A Refuge for His Family

An Amish Witness Protection story

When criminal lawyer Tyler Everson witnesses his boss’s murder, he becomes the killer’s next target—along with his estranged wife, Annabelle, and their daughter. Now they must enter witness protection in Amish country. But reuniting with his family isn’t easy when Annabelle doesn’t trust him. Will going into hiding keep them safe...and bring the family back together for good?

DANA R. LYNN grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she’d met the man she was going to marry. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural northwestern Pennsylvania with enough animals to start a petting zoo. In addition to writing, she works as a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing and works in several ministries in her church.

Also by Dana R. Lynn

Amish Witness Protection

Amish Haven

Amish Country Justice

Plain Target

Plain Retribution

Amish Christmas Abduction

Amish Country Ambush

Amish Christmas Emergency

Presumed Guilty

Interrupted Lullaby

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Amish Haven

Dana R. Lynn

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09493-1

AMISH HAVEN

© 2019 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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A car squealed into the parking lot. Tyler took one look, and his blood ran cold.

The speeding car headed straight for Annie and Bethany, showing no hint of slowing down.

As its window rolled down, Tyler was running before the first shot blasted through the silence. Putting himself directly in front of his wife and daughter, he pushed them behind another vehicle. He covered them as well as he could with his body. Bethany’s whimpered sobs broke his heart, but he made himself block them out.

More shots rang out around them. How many came from the marshals protecting them and how many from the people who wanted him dead, he had no idea.

* * *

AMISH WITNESS PROTECTION

Amish Hideout by Maggie K. Black—January 2019

Amish Safe House by Debby Giusti—February 2019

Amish Haven by Dana R. Lynn—March 2019

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Annabelle and Tyler’s story, the conclusion of the Amish Witness Protection miniseries. I had so much fun writing this story. I especially enjoyed the challenge of writing with other authors. It was fun trying to make sure that names, descriptions and key characters were consistent.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was how Tyler and Annabelle were willing to overcome their fears for each other and their daughter, Bethany. Even very real fears like the fear of heights were no match for the love of family.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

I love to connect with readers. You can contact me through my website, www.danarlynn.com. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter, too! Or you can follow me on social media.

Blessings,

Dana R. Lynn

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

—1 Corinthians 13:13

To my family. Thank you for giving me the love and support I need to follow my dreams.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

ONE

“You don’t need to be concerned. I have it covered.”

Tyler Everson heard his boss’s voice as he walked past his office. He frowned. What was Gene doing here? Gene Landis, one of the most sought-after lawyers in the city of Chicago, had supposedly left three hours earlier to attend one of his wife’s benefit dinners. He shrugged. It was none of his business. Tyler knew as well as anyone that law was a demanding career. Those who wanted to succeed had to be willing to make sacrifices.

He should know that. He’d lost his wife and child because of his job. Annabelle. He missed his wife still. And his sweet little Bethany. She’d be five by now. Did they ever miss him? A familiar ache spread through his chest. Unbidden, the memory of Annabelle leaving him came to mind. Her accusations of how he had become withdrawn and was no longer the man she had married echoed in the recesses of his mind. She was right, but not for the reasons she had thought. Tyler had wanted to run after her, to plead with her to stay. But he hadn’t. Because due to his job, there was the possibility that she and Bethany could be put in danger. Tyler could never prove it, but he believed that her life had been threatened once before. There had been an accident that had left her with severe injuries. He had never believed it was an accident. Tyler had received threats after he had sent a man to prison for life. Threats that culminated in a runaway truck smashing into their home and injuring his wife. He still had nightmares about it. Annabelle had been horribly injured. Her legs had suffered extensive damage. Every time he had looked at the scars on them, he knew he had been to blame for not taking the threats seriously until it was too late.

She had been in the hospital while the police had investigated the incident. The police had looked into the threats, as well, but had been unable to find evidence against the man he suspected. In fact, they had concluded that the threats and the accident were unconnected. Annabelle had accepted their findings.

Tyler believed differently. Six months later, the man who had threatened him died of a heart attack. He still couldn’t get over his fear.

What if someone else came after him? He had made a lot of enemies on the job. Tyler knew that he couldn’t allow his family to be in danger. And so, even though they lived only an hour away, he stayed away.

He shook his head, trying to clear the dark memories. They were better off without him. He couldn’t change what had happened. Most days he worked so hard that he could barely think by the time he reached his apartment. And that was the way he preferred it. Otherwise, the memories of the family he’d lost would hound him.

He couldn’t regret his decision, though. He knew that he’d done what he could to protect them.

No, it was better this way. How many people got the opportunity to be up for partner at a prestigious firm such as Landis Law at the age of twenty-nine?

Tyler continued to the parking garage, his mind full of the case he was preparing to prosecute. It would be a tricky one. Would the witness’s testimony hold up? He had his doubts about the woman. She’d waffled on a couple of details. Part of him dreaded putting her on the stand. And not only because of her weak testimony. In his gut, he wondered if she was being honest. Having someone swear under oath was a serious thing—at least it was to him. His reputation depended on his providing credible witnesses.

Arriving at his car, he unlocked it and placed his briefcase on the passenger seat. Then he remembered the brief. He unlatched the black briefcase and searched through it. His heart sank. The brief he’d printed out to review that night before tomorrow’s court case was still on his desk.

With a sigh, he shut the car door and jogged back to the elevator. It would only take five minutes to go and retrieve it, but he hated inefficiency. His schedule was too jam-packed for him to be wasting time.

Tyler returned to his office. There it was. He picked up the brief he’d printed out and flipped through it to make sure all the pages were present. If he had to come back for something else, he would not be pleased.

Finally, positive that he had everything, Tyler switched off his light and headed out again. Gene’s light was on. That man worked even harder than Tyler did. He could hear the murmur of Gene’s voice. He was probably on the phone.

I’ll just stop in and remind him that I’m going directly to the courthouse tomorrow morning.

Sauntering to the open doorway, he popped his head in.

Crack!

Stunned, Tyler watched as his boss fell back in his chair, red blossoming like some obscene flower across the once pristine shirt he wore. Gene was still, his eyes staring vacantly. Was he dead? Tyler jerked his gaze to the man standing across from Gene. His back was to the doorway. But Tyler knew exactly who it was. He recognized the dragon tattoo rising up from the collar of his dark jacket. Wilson Barco. The most wanted man in town. The man suspected of running a crime syndicate that was involved in everything from money laundering and drug trafficking to murder.

