Page 36 of Valor

She hadn’t considered the possibility of their next location being obvious. Her only goal was to reach a neutral spot for Doug to come and pick them up. Owen had included himself in the plan, which was a big step for him.

At least, that’s what she’d heard. Maybe he’d only included himself to convince her to go along with leaving the so-called sanctuary of the church.

She wanted to ask, but when she glanced at him, she noticed his features were strained. He suddenly appeared exhausted and worn out. He blinked, rubbed at his eyes, then stifled a yawn.

“You need to get some rest.” She frowned, thinking back to when this all started. “You haven’t gotten any sleep in well over thirty-six hours.”

“I know. Soon.” He didn’t look over at her as he pulled away from the curb heading for the highway.

When he yawned again, she couldn’t help feeling concerned. “Owen, I think you should let me drive.” She snagged his arm. “Don’t get on the interstate yet, okay?”

“Huh?” He didn’t seem to understand at first. Then he slowly nodded. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I might need to crash for a while.”

“Exactly.” She was relieved when he passed the on-ramp and pulled over along Highway 345. She lifted Bear up and opened her car door. Owen was doing the same on his side. She handed him the puppy before going around to get behind the wheel.

Owen reclined his seat all the way back, settled Bear in his lap, and closed his eyes. By the time she had adjusted her seat and the mirrors, his breathing deepened in a way that made her think he was asleep.

With a sigh, she put the truck in gear and pulled away from the curb. As she headed east on Highway 345, she realized this road would take them all the way to Sheridan too. Owen had thought the interstate would provide more anonymity, but she decided to stay on the highway. Both routes would get them to their destination. And if the smaller highway took a little longer, that was fine with her.

Owen needed all the rest he could get.

She glanced over to see Bear had his nose pressed against Owen’s neck. Her heart squeezed in her chest at the adorable picture they made.

An image that made her long for a future. Her and Owen, Bear, and maybe a child of their own.

That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

Fighting her feelings for Owen proved fruitless. Emotions were rarely logical, and she couldn’t help who she was attracted to. Besides, she knew full well Owen wasn’t the bad guy he’d pretended to be.

Hearing how his brother had been murdered was heart-wrenching. She didn’t approve of Owen’s desire for revenge, but she could understand why he’d started on this path. Yet she also knew it was time for him to take a new path. One toward the light, rather than allowing himself to be sucked into the darkness.

She hadn’t taken the time to fill Doug in on everything when she’d borrowed Pastor Luke’s phone to call him. Doug had sounded upset that she wasn’t still in Dayton but had promised to get to Ranchester as soon as possible. She’d thanked him but had ended the call without giving him time to ask more questions.

Would Doug help Owen get out of this with little to no jail time? She wanted to believe he would because Doug was a kind and decent man. Newly married to a wonderful woman with a baby on the way. Doug would want that for her too.

Yet her brother could also be stubborn when it came to holding bad guys accountable for their crimes. And while she knew Owen had killed in self-defense, she couldn’t be sure what other crimes he’d committed.

Probably more than she wanted to know.

She lifted her gaze to the blue sky overhead and prayed.Lord Jesus, please offer Your protection and guidance as we face this threat and find those responsible. Amen.

Feeling calmer, she kept an eye on the rearview mirror. The traffic on the highway was light, but it didn’t take long for a vehicle to come up behind her. A red truck came into view, and since she was only going five miles per hour over the posted speed limit—something unheard of in these remote areas of the state—it didn’t take long for the red truck driver to zoom past her, quickly disappearing into the distance.

The next vehicle was a white truck. The driver of that car did the same as the red truck driver. She breathed a little easier once they passed her by. If this kept up, she was hopeful they would make it all the way to Sheridan without running across another bad guy.

But she knew she had to remain on high alert, as she couldn’t figure out how they kept getting found. Even with a dirty cop being involved, it seemed like a stretch that they’d have gone to the church in Ranchester to find her.

Owen’s breathing deepened; his body was completely relaxed as he slept. He didn’t stir, even when Bear moved around to find a more comfortable position.

The next car that came up behind her was a black SUV. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, silently praying there weren’t bad guys coming up behind them. She didn’t have Owen’s skill with a firearm.

The black SUV didn’t pass right away, which only increased her anxiety. Then the vehicle increased its speed and zoomed around her.

Thank You, Lord!

An eighteen-wheeler semitruck came toward her on the opposite side of the highway, going way faster than the posted limit. She edged as far away from the center of the highway as possible, giving him plenty of room.

One of the semitruck tires kicked up a rock that smacked into the windshield of the truck. The loud crack made Bear jump.

---