“What’s the next best safehouse?” Alex asks. He pulls out their map speckled with little red dots all over the country Liz never noticed before.
“It doesn’t matter,” Matt says cynically from behind them. Hemarches to the table, sliding in next to Tyler, unsurprisingly choosing the furthest seat from Liz.
“And why not?” Mikey responds.
“Because he is sending everyone who is afraid of him out looking for you. Every single safehouse is being searched. It’s only a matter of time before we end up at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he explains, locking eyes with Riley.
“So, what are you suggesting? We stay at the fucking four seasons?” Riley snarks back.
“No, sir. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sure you were already worried about him finding us wherever we go,” Matt responds timidly.
Liz almost feels bad for him. He may have done awful things, but he is showing remorse and trying to right his wrongs. That’s more than most people would do.
“What if we had somewhere to go that isn’t on his radar? Would he still be able to find us?” Liz asks quietly, looking only at Riley. She lets the rest of the team fade away before she loses her nerve. “I mean, he can find us no matter where we go, but it would be a whole hell of a lot harder.”Riley says, eyeing her. “Why? Do you know a place?”
CHAPTER 38
None of the team knew what they were walking into when Liz told them she has a place where they could stay. Driving down a secluded back road that hasn’t been maintained for years was the last thing Riley thought they would be doing.
The long dirt road has towering maple trees lining either side. Each one covered in leaves making up nearly every color of a sunset. He stays quiet, steering them down the road until it opens into a large clearing with a house sitting right in the middle. It looks like something plucked right out of a fairy tale. Long grasses surrounding the house blow about in the wind. To the right looks like what used to be a vegetable garden and the left has a small barn with an overgrown pasture. The whole patch of land resembles a serene postcard you could buy at any small-town store.
He parks in front of the house, taking it all in as he climbs out. It’s bigger than it looks from the road. A patchwork of grey and white stones make up the face of the house with a towering arched doorway and a single arched window on either side, framed by wood so dark it is nearly black.
Deep green ivy snakes up the stonework, settling all over the rich grey slate roof. Riley hadn’t thought about what kind of house he would give her when they finally got away, but seeing the house in front of him, it’s easy to picture: Liz in the milkmaid dress he loves so much, tending to the garden while he carries the heavy baskets filled with fresh vegetables, their dogs bouncing happily alongside them, stealing bites right from the plants. At the end of a long day they can sit on the porch, watching the sunset. Peaceful. Serene. Everything she should have had.
Riley watches her get out, looking up at the house. It’s clear something about this place holds a deep sadness, beautiful as it is. It’s in the way she has carried herself since they got close. Less confident, trying to be as small as she can rather than commanding the room. The moment she shrank back into herself, he wanted to know what was causing it, but the pain swirling in her eyes made him stop. He refuses to make it worse by getting her to talk about it.
The guys notice it, too. It’s been all of five minutes and each one has looked at him like he should have all the answers. God, he wishes that were true. At least then he would be able to pull her from whatever dark part of her mind she has retreated to.
“You okay, love?” Riley asks, walking over to where Liz is frozen, staring up at the house. She shakes her head, not in answer, but like she can physically shake off whatever thoughts are plaguing her, only adding to his worry. Remaining silent, they lock eyes. What he sees in her has his heart shattering into a million pieces. Liz makes her way to the door, digging around the bushes until she finds an old key. Forcing it into the lock, she twists hard, shoving the door open with a groan. Her head drops to the ground, rushing back to the SUV to grab as many bags as she can carry. Riley follows suit, sticking as close to her as he is able,refusing to let her out of his sight until he knows what she is thinking.
All his questions are answered when he steps into the house. Right inside the doorway is a staircase with a room to the side of it. The rest of the space is a large living room. He steps further in, dropping the bags on the floor. Past the living room is the dining area, and beside that is the kitchen. Everything is immaculately decorated. A mix of cottage core and modern. A large sectional sits in the living room, dividing it from the dining and kitchen areas, making each one feel open while maintaining their own space. There is a fireplace on the far wall and, hanging over the fireplace, is a large canvas threatening to send him over the edge. He can’t look away from Liz in a white wedding gown, perfectly posed with who can only be her late husband. They are looking into each other’s eyes while a little girl with eyes matching Liz’s throws flowers above her head in front of them. Even as a painting, he can see the love and admiration on their faces. Drawn to it, he goes to the mantle, looking at each and every photo lined along the deep brown wood.
Wedding photos, a child’s birthday, a man holding hands with a child walking toward a sunset. The most tragic array of love he has ever seen. He has half a mind to pack the car back up and get her as far from here as he can. The only thing stopping him is knowing she will fight to stay, insisting it’s their best shot at safety.
Riley rushes from the room before he changes his mind, helping with the rest of the bags. He makes it back to the car in time to hear Liz telling Tyler about an old generator out back, asking to see if he can get it started. Her eyes flick to him for just a second, looking anywhere but Riley.
“Princess, why didn’t you tell me?” he asks as soon as Tyler leaves.
“Don’t,” Liz orders, handing him the last two bags.
He follows her back inside, watching as her eyes drop the moment they make it through the door. Riley wonders if it’s to keep from having to see her former life, the life she should be living, or to avoid all the looks of pity she is getting from the team.
“There should be plenty of room,” Liz starts as she walks into a small closet built under the stairs, tossing out bags of fresh linens that had been vacuumed flat. “There is a room here,” she says, pushing open the door at the bottom of the stairs, then climbing up.
The top floor is just a hallway with doors lining either side, most already open to reveal bedrooms and a bathroom. The walls between them are covered in family photos. She shows each pair that bunked together at the last house to their rooms, apologizing for not having something better, leaving them to get settled.
Footsteps come thundering through the house before Mikey appears behind him, huffing and puffing for breath. Ignoring him, Liz pushes open the last door to reveal the main bedroom and the king size bed sitting in the middle of it.
He wants to reach out to her, hold her, do anything to stop the cracking in her voice as she tells them that’s where they will sleep.
Tears roll down her cheeks. Liz pushes past them, nearly tripping down the stairs and running outside. Riley stays a few steps behind, giving her as much space as he can allow himself while making sure she is safe. She slows after she makes it away from the house. He keeps watch, eyes never leaving her as she cuts through the long golden grass, billowing in the breeze. When she gets to the barn, he stops.
Five minutes. That is all the time he can stomach being away from her in this state. In five minutes, he will go talk to her, and if she truly needs more time, he will respect that.
It’s the longest five minutes of his life, sitting outside, listening to her gut-wrenching sobs and shuddering breaths.
The smell of old hay hits him when he walks inside. Riley climbs the half rotten ladder to the second story, finding Liz sitting at the open hay door with her knees pulled to her chest. Slowly, he makes his way over and drops to her side, pulling her into his arms. The crying only gets worse, bringing him right back to that night she finally confided in them about her family.
