Page 43 of Bitter Past

That couldn’t be good. Trevor leaned over, watching as a picture loaded. A rusty red pickup truck parked in front of Sam’s childhood home, two people inside the cab, probably her parents. The picture had been taken from a distance. A second picture showed the same view but with the barrel of a rifle in the foreground. The Bratva was taking the fight to the next level.

Trevor snapped a picture with his phone. “They’re threatening your parents?”

“Yeah.” Sam rolled the email back down so he could see the email and the address.

He snapped a second picture and sent both to Aviss via text. “I’m sure Aviss anticipated this kind of thing. They’ll have eyes on your parents and mine. Wiz might too.”

“I hope so.” Sam shuddered. “I might not agree with them on practically anything, but I don’t want them to die. At least not my mother.”

Since he couldn’t hug her, Trevor squeezed her arm gently. “You know, of course, that if you returned, they’d kill your parents anyway, just to make a point. And you’d be dead, or wish you were. The Bratva are brutal.”

Sam’s eyes squeezed shut, and she swallowed hard. Then she stared out the windshield. “I know. But I can’t let them get killed for me, either.”

Trevor’s phone buzzed with a text from Aviss.

Already arrested them. We’ve got eyes on both of your families.

Thanks. I knew you’d be on top of it.

But they’re refusing protective custody. So are your parents. Find anything?

Small clues. About to upload, then we’ll roll. Should find more in the next 24.

Copy that. Keep your head on a swivel. Everything we’ve seen says they’ve lost track of you, but we’re still digging for dirt at home. Get off the highway for a couple of hours, just to be sure. Temporary hide coordinates and gate code to follow.

Watch your back, too.

The coordinates and code popped in, and Trevor scribbled them on the correct map page. The coordinates were for a private community with a hot spring along the river. Aviss had a soft side after all. He put the map away. He hoped Aviss found the informants inside the Bureau soon because he couldn’t help her. After showing the conversation to Sam, he made sure all his emails downloaded, then shut down and removed batteries.

Sam stared blankly out the windshield. He grabbed her laptop and phone, downloaded all her email and documents, then shut her devices down. After putting all the electronics away, he got out of the Jeep and went to Sam’s side, opening the door. “Come on. It’s my turn to drive.” He tugged her arm.

She followed him to the passenger side and got in but said nothing. He belted her in and put her lunch on her lap, but she didn’t react. He slid his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight, kissing her cheek. “They’re okay. Aviss is all over it. She’s got both our families under surveillance because we know how these people think.”

She sighed and let her head drop against his shoulder for a moment. “I trust you and you trust your boss.” She straightened. “Let’s go before someone finds us.”

“You got it.” He squeezed her shoulders again, then let go, shutting her door and climbing in his. After arranging his sandwich on his lap, he put the Jeep in drive and headed west. “Talk to me, Sam.”

She shuddered. “Sorry. It just scared me.”

Trevor reached across the armrest and squeezed her hand. “It’s terrifying. But Aviss anticipated their move. We know how they operate. Could they go through and shoot up the town or blow something up? Sure. They could. But that would do them more harm than good and they’re not stupid.” He let go. “It’s too bad, really. Stupid criminals are easy to catch.”

Sam turned toward him. “We should go back, anyway. If our parents are refusing protective custody, even with surveillance, there’s a good chance they’ll end up dead. You know Aviss can’t afford to watch them for days and days without an active threat.”

Trevor clenched the wheel tight. “Sam, that will just get all of us killed. Us returning will do nothing except make us easy to find and make everyone angry at each other. You know none of our parents will pay any attention to anything we say. They think of us as children, and at least in my case, my father is still furious over my last bailout of the family farm.”

“Your last bailout? How many times have you done that?” Her brows rose.

He grimaced. That was the last subject he wanted to broach with Sam. But maybe he should. Not while driving, though. “Eat. Aviss sent me a place we can go. We’ll talk, although honestly, I don’t want to talk about it at all.”

“Maybe you should, then.” She picked up her sandwich and ate.

He shoveled his in without tasting it. The community sign appeared, and he turned, then drove the bumpy road to the gate, entering the code. Inside, he passed a sign for the hot spring.

“There’s a hot spring here.” Sam grinned at him. “Let’s talk there.”

Trevor sighed. Not the best environment for weapons, but since Aviss gave him access, and it would make Sam happy, they’d do it. “Okay. There’s still a slight chance we can be found, just from my cell pinging a tower while I texted with Aviss. So, we’ve got to be ready to run.”

“Sure. Maybe we should go farther, then.” Her shoulders slumped.

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