Page 8 of Vision of Truth

The most agonizing moment of his adult life was receiving the S.O.S. message from Julie. That was until an hour ago when he’d witnessed a car bombing out of the alley, slamming directly into the car Julie and Sabrina were riding in, and pinning the vehicle against a guardrail. His heart had been twisted up like the tangles of smoking metal. When he reached into the car and pulled Sabrina into his arms, she’d instantly curled up, tucking her head into his neck. Her trust dissolved some of the hardness around his heart.

If only he could be the one Jules leaned on, too. The girls in his backseat were brave as hell, but Jules was killing him by trying to keep the tremble from her voice and the tears off her cheeks. She never used to hide from him. Always told him the good, bad, and ugly. It was a gift he appreciated more than she would ever know, and now that was gone. Just another reminder of how huge he’d fucked up. He’d rectify that the moment they got to the cabin. He could start laying the groundwork, though, by being open with his plans. By treating her like a capable partner instead of expecting her to blindly follow him like a princess being led from a tower. He’d always thought of her as the first, but before he’d left the house, Sasha had said something that made him think Julie felt the latter.Don’t handle her like she’ll break when for years she’s been the glue holding you all together. The hope you all needed to move forward. Damned if she wasn’t right.

He glanced in the rear-view mirror and cleared his throat. “My teammate Rowan owns a remote cabin set on twenty-five acres. A place he can go if shit hits the fan. Before I left Virginia, I had no idea how serious the situation was, but he’s always telling us the place is at our disposal if we find ourselves in need of a safe haven. Talked to him shortly before the agents showed up at your door. It’s ours for as long as we need it. But as much as I want to, I know I can’t just grab you up and hide you away from the world.” It was in his nature to take control. The need to be in charge of his own path in life ran deep, especially after he was stripped of so much as a child. No more excuses. If Julie needed this, he’d fight his own demons to let her shoulder her share of the decisions. “So, what are you thinking? Do I head in the direction of Rowan’s cabin or do you have another idea?”

“Where is this cabin?” Surprise laced her voice and he tightened his hands on the wheel. He hated that Sasha was right.

“Mt. Katahdin. Southeast of Monson, Maine. Lots of solitude. Wilderness for miles without another homestead. His security is top-notch. An ant won’t crawl onto his property without us knowing about it. If I didn’t feel—”Like Iwas on the tip of his tongue and he choked it back. “Like we couldn’t keep Sabrina safe there, I’d never suggest it.”

Jules didn’t hesitate to answer. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”Thank God.“Maybe I’ve been watching too much television, but should we switch vehicles?”

“It’s a good idea. I was careful, but I can’t guarantee my truck wasn’t noticed at the crash site. Rowan keeps a couple ATVs hidden about an hour from his property. There are no roads leading to the cabin and the four-wheeler will take us over rough terrain. In the meantime, if we have an opportunity to switch out of my truck, we’ll take it.” He glanced in his review mirror and despite the circumstances, his chest swelled. Sabrina was tucked under Julie’s arm, their heads bent together. Deep down, she trusted him. A miracle.

“How many hours?” Her voice slurred slightly, like it always did when she was drowsy.

“From here? Three hours until we can no longer travel by car. So far, we’ve been the only ones on this road. I’ll keep watching for a tail. Be on the look-out for a 24-hour shopping center.” He wanted to tell her to sleep, but couldn’t rule out the possibility of a concussion from the accident. Keeping her awake would be better until he could thoroughly check her over. For the next half an hour, they drove in silence. Every so often he’d glance back to find Julie still awake, scanning the roads.

“Isaac, there! 24-hour Walmart. Next exit.”

“Good eyes.” He crossed into the right lane, just making the turn-off. This was the best possible scenario. There’d been no one around for miles and he could grab most of what they needed without multiple stops.

“Do you know what size she is?” They’d all need a few essentials. He was pretty much clueless when it came to children, but he had a rough idea of what to get.

“Extra small or 5T.” Julie’s breath had quickened since they pulled off of the highway and into the department store’s parking lot. He didn’t like stopping any more than she did. There was a nagging prickling sensation along the back of his neck. “She doesn’t have allergies, but food-wise she has issues with certain textures. If you see kid’s vanilla protein shakes, grab a whole bunch.”

“Toys? Something to keep her entertained?”

“She loves opening locks. At home she has a ring of keys that opens a few play doors.”

He parked right near the entrance, unfastened his seatbelt, and shifted to face her. “Got it. What about you? What do you need?” He hadn’t meant for his voice to drop an octave or for his last question to sound suggestive. Wasn’t lost on him that he’d be alone in remote Maine with the woman he craved more than breath. The one person who owned every part of him, yet he’d sworn to stay away from. Fuck. If there was ever a time to call upon the focused detachment that came over him on missions, it was now.

“You don’t want me to answer that.” Her breathy whisper made his heartrate spike. There was blood on her face and matted in her hair, and she couldn’t possibly be more beautiful. She was alive and whole, her eyes sparking with a look that made his muscles contract. Every part of him hardened as pent-up lust spiraled through him.