He hadn’t seen Tyler yet. That was the only thing that was keeping Tyler alive.

He had to get out of here. Backing away from the door slowly, Tyler moved as quietly as he could. It wasn’t quiet enough. Spinning around, the killer snapped the gun up and aimed.

Tyler ran. The bullet meant for him smashed into the wall where he’d been standing. A watercolor painting crashed to the floor, glass skittering across the surface.

Tyler didn’t give it a second glance. His only hope was to make it to his car. He kept his head low as he ducked around a corner. Another bullet, but this time it made a solid thunk as it was embedded into the wall. He bolted past the elevator. No way was he risking waiting for it to open. Even if he made it, he’d be a sitting duck once it arrived at the bottom. The stairs. No other choice.

Another gunshot. A hot pain shot up his arm. He’d been shot. Despite the pain, he kept running. A little pain was better than being dead. Which was what he’d be if he slowed down.

Darting through the empty lobby, he grabbed his lanyard with a shaking hand and swiped his badge in front of the security panel, unlocking the door to the stairwell. It beeped, and the light turned green. He yanked open the door and jumped through the entrance, pulling it shut as the killer burst into the lobby.

He hit the stairs as the next bullet pinged against the metal door. He didn’t slow down. Even though the door automatically locked when it shut, he wasn’t taking any chances. He had no idea how Barco had made it into the building after hours. For all he knew, he could have already figured out a way to bypass the security system.

His feet made loud clanging noises as he rushed down the stairs to the basement. It couldn’t be helped. He had just hit the second landing when he heard another set of shoes racing down the stairs behind him. He didn’t have as much time as he’d hoped.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he whipped open the door to the parking garage and ran to where his four-door sedan was parked. It was still unlocked. Tyler hopped in and started the car, just as Barco burst out of the doorway.

Without fastening his seat belt, Tyler shifted into Drive and yanked on the gearshift harder than he had in years. The car jerked forward. Spinning the wheel, he drove toward the exit. His rear passenger window shattered. A second bullet hit the side of the car.

“God, help me!”

Tyler hadn’t talked to God since his wife had packed up and left, taking their toddler daughter and his joy with him. He’d been so angry at God for not intervening. For not opening his eyes to what was happening. But even if God had shown him, would he have been able to change? He was a workaholic, just like his father had been. Plus, his work was his private mission. God hadn’t helped him then, so he had decided he didn’t need God.

He needed God now.

Tyler careened around the parking ramp leading to the exit. Glancing up into the rearview mirror, he sighed. The killer wasn’t there. Yet.

The street was just ahead of him. All that separated him from the outside world and the parking garage was the long wooden gate arm. Out of habit, he slowed. The gate started to lift as the sticker on his windshield was registered. Another glance in his rearview mirror. His blood froze.

Barco was running up the ramp.

What was he doing? He stomped on the gas pedal. The engine roared, and the car shot forward. The boom barrier splintered as his car broke through it. He could hear an alarm sound as he pulled onto the street. The car he cut off braked and skidded, and the driver blared his horn at Tyler.

“Sorry, buddy,” Tyler muttered.

Where did he go now? He had to go to the police. And then home.

Home. He couldn’t go there. Barco had seen him pull out of his parking space. His very prominent parking space with his name on it. In this day of technology, it would be easy for anyone to find his identity and address. He had no doubt that if he went home tonight someone would be waiting for him.

He couldn’t worry about that now. He had to go to the police. A vision of Gene flashed through his mind. What had he done to deserve being murdered?

He turned into the police station so fast that he barely missed sideswiping a police cruiser. He threw open his door and raced up the steps, holding on to his injured arm. The clerk at the window gaped at him for three seconds before rushing to assist him.

* * *

Two hours later, Tyler was sitting in a conference room at the police station. His arm had been cared for by the paramedics, and he’d been given something to take the edge off the pain. Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad wound.

Officers had taken pictures of his arm and the side of his car. A team had been dispatched to the law firm. He’d heard something about an ambulance being sent there, as well. He remembered Gene’s blank stare. He feared the ambulance was too late to do Gene any good.

An officer entered the room. Officer Cale. They’d worked together on cases before. Tyler had always liked the quiet officer. “Tyler, our men have caught Barco. They’re bringing him in now. I hate to tell you this, but your boss—”

“He’s dead.” Tyler’s voice was flat.

Cale nodded.

“Where did they catch Barco? Surely the man wasn’t dumb enough to hang around the crime scene when you caught him.”

Cale hesitated. Sensing more bad news, Tyler tensed.

“You were right that he would find out who you were. He was in your apartment.”

Stunned, Tyler stared at him. Then some of the tension drained out of his shoulders.

“Good to know they caught him. Though I don’t like that he was in my place.” Tyler took a long drink of the bottled water they had brought him. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was.

Cale gave him a funny look.

“What?”

“You know it’s not that easy, Tyler.”

Before he had time to think about Cale’s words, the door opened. A man who looked to be close to his age entered the room. Officer Cale straightened. The new arrival nodded at the officer before his gaze zeroed in on Tyler. His face was hard to read, but Tyler thought he could detect some sympathy in his eyes.

I’m not going to like this.

“Mr. Everson. I’m US Marshal Jonathan Mast.”

Tyler’s gut clenched. It couldn’t be good if the US Marshals were getting involved.

“You’re in a precarious position right now. Wilson Barco has his fingers in just about every crime venue you can imagine. But he could never be prosecuted because we could never find witnesses to his crimes.”

Tyler nodded, not liking where this was going. He’d known that Barco had slipped through the cracks before.

“We believe that Gene Landis was on his payroll.”

“No way. Not Gene!” He shook his head vehemently. Gene had always been a stickler about doing everything the proper way. And now to find out he’d been living a double life? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

“Yes, Gene.” Mast pulled out a chair and sat across from him. “Sorry, but that’s what the evidence is adding up to. Barco is a man with vast resources. You are the first reliable witness we’ve ever had who could incriminate him. If we were to allow you to remain in your apartment, there’s no doubt in my mind that you would be killed or simply vanish before you could testify.”

