“Yeah, I just had to pick something up,” I remind him.
“Oh shit, I forgot about that. When does your new neighbor start?”
I wince. “I don’t know. I told her about the job, but told her to take her time deciding.”
Gunner grunts. “Do you think she’s going to take it? We could use the help.”
I laugh. “I don’t know, but I hope so.”
He is the one currently trying to help Smoke deal with the paperwork. He hates it since his girl works in the garage and he’d rather be working on a car next to her.
“You and me both,” he mutters.
I hear a door open and close in the background.
“Hey, Lee and Sloane just got home, so I’m going to let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says before hanging up.
As soon as I get off the phone, the silence hits me. I never realized how quiet my place could be. In fact, it’s a little unnerving.
I could go to the clubhouse and hang out with whoever’s hanging around.
The thought has merit, but the last thing I want to do is leave again. Not when I just got home. I kick off my boots and head into the living room. Grabbing the remote, I turn on the TV and set it down when it kicks on. I head into the kitchen and rifle through the fridge, looking for something to eat.
I have plenty of takeout, but none of it appeals to me. Turning around, my eyes drift to the window above my sink, to their house.
My house. They are just temporarily staying there. At least until I solve their little issue and they get back on their feet. There’s no way they will want to stay here forever.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what they are up to.
Is Jane making dinner?
Is Tanner playing with Emily?
Are they all doing something together?
Are they watching a movie as a family before she puts the kids to bed?
I can’t help but wonder, even though I have no right to.
They aren’t mine.
I’m just supposed to keep them safe. The last thing they need is a stranger inserting themselves into their lives when they are trying to heal.
For fuck’s sake, what is it about them that makes me wonder? I’ve helped people escape bad situations before. This isn’t the first family we’ve helped run. So what is it about them that spikes my curiosity?
I need to figure out what the hell it is, because one thing is for sure. This can’t continue.
I’m sitting on the back deck as Tanner and Emily run around the yard playing some form of tag. I can’t help the smile on my face as I watch them laugh with one another.
I’m still scared to death to let them out of my sight, but Mac was right. They need to be in school.
After Emily fell asleep last night, Tanner came out to the living room to talk to me. He said that he would keep Emily safe so I could go to work. It broke my heart that he felt he needed to say that.
The truth is, Evan can find us at any moment, but Mac made it a hell of a lot harder for that to happen. If it weren’t for theenvelope of documents sitting in the top drawer of the dresser he gave us, I wouldn’t let these kids go to school, not using their real names.
Instead, we are now the Sheridans. Mac was right. There is no way Evan would ever find us using this name. It doesn’t stop my anxiety, but it does help ease some of it. It’s going to be hard. I am going to have to fight every instinct to go get them, but I need to get out of this fight-or-flight mindset. If I keep them locked up, I am only going to cause them more harm.
So I have decided that they will go to school, and I will go to work.
