“Wait, like take you?”
“Yeah. Take me under his wing. I was almost an adult by that time, and Marshall wanted a minor to run errands, thinking if I ever got popped, I wouldn’t have a record to deal with.”
My eyes were wide. “That’s sick.”
He nodded. “That’s Marshall. He was only a sergeant at that point, but making his way up in the ranks. And I was just some stupid kid eager to make some easy money. So I did work for him, and when I finished high school, I went off to college. It didn’t take. I got hooked on the money and all the rest, ended up dropping out with a year left and working for Marshall. From then on, I used construction work as a cover job. So my income wouldn’t look suspicious.”
“And is that when you met your wife? Connor’s mom?”
His expression hardened, and I realized right away that simply by mentioning her I’d crossed a line.
“Don’t want to talk about her,” he said, his voice curt. “Consider that subject off-limits.”
“Got it,” I said. I wanted to know about Tate, sure, but prying into something like that…I could understand his reaction. “Then what happened with you and Marshall?”
“He had me do all kinds of jobs for him. Marshall found out pretty damn quick that I was a hell of a lot more capable than my uncle, so he gave me higher and higher gigs. They got…messy.”
The way he said “messy” let me know what kind of “messes” he was referring to.
“I picked up a few convictions here and there, along with a felony that haunts me to this day. But I never did too much time. One of the perks of knowing a man like Marshall. He always managed to pull some strings here and there and get me off with probation or a month in county lockup. But things changed. Long story short, I told him I wanted out. He agreed, but there’s out and then there’s out. And that’s where you come in.”
I could tell he was hiding a lot. While Tate had been kind to me so far, there was a hardness to him, a roughness that made it clear crime was something that came naturally to him. I found myself wondering how dangerous he was and what sorts of things he’d done.
Had he…killed anyone?
I wanted to ask but knew better than to do it.
The prairies eventually gave way to rolling hills, woods appearing in the distance. We’d been driving for five hours now, and it was well past noon. My gut tightened as I realized what that meant.
“Have you heard from Marshall?” I asked.
“Don’t know. Blocked his number and left my phone back at the house. Don’t want him tracking me. You should probably do the same, just to be on the safe side.”
He stuck his hand out to me, his way of wordlessly asking me to give him my phone. I slipped it out, quickly scrawling down Jamie’s number on a piece of paper in the glove compartment before giving it to Tate.
Once it was in his hand, he rolled down the window and tossed it out. I turned my head, wincing as my phone exploded on the highway in shards of useless glass and plastic.
“We’ll get you something else once we’re in town,” Tate said. “But right now, the name of the game is staying hidden. We can’t let Marshall know where we are.”
“What’ll he do if he finds us?” I knew as soon as I spoke the words how silly the question was. But I was still scared, still unsure of what I’d gotten myself into.
And Tate seemed to sense it. He reached over and took my hand, squeezing it tight. “He’s not going to find us. Listen to me, Abbie—as long as you’re with me, I’m going to make sure you’re safe. We’re in this together, all right? You don’t need to be alone, and you don’t need to be scared. I know it’s tough, but I’m here for you. Understand?”
Calm rushed through me. His words and his touch worked together to put me more at ease than I had been. Once again, I was thankful for having someone like Tate to go through all this with.
Connor slept through most of the drive. When we reached the outskirts of Williamston, population six thousand, he roused from his sleeping.
“Kid’s gonna be up all night now,” said Tate, shaking his head.
“Nah,” I said with a smile. “Car rides have a way of taking it out of them. Just you watch.”
“You said you did tutoring back in the day?”
I nodded. “Back when I was in school. I was kind of a nerd. Guess studying was a good way of distracting myself from how things were at home. Other kids found out, and I helped more than a few with their studies. Then their parents found out, and soon I was making a little money helping their younger kids with their stuff. Nice little business I had going.”
He grunted. “Good job you’ve got some experience with kids, because this one can be a handful.”
“Are we there yet?” asked Connor, stretching in the backseat.
“Almost. We’re going to stop and grab some clothes for Abbie here, and some groceries.”
We did, pulling into the town center to Williamston. The place was pretty damned picturesque, actually. The town looked like something out of another time, nestled among the forested hills, a main street going through the center lined with mom-and-pop businesses.
After parking we got out, all of us ready to stretch our legs and walk off the trip we’d just finished—though we weren’t done yet.
We didn’t do any major shopping, just a few things for the next day and some basic clothes to last me until I could get some more. Tate picked us up a pizza from one of the local shops, along with a temporary cell phone loaded with minutes, and we were soon back in the truck ready to finish the home stretch.
The map on the tablet led us up through the woods, away from town and higher along the mountains. Off through the trees I could spot massive cabins, huge places that likely belonged to rich folks like Jamie’s parents.
Soon we reached the address.
“This is it?” asked Tate.
“This is it.”
And there it was in front of us—our new home.
Chapter 9
Abbie
“Holy hell,” said Tate, putting his hands on his hips and taking in the sight. “This isn’t like any cabin I’ve seen before.”