For a moment, there was silence as Tyler thought through the matter. Finally, he spoke. “What’s your plan? Will I get police protection? Go to a safe house?”

Mast shook his head. “Neither of those options would be enough. Barco’s reach is too vast. No telling who we can trust. We’re putting you in witness protection.”

A sick feeling overwhelmed him. He knew all about witness protection. Those who went in lost all connection with their families. His daughter, Bethany—would he never see her again? Would she even know about him, or would she grow up and forget he even existed? And what about Annabelle? He had no hope of ever winning back his wife again, he knew that. He couldn’t change who he was, and she had already shown that she couldn’t accept that. Not to mention the danger he’d put her in if they were to get back together. But he’d never imagined a life where he could not even see her or hear her voice again.

The future that loomed ahead of him was dark and empty.

* * *

The hair on the back of Annabelle Everson’s neck rose. Was she being watched? She glanced around the grocery store, but no one appeared to be paying any attention to them. She must have imagined it. She shivered, then blamed it on the air-conditioning.

Even though she knew it wasn’t the cold that was making her shiver. This was the second time today she’d felt like someone was watching her. The first time had been outside the library, where she took her daughter every Wednesday afternoon for the reading hour. Today the library had been busier than normal. The local fire department had sent several of the firefighters and a truck to talk about fire safety. The children present were thrilled to get to touch a real fire truck.

After the library, she and Bethany went shopping. It was their weekly routine.

Annabelle pushed the cart down the aisle, listening as Bethany chattered on about the letter she’d received from her kindergarten teacher. Annabelle could hardly believe that her baby would be starting school in a month. Where had the time gone?

“Mommy, Tasha and Nikki said that their daddy is taking them swimming tomorrow.”

Annabelle braced herself. Tasha and Nikki were the twins who lived two doors down from them. Since they had moved in three months ago, Bethany had started to talk about their daddy constantly. Which nearly always progressed to “Why doesn’t my daddy do that?”

In truth, Annabelle wasn’t even sure that Bethany remembered Tyler. It had been three years since she’d left him. He’d seen Bethany a few times after that, but not since she was three years old. She had seen pictures of him, though.

Her heart ached for her baby.

“Mommy, when will I see my daddy again?”

And there it was.

“Honey, I don’t know. You know that. But I can take you swimming or to the playground with your friends if you want to go. I always do.”

It didn’t help. Bethany crossed her arms across her thin body and pushed out her lower lip. Oh, no. The last thing Annabelle wanted was for her daughter to go into a full meltdown in the middle of grocery store.

“Don’t even think about throwing a tantrum, Bethany Jane. Or you won’t be going swimming with your friends tomorrow.”

Bethany glared, but wisely kept silent. Annabelle never proposed consequences she wasn’t prepared to follow through on. It was one thing she’d learned as a single parent—something she’d never planned on being.

“Mommy, why is that man watching us?”

Forgetting her daughter’s near tantrum, Annabelle swung her head in the direction that Bethany pointed. Her heart pounded at the thought that she’d finally see who was watching them. No one was. A young man in his early twenties was reading the label on a soup can. After a second, he dropped two cans into his shopping cart and moved past her to continue shopping.

“He’s just shopping, Bethy. Like us.” Despite her words, she couldn’t relax. Her gut tightened. Her maternal instinct was on full alert. A mother knew when danger was near her child.

“Let’s finish up and get home, okay? If we hurry, we can stop and get pizza for dinner.”

Bethany’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “Yay! Pizza! Can we get ice cream, too?”

Annabelle tousled her daughter’s blond hair and smiled back. “Of course! What’s pizza without ice cream for dessert?”

Happy again, Bethany skipped beside the shopping cart.

Annabelle hurried as much as she could. She couldn’t shake the thought that someone was watching again. She turned her head suddenly. Her eyes were pinned by the stare of the young man she’d seen earlier.

Bethany had been right. That was not the face of someone shopping. The cold stare she encountered made her shudder. All thoughts of shopping left her mind. She needed to get her daughter home, where they’d be safe.

“Bethy, come with me.” Grabbing her daughter’s hand, she abandoned the shopping cart and made for the exit. A glance over her shoulder confirmed her fear. The man was on his cell phone, watching her. She moved quicker.

“Mommy, what about the ice cream?”

“Honey, I will see if we can get it somewhere else. But we need to leave. Now.”

Bethany was a very bright girl. She didn’t argue with her mom. Looking down at her daughter, Annabelle could see that she was pale and her eyes were wide. She hated that her daughter was afraid. Better scared and safe. That was the important thing.

She tightened her grip on Bethany’s hand and left the store. The little girl was trembling now. Who was that man? An image of him grabbing Bethany and running off flashed through her mind. Annabelle paused to lift her daughter in her arms. Bethany didn’t question it but wrapped her legs around her waist while winding her arms around her mother’s neck.

The parking lot was crowded. Annabelle ducked between two cars, crouching low. She set down Bethany, motioning her to keep low. Bethany squatted next to Annabelle. “Shh. Don’t make a sound. Okay?” she whispered in Bethany’s ear. The child nodded, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. Moving as if in slow motion, Annabelle raised herself enough to peer across the parking lot through the windows of the car on her left. The man was standing outside the store, talking on the phone while his eyes searched the parking lot.

For her.

What did he want?

Settling back down, she considered her options. Her car was three rows away. It would be practically impossible to get there without being seen. Or worse.

She peeked again. Oh, no. He was heading this way. Now what?

Putting her finger to her lips to let Bethany know to keep silent, she crouch-walked away from the row, heading toward the next one. Her daughter stayed close to her side. She glanced back. Not good. He’d seen them and was picking up his pace. His eyes were glued to her as he moved toward her.

“Run, Bethany!” Grabbing her daughter’s hand, she ran as fast as she could with a five-year-old in tow. “Please, God. Keep us safe. Protect my baby.”

A police car turned down her aisle and pulled in two cars away from her.’

“Thank You, Jesus!”

The officer stepped out of his car.

“Officer!” She ran up to the man. “Help! We’re being followed!”

She pointed to the man who’d been following her. He was gone.

“Ma’am?”

