She frowns. “You know a lot about this. How do you know how to do all of this?”
“I know my sister told you I’m not on the right side of the law. This isn’t the first time we have had to get someone off the grid but keep them in plain sight. Normally, it’s not this intensive since they are adults and can take care of themselves, but with the kids, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Tanner was born on June 14. Flag day.” She gives a little smile. “He always says ‘Happy Flag Day’ when you wish him a happy birthday.”
“That’s cute. He seems like a good kid,” I tell her, wondering about the older boy who looked haunted when I met him.
“He is.” She takes a deep breath. “Emily will be a little more difficult. She was born on December 19, so she remembers it being so close to Christmas.”
“Would you be willing to tell her that her birthday is on Christmas now? Maybe the excitement of double the presents would help?” I offer.
“I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep them safe.”
“Good. For your driver’s license, I need to know what color you want me to put down for your hair.”
Her hand goes to the strands hanging around her shoulders, and she starts to twirl the ends.
“This is my natural color.”
I eye the mahogany color. I should have known it wasn’t a box dye job, not when the kids have the same color.
“I’m assuming you don’t want to change it?”
She shakes her head.
“Okay. Now, a generic last name seems like a great idea, but that is what I would look at first, so how about I pick a random last name for you? I’ll need to know what last name to avoid, though.”
Her eyes widen as she shakes her head.
“Not the whole thing. It can be Voldemort and all that shit. Just tell me the first letter.”
“A.”
“Okay. We can work with that. It will take a couple of days to get everything worked out, but I have it under control. Use these couple of days to explore the neighborhood. There’s a park down at the end there. I would steer clear of any dark water,though. Freshwater this time of year won’t really have alligators as much with the mornings being cooler, but water moccasins are deadly,” I warn her.
“What are those?” she whispers.
“Snakes. Most are friendly, but those aren’t. You are more than welcome to let the kids play in my yard as well. Call me if you need anything.”
“You have already done so much,” she tells me.
“I haven’t done anything but let you take space in a home that would have sat empty otherwise. Now get back to the kids. Tanner has peeked out at us at least three times.”
She looks to the window, catching his fourth look.
“Thank you, Mac. Seriously.”
I nod. “No problem. Take care.”
As I walk away, I go through the checklist in my head. She’s going to need identification for herself and the kids, which means forged birth certificates and schooling. Smoke is still looking for an office manager, so I can get her a job easily enough, but the kids really need schooling, so that needs to be the first thing I work on.
I sigh deeply, wondering if she will trust me enough to keep her safe because, for whatever reason, I know it’s my duty to do so.
Two days. Two torturous days since we’ve been here. From the moment we arrived, we’ve been stuck on this property. It’s like we’ve exchanged one prison for another. The only difference, though, is that this is one of my making. We’ve been outside twice, and while it was nice to feel the sunshine on my face, I was too on edge to enjoy it. I kept wondering if he was watching—if he was here, getting ready to make his move. I couldn’t even let the kids venture further than the backyard.
The kids, though, loved going outside. They’ve asked to go back out several times, but I just can’t bring myself to let them. I know it’s in my head, but the fear is real.
For a brief second, they were kids again. They were so excited and happy to not be so confined to a small space. For a split second, it reminded me of when they were younger. When things were good, and they were just kids. Kids who didn’t know violence. Ones who were happy and healthy. It made my heart ache. I want them to have that all the time, but I just can’t let them back out.
