Page 26 of Question Everything

“How do you plan on doing that? Those men found me here, somehow. If we go somewhere else, they’ll find me again.”

“Not if we do this my way. I know exactly where we can go and be off the grid.”

“Off the grid? I don’t know that much about my past, Kyle, but judging from the contents of my suitcase I have a feeling that I wasn’t exactly a survivalist. Does ‘off the grid’ mean no running water?”

He laughed. “No. They’ll be running water and more where I’m planning to take us. Leave it to me.”

“What about your family? What about making sure they’re safe? How do you know that those men won’t come back here and ask where we went if we’re not at your place?”

“Have you met my sister? I pity them if they darken her door.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “First things first. Let’s go tell them what we have to do. Sibby’s made her famous lasagna and I know that she expects us to eat dinner.”

“Is Sarah safe up here alone?”

“Absolutely. No one is getting in here without going through me or my brothers. She’s fine. C’mon.”

He took her hand and led her back down the stairs, all the while trying to come up with the right words to say to let his family know what he had planned.

Mia could barely eatthe lasagna on her plate. Kyle had been right. When confronted with the situation she was in, Kyle’s family rallied. Everyone had an opinion as to what she should do next. All she really wanted to do was run away and hide alone, but with Sarah to care for, that wasn’t an option. She would have to let Kyle handle the next steps.

She marveled at his patience. He listened to what everyone around the table was saying, each offering their ideas, their concerns. Finally, when the entire group had a chance to contribute, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m taking Mia and Sarah to the Cape.”

“The Cape house? Kyle, who’s to say they won’t follow you there?” Sibby asked.

“I’ll be sure of it. They must have tracked Mia somehow. I’m going to go through her luggage myself to be sure there’s no device hidden somewhere.”

“Device? What do you mean?” Mia asked.

“Somehow, someone might have put a tracker on you. Maybe on the plane. Maybe you were followed from London.”

“I wish I knew why I had been visiting London. I don’t even remember being there,” she said.

Kyle drew in a breath.Good thing I never mentioned her having an accent when we first met. That information would only make this worse for her.“It doesn’t matter now,” he said softly.

“But why would anyone want to follow me from anywhere?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it, dear?” Colleen added.

Mia put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She couldn’t remember. She had to try, though. Somehow, she had to try.

It had been easy to stay with Kyle. He was wonderful to be around, so attentive, so helpful with Sarah. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him before that kiss, but now, howcould she stay alone with him in a place she’d never been, let alone heard of. It was a frightening thought, but what was her other option? With her eyes still closed, she tried to visualize herself on a plane with Sarah, but nothing came to mind. She didn’t even remember traveling or arriving at an airport. It was as if she sprung to life in that hospital room after her car accident, her past erased.

She heard excited voices around the table and forced herself to concentrate on what they were saying.

“No one’s been there since Labor Day. There’ll be no food in the pantry. You’ll need to turn the water and gas back on, oh, and the cable too, if you want internet and tv,” Sibby said.

“I know it, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything once I’m up there. I don’t want to do anything from here. It might raise an alarm, besides, I’m not sure if my condo is compromised. What if it’s bugged, or if they’ve tapped into my internet? No. We’ll go tomorrow night, after dark.”

“Should we come along?” Tim asked.

“No. I don’t need a convoy of cars and besides, I can protect us myself.”

“How about this? We all come up for Thanksgiving next month. By that time, you should have some idea of what you’re looking for, and we can help if you need us. A holiday at the Cape might be perfect, after all,” Sibby added in a tone that made what she said a done deal.

“That’s a possibility, Sib. I’ll let you know. I’m going to pick up a burner phone tomorrow morning. I’ll send you an encrypted email with the number.”

Sibby nodded her head.

Mia listened to them talking about this Cape house that they all seemed to love so much not saying a word. But when she heard the phrase “burner phone,” it gave her a jolt. She didn’t know why, but it sounded familiar. She repeated it to herself afew times.What is it about ‘burner phone’ that sounds like I should know it? ‘Burner pho…”

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