She shuddered. “There was a man. He’d been following us around the store. When we left, he followed us out here. We hid, and tried to get to our car, but he saw us and was chasing us.”

Her cheeks heated. The officer probably thought she was being paranoid.

“I was scared,” Bethany offered in a shy whisper.

Fortunately, the officer seemed to believe them. “Ma’am, do you think you could give me a description of the man?”

An hour later, they arrived home. Bethany was happy. They’d stopped and picked up pizza and ice cream. Annabelle wanted to sleep for the next ten hours, she was so emotionally drained. Fear for her daughter still swirled in her head, but she wasn’t panicking anymore. Going around the house, she locked and dead-bolted all the doors and windows. She was probably overreacting, but she didn’t care. The whole situation had freaked her out.

She was cleaning up the dishes when her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Annie, it’s me.” There was only one person in the world who called her Annie.

Tyler.

Her husband. The man she hadn’t seen in two years.

“Annie? You there?”

She shook her head. “Yes, I’m here. It’s been a frazzling day, Tyler. What do you want?”

A pause. “Something happened last night, Annie. I can’t tell you everything, but the US Marshals are involved. I’m being put into witness protection.”

“Witness protection?” Stunned, she lowered herself into a chair at the kitchen table. “Tyler, people in those programs have to completely disappear.”

In her mind, she heard Bethany ask when she would see her daddy again.

“I know. It won’t be forever. At least I hope it won’t. I need to testify against someone. Maybe after that, I can go back to being me.”

A sudden thought occurred to her. “Tyler, the reason you’re going into witness protection... Would it affect me at all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone was following me today.”

TWO

“Someone’s following you?” Tyler exclaimed, horrified.

“Hey, don’t shout at me!”

“Sorry.” Keep it together, Tyler. “Where are you now?”

He heard an aggravated sigh. “I’m at home. I just put Bethany down to bed, and I’m exhausted.”

She sounded irritated, but he hadn’t lived with her for the first four of their seven years of marriage without learning something. She was frightened. She was covering it up, but he heard the tremble in her voice. Man, he hated that. She had always seemed so fearless.

“You never answered me. Could the man following me be related to what happened to you?”

That was a good question. He had the feeling she wasn’t going to like the answer.

“I don’t know. Annie, I will call you back.” He disconnected the call and went to the door of his room. He had no idea where he was. All he knew was that Marshal Mast and his team had hustled him out the back door of the police station the night before and driven for over an hour to this house.

An agent was coming down the hall. Tyler had met him briefly earlier. What was his name? Kurt? No. Karl. Karl Adams. That was it. “Could you tell me where I could find Marshal Mast?”

“Sure. Come with me.”

Tyler walked beside the agent, his nerves on edge. What was happening at Annabelle’s house right now? Was someone watching her? What about his daughter? Fear rose up inside him. How much danger was Bethany in? He was helpless to protect her, and it ate at him. He followed Karl Adams. A female agent with a tight dark bun smiled at them as they passed. He saw her gaze lingering on Karl. Karl left him at the office, then retreated to talk with the woman.

Marshal Mast was sitting at a laptop in an office at the back of the house. He glanced up from the screen as Tyler entered. Pushing back the headset, he allowed it to settle around his neck. “Something on your mind, Tyler?”

“Yes, Marshal Mast.”

The marshal waved his hand. “We’re going to be working together, Tyler. You need to get used to calling us by our first names. We don’t want to announce to others that we’re US marshals.”

Tyler nodded. “Jonathan, then. I called my wife to tell her I was going into witness protection.”

Jonathan frowned. Tyler had told the man that he and his wife were separated and wouldn’t be getting back together. He could practically read the man’s mind: So why is he calling her? He quickly headed off any questioning.

“She informed me that she and my daughter were being followed today.”

At this information, Jonathan jumped to his feet. “Karl!”

Feet pounded in the hallway. Karl Adams entered the room at a brisk pace. “Jonathan? What did you need?”

Jonathan glanced up at Karl, a frown creating grooves in the flesh beside his mouth. “Karl, I need you to make a trip for me to pick up Tyler’s wife and daughter. They may be in danger. Take Stacy with you. What’s the address, Tyler?”

Tyler recited the address. Would Karl and Stacy get there in time? How he wished he could go with them.

“Call her back, Tyler. Let her know he’s coming.”

She wouldn’t be happy. Nevertheless, Tyler dialed the number. Annabelle answered on the first ring. He knew at once she was steamed.

“What’s going on, Tyler? You call me out of the blue, tell me you’re going into hiding, hang up on me and now you’re calling me back? Do you know what time it is? What have you gotten yourself into?”

“Annie—”

He stopped. Jonathan held out his hand for the phone. Fine. Let him deal with her. She was too stubborn to listen to him, anyway. And too angry.

“Mrs. Everson? This is US Marshal Jonathan Mast. I am in charge of your husband’s case. He tells me you thought someone was following you today?” He listened for a minute. It drove Tyler crazy not hearing her side of the conversation. What exactly had happened? Had it been an actual threat, or some freaky coincidence?

He didn’t believe in coincidences. And he doubted that the marshals would buy that theory, either.

“Mrs. Everson, I need you to listen. I am sending a marshal to come get you and bring you to a safe house. Yes, it’s necessary. I have every reason to believe that your life and the life of your daughter are in grave peril.”

Grave peril. He’d failed his family again. Despite his best efforts, he’d brought danger to their door. If Annabelle was scared, his daughter was probably terrified.

The daughter that he hadn’t seen in two years. Guilt swamped him. He knew why he’d made the choice not to be a part of her life. It had hurt more than anything he’d ever done to distance himself from his family, but he knew it had been for their own good. He was saving them from heartache and disappointment. And possibly from danger.

Except now he wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing, because danger had found them, anyway.

Jonathan got his attention when he set the phone back down.

“So, what’s the plan?” Tyler asked. “You’re going to protect them, right?”

“Let’s bring them here first. Then we’ll decide. I will do my best to see that you are all protected.”

It was a long night, waiting for Annabelle and Bethany to arrive. His nerves were stretched tight as he paced through the house. He couldn’t eat, and he was too wound-up to relax. He forced himself to try to sleep, but it was useless. In his mind, every possible scenario played out, each one worse than the one before. Finally, he gave up trying to sleep and decided to watch a movie to help pass the time.

