“Someone familiar with the territory.” He frowned, scanning the silent forest. “They didn’t panic when we appeared. They had an escape route planned.”
“A local or someone who’s spent enough time here to learn the landscape?”
Dungar’s expression darkened. “Either way, they’re more prepared than we expected.”
So close, but they’d gotten away.
We searched the area for at least an hour, but found no further sign of the intruder. Whoever it was had melted into the night, leaving us with nothing but questions and the unsettling certainty that they’d return.
Dawn was breaking as we trudged back to town, the first pale fingers of light stretching across the eastern horizon. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I fished it out, expecting a message from one of Dungar’s brothers.
Unknown number.
My stomach clenched. Only one person would call from a blocked line at this hour.
“I need to take this,” I told Dungar, stepping to the edge of the narrow trail through the deep grass.
He nodded, giving me space but staying close enough to be there for me if needed.
Hand shaking, I swiped into the call. “James.” I used my real surname for the first time in months.
“Good morning, Ms. James.” The familiar voice of Marshal Thomas, my handler from the Witness Protection Program, came through clearly. “I’m calling with news you’ll want to hear.”
My pulse quickened. “I’m listening.”
“The Blainsworth brothers were arrested yesterday on multiple counts of money laundering, securities fraud, and attempted witness intimidation.” A note of satisfaction rang out in his voice. “Federal agents executed search warrants on their homes and offices simultaneously. The evidence is substantial.”
I struggled to process his words, my free hand unconsciously stretching out to find Dungar’s. He stepped closer, his warm fingers enveloping mine.
“Are you saying…?” I couldn’t finish the question.
“I’m saying the immediate threat to your safety has been neutralized,” Thompson said. “Their assets are frozen. Their passports have been seized. The network of hired help they’d assembled to locate you will have no financial or physical support any longer.”
“They’re really gone?” My voice came out small, disbelieving.
“The case is solid. They’re going to be locked up for a very long time.” I could almost see his warm smile. He must love being able to deliver good news every now and then. “You’re free, Riley. You can come out of hiding.”
The words I’d dreamed of hearing for two yearswashed through me. My knees shook, and Dungar’s arm slipped around my waist, supporting me.
“What does this mean for my status in the program?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“You have options now. You can maintain your new identity or reclaim your old one. Return to your former life or build a new one. The choice is yours.” He paused. “Do you need time to think about it?”
I looked up at Dungar, whose concerned eyes searched my face. The golden mark on my wrist stood out in the morning light, a reminder of everything I’d found here in Lonesome Creek.
Everything I didn’t want to leave.
“No,” I said. “I don’t need time. I’m staying where I am.”
“Sounds good. I’ll send the paperwork to make everything official. You’re no longer a protected witness, Riley James. You’re simply a citizen who chose a new name and a new life.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything.”
After a few more details about the formal end of my participation in the program, I ended the call, my hand barely able to hold onto the phone long enough to tuck it inside my pocket.
“Are you alright?” Dungar asked. “Do you need to sit down or…I could carry you anywhere you want to go.”
I did enjoy being in this male’s arms.
