Page 21 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

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Clara refusedto sit around and wait to see how her life would turn out. If she wanted to make sure Mitch would never lay a hand on her again, she had to find a way to send him back to jail. Her gut told her whatever he’d hidden in Avery’s stuffed dog could contain that information.

Now she had to locate the computer he’d used and pray that same information was still on the hard drive.

Since Elsie had promised to keep an eye on the children-turned-pirates, she’d recruited Laura to come with her back to the house. Mitch might have gone through the home and taken the USB stick, but chances were low he realized she’d kept a few boxes of his things in the shed—the one trip she’d taken to his parents to deliver his belongs too emotionally taxing to do again.

Laura parked in the driveway and faced her. Her long blond locks were pulled into a low ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones and pouty lips. “You ready for this?”

Clara offered her friend a smile, appreciation for her concern warming her core. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get this over with.”

Hopping out of the little red sedan, she braced herself against the cool rush of air. She kept her gaze on the green blades of grass she crossed on her way to the back yard. She didn’t want to even see the house, to think about what she’d found earlier that day. Not like refusing to see the white siding and blue shutters would ever be enough to erase the stain of her memories. But if she could delude herself into refusing to acknowledge the evil energy that still lingered inside, she would as long as possible.

Laura stayed in step beside her, her arm linked through Clara’s in support. “I hate that Mitch is doing this to you. It’s not fair. The police should be able to do more.”

Clara snorted, understanding Laura was one of the few people who had actually lived the nightmare she found herself in. “I know getting a restraining order will just spur him on. The most I can hope is he’ll do something stupid. I’d gladly take a smack in the face if it meant putting him back in jail. I’m just afraid that this time he’d take it much further.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Laura pulled her even closer as they rounded the side of the house to the back yard. “I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be. But you have a village surrounding you and those kids.”

“Sometimes even that’s not enough. But maybe we can find something that will give us more ammunition against him.” Stopping in front of the shed, she swung open the door. The hinges creaked like the rusted tin man. Stacks of boxes took up the limited space inside. “I didn’t label any of the boxes. I was in too much of a hurry.”

“That’s all right,” Laura said, her voice way too cheery. “We have plenty of time to dig through all of this.”

“Here goes nothing,” Clara muttered, searching for even a bit of the ever-present positivity her best friend carried around in spades. “It’s been cold the last week. I hope that won’t damage the laptop.”

Laura grabbed two boxes and placed them on the ground. “It should be fine. The temperatures didn’t drop drastically until yesterday, and it’s not too bad in here right now. Heck, maybe you even packed the darn thing with a bunch of blankets. Wouldn’t that be lucky?”

Ripping open the tape from the top of the cardboard, Clara flipped open the lid and peered inside. “If I was really lucky this would be what we needed, and I wouldn’t be looking at Mitch’s boxers right now.”

“Gross.” Laura wrinkled her nose then kicked the box aside. “At least a quick look told you what you needed to know. I’m sure that will be the same with most of the boxes. How about I grab them and place them outside while you look through them? That might be the most effective way to do this.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

For the next ten minutes, the only sound that rang in Clara’s ears was the thick strands of tape tearing away from the cardboard. Residue clung to her chilled fingers, making them sticky. Each box brought on another onslaught of memories that assaulted her senses. The coat Mitch wore the night he came home drunk from the bar, the tie he used to tie her down and humiliate her, the glass mug he’d thrown at her head, barely missing her before chipping away the wall in the kitchen.

Each memory attacked her like a missile, sending her back to the moments she tried so hard to forget. Her chest tightened as though gripped in a vise and her breaths barely squeezed through her windpipe. A gentle hand on her shoulder lifted her gaze to Laura’s concerned blue eyes.

“You need a break?”

She shook her head. “I just want to get this over with.”

“Okay. There aren’t many more boxes left.” Laura set another one at her feet.

Sighing, Clara tore at the flaps, revealing an orange blanket with the University of Tennessee’s emblem on the top. She ran her finger over the soft material then stilled, flipping over the edge to reveal Mitch’s laptop. She couldn’t stop the burst of laughter at the discovery.

“What is it?” Laura asked, peering over her shoulder.

“The universe is a weird place. Here’s the computer, packed inside a blanket.”

Laura chuckled. “See. Things work out. Now let’s get these boxes inside and get out of here.”

Leaving the box with the computer for last, Clara helped Laura replace everything back in the shed. She plucked the laptop from the last box and held it to her chest while Laura placed it on the top of a stack and closed the door.

As they made their way to the car, hope swelled inside her. For the first time, she was taking action. She was following her instincts and hopefully once again the universe would step in and make things right. But deep down, she knew that even if nothing was on this stupid computer, she’d find a way to continue building a better life for her and her kids. Laura was right, she had a village that loved and supported her.

The rev of an engine down the street caught her attention. With the laptop in her arms, she turned to find the source of the noise. Mitch sat behind the steering wheel of his truck, his gaze fixed on her.

Fear fisted her heart and threatened to paralyze her. But she wouldn’t let it. Not anymore. She wasn’t sure exactly how far away he was, but she wouldn’t let him terrorize her.

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