Now Bree couldn’t stop the tears from overflowing.“I can’t stay.”
She could elaborate more, spin up some tale of partial truths, but the fact was the Organization knew she was here.If she stayed, the town might fight for her, but the Organization would win and take Bree and the babies anyway.The best she could do for these people she’d started to care about—the first community she’d ever known—was to get out.
She started packing stuff up again.
“We don’t want you to go.”The voice from the door this time was Dan’s.
A little sob escaped Bree before she could swallow it.She took a couple of deep breaths to get herself under control.
Where was all the training her mother had spent years instilling in her?Now Bree understood why the no-friendship rule had been so important.Because leaving friends without a backward glance was not an easy thing to do.
“Just for a few days until things calm down, then I’ll be back,” Bree finally said.That was a lie.She would never be coming back to Risk Peak again.
She heard Dan and Cheryl whispering to each other in the doorway.Were they going to try to talk her out of this?She couldn’t let them.She just needed to get out while she still had the resolve to do so.
Once she had everything she could fit into the large diaper bag, she reached down to grab the babies.
She was putting Christian inside the baby carrier when Dan walked back into the room.She hadn’t even realized he left.He set two baby car seat carriers on the ground.“We bought those a couple of days ago thinking it might be easier to have two sets than to have to lug them back and forth all the time.”
Bree had no idea what to say.“I—I...”
Cheryl walked over and took Christian from her, kissing him on the head.“If you’ve got to go, then you’ve got to go.Your apartment might still be closed off as a crime scene.But at least you’ll have car seats.”
“Thank you.”The simple thanks was so completely inadequate, but it was all Bree could think of.The older couple fastened the babies inside the car seats with the utmost care.Bree gathered the rest of the stuff.
“We want you to have this.”Dan pressed something into her hand, and when she looked down she realized it was a wad of cash.
She shook her head vehemently.“No.I can’t take this.”
Dan closed one of his hands over hers with the cash.“You can, and you will.Cheryl and I both agree there’s nothing more important to us—nothing we could spend this money on—that would make us more happy than knowing that you and those children are safe.So you take it and maybe that will give you even more reason to come back around when you can.”
She had to get out of here.Her mom had been right.No closeness was worth the agony she was feeling now.And Dan and Cheryl weren’t even Tanner.Thank God she didn’t have to say goodbye to him.She didn’t think she would survive it.
But when they walked out to the front of the restaurant, there Tanner was standing in the doorway.
Staring at him, his dark hair tousled and brown eyes tired, she knew she didn’t have the strength to fight him if he asked her to stay.Not even if it was what was best for him or her.
But those words weren’t what came out of his mouth.
“You running?”Those strong arms crossed over his massive chest.
“I...Yes.It’s what’s best.”
He nodded and definitely didn’t look surprised.“Fine.I’ll give you a police escort to the county line.”
Almost from a distance, she heard Cheryl gasp and Dan say Tanner’s name sharply, but he didn’t respond and she found she couldn’t look away from his brown eyes.
Eyes that had been so warm earlier tonight when he’d walked her home but were coldly focused now.
He’d finally realized what she’d known all along.She was trouble for this town, and having her here was a mistake.
THEWALKTOher car was made in silence.What could be said anyway?This was what she wanted, right?
He took the babies in their new carriers.“I’ll put them in the car.Get whatever else you need from your apartment.It doesn’t look like there was any damage to anything.”
Was that what this was about?Did he think she’d made the whole thing up or something?
It didn’t matter.It didn’t matter that her legs were as heavy as her heart as she walked through her apartment door.It didn’t matter that she had no plan.Had let herself become complacent and now would be paying the price.