It was a little after two in the morning when a car pulled up the lane. He shot to the window and peered out. Was that Karl? It was too dark to see, but who else would it be? The grating noise of the garage door opening seemed overly loud in the silent house. Jonathan walked out of the office.

A minute later, the door connecting the kitchen to the garage opened up. Stacy walked in, her dark brown hair starting to escape from the bun at the nape of her neck. She held the door open. Karl walked through the open door and flashed her a tired smile as he passed her. He was carrying a sleeping Bethany against his chest. Tyler was startled by the surge of jealousy that shot through him. That should have been him carrying her. Immediately, he felt ridiculous. The man was protecting his daughter, after all. He should feel grateful, not jealous.

His attention shifted to the woman who had entered behind Karl.

Annie.

Even exhausted and scared, she was beautiful. Her hair was shorter than it had been the last time he’d seen her, brushing her shoulders in straight waves. But it was still a lustrous deep brown with hints of red in it. And her eyes... He’d never forgotten those toffee-brown eyes. Eyes that were guarded as they met his.

He’d hurt her badly during their marriage. How could he expect her to understand, much less forgive him?

“Tyler.” Just that one word, said in a voice devoid of emotion, told him that forgiveness wouldn’t come easy. As she stepped farther into the room, she swayed once.

Jonathan moved forward. “Annabelle. We can talk in the morning. I have you and Bethany in a room in the back.” He led them away, glancing back once at Tyler sympathetically.

Tyler was left standing alone. He was always alone.

But at least he could sleep now.

* * *

The next morning, Tyler was reunited with his daughter. Unlike her mother, Bethany was overjoyed to see her daddy. She was a little shy at first, hanging back. A tight sensation crept into his chest. She didn’t know him. Why should she? After a few minutes, though, her natural curiosity and her happiness at seeing her father overruled her bashfulness. His heart melted as the bright child snuggled up to him and told him all about her two best friends, identical twins who lived down the street, and her excitement to begin kindergarten.

He glanced at Annabelle. She listened, her face strained. She didn’t have to say that she wasn’t pleased with the turn of events. It was clear on her face.

Karl Adams stepped into the kitchen, a fierce frown on his face. Stacy approached Tyler and attempted to persuade Bethany to leave Tyler’s arms. No easy task. The child wanted to stay with her father. Eventually, the marshal succeeded. Holding Bethany’s hand in hers, Stacy led her from the room. Her eyes met Karl’s as she passed him. Something was going on with those two, but Tyler was too concerned about his daughter and Annie to give it much thought. Karl turned his eyes back to meet his. Tyler tensed.

As soon as the child was out of earshot, Jonathan indicated that Karl should go ahead and speak.

“Jonathan, you were right. Barco has put a price on Everson’s head. Every criminal within a hundred-mile radius will be gunning for him.” Karl shifted, his gaze sweeping over Annabelle. “He’s also offered money for Annabelle and the child. Probably to smoke Tyler out of hiding.”

“Can’t you stop it?” Annabelle blurted.

“No, ma’am. Barco has more resources at his disposal than we know about. He has managed to escape capture for years. Every potential witness has been compromised or disappeared. Evidence has disappeared. Plus, he’s always managed to have an alibi. It’s been impossible to prove his guilt. Until now. Which means he’ll be pulling out all the stops to eliminate Tyler.”

The ticking of the clock on the wall was unnaturally loud in the silence.

“What’s going to happen to my daughter and me?”

The quiet whisper from his wife made his heart ache.

Karl answered. “You’re in danger as a result of your association with Tyler. The US Marshals will help you go into the witness protection program, as well.”

* * *

“No.”

Any other time, the sight of all these big men sitting with their mouths open would have been amusing. Right now, she was just trying to keep herself from panicking. It took all her effort to keep the tremors that were making her stomach quake from showing up in her voice.

“Annie—”

“No, Tyler!” She swung back her gaze to her husband. He hadn’t changed much since she’d seen him last. Still handsome. His brown hair was on the longish side, blue-gray eyes that reminded her of the ocean on a cloudy day, and that square jaw, now covered with several days’ worth of whiskers. Once, he could persuade her to do anything. Not anymore. She was through letting him bother her. She was in charge of her life. It was by his own choice that he wasn’t a part of their lives anymore. “I understand that you are in trouble, but that has nothing to do with me.”

“Ma’am.” One of the agents stepped forward. She was so upset, she couldn’t remember the man’s name. “It would be safer for you if you came with us.”

“I’m not going into hiding. I can go on vacation for a bit with Bethany. Leave the area. Then when this all blows over, I can come back.”

“I don’t think—” the man began.

But she was done. “I don’t care what you think. Tyler and I haven’t lived together for three years. He hasn’t been to see us, including his daughter, in over two. If anyone was searching for him, we wouldn’t be the people to go to. I am not disrupting my life again for him. We’ll go to my mother’s house. She lives in Southern Illinois, five hours from where I live. My brother is a cop. He lives a little over ten minutes from her. He can protect us.”

The marshals tried to convince her to change her mind. She wouldn’t budge. Tyler tried to talk with her, too. Every time he moved toward her, she glared at him. Finally, he seemed to get the message. He wasn’t happy about it, but she didn’t care. He’d made his choice when he’d let them go. She quickly squelched any pity she might have felt for him.

They couldn’t hold her against her will. She knew it, and they did, too. Nor could they force her to go into the witness protection program. That didn’t stop them from giving her disapproving frowns. She ignored them all.

Strangely, while their frowns didn’t bother her, Tyler’s silence did. The way his eyes followed Bethany around. He stuck close to his daughter.

Annabelle couldn’t take it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he really was concerned. A sliver of guilt tried to wedge itself into her mind. Guilt that she was going to be separating a father from his daughter. Maybe forever. She shoved aside the guilt. She didn’t have time for this.

She walked into the kitchen to demand that they either put her and Bethany in a taxi, or take them home.

She never got the words out.

Marshal Mast, who’d insisted she call him Jonathan, leaped to his feet as his phone went off. Not the phone he’d been talking on throughout the day. Annabelle figured that was his work phone. This one had to have been his personal phone. Especially since it was playing a popular song for the ringtone.

“Celeste?” he blurted into the phone.

