Page 76 of Owen

Okay, so a man of few words.

“Well, I think I need that help now.” There was a long pause, long enough for her to worry that he was unwilling to provide protection for her. What would she do? She could appeal to Ethan and Owen to see if they knew of anyone else? She could—

“Where are you?” Sean asked.

“At a cabin in a small campground near Dorset.” It was an out of the way place that had felt safe enough until just minutes earlier.

“I’m a couple hours north of you. I’ll be able to protect you and the kids better here,” he said as if he’d already thought that out. “I’ll come get you.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’m sure I can get to your place safely.” She was already inconveniencing a man who Ethan described as a recluse. She didn’t want him to make a four-hour roundtrip. Besides she had her car and didn’t want to abandon it. There was a pause before he spoke again.

“Alright,” he said, “but I don’t want you to use a GPS to get to me. Write these directions down. If you’re using a pad of paper, take the entire pad with you.” She wrote as he rattled off the roads she’d need to take. “Do you have enough gas to get here without stopping?” he asked when she’d repeated the directions back to him.

“I should.” She’d filled up a few days earlier.

“Good. Don’t stop unless you have to and get on the road ASAP. I’ll be expecting you.” With that he disconnected, leaving her a little shell-shocked. He hadn’t been unkind, just very efficient and confident. Well, that’s what she needed, wasn’t it?

“Road trip,” she said to the kids, trying to sound cheerful.

“We’re going?” Lucy asked, looking up from where she was feeding her horse some of her crackers.

“Again.” Amos’s voice held a little whine, and Julia couldn’t blame him. The poor kid was only four. She’d been dragging him to one unfamiliar place after another.

“I’ll explain in the car. We need to go so gather up your things.” Julia was already placing their snack items into a plastic tote. Sadly, the kids knew the drill and were stowing their toys in duffel bags. Julia gathered up clothing and toiletries and within ten minutes they were in her car, headed north.

She pointed the car toward Richmond and was soon merging onto a highway. She’d been avoiding major roads, but speed felt more important than stealth, and she had no wish to deviate from the directions that Sean had given her. Once she reached Richmond she merged onto I-95, which was always busy and made her focus on the traffic.

“Aunt Julia?” They were exiting the interstate when Lucy finally spoke up.

“Yes, sweetie,” she answered, trying to sound cheerful.

“Where are we going now?”

Julia’s heart went out to her niece and nephew. All they wanted was stability in their lives, and she hadn’t been able to give them that. When they asked about going home, she’d kept it simple and just said that it was better for them, safer for them to live away from their daddy for a while. She didn’t want to criminalize or demonize their father, even if the louse deserved it, so she stuck to that. Amos seemed to accept it, but Lucy was a year older and cleverer. Julia was worried about her. She needed to be doing normal kid things, like interacting with other girls her age.

“We’re going to stay with a man named Sean,” she explained. “He’s going to help us all stay safe.”

“Do you know him?” Lucy asked, mistrust in her voice.

“I haven’t met him, but I’ve talked to him on the phone.” It wasn’t a lie—exactly. “And he’s friends with people I trust.”

“What’s he like?” Amos wanted to know.

Julia wished she knew, but she was on the spot here. “He’s nice and helpful.”

“Where’s his house?” The next question came.

“At the end of these directions.” She held up the pad of paper so the kids could see it. “We’re exploring new territory today. Let’s see what we can spy.”

Julia turned their attention to the scenery as they got into a more rural area and began a game of I Spy that lasted as they moved from a highway onto a series of county roads and finally a country lane. The directions said to pass the red barn with the checkerboard pattern roof and go three miles. Julia checked her odometer when she spotted the landmark and watched the tenths of miles tick off while keeping up a steady stream of chatter with the kids.

At exactly the three mile mark the woods on the left side parted to reveal a one-story house set back from the road, just as he’d described. She turned in the driveway of the tidy-looking home. A workshop was behind it between the house and the forest. When she stopped and put the car in park, a man stepped out of the front door. He had a scruffy beard, which didn’t hide that he was handsome. Her photographer’s eye told her that the camera would love his chiseled features and fit body. He’d look amazing on the cover of a novel or an outdoorsy magazine.

“Is that him?” Lucy’s voice was small as Amos started to cry. Poor kid.

Oh, god. What was she doing? But she’d committed to this course of action, so she opened the car door and got out. “Let’s say hello.” She reached into the backseat to help with seatbelt buckles. The kids got out of the car but stayed close to her as the man advanced toward them.

“Hello,” Julia said. “I’m Julia Hart. This is Lucy and Amos. Thank you for helping us. I can’t express how much I appreciate it. We’ll try not to be a nuisance.” Should she go? she wondered again. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t saying words of welcome even after he reached them. Maybe he really didn’t want them there. Panic had her reaching for the car door again. This was a bad idea. Sean clearly valued his privacy, and they were invading. She was tired from the drive, tired from everything, but she’d go. “We’ll just—”

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