Page 14 of Single Mom's Mountain Men
So I waited and plotted. He left one night and I took all the evidence I could find and went to the FBI. They told methey would get me in witness protection by the end of the week.
But that went wrong too. When I learned Keegan had a mole inside the FBI I knew I had to leave before he found out what I did.
But running away was only the first part. The next part is finding a secret place where I can settle down and raise my kids in safety, until Keegan is caught, his gang rounded up and the whole lot of them sentenced to a long spell in prison.
That's going to be difficult. With very little cash and no ID, my options are limited. Even if I get a fake ID, I don't want my image to be part of a system where his FBI friends could easily find me with a search. I would have to work menial jobs in the meantime, where I can get paid cash under the table. And I need to get one soon.
I release a breath now. It’s almost evening.
I’ll leave this place in the morning when it’s safe, and I’ll keep going as far as I can go. Maybe I'll hit Washington or Oregon. Or even slip into Canada. I'm sure there'll be plenty of work opportunities there.
And even though Charlie mentioned I could stay here for free, I don’t take free things from people, especially not men.
My eyes are finally sliding shut, weariness dragging me into sleep. I'm right on the cusp of it when I hear loud footsteps on the floorboard outside my door. I immediately spring out of bed, panic pumping through me. With a cloudy mind, I search around me for a weapon, something I can use to defend my daughters and me from the heavy-footed monster outside.
It takes me a second to hear the voices and realize that it’s Charlie and Wes talking between themselves. I sigh. I’m too tired to be good company right now and was hoping I could have some time to nap, but it looks like they need somethingelse from me. A loud rap sounds at the door, more aggressive sounding than either of the brothers had been previously.
“I’m coming,” I say and shuffle to the door, pulling it open.
I immediately step back.
It’s not just Wes and Charlie standing there. There’s a third man, glaring down at me, and the look on his face has me taking a couple more steps back. The man seems to see that as an invitation and climbs into the room, his eyes flickering over my girls sleeping on the bed. I instinctively move to block his view of them, drawing his gaze back to me.
“Name?” he barks at me, his voice in the rigid tone of a hardened soldier. He certainly looks like a military man, with his buzzed short hair and his severe features. Rugged lines etched on his forehead, bushy eyebrows slanted down harshly over his hooded gaze. I’m guessing he’s the older brother, although he doesn’t look anything like the other two.
Or maybe he does but in a subtler way. He has Wes' brown eyes but with none of the softness. Instead of warm chocolate, his eyes remind me of wood – hard, unyielding wood. While slightly shorter than Charlie who is the tallest of the brothers, his presence seems larger and far more imposing that he fills up the whole room.
“Name," he barks again and I blink.
“Um, Patty. Patty Cole.”
“And where are you headed, Patty Cole?"
“Um… my daughters and I are taking a road trip. We want to see the mountains."
"Where are you from?"
"Illinois."
"City?"
"Um...” I try to remember what I told Jamie. “Indiana ?”
“You sure about that?’
"Yes? ” I glance at the brother behind him and while Charlie is glaring at his brother, Wes is snickering.
“How long are you going to be on this trip of yours?"
“I don’t think that’s any of your bus…”
"I make it my business to know about everything and everyone that stays in my family home.”
His tone has my spine straightening.
I bite back my annoyance. “I don't know how long yet.”
“You got any family or friends in Montana?"