She watched, amazed, as the calm US marshal paled. Her brow furrowed. Hopefully it wasn’t too serious. Instinctively, she glanced at Tyler to see his reaction. His eyes were narrowed as he watched the marshal. Obviously, he had no clue what was going on, either.

That could have described their whole situation. It was surreal.

“Okay, honey, relax. Do what the paramedics tell you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Jonathan’s finger trembled as he disconnected the call. “Karl, you’re in charge. My wife just went into labor at the shopping mall. They are taking her to the hospital in an ambulance.”

“She’ll be okay, Jonathan.” The female marshal she’d met earlier, Stacy, stepped forward. “We know what to do here.”

He nodded, then rushed to the back of the house. Within minutes, he ran past them and out the front door. She heard his car start up and pull down the lane.

“Remember when Bethany was born?”

Annabelle jumped. When had Tyler moved up beside her? She had been so fascinated by the escaping marshal that she hadn’t seen Tyler moving.

Memories of happier times flooded her brain. She smiled. “I thought I was going to have her in the car.”

“Me, too! I was terrified. I’m still shocked I didn’t get a speeding ticket.”

She turned to face him. As she did so, she noticed for the first time the corner of a gauze bandage peeking out from the sleeve of his T-shirt. “What happened to your arm?”

He hesitated. “Wilson Barco shot me. While I was running from him.”

Her blood ran cold. No way. She needed to get her daughter away from him. Even as she cringed at being so coldhearted, she hardened her resolve. She had to put Bethany first. There were some things her daughter shouldn’t be exposed to. Bullets were one of them.

Something of what she was feeling must have shown on her face. Tyler hastened to explain. “It’s not a bad wound. Seriously. I need to keep it clean for a few days, but it should heal fine.”

She shook her head. “Tyler, I know what you’re trying to do. And I’m not changing my mind. If someone doesn’t drive me home, I’ll call a cab. I’m sorry you’re in this mess. I truly am. But it’s your mess. And I don’t want any part of it.”

She turned her head away so she didn’t see his reaction.

Karl Adams wasn’t happy. “Look, Annabelle, if you won’t go into the witness protection program, will you at least let us drive you to your mother’s house? It would be safer than driving you to your own house.”

Annabelle thought about it. What did she really need to get from her house? It would be nice to have her own car, but it wasn’t worth their lives. Nor did they desperately need anything from inside the house. She already had some bags packed from when Karl and Stacy had picked them up.

“I will agree to that. A marshal may drive us to my mom’s house.”

Karl visibly relaxed at that. It was a safer and smarter decision, and she knew it.

In a remarkably short time, Annabelle and Bethany were in a car with a younger marshal, heading to her mother’s house. Talk was scarce on the drive. Although the marshal, Rick, seemed like a nice man, Annabelle’s stomach was in knots. What if she was making a mistake? She clenched her teeth, refusing to second-guess her resolve.

A couple of times, Rick tried to engage her in small talk. She did her best to answer but found herself distracted.

After an hour or so, she allowed herself to lean against the door and close her eyes. Every time she would begin to drift off, though, a noise or the motion of the car would jerk her awake, her pulse racing.

The third time it happened, Rick glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Ma’am, it’s not too late to turn back. We would keep you safe.”

Shaking her head, she sat up.

“Thank you, Rick. I mean it. But I really think we’ll be fine at my mother’s house.”

Even as she said it, Annabelle suppressed a shudder.

Recalling the events of the past two days, she wondered if she would forever be looking over her shoulder.

THREE

Exhausted was too weak a word to describe how Annabelle felt as Rick finally pulled into her mother’s driveway Thursday evening.

Nerves had her continuously checking her side mirror to make sure that no one was following them. A couple of times, she got spooked by a car driving too close. Rick took no chances, to her relief. If he thought a car was suspicious, he would turn off the road, or see if it would pass them. Every time, the cars would pass them or keep going straight. It didn’t help her relax. The danger was still very real.

When they were an hour away from her mother’s house, Rick allowed her to call her mother on a burner phone.

“If they are tracking you, using your cell would be too dangerous.”

Her mother didn’t pick up. The answering machine kicked on. “Mom, are you there? Mom?”

“Annabelle? I didn’t recognize the number.”

“I know. Listen, I’m going to be at your house in an hour. A friend is driving me.”

The last hour of the trip dragged on and on.

Her mother was up waiting for them. Annabelle had told her as much as she dared on the phone. She didn’t mention Tyler. Even if she wasn’t going into witness protection, he was. It wasn’t a good idea to broadcast that information, even to her mother. Instead, she told her that someone had been bothering them at home and she needed a safe spot for a few days, so that she could figure out her next move.

Rick waited until she was inside before he left.

“Thanks, Mom.” Annabelle leaned into her mother’s arms as she stepped through the door. Bethany hovered at her side, blue eyes bleary with sleep.

Nancy Schmidt kissed her daughter’s cheek. “You know you’re always welcome, sweetheart.” She turned to her granddaughter. “Bethany, do you have a hug for your grammy?”

Bethany lifted her arms to her grandmother, yawning as the woman pulled her close. “Tired, Grammy.”

“You should have invited your friend in for a few minutes.” Curiosity burned in Nancy’s eyes.

“He couldn’t stay,” Annabelle replied, not meeting her mother’s eyes. Thankfully, the older woman allowed the subject to drop.

“Have you eaten?”

Annabelle and Bethany both shook their heads.

Nancy bustled them toward the kitchen. “I heated up some mac-’n’-cheese. Eat, then you can go to bed. We can talk in the morning.”

A gentle sigh slid from Annabelle. She should have known that her mother would have something ready for them to eat, no matter what time they showed up.

Forty-five minutes later, Annabelle was in her old bedroom, staring into the darkness. Her mind wouldn’t settle down. Had she made the right decision? At the time, she’d been so angry, so scared. Now? Now she was worried that she might have brought danger to her mother’s doorstep.

Maybe the people after Tyler would leave her alone once he disappeared.

Or maybe they’d become more aggressive.

Lord, grant me wisdom. Help me to do the right thing and protect my little girl.

