Page 58 of Sean

Julia felt the knot in her stomach all the way to the rehab facility. Being away from the ranch, which had been her haven, was unsettling. Even worse, Sean was tense and hyperalert next to her. He must have expected trouble, but she didn’t have the heart to ask him what he thought might happen, so it was mostly a silent ride.

Traffic in Norfolk was heavy, so it took longer than it should have to reach the facility. Finally, they pulled into the parking lot. Sean caught her hand when she reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” he said simply and got out of the vehicle. She watched him as he walked around. His gaze swept over the nearby buildings and parked cars. His survey probably only took thirty seconds, but it felt interminable. She was impatient to be inside and see her mom, and more impatient to get back to the ranch where all of her small family would be together. “Looks okay.” His tone was terse when he opened her door. Without speaking again, he put his left arm around her shoulders as if to shelter her and hustled her to the entrance. Once they were inside, he scanned their surroundings again before seeming to relax slightly.

She went to the desk, where she signed them both in and got a report on her mother’s condition. Charlotte was walking well, regaining the use of her left hand through therapy, and her speech, though slow, was clear. All great news. Julia then informed the nurse that her mother would be leaving with them immediately because of a family emergency. The nurse seemed surprised for a second and then promised to get her mother’s medicines ready.

Soon, they were headed to her mother’s sunny room on the second floor. Julia was glad to see she was dressed and out of her bed, sitting in a chair by the window. A stack of books sat by her, which Julia took as a good sign.

“Honey,” her mother said with a smile, causing a rush of emotions in Julia. Since their professions kept them both on the road, they didn’t see each other as often as Julia would like. But the past two months of separation had been much harder than most. Julia didn’t realize until seeing her just how much she’d needed her mom.

“Mom.” Julia went to her mom and hugged her. Inside, she wanted to grab her mother and run, but she knew that she was going to have to explain to Charlotte some of what was going on. She deserved to know the truth. She noticed her mom’s glance go past her to Sean, and a slight look of fear crossed Charlotte’s face. Sean didn’t mean to be intimidating, but he was a large man, and he carried himself like he knew how to use his size and his strength. Julia’s first impression of him had been of a large, looming man. That’s not who she saw at all anymore. “Mom, this is a good friend of mine, Sean Miller. He’s here to help us.”

“Nice to meet you, Charlotte.” Sean came closer, offering a friendly smile to put her mom at ease. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m well. Getting better every day, so everyone tells me.” There were tiny gaps between her words, but her speech was much more fluid than it had been the last time Julia visited.

“I’m so glad, Mom, and I’m sorry I haven’t been here. Things are messy right now.” Julia pondered how much to share. “I understand Wilson came to visit you recently.”

“He did. I don’t know why,” Charlotte said. “I asked about Lucy and Amos, but he didn’t answer.”

“He doesn’t know how the kids are because they’ve been with me for the past two months. I took them away from him because…because he’s a dangerous man.” She wasn’t going to say that Wilson likely killed Mira. She would tell her mother later, after she’d had time to process the rest of the news. But for now, Charlotte needed to understand what was at stake. “In fact, he’s a criminal. He’s involved in a number of crimes, and the police will probably arrest him soon. Sean’s been helping me keep the kids safe from him. Now, we need to keep you safe, too, Mom. Given the chance, Wilson will try to hurt you.”

Her mother’s brow wrinkled as she took a minute to process all of that. Maybe Julia should have doled it out in smaller bits, but she didn’t want to waste time.

“I’ve never liked him much,” Charlotte said, “but I don’t think—”

“Mom, please, you’ll have to trust me on this.”

“But why do I have to leave? It’s safe here.” Her mother pushed herself to standing, which Julia was glad to see she could easily do on her own now, but she also noted her mother’s scared expression. “I like it here. The people have been kind to me.”

“You’ve gotten good care, but we’re going to take you to a place where the people are also kind. Wilson knows you’re here—that means it can’t be safe. There’s no telling what he might do.”

Charlotte began walking around the room, fussing with what was on the bedside table. The last thing Julia wanted was to upset her mom, but there was no way around it. Charlotte had to understand the danger of the situation to know why they needed to leave.

“Mom, leaving here is important.” Julia followed her across the room. “I’m worried for you.” She saw tears of frustration in her mother’s eyes. This conversation was going south fast, and Julia hadn’t prepared for that. She took a mental step back and reassessed. Many times when she and Mira were kids, they’d objected to a move. They’d gotten comfortable in a place and made friends and were reluctant to leave. What had Mom said then? It hadn’t been get in the car or else.

Think, Julia.

Her mom’s words in those instances came back, making Julia adjust from her pleading tone to one of excitement.

“Leaving here will be an adventure.” Julia forced enthusiasm into her voice. “You’re ready for it. Look how well you’re walking and talking. It’s time for the next step in your journey, and the place we’re going to is beautiful. It’s out in the country, and the people there are lovely. They’re getting ready for you today and expect us in time for dinner.”

“Amos and Lucy are there, too,” Sean added. “I’m sure you want to see your grandkids.”

“I’ll see the kids and get outside?” Charlotte asked, and Julia could tell she was warming to the idea.

“You will. I promise. It’ll be a good move.” That’s what her mother had always said, and she’d been right. They always found something to make them happy in the next place.

“Okay, we better pack then.” Charlotte was pulling out drawers.

Ten minutes later, her clothes and medicine were packed into her suitcase, and Charlotte was biding goodbye to the staff who’d cared for her. One task down for the day, Julia thought. Now they had to get back to the ranch without incident. Beside her, she could feel Sean’s attention heighten as they reached the doors of the facility.

“We’re going to be as quick as possible,” he whispered to her. “Get your mom in the car and get in fast yourself. I’ll deal with the suitcase. Ready?”

When she nodded, they went outside and made their way to Sean’s truck. It took longer for mom to get in the back seat than Julia expected. Charlotte’s left leg still dragged a bit. Sean had the bag in the back and was standing near Julia to help when a shot rang out.

At first the noise only startled Julia, but then she became aware of a burning sensation coming from the upper part of her left arm. She barely had time to process it because Sean was pushing her into the backseat and slamming the door, barking out, “Keep down!”

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