“Amy Jones, whoever it is that’s following you will have a hard time finding you now.”
“I have something to tell you both,” I say, as the tears start. Ray and Claire seem concerned, but I hold up my hand, assuring them that I’m okay, even when I’m not.
Swallowing hard, I glance at my husband, then my daughter. “I’m not who I say I am.”
“What do you mean, Amy?” Ray asks, concern and confusion lacing his voice.
I shake my head, biting my lower lip. Maybe Cara should’ve told them and I could’ve taken the easy way out. I could be a coward and sit stoically while she details my life on the run.
“Six years ago I was living in Coronado, California and married to a Navy SEAL. He deployed when our daughter was two. One day a man came into our home, brought by someone I considered a friend, and tried to hurt our daughter.”
I risk a glance at Claire to see her reaction, but she’s only staring at me.
“I reported him first to the MPs but they didn’t do anything, so I went to the police and filed a report. They brought him in, but didn’t have enough to hold him. Therefore, they had to let him go. The next day, my husband and his team were pronounced dead, and the man—” I have to stop to catch my breath. It’s hard to think about that day, the menace I heard in his voice. “He came back, asking for my daughter, and I did what any mother would do. I ran.”
After clearing my throat, I continue. “A friend told me about a guy who helped people escape. I went and saw him, and he gave Chloe and I new identities, and then drove us to the bus. We got off here when I saw the ‘help wanted’ sign in the window at the gas station.”
“Amy,” Ray covers my hand with his, “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this now? Why not earlier? Why keep the secret?”
“I’m sorry I lied,” I choke out, covering my mouth to keep some of my cries muffled.
“I’m not worried about the lie. You did what you had to do to protect Chloe.”
“Is my name Claire?”
My eyes dart to hers as I seek her face for any sign that she’s known this entire time.
“Where did you hear that name?” I demand, more forcefully than I intended.
She shrugs. “Some lady at the Green came up and said it.”
Some lady … Frannie. Cara and Ryley were with me, and neither of them would do that. It has to be Frannie. There’s no other woman it could be.
“What’d she say exactly?” I ask as my voice quivers.
“She said, ‘Wow, Claire you’re all grown up’.”
My body temperature is now non-existent as dread courses through my body, making me ice cold.
“She’s here.”
“Who’s here?” Ray asks.
“Frannie … is the woman who brought the man to hurt Claire.” Rising, I start to pace. “I have to call Tucker,” I say, reaching for the phone.
“Who’s Tucker?” Ray all but screeches.
“My husband.”
THE LOUD VOICES OUTSIDE the room have me scrambling from the bed. After Penny left, lying down was the only thing I could do to keep myself from falling into a heap of nothingness on the floor. My team members don’t need to see that. It’s not in our training to let our emotions get the best of us, regardless of the situation. The last thing I need or want is for Ryley to come and comfort me because that’s exactly what she’d do.
The door opens, smacking against the wall and causing me to jump even though I’m alert and can hear the rustling outside. Evan stands there, his arm holding the door open so it doesn’t come flying back to hit him.
“We have to go.”
“Where?” I ask. If he thinks I’m leaving this small town he’s nuts. As long as Penny and Claire are here, this is where I’ll be. It’ll be pure torture watching Penny with another man, but I’ll find a way to survive. I won’t leave them. Seeing her every day, happy with someone else, is better than never laying eyes on her again.
I made the decision seconds before she walked into the room that if she told me she was happy, I’d step aside. I refuse to be the cause of any more heartache in