Around midnight, she finally dropped off into a fitful sleep. Her rest was interrupted by nightmares. Nightmares of a stranger taking Bethany. She ran after him, but he kept running. Just when she thought she’d catch him, he’d vanish right in front of her. Bethany was crying out for her to save her, but she was always too far away.

Bolting straight up into a sitting position, Annabelle panted like she’d been running, sweat clinging to her skin. The sun was just starting to peek through the windows. It was early. No other sounds stirred in the house. She slipped out of the bed, welcoming the familiar comfort of the shag carpet under her bare feet. She could do with more sleep, but the thought of returning to bed made her shudder. Instead, she headed toward the shower.

When she emerged, she followed the aroma of fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls to the kitchen. Her mother was awake, but Bethany was still in bed. Poor thing, she had to be wiped out after all they’d been through in the past couple of days.

“Hey, Mom.” Annabelle helped herself to a cup of coffee, added some mocha creamer, then slid into a chair at the table.

“Annabelle.” Nancy scooped a warm cinnamon roll onto a plate and placed it in front of her daughter with a fork. “I would ask if you slept well, but I can see you didn’t.”

Annabelle sighed. While she considered what to say, she forked a bite of the pastry into her mouth, closing her eyes to savor the sticky-sweet flavor. “Mmm. Delicious. I had trouble sleeping. Too many things happening.” She raised her eyes to her mother’s concerned face. “I keep worrying if I should have come here. I hate to think I put you in any kind of jam.”

Her mother clucked her tongue. “Now, don’t you be worrying about me. You and my granddaughter are my priority. Always have been.”

“I know, Mom. I just—” She broke off as her cell phone rang. Tensing, she looked down at the number. “Hold on, Mom. It’s Danielle, a woman on my block. Bethy was supposed to go swimming with her daughters yesterday.”

She didn’t comment on the obvious reasons why they hadn’t.

She tapped the screen to answer and took a deep breath. “Danielle? What’s up?”

“Annabelle, are you and Bethany okay?” Danielle’s normally peppy voice was nervous.

How to answer that? Oh, yeah. Just being followed. Oh, and my estranged husband is going into hiding after seeing his boss get killed. Not.

Trying to be upbeat, she said, “We’re fine. On a little trip, that’s all. Why? Is something wrong?”

A slight pause. When Danielle’s voice came again, it was softer, like she didn’t want anyone to hear her. “Listen. I don’t want the girls to worry, but something weird is going on. Mike said there was a car parked across the street from your house yesterday morning. And someone was sitting inside it. There’s no house across the street from you, so why was he there? Mike was walking the dog at lunch and they went right past the car. Mike thought he had surprised the guy. He wasn’t positive, but it looked like the man was looking at your house through binoculars.”

A shiver worked its way up Annabelle’s spine. Danielle might not have been sure, but she had no doubt Mike was right. They were waiting for her.

What would have happened if she had gone home first, the way she had planned?

“Thanks, Danielle. I will call the police. I appreciate your letting me know.”

“There’s more.” Of course there was. “Yesterday afternoon, someone was going around the block with a picture of you and Bethany. He was insisting that he was your cousin and trying to reach you on urgent business.”

Her stomach turning, Annabelle closed her eyes.

She didn’t have any cousins. Where did the man get the pictures?

Annabelle couldn’t get off the phone fast enough. As soon as she hung up, she dialed Tyler’s number.

“The number you have reached is no longer in service.” She wanted to cry at the automated message. Tyler’s phone must have been disconnected so he could disappear. Now what?

Wait a minute. Karl Adams had given her his card.

Jumping to her feet, she ran back to her bedroom to grab her purse. This was not a conversation she wanted her mother to hear. Shutting the door, she began rifling around her purse frantically. After a few seconds, she found the item she was looking for.

Her fingers shook as she tapped his number into her smartphone. When Karl answered, she breathlessly repeated her conversation with Danielle Johnson.

“Hold on, Annabelle. I will call you back as soon as I know something.”

He hung up quickly. Sinking down on the edge of her bed, Annabelle fought to control her emotions. The urge to cry battled with the urge to throw something. She did neither. Instead, she sat tensely, clasping her phone between her hands like a lifeline. Please, Lord, she repeated over and over and over in her mind.

She checked on Bethany. She wasn’t awake yet, which gave her a little more time. Returning to her bedroom, Annabelle paced as she waited. Every minute or so, she looked at the screen on her phone to see the time.

When her phone rang forty minutes later, she nearly dropped it.

“Y-yes?” she gasped.

“Annabelle? You were right to call. I sent someone to your house. It’s been ransacked. I have the feeling that the pictures that man was showing your neighbors were from your wall. There were several empty picture frames on the floor, and it was obvious pictures had been taken from the walls. No doubt someone was trying to find something that would lead them to you. The problem is, there are bound to be many people after you because of the bounty put on your head. Who knows how many people are watching your house. Whatever you do, don’t leave your mother’s house. And stay inside. The last thing we want is for you to be recognized.”

“I won’t! Oh, I’m just so scared right now. What if my mom’s in danger because of me?” She shouldn’t have come. Oh, why had she been so stubborn?

“I understand your concerns. We’re coming to get you. What?” the marshal said to someone on his end. “Here.”

A moment later, Tyler came on the phone. “Annabelle, can you convince your mom to go stay with your brother for a while?”

She nodded. Oh, wait. He couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I think I can do that. I’ll see if she can stay at Ethan’s place.”

“Do it. She’ll be safer at Ethan’s house.”

“Tyler—”

He was no longer on the phone. “Karl Adams again, ma’am. Someone’s on the way. I agree with Tyler. Your mom needs to get out of the house. We’ll see that she’s safe. But you and your daughter need to go into hiding. They won’t stop coming for you.”

Six hours later, she and Bethany were led into a house in Iowa. She’d never been to Iowa before. Now that she was here, though, she had zero interest in looking around at the scenery. Guilt over the disruption to her mother’s life weighed heavy on her. Inside the house, Karl was there. And so was Tyler.

“Daddy!” Bethany ran to her father, throwing herself into his arms as if she hadn’t just seen him for the first time in years a little over a day ago. Her sweet daughter apparently harbored no bitterness toward the man who’d always chosen business over family.

She couldn’t be so blasé. The bitterness she’d shoved deep down inside, for her little girl’s sake, erupted.

“What are you doing here?”

