Page 15 of Line of Fire
“Let’s meet Justice’s grandma, and then we can get settled. I’ll unload the truck while you visit with Mrs. Hobbs and feed Sadie.” Sunny nodded. It was time to stop pouting and deal with reality, even if it wasn’t what she had in mind.
Travis watched as a group of Aaron’s friends helped them load up his truck. So, they were going to run? Well, all right. He liked a good game of cat and mouse as long as he was the cat. He made sure to stay out of sight; all the cops standing guard made him a little nervous. He didn’t plan on Aaron having a cop as a friend. Hell, when Aaron joined the company, he was just a kid who liked to get into trouble. The military made him a little wild, like he had his wings clipped by the Air Force, but his feathers grew back in, and he wanted to fly. Aaron was always the first to join a bar fight, and half the time, he would cause them. He didn’t count on his old friend settling down and making friends with the local law enforcement. Of course, five years and a devastating forest fire changed them both. He wasn’t the same man that Aaron knew, either. The old Travis would have never let his wife and kids walk away from him. Old Travis would have forgiven Aaron for leaving him on that mountain to die. But new Travis remembered what it felt like having his flesh burn. New Travis missed his family every single day, even though they wanted nothing to do with him. Yeah, they bothchanged. He wanted to laugh at the sight of Aaron’s panicked face as he searched the garage, worried that something might happen to his new little family. It was a shame that he was going to have to kill a pretty, innocent woman and her baby just because she was stupid enough to get involved with Aaron, but that was the way it had to be. His old buddy needed to feel the same pain that he felt. Losing the woman that he so obviously loved and his kid was only the first half of the plan. The second part was his favorite. That was where his old friend would feel firsthand what fire could do to a body. And the best part was, Aaron wouldn’t even know what hit him. Travis planned on Aaron running and taking his family someplace “safe”. But Aaron didn’t understand that there wasn’t anywhere they could hide that Travis wouldn’t find them. The whole fire in Aaron’s parking garage earlier was just a ruse. While most of the town’s fire department and sheriff’s office were dealing with the mess that he created, he snuck back to the station and put a tracker on Aaron’s truck. He knew exactly where they were running to, and in a few days, he would follow. He wanted them to get a false sense of security, really let their guards down, and then he would find them and set their world ablaze. He sank back into the shadows and waited them out. Sooner or later, the cat would catch the mouse. It always did—that was the way the game was played.
Sunny instantly fell in love with Justice’s grandmother. Norma Jeane was a tough old bird, full of grit and funny as hell. But as soon as Norma took one look at Sadie, she melted like a spring snowstorm. Sunny even teared up at the thought of her grandmother being the same way around herbaby girl. Bea would have loved her great-granddaughter, and it made Sunny sad to think that she wasn’t around to be a part of Sadie’s life.
“Aw, honey. You have a touch of the baby blues.” Norma Jeane wrapped her arm around Sunny and led her into the main room. “It’s completely normal, all new moms get them. For some, they go away fast. But for others, they linger for a bit.” Norma Jeane guided Sunny to the sofa and sat her down.
“Well, I think mine are getting better, but I really can’t tell. I’ve never been a crier, but since I found out I was pregnant, I haven’t stopped crying.” Norma laughed.
“Yep, happens to the best of us. Babies soften us, that is, until they turn into teenagers, then we toughen right up. Those teen years are rough. They either shape into fine young adults or total assholes. Take it from me, I’m an expert on the subject. I have five children, and one turned out to be the mayor. He’s also the one who turned out to be an asshole.” Norma Jeane shook her head as if she was disgusted.
“Yes, Justice said that she is on the outs with her dad. In fact, until today, I had no idea that she was lying to me about who she was. She gave me a fake name when I hired her. But the Mayor has been looking for her, I saw it on the news.”
Norma Jeane nodded, taking the baby from Sunny. “She is so precious. I love a new baby, so much potential. Don’t let this one go to waste. You put everything that you have into raising her right.” Sadie squirmed and stretched in Norma’s arms, causing the woman to bark out a laugh. The baby startled and then settled and closed her eyes. “My son is trouble, and Justice was smart for getting out from under his thumb. After her mama died, he just seemed lost. I didn’t figure on him being this far gone, though. Anyway, it’s a story for Justice to share with you. I’m just happy that she’s safe. When she called and told me about where she landed and you taking her in and giving herwork, well, I thanked the good Lord that she stumbled across you.” Sunny shook her head.
“No, I’m the lucky one. Justice came into my life when I needed someone the most. She took over all the hard jobs that I couldn’t do while pregnant. I owe her everything, and now I’m so happy to have her as my friend. She has a job as long as she wants one and a friend for life.” Dammit, she was crying again. She wiped away her tears and apologized for being such a sap.
“Well, when my granddaughter told me that you were in trouble and needed a place to land, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. You and that handsome guy of yours and this precious little girl are welcome here as long as you’d like.” Sunny couldn’t help herself; she threw her arms around Norma’s neck and squeezed her.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hobbs. I can’t tell you what that means to all of us,” Sunny whispered.