She was all he’d ever wanted. Maybe it wasn’t only their bond as foster siblings that kept him away for so long. Control and fear made up a big part too. Control because Jules held all the cards. Always had. She had the power to bring him to his knees, to irrevocably break him. Fear because he was scared shitless that he couldn’t live without her. And now was not the time to ponder his life choices. He drew in a breath. “Anything happens while I’m gone, take the keys and go. Hate leaving you both here, but there are too many cameras around and by now, law enforcement will be looking for you, too. Either of you need a restroom, we’ll find a gas station on the road.”

She nodded. “Okay. Go. Be safe.” Julie was always fussing over him, Easton, and Gus. After everything she’d been through as a child and losing her mother to domestic violence, she still didn’t hesitate to spread her light anywhere she went. And the people she loved? Bathed in it.

He got out of the truck, even though the force that always seemed to spark between them was calling him back. Begging him to kiss the hell out of her before he took one more step.Focus on the mission.How could he keep them safe when his mind was clouded with musings about his sweet Julie? The automatic glass doors of the store slid open as he approached. Food was on his left, while clothing, essentials, and sporting goods were to his right. Provisions he’d save for last. Rowan had told him that the cabin was kitted out with weapons and non-perishables, but he wasn’t sure how kid-friendly they’d be. He grabbed a cart—he was gonna need it—and paced through the women’s apparel picking up several medium-sized shirts, leggings, and undergarments. He repeated the process in the girl’s section working quickly while remaining vigilant of the store around him. A woman with light hair and cheetah-print pants raised her brow at him, then went back to flipping through winter coats. Others mulled through the aisles, but they were few and far between. He hesitated at the toy aisle, then dove down the lanes. There were no such pleasures for him and Easton while in his mother’s care. His favorite toy had been a rubber eraser in the shape of a bulldog from his first-grade teacher’s prize box.

The compulsion to spoil the hell out of Sabrina had him throwing an assortment of dolls, playsets, and sensory toys into the cart. Knowing Julie’s love of board games, he grabbed a few of those too. By the time he’d hit the personal care items and grocery aisles, the cart was heaping. He rushed through self-checkout and was almost near the door when the woman in the cheetah pants approached him. He didn’t make eye contact or acknowledge her approach even though he’d spotted her.

“Excuse me, sir? I left my phone at home and need to reach my husband for a ride. Sir?” Her voice was getting closer as she chased after him. “Please, can I borrow your phone?” He waited for the cool detachment to wash over him, what he always experienced when he was in danger, but it never came. Instead, his pulse pounded and acute anxiety constricted his sternum. Missions were different when you were protecting someone you loved. Never should’ve written off the bleach-blonde. Should’ve paid more attention. He knew better than most not to underestimate anyone. Maybe she really was looking for a phone, but he didn’t think so. She was a distraction. “Sir? Excuse me, sir!”

How the hell had they been followed? He ignored the woman and hustled out the door. The cold snaked over his neck and down the back of his shirt, but the scene in front of him was what froze his insides. A man was standing a few feet from the back of his truck, a firearm trained on the outline of Julie’s head through his back window. He dropped the bags he was holding. A pop sounded behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not with Julie’s life in danger right in front of him. He brought his hand to his hip and pulled out his Glock. He fired one shot and the man crumpled to the ground. A shrill scream pierced the air behind him. He turned to a blur of cheetah-print hurdling toward him, a small handgun sloppily aimed at his chest. He pivoted just before the woman fired her shot but not before a burning sensation lanced his upper shoulder. She kept clutching the trigger, unloading shot after shot. He felt no remorse as he raised his gun, but before he could fire, the woman stumbled back and fell limp to the ground. Blood pooled from a hole in the dead-center of her forehead. He turned to locate the source of the bullet. A familiar form was jogging through the parking lot.

“Couldn’t leave your ass swinging,” Rowan said as he approached. “Didn’t think I’d find you on a shopping spree.”

“Fuck off.” He grinned at Rowan and slapped him on the back with his arm that wasn’t liquid lava from a bullet graze.

His teammate crouched down and began gathering up some of the bags he’d dropped. “What can I say? Leave bores the shit out of me.” Rowan scooped up a fallen sparkly pink sweater, dangling it by the hanger on his finger. “Can’t wait to see you in this little number.”

He scowled and Rowan laughed. His teammate was all business in the sandbox, but when he got stateside he was the first to crack a joke. Usually he was laughing, but now his shoulder hurt like a mother. “Give me those. One day at home and you’re going soft, getting yourself shot and shit.” Rowan didn’t wait for him to hand over the shopping bags before taking them. “The girl in your truck?”

“Plural.” They began walking toward the vehicle.

“Mind filling me in? You’ve got two women, two dead folks, and the feds tripping over themselves to find you.” He raised one red brow.

“Once we’re not out in the open, you can tell me how you know about the feds and I’ll debrief you on the girls. Woman and a child.” As they approached, the door swung open and Jules was in his arms.

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