AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Getty’s head snaps to face him. “Serial killer? What are you talking about?”
“Five men, across three states.” Agent Murphy puts his sunglasses back on. “It’s only a matter of time before she strikes again.”
The old cowboy’s feet shuffle, but I won’t let him give her up. “Getty, why don’t you go take these to my mom. She’s out in the garden. She’s waiting for them. I’ll show the agent around.” Taking a pen, I scrawl a note on the notebook, only three words, “Get Sunny Out.” And flip the notebook closed. Shoving the books at him, I give a curt nod to let him know it’s non-negotiable.
“Yes, sir,” he mumbles before he starts for the house. I watch him go, grateful Agent Murphy didn’t ask about the note.
“Let me show you the barn first.” I motion for him to follow me. His feet seem to drag at first, casting glances over his shoulder to watch Getty instead. Finally, he falls into step beside me. “You don’t work with a partner, Agent Murphy?”
“No,” he hardly pays me any attention, always scouring the space around us for clues, “I work better alone.”
No partner. No government issued gun. He may have Getty fooled, but this guy isn’t an FBI agent, and I plan to figure out who he really is and what he wants with Sunny.
Sunny
“Keep your head down, would you?” Clara shoves me below the windowpane again. “You’re hiding, remember?”
My heart hasn’t let me forget it yet, but I’m also the only one who might recognize our mysterious visitor, so it seems to reason that I should peek at least long enough to do that. I rub my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans. A quiet morning of helping Clara in the garden got flipped on its head the second Getty burst in on the scene. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way he looked at me, suspicion is something I’d expect, but the absolute fear and distrust, that hurt. It doesn’t make me eager to see this Agent Murphy eye to eye. He’s going to try to pin something on me, that’s what they’ve done to others in the past. If I’m not careful, they’ll do exactly like I warned Rhett.
I’ll vanish. Never to be seen or heard from again.
“I hear them.” Clara tugs on my arm. “Get down.”
I sink, heart pounding in my ears. With the drapes drawn and no lights on, I’m hopeful the cabin looks as abandoned as it did the first time I saw it. No need to investigate. Clara leaves me to lock the door. Rhett won’t have a key. Letting someone in won’t be an option, at least not until he’s forced to find one. The second Getty told us the news, I should have run. Rhett’s note said to run, but they would have seen us on the trail south, and the trail north has little coverage. Clara suggested the cabin, and I gave in. I hate to think what will happen if this guy isn’t FBI. Will he make them all disappear? These people I’ve grown to care about in the last months, would he add them to the list of the vanished?
The voices draw near. Rhett talks about the ranch, droning on about when the cabins were built and where they got the wood. Hearing his voice almost calms me, that steady beat and tenor I know so well, but then the other one speaks. I don’t have to look to know his name. I smash my hand over my mouth to keep the scream internal. Fear crawls over my skin like a frost gliding in over the grass, chilling me to my bones.
Monroe. She sent Monroe to bring me in. I hug my knees against my chest, unable to think, unable to feel anything beyond the paralyzing terror. He worked with Anderson, black ops, but the military life didn’t agree with him. Too many rules about human rights and too many ways to break them.
“Sunny,” Clara pulls close, forcing me to look at her, “Sunny do you know this guy?”
I nod, but I fear it looks more like a tremble. I wish I could tell her everything, tell her about what I’ve seen him do, or that he was the reason Anderson started training me to protect myself. But it’s all I can do to keep from screaming.
“Is Everett in danger?” She tightens her grip on my arm. “Is my son in danger?”
My face gives way to the emotion, crumbling like a sandcastle under a wave. Unable to say anything, I nod slowly. If Rhett doesn’t watch himself, he could die. Before I start crying, Clara presses her hand over my mouth, trapping the sound inside. Peering over the windowsill, she watches it unfold outside.
“Buddy is walking over there.” Her mouth presses into a tight line. “He told Everett to go get Harry.”
“Harry?” I ask from behind her hand. “Who’s Harry?”
Rhett
Did I hear him right?
Harry?
Who the heck is Harry?
After showing Murphy the barn and the corrals, he insisted on rooting through the bunkhouse. When she wasn’t there, he set his sights on the cabins. I know Mom wouldn’t be crazy enough to hide Sunny there, but I also doubt there would be enough time to get all of Sunny’s stuff out of sight. I was just starting to make up an excuse to look anywhere else when Dad came out of the house. He introduced himself and asked to see the agent’s badge. Agent Murphy gave him about two seconds to see it before he tucked it away again, and then Dad asked me to get Harry. I stare at him, unable to hide the questions in my eyes.
“Did you mean to say Carl, Dad?” I figure he wants power in numbers, but what can Carl add? I’m still thrown.
“I don’t mean your brother, but Carl will know where Harry’s run off to.” He nods toward the house. “Go on, get to it.”
I know better than to question him, but then again, I don’t know what he’s expecting me to do. I jog up the steps, casting at least two glances over my shoulder to watch my dad chatting with the agent like it’s no problem that he’s here to drag Sunny away against her will. I have to do something, but what? I don’t even know if Dad’s on my side. Maybe he wants Sunny gone. Maybe sending me to find the mysterious Harry is how he plans to keep me out of the way so I don’t get involved. I’m about to reverse directions when Carl pulls open the front door and jerks me inside.
“Did he ask for Harry?”
