Page 2 of Mountain Refuge

A tear escaped me. I’d never been a man’s man, unafraid to show my emotions. I know what lies and the need to be macho got you. I’d never seen those men as men. I saw them as cowards. I was five-eleven, lean with only a few muscles. I was built for running, not fighting. Ironic, given my current situation. But what I wasn’t was a coward. I’d done what I’d been dreaming of doing for the past three years. I’d done what I’d thought had been impossible.

But I wasn’t safe yet.Weweren’t.

All I was able to get out was, “Yes”.

A sigh came across the line, but it wasn’t one of defeat. More like a silent expletive. “Get going. Head south.”

Despite the order coming from a stranger, I jumped into action. I didn’t know if I could trust him or who he was or how he knew Corbin, but he was correct. I’d been there too long. No one would be coming to save me, so I had to save myself.

“Toss anything of yours. ID, phone, tablet, anything that can be tracked. Cash only.” I’d known that part because I’d seen enough dramas on TV to know it was a common ‘on-the-run’ mistake. I hadn’t faulted him for reaffirming the need for anonymity. “This burner is only good for another day or so. Turn it off, take out the battery and SIM card. I doubt you have aFaradaybag with you so that’s the next best thing. Even off, phones can be traced if you know what you’re doing but not if you take out the SIM card and battery.”

I got the feeling Jack was one of those people who knew what he was doing in unorthodox situations.

“Now this next part is very important. I know it might unnerve you, but you need to do it. At the next gas station, I need you to do something you’re not going to like. Find a car that’s parked in the dark, no lights, no cameras. Swap the license plates with yours. We’ll ditch your car later. Did you hear what I said? Don’t just take their plates. Swap them.People rarely look at their own plates, but they’ll notice if it’s missing.

“Head south. Stop if you need to sleep. But keep going. Call me back in a few hours. I need to work on getting you new transportation, cash, and figure out the safest way to get you here.”

“Here?” I picked up the two small bodies of the people I loved most in this world. They were my life, my reason for existing. I knew it as soon as I’d laid eyes on them at their births. I’d been put on this Earth to love, protect, and cherish these two small angels.

“Montana, Adam. I’m bringing you to Montana.”

Several hours after that first phone call, I’d called Jack back. I couldn’t go any further. It was too dangerous for me to keep driving. I was beyond exhausted. Every cop car I passed nearly gave me a heart attack. I was seeing shadows and monsters behind every turn.

But it hadn’t been Jack who’d answered: it had been Corbin. I felt like I could finally take a breath. I’d been right to trust Jack. He hadn’t been leading me into a trap. It had been eighteen years since I’d talked to my best friend, but there was no doubt in my mind that he still held that title.

Corbin gave me instructions to a train station in Pennsylvania. Not because we were catching a train but because of the crowds and pay-per-open lockers they offered. Jack had arranged—somehow that I was too tired to contemplate on but was sure my curious mind would later ask about—for a car to be dropped off at the train station. I was to ditch my car with its stolen license plate in the long-term parking lot.

Walking into that train station with a small hand in mine and a small body cradled against my chest had been terrifying. My paranoia was convinced that everyone was staring at us, that theyknew, and someone was about to call the cops. The worst had been when two security officers had stoppedme, but it was just to inform me that I’d dropped a baby sock. I’d shakily thanked them and continued on.

In the locker had been a backpack and a duffel bag. Between the two, there had been cash, car keys, burner phones, water bottles, protein bars, baby supplies, aBarbiedoll, and changes of clothes for an infant, child, and adult.

Staring at the goods, I felt like I’d won the lottery.

Then I found myself driving west. Despite not getting much sleep, I’d felt renewed. I wasn’t alone. I had people who were helping me. Corbin certainly hadn’t been in Pennsylvania to leave those items in the locker. Someone else had to have been helping him help me.

The car that had been left for me had been an older lookingFordwith car seats already strapped in the back. Its trunk was covered in bumper stickers. I wondered if that was so people would pay attention to the stickers and not the car or its occupants. After the instructions about swapping license plates, I had to wonder who was helping me. There were definitely some psychological tricks being used. My tired brain had pondered the notion of a group of renegade spies to a militia that did not follow any government rule. I may never know.

It had taken ten days. Ten long days of endless driving to throw off anyone on my trail. I’d found a bag of license plates in the trunk, which was terrifying in and of itself. Who were these people? Besides Jack and Corbin, I hadn’t talked to anyone else. Every day I was to use a different burner to check in with them; they did not want the same SIM card to be traced in different areas. After that first day, it was always Jack who answered but he talked as if Corbin was just in the next room.

Once, Jack had made the off-handed comment that Corbin was “getting your rooms ready.”

The minute I’d driven across the Montana state line, I’d breathed a sigh of relief. As if the state itself was a sanctuarythat couldn’t be breached. That feeling was foolish, but I’d needed it in that moment. A sense of safety.

My instructions were to head into Bozeman. I knew of the city, but I’d never been there. Born and raised in New Jersey and moving into New York City at eighteen, I’d never been out of the Tri-State area before ten days ago. I wondered briefly how Corbin had ended up in Montana, but my feelings of gratitude overpowered my curiosity. Once we were safe, I’d ask. I’d learn everything I’d missed in the last eighteen years.

After a much needed day of solid sleeping.

Once in Bozeman, I swapped cars again. This time for an all-terrain vehicle with high tires and four-wheel drive. Once again, car seats were included, so I didn’t have to waste time getting them swapped over. We stopped at a diner to eat and stretch our legs. I felt so bad for the kids, being cooped up in the car for days on end. But I knew it was better for them to be upset now and on our way to safety than to dawdle.

Lydia had been amazing. She entertained her brother as best she could. She slept when he did and talked to me when I needed conversation to stay awake. She hadn’t complained once. I wasn’t sure how much her seven-year-old brain understood what had almost happened. She was not a stupid child. She’d heard and seen things no child or adult should, but seeing and understanding were two different things. I needed to have a long conversation with her once we got to wherever Corbin was sending us.

After we left the diner in our next vehicle, I made an impulsive decision. It was winter with snow on the ground. The kids needed fresh air, even if that air was a bit chilly. We stopped at a park. It had only been for an hour, but it had given Lydia a chance to run around, kick snow in every which direction, and to laugh. I hadn’t heard her laugh in a very long time. It warmedmy heart to hear it. She needed more ofthis, more time to be a kid. She needed freedom and safety.

I prayed that was where I was bringing us. I trusted Corbin, but I was putting a lot on faith. I hoped my credit didn’t run out. A part of me knew we’d never be safe, not completely, but there wassaferthan our current circumstances.

Unfortunately, that stop had distracted me and cost us dearly in a way I wouldn’t know until much later.

We drove out of Bozeman, past snow-covered fields, over bridges with frozen rivers, and higher into the mountains. There was a quaint little town called Whitefish that we drove through. I’d done a double take when I’d seen a sign over a corner shop that saidJack’s General Store. Could it be a coincidence or was that our Jack? There were a lot of snowmobiles mixed with vehicles similar to the one I was driving parked on the sides of the street. The kids were worn out from our trip to the park, and I was grateful.

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