“This place is huge!” said Connor as he jumped out of the back of the truck and hurried to his Dad’s side. “Wow!”
Me, I couldn’t think of anything to say. When Jamie had mentioned a “cabin in the woods,” I’d pictured, well, a cabin in the woods—one of those little wooded houses, one story tall, maybe a cozy fireplace if you were lucky.
Well, it was made of wood, and that’s where the similarities ended. It was two stories tall, set on a large tract of green grass, the property bordered by tall trees whose branches waved in the chilly evening air. There was a garage to the side, a satellite dish on the roof, and even a hot tub next to the house.
“Guess we should’ve packed swimming trunks, huh, kiddo?” asked Tate as he stepped toward the house.
I remembered Jamie, and almost wanted to call her just to make sure the cabin was actually the right one.
“Can I see the phone you bought?” I asked.
“Yeah, sure.” Tate handed me the phone as Connor ran from his side up to the house. “Don’t touch anything, all right?” he called to him.
Connor turned. “How are we supposed to stay here if I can’t touch anything?” His voice carried across the property.
Tate winced. “Don’t yell, all right? Don’t need to wake up the dang neighbors.”
I took out the piece of paper with Jamie’s number and dialed her up, surprised that we were getting reception that far into the woods.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hey! It’s me!” I said brightly, remembering she didn’t have the number I was calling her from.
A sigh of relief poured from the phone. “Oh my God, Ab, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear you. I’ve been texting you all day!”
“Sorry. We got rid of our phones.”
“Oh, that’s smart—those things track you wherev
er you go.”
“Right,” I said. “Anyway, we’re here and standing in front of the cabin right now.”
“Good! What do you think?”
“It’s…pretty impressive, to say the least.”
“I know, right? Can you believe my parents never go there? My dad bought it on a whim a few years back and thought it’d be this perfect nature retreat. But good luck getting those two out of Chicago.”
For someone like me who’d come from humble circumstances, having a massive home like this and just…forgetting about it was something else. But I put all that out of my head.
“Anyway, there’s a key?”
“Yeah! But I’m glad you called, because there’s security too I forgot to tell you about. Go get the key and I’ll walk you through it.”
Jamie stayed on the line as I approached the front door, which appeared to be made of solid steel. Sure enough, in the mulch next to the door was a fake-looking rock. I picked it up and opened the back, a heavy-duty key in the secret compartment.
“Okay,” Jamie said. “Open the front door and there’s a security panel on your immediate right.”
I opened up and found the panel, which wasn’t hard to miss due to its incessant beeping. Jamie walked me through putting in the password and disabling the security.
Once that was done, I flicked on the lights. The interior was a total contrast to the wood façade of the building, all modern with state-of-the-art appliances, the living room to the right decked out in expensive-looking furniture and electronics.
“I’m getting the impression your parents aren’t big into roughing it.”
“Not even a little. My mom starts to get crazy if she goes too long without online shopping. Speaking of which, the Wi-Fi password and all that’s on the fridge.”
I located the information in the kitchen, and once I did, I picked up on a strange vibe on Jamie’s end.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing. I mean…are you cool with all this?”
“The place? It’s great! Kind of fancy for my tastes, but still.”
“No, I mean with that guy. And did I hear a kid in the background?”
“Yeah, we’ve got his son here too. He’s pretty cute—eight years old and a total riot.”
“Good. It’s just…I’m worried about you, Ab. This whole thing is insane. I’m glad to help out, but I don’t know what you’re going to do.”
“I don’t know either. But for the time being, I think we’re safe.”
“All right. Well, I’ll let you get settled in. And answer my texts right away, will you? You know I’m freaking out about you!”
“I will, I promise.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up.
Right as I put the phone back into my pocket, Tate and Connor entered, Connor’s eyes going wide as he took in the sights.
“This is so cool!” he said, running over to the TV and turning it on. “Can we just stay here forever?”
“Don’t get too comfy,” said Tate, his hands on his hips. “And don’t you make a mess. This is Abbie’s friend’s place, so treat it better than you do your room. If I see you making messes, you’re not going to like what happens.”
“I’ll be careful, Dad.”
Tate left briefly, coming back with the pizza. I grabbed some plates from the kitchen, and on the way out I opened the fridge and saw that it was packed with non-perishables, including some fancy-looking beer. I grabbed a couple for me and Tate and a bottle of fruit juice for Connor.
We settled in, Connor happily flipping through all the channels as we ate our pizza and sipped our beers.
It was…nice. Really, like breakfast that morning, it was the closest thing I’d had to normal domesticity in a while. But the moment I’d find myself getting comfortable, I’d remember why we were there, that there were men only eight hours away who wanted me dead—and likely Tate too.
Soon the pizza was gone and Connor was nodding off.
“I don’t know about you,” said Tate, “but I’m not tired in the slightest. You want to hang out for a bit once I get this little dude to bed?”