Tyler blinked. “What do you mean? I’m going into witness protection, just like you.”

A familiar tall woman stood up from the table. For a brief moment, Annabelle paused, trying to recall the woman’s name. Ah. Stacy Preston. That was it. Stacy smiled at her and intervened in what promised to be a heated reunion. “Why don’t I take Bethany to see if we can find something fun to play.” She gave Karl a meaningful look.

“Excellent idea, Stacy.”

She wasn’t sure, but Annabelle thought she saw the man wink at his colleague. As she watched, the very efficient female marshal blushed and ducked her head.

Annabelle waited until Stacy left the room with Bethany chattering beside her, then turned to her husband again. “You and I are both going into witness protection. But we are not going together. It’s your fault we’re even in this mess.”

Tyler felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. Her words knocked the wind right out of him. Not that he could deny her accusations. He couldn’t. It was all his fault. While he might not have asked for any of it to happen, he had once again brought danger to his family.

But this time, he wasn’t going to walk away.

“I can see you are put into separate placements,” Karl began slowly.

Uh-uh. No way.

“Could we have a moment, please?” Tyler shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He needed to convince Annabelle of his sincerity.

A slight smile touched the marshal’s mouth. “Of course. There’s a small dinette off the kitchen. Why don’t you go in there? I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed.”

Tyler motioned for Annabelle to precede him. She crossed her arms in front of herself and glared. “Please?”

Huffing, she tossed her brown hair over her shoulder and marched in the direction the marshal had indicated. When they arrived in the room, she didn’t sit, but faced him. Her chin raised a notch, as if she was daring him to speak. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, he might have been tempted to smile. She was as adorable as he’d remembered. As it was, there was little cause for humor. Their very lives were being ripped apart.

“Annie—” he began.

“Annabelle,” she interrupted. “No one calls me Annie. Not anymore.”

“Fine, Annabelle. Look, I know I screwed up. I put my work ahead of you and Bethany. I left you alone when I should have been with you. I made it impossible for you to stay. I get that. And I know I don’t deserve a second chance.”

“You’re right.” Her nostrils flared. “Do you know how many times she’s asked for you these past two years? Of course you don’t! Because you weren’t there. But I’m used to that. Even when we were together, you were never there. And now you show up again, but only because you’ve dragged yourself, and us, into danger. It infuriates me knowing that it took someone gunning for you to bring you into your daughter’s life. And what happens when this is over? You disappear again?”

Annabelle stepped closer to him. He could almost feel the energy of her anger crackling off her skin. Her rich brown eyes shimmered with her rage. “She was too young to remember being abandoned before. If you distanced yourself again, it would wound her deeply. I have to protect her from that.”

Would it wound Annabelle, too? He knocked that thought out of his head. He had no right to expect to be welcomed back into Annabelle’s life. They were strangers now. But his daughter... He couldn’t bear the idea that she would grow up and not know him.

“I wouldn’t abandon her.”

Annabelle snorted, cutting her eyes at him. Her scorn made him wince.

“I’m serious. Annie...Annabelle.” Tyler ran his hands through his hair and breathed in deeply. He needed to think. To make her see reason. “There’s no way to tell how long this case could drag out. It could be months. It could be years. None of us would be safe until it’s over. If we go into separate placements, I would never see my daughter again. Please, Annabelle. This is my last chance to be a father to her. I don’t want to disappear on her again.”

He could see her jaw tensing. She didn’t immediately say no. A bubble of hope swelled in his heart. For the second time in less than a week, he turned to God and pleaded for help and guidance.

“I need to think.” Annabelle walked out of the room, without giving him another glance. His heart sank.

A minute later, Karl appeared in the doorway. “Well?”

Tyler sighed. “She needs to think. I can’t blame her.”

“We can’t let her think too long. I’m sorry, Tyler, but time is something we just don’t have.”

Right. Tyler hadn’t felt this helpless in a long time.

“Karl!” Rick, another marshal, rushed into the room. “You need to see this.”

“Coming now, Rick.” Karl nodded once at Tyler, then left the room.

Once again, Tyler was alone with his thoughts. He was tempted to go after Annabelle again and try to reason with her, but really, what was the point? She’d obviously made up her mind. And he couldn’t say he blamed her.

If only she knew about the reason he’d pushed her away. How it had been for her safety. Somehow, knowing that she was in danger even though he’d kept away from her made his reasoning back then seem ridiculous.

A sudden flurry of action caught his attention. Karl marched out to the garage, his phone to his ear as he barked out questions. His intense expression didn’t bode well for the current situation.

Karl called a meeting with Tyler and Annabelle. A couple of other marshals were in the room. He could hear Bethany squeal with laughter in the other room, where she was playing. A smile spread across his face at the sound. When he considered that he might never hear that joyful sound again, his chest grew tight. Rubbing his chest, he turned his head to find his wife staring at him, frowning slightly, her head tilted like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

A throat cleared. Tyler reluctantly removed his gaze from Annabelle and turned it on Karl. He didn’t like the look in the marshal’s eyes. Karl was worried about something, and the way the man continued to watch him told Tyler he strongly figured in whatever was on Karl’s mind.

“Tyler, there’s been a complication,” Karl said finally, confirming his fears. “Jonathan had planned to place you in Colorado. He had a job lined up for you and your new identity was in the works, but we have to change our plans. It seems that Wilson Barco has doubled the bounty on your head. There have already been reports of men resembling you being attacked in ten states, including Colorado.”

Annabelle gasped, her eyes showing her shock. “So what does that mean? What happens now?” Annabelle’s voice was quiet. He knew that voice well. It sounded calm, but it really signaled that her emotions were spiraling very close to the surface.

Karl turned to her, his expression smooth.

“It’s not unexpected,” Karl told the group. “We have been monitoring the airways and computers for anything. An undercover contact has informed us that the bounty has stirred up interest in several states. Plus, Barco has apparently called in favors from all over the country. There’s no way for us to know all the people who are out to get to you. We’re working on a different placement right now. One that will take you farther off the grid and out of Barco’s reach.”

Tyler felt as though he was sinking in quicksand. He had heard much about Wilson Barco during his time as a prosecuting attorney. The amount of power the man wielded was terrifying.

Was there any place they could go that he wouldn’t find them?

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