the alarm company called and I just grabbed it."
"Outside Outfitters. Sounds.... outdoorsy."
"It is. And it's something that you absolutely need. They specialise in out of the way adventures. The perfect place for you to go to keep your nose clean until this blows over and just enjoy some downtime.
Ellie glanced through the information. "Looks cool. You have to have reservations though. It doesn't sound like a last-minute thing."
"You let me worry about that. You just get inside and get packed while the firemen and the cops are still here."
We walked around the front of the house, and I stared at the smoking remnants of my car. "I'm certainly not driving that thing."
"You're the only celebrity I know that only has one car."
"Let's just say I don't like car payments. Besides, if I want a new one, I just go pay cash for it."
Nita sniffed. "Yeah, we don't all have that luxury."
Ellie laughed. It was a standing joke between them, and Ellie knew that Nita was just trying to make everything as normal as possible.
Half an hour later, Ellie was completely packed. "I made sure to grab my camera. It's been too long since I just went out on a hike to photograph the great outdoors."
Nita looked like she had just won the lottery. "You , my girl, have reservations with one Vinia Hale. But we have one more problem."
"What's that?"
"The four guys that work at Outside Outfitters are on their way to Wyoming for a horse sale. They're going to have one of them stay back to entertain you."
"But I don't need saving. I just need a place to hide out."
"Elle, you're going to Colorado. There are way too many things there that can hurt you, and with your natural curiosity, you're going to get the picture no matter what. You need to get off the grid until this shit is figured out."
Ellie stood quietly. There was no way to argue Nita when she was right.
Chapter Seven: Change of Plans
Colton Hale