“Sounds nice. Mind if I help get him settled?”
Tate appeared confused by my request, and truthfully I was too. But over the day I’d kind of grown attached to the little guy.
“Don’t mind at all. Some help would be nice, actually. Come on, you can help me find a place to put him.”
Tate scooped Connor off the couch, Connor not rousing from his sleep, and the three of us made our way upstairs. The hallway on the second floor was vast, one side lined with doors leading to the many rooms of the house, the other looking out over the first floor, allowing for an amazing view of the long stretch of the backyard. Even through the dark of night, I could see the sweeping vista of trees disappearing into the mountain range beyond.
We found a small guest room and agreed it would be perfect for Connor. I stood back, giving them some room as Tate slipped the little guy out of his clothes and tucked him under the covers.
“Dad?” asked Connor, his sleepy eyes opening a bit. “This is fun. And Abbie’s really nice.”
Tate gave a small smile. “Nice of you to say, kid. But she’s right here—you can tell her yourself.”
Connor turned his head to me, his lids heavy. “Nice meeting you today, Abbie.”
“You too, buddy.”
He stretched his little limbs out then curled up under the covers and closed his eyes. Tate gave him a kiss on the forehead.
It was so strange. For all his kindness towards me, I could tell that Tate was a hard man. And the things he’d done in his past, what he’d hinted at, made me even surer of it.
But with his son, he was something else. Tate was kind and gentle and loving, with just the right amount of firmness a boy his age needed. Seeing those together made me happy, but at the same time filled me with a longing for what I’d never had.
“Come on,” said Tate once Connor was out. “Kid’s had a long day.”
“We all have.”
“What do you say to another beer and then bed? We got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow of figuring out just what we’re going to do here.”
“Sounds good.”
Together we went back downstairs, Tate grabbing another couple of beers from the fridge and bringing them over to me on the couch.
I was surprised when he let out a snort.
“What?” I asked.
“That thing,” he said, popping the bottles off the beer and nodding toward the fireplace. “You ever seen one of those before?”
“A fireplace? Sure.”
“No, I mean—a fireplace like this.”
He set down his beer and leaned forward, sifting through the remotes on the large, glass-topped coffee table and picking one of them up. He pressed a button and the fireplace came to life with a whoosh of ignition. It took less than a couple of seconds for the massive enclosure to become filled with fire.
“Wow,” I said, my eyes on the flames. “That’s really something.”
“Back when I was a kid, I used to go camping with my uncle. He’d make me chop all the wood for the fire. Now, you don’t even need to do that. Just press a button and bang.”
“The rich really have it different.”
“That they do. I should know—I used to be one of them.”
I cocked my head to the side in surprise. “Really?”
“Well, ‘rich’ might be putting it a little much. Back when I was working for Marshall, he took care of me. I risked a hell of a lot for him, but he paid me in kind.”
“And you made a lot of money?”
“A pretty decent amount, enough to put good food on the table and keep myself living well. But when you’re a single dad, money seems to get spent on the most useless shit.” He shook his head, as if remembering the days way back when. “And it’s not worth it. Not at all.”
Then his expression darkened, and I had a feeling he was thinking about his ex-wife,
Connor’s mother.
But I didn’t ask. He’d made his stance on that subject clear.
“Anyway,” he said after taking a sip of his beer. “An honest living beats that any day. And it’s what I want to teach my boy.”
“What kind of work do you do now?”
“Construction. It’s not much, but for a guy with my history it’s stability and a steady paycheck. Not planning on doing it forever, of course.”
“Is that right?”
He nodded. “Figure I pay my dues for a few more years, then I’ll invest in my own contracting company, make some real money. Not that I care about living large—it’s all for him.” He tilted his head toward upstairs. “I want my boy to not have to go through what I went through, not have to do what I did to make ends meet.”
He shook his head. “Sorry, I’m rambling. What about you? You’ve been waiting tables?”
“I have been. How did you know?”
Tate smirked. “I did a little research on you when I was preparing for our ‘meeting.’ Found out where you worked, where you lived.”
“A little light stalking?” I asked with a smile.
He smirked right back. “Something like that. But man, I wasn’t ready for—” Tate stopped himself, as if he’d almost said something he shouldn’t have.
“What?” I asked. “You weren’t ready for what?”
“How damn beautiful you were. When I saw the picture of you, I was shook—no other way to put it.”
I blushed. Hard.
“Um, thanks,” I said. “You’re…not so bad-looking yourself.”
My heart started to race. I’d been spending the entire day trying to ignore how attracted I was to Tate. After all, he’d more-or-less kidnapped me. But damned if it wasn’t true.
And he was attracted to me too? I shifted in my seat, trying to process it.
“Anyway, your job,” he said.
I was thankful he changed the subject.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve been waiting tables for years, ever since I moved out of my dad’s place. It’s easy money, and was the closest thing I could get to what I really wanted.”
Taker - A Single Dad's New Baby Romance (Criminal Passions Book 4) Page 6