“Nonsense, and call me Norma Jeane. We’re family now, Sunny. All right, you take your sappy little ass and this beautiful baby back down to cabin five. Tell Aaron that I’ve stocked the kitchen and that you all have food enough for a week in there.” Sunny pulled Norma in for another quick hug and took Sadie. “I’ll see you all tomorrow after you’ve gotten some rest.” Sunny nodded and smiled. She waved as she headed out to the cabin that she and Aaron were going to call home for a few days. Now that she had met Norma Jeane, the idea of being away from home and friends felt a little less daunting. Justice’s grandmother felt like family, and that was just what Sunny needed right now. Well, that and Aaron. He smiled at her as she rounded the corner to their secluded little cabin.
“It’s beautiful,” she gushed. “It’s just like a little hunting cabin in the woods.” Aaron pulled her into his arms, careful not to crush Sadie between them.
“I was thinking that it is pretty romantic back here.” He bobbed his eyebrows, causing Sunny to giggle.
“Yeah, well, according to my doctor, I have one more week until any ‘romance’ can happen.” She used her free hand to do a single air quote, and Aaron chuckled.
“Let’s get Sadie settled, and then we can negotiate the romance factor of this cabin.” Aaron swatted her ass, causing her to yelp and laugh. “As long as I can get you naked in my bed and hold you all night long, I’d call that a win, baby.” Yeah, maybe this little trip wasn’t all that bad an idea after all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The next morning, Aaron’s cell phone woke him before Sadie did. They were in a little two-bedroom cabin, which was quite nice. It felt welcoming and homey, although he was beginning to think that had more to do with having Sunny and Sadie with him. They both became his everything, and he hoped like hell Sunny felt the same way. He planned on asking her to marry him; he just needed to find the right time. Or, at least find a time when they weren’t being chased by a madman. Sawyer’s name popped up on his screen, and he sighed. He knew that his friend was going to have news about Reid, or at least he hoped he did. Aaron was just looking for a little more time in the little fantasy world that they created before he had to dive back into reality.
“Hey, Sawyer, what’s new?” he whispered into his cell, not wanting to wake Sunny or the baby. Sunny insisted that they put Sadie in their bedroom for the night. She was worried that something would happen while they were sleeping, and they wouldn’t be able to get to her. Hell, he felt the same way even though he tried to convince Sunny that they were very safe at Mrs. Hobbs’s ranch. He still felt the need to keep them both asclose as possible. He pulled on his jeans and flannel shirt and stumbled out to the front porch.
“Sorry, man, did I wake you? Oh fuck, did I wake the baby?” Aaron laughed. Sawyer was going to have a lot to get used to once his and Lorna’s baby got here.
“No, it’s all good. She and Sunny are both sound asleep.” Aaron looked around the ranch and out towards the mountains that surrounded it. Goose Creek was a beautiful little piece of Colorado. If he and Sunny had to be away from Harvest Ridge, Goose Creek wasn’t a bad alternative.
“Well, I talked to the former Mrs. Reid. She verified that her ex-husband was alive and not so very well. She told me that he made it back down the mountain that day. He was found by another company and listed as a John Doe for months. They fixed his face and healed him, but he didn’t look like himself. When he finally contacted his wife, he was a different person—literally. She said that at first, he seemed to fit right back into their family, but then he got hooked on the pain pills, and he changed. She had to leave him—for the kids’ sake. He was mean and threatened to hurt them. He went sniffing around his family again, claiming that he went to rehab and was clean, but she didn’t know him anymore. She met someone else, and she and the kids moved on.”
Aaron whistled at Sawyer’s story. “So, the poor sap made it out alive, went through what I can only assume were grueling, painful surgeries, only to find out that his wife and kids no longer wanted him in their lives? I kind of feel bad for him, but not enough to excuse the shit that he’s put my family through.”
Sawyer hummed his agreement. “There’s more.” Sawyer seemed to hesitate to tell him the next part, but Aaron waited him out. “Um, well, there is no easy way to say this, but the two other guys that made it down with you that day—they’re both dead.”
“Fuck. Both Ted and Billy are dead? How the fuck did that happen?” Aaron heard his voice echo through the valley, and he felt bad. He slid down into one of the chairs on the porch, needing to catch his breath.
“It appears that they both died in house fires,” Sawyer said.
“You mean, on the job?” Aaron whispered.
“No, man. I mean, their own houses. I read the reports, and they seem to check out. It looks like both were ruled accidents. Ted was alone in his home; he didn’t have any family. But Billy’s three kids and wife were listed as casualties on his report. I’m so sorry, man,” Sawyer breathed. Aaron felt like someone had punched him in the gut and knocked all the air from his chest.
“How long ago did this all happen?” He held his head in his hands, finding it hard to think or breathe, for that matter.
“Ted’s report was dated six months ago. He was living in New Mexico at the time. Billy was living in Montana and died about two months ago,” Sawyer all but whispered.
