Ashley took the lead, rushing toward the apartment buildings back entrance.
Harry’s SUV was parked on the curb. As soon as he saw them, he jumped out of his vehicle and opened the trunk. “Is this all the bags you’ve got?”
“Yes.” Ashley threw her arms around Bonnie. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Make sure you do. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Harry opened Ashley’s door. “We need to leave. You’ve got a train to catch.”
She slid into Harry’s SUV and closed the door. With a final wave to Bonnie, they were off.
“Everything will be okay,” Harry said as he navigated through the streets. “I’ll call you after you arrive in Buffalo.”
“I hope Mrs. Moretti and Mr. Stokes don’t get hurt.”
“They’ll be fine. I’ve got a feeling they don’t scare easily.”
Ashley peered through the windshield. She hoped so, too.
***
By the time she arrived at Grand Central Station, Ashley’s nerves were strung tight. She didn’t know what she would have done without her friends. The key to Bonnie’s grandmother’s house was in her pocket. No one had lived at her home in Buffalo since she’d died, but it would keep Ashley safe until she was ready to leave. Harry had bought her a train ticket. He’d given her his spare laptop and enough money to last a few weeks. By the time she needed more money he would have opened another bank account and sent her an EFTPOS card.
Her suitcases jostled against her legs as she moved quickly through the main concourse. She didn’t have a lot of time before her train left, but there was one thing she had to do before she left New York City.
Relief surged through her when she saw the front window of the newsagent. She walked into the store and pulled an envelope out of her pocket. On the way to the station, she’d addressed the envelope and slid a piece of paper inside. With trembling hands, she took a silver ring off her finger and placed it inside the envelope.
Waiting in line to buy stamps was like torture. She kept glancing at her watch, hoping she made it to her platform in time. As soon as she’d bought the stamps, she ran toward the mailbox and dropped the envelope inside. She didn’t know what would happen once the ring arrived at its destination, but she needed help. Her friends had already put their lives in danger. Contacting someone she trusted, someone with no connection to her life in New York, might be the only way everyone would be safe.
There was only one person who could help her and he lived thousands of miles away.
***
Matthew knelt on the grass on the northern boundary of his family’s ranch. He made a loop in one end of a length of barbed wire, then twisted the ends together.
Their neighbor had spotted the broken fence from his helicopter. It was just as well he’d seen it. With a herd of cattle due to rotate into this field tomorrow, the fence needed to be fixed to keep them there.
The low hum of an engine filled the Montana prairie. Matthew looked over his shoulder and smiled. He might be sitting in the middle of nowhere, but his twin brother had still managed to find him.
Sean jumped out of his truck. “Do you need the pliers?”
“No, but you could grab another roll of barbed wire off the back of the truck.” Matthew picked up the fence stretcher and caught one end of the broken fence around a clamp. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d still be in Bozeman.”
“I finished what I needed to do. Thought you might appreciate some company.”
“I’d appreciate a hand with this fence a whole lot more.” He twisted the old and new barbed wire together and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Sally invited us to dinner.”
“Tonight?” Sally was their sister, the only daughter in a family of four boys.
Sean dropped a roll of barbed wire on the ground. “Only if your social calendar can fit us in. Nathan said we could go with him. Amy’s working at the hospital tonight.”
Matthew’s social calendar had been empty for longer than he wanted to admit. He liked meeting other people, but he wasn’t interested in dating anyone. It was easier to hang out with his friends on Friday night, enjoy whatever sport was in town at the weekend, and focus on the ranch during the week. Nathan, their older brother, understood better than most how he felt.
Sean stood in front of him with his hands on his hips. “Was that a yes, no, or maybe?”
