Page 32 of More Than A Boss

“No, I haven’t forgotten. I’m not suggesting that I go back to the farmhouse to live. I’m just saying that I think I could have use of my own car. I feel like I will lose my mind if I don’t get some of my life back! You said it yourself,” she reasoned. “They were only trying to scare me and send a message to Will.”

“At the time, I was trying to put you at ease. You were terrified, Allie, and rightfully so. Do you think I am enjoying this house arrest? I’m here to tell you that I am not,” he said.

“At least you’re in your own home with your own things around you and your own car,” she said with irritation.

“I understand, Allie, but you have to be reasonable!” he said with barely veiled impatience.

“REASONABLE?” she exclaimed. “I’ll tell you what is reasonable. Reasonable is that I get to have a say in my own destiny. Reasonable is that I am not a child, and when I say I want to go with you to meet with Will, that I am the one to make that decision. Reasonable is that, after all this time with no more threats, I get to drive myself to work and back!” Her anger was building. “How dare you tell me to be reasonable!”

“Allie, there is no decision to be made here. The answer is NO!” he said imperiously.

“We will see about that, Mr. Dunn!” she said fuming.

He shook his head in exasperation but held his tongue. There would be no reconciliation tonight, he thought.

—

Zane was in a deep sleep when his cellphone rang. Before answering, he groggily glanced at his bedside clock and saw that it was 2:30 in the morning. Seeing that the call coming in was from Will, he was immediately on high alert. “Will, where the hell are you?” he barked.

“They have Camilla!” Will said, panic in his voice.

“Try to calm down, Will. Tell me what happened,” Zane said

“We’ve been in hiding and going out late at night when we need supplies. Camilla went out about an hour ago to get some food for the kids and she hasn’t returned,” Will said with alarm.

“Oh my God, Will, I’m assuming you’ve tried her cellphone? You must let us do our job to protect you. Where are you? You have to come in, Will. We can’t protect you out there, you must see that. You’re putting your family at greater risk by hiding from those who can help you! I basically have a fortress in terms of security at my place. You, Camilla, and the kids can stay here, once she returns, or at a safe house, but you must return!” Zane pleaded.

“I don’t trust the cops! With the exception of you and Allie, I don’t trust anyone. Christ, Zane, Camilla’s own brother is behind all of this!” Will said in anguish.

“You have to trust someone. You can’t do this alone. Think about your family. How can you protect them out there? How do you think they found you?” Zane asked.

“I have no idea,” Will said dejectedly. He continued, “We went out early Thanksgiving for something we forgot and, thank God, we decided to go as a family. When we returned home, we surprised the intruders. When we drove up, we could see someone inside, so I just gunned it and got the hell out of there. They didn’t have time to follow us. I felt like it was a clean getaway.” He explained, “I need some time to think. I’m crazy with fear for Camilla. I hope that they contact me, and I will make a trade, me for Camilla. I don’t care anymore. I just want my family safe,” he said desperately.

“Don’t make any trades, dammit!” Zane said with exasperation. “Will, get ahold of yourself! If you turn yourself in, you’re a dead man for sure. How do you know that your family will be safe after that? There are no guarantees. You may not have any faith in the cops, but you definitely can’t trust these criminals to keep your loved ones safe. Let’s hope that Christian has enough conscience left that he wouldn’t allow harm to come to his own sister.”

Zane heard a child’s voice in the background. “Daddy, where is Mommy?”

“She went out to get you a treat. Go back to sleep, little guy,” Will said, voice breaking.

With his gut wrenching, Zane said quietly, “Please come to your senses. I understand it feels like a risk either way, but you must weigh the odds. Which is the bigger risk, Will? Think about it.”

“I’ve got to go. I’ll call back later.” He abruptly ended the conversation.

Zane got up and threw some clothes on. Sleep was an impossibility now.

—

Rummaging around in the fridge, Zane took a piece of leftover pizza and stuck it in the microwave. He grabbed a beer and twisted the cap off. Taking a large swallow, he downed a third of the bottle in one swig. Pulling his pizza out after the microwave dinged, he grabbed a paper towel and sat at the bar.

Zane felt weary all the way to his bones. A simple twist of fate and your whole life can change in an instant, he mused. It was an utter waste of time to play the “what if” game but hard not to. He felt he was failing Allie right now, unable to give her what she needed. He hated the feeling of being a jailor, and he knew she felt he was unsympathetic, but it was far from the truth. He just didn’t see any other way to approach this. He needed to keep her safe and felt that he was the best one to provide that protection. He couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her. She just had to trust him, but he knew her restlessness could cause her to act impulsively. He really couldn’t blame her, but he saw no way around it. He could not risk her being anywhere near Will and his family.

Just before sunrise, Zane received word from Darcy that she had located Will. They were holed up in a Motel 6 off I-75. He told her about Will’s phone call and warned her again to wait for him and to be careful. “I will be on the road within an hour,” he promised.

Sometime during the night, it had begun to snow. There was already an accumulation of an inch or two, with reports calling for another eight inches throughout the day. The sky was spitting out big fat white flakes that were falling softly down. There was no wind to speak of yet, but that was supposed to change as the day wore on. Zane wished he had time to enjoy it. This was his favorite type of snowfall—no ice, no wind, no sleet, and temperatures hovering around 30 degrees. At least he was heading south, so he should be driving out of the weather rather than into it.

He was meeting Darcy at a park-and-ride close to the interstate and Will’s motel. They would take her van from there. He would leave his SUV parked until they returned.

After packing an overnight bag, he left a note for Allie and commanded that she stay inside the house, and not venture out anywhere. He would inform the office that she wouldn’t be in that Annika would cover for her. He wrote that he would be in touch. He could only imagine how this was going to go over with Allie, but it was the best he could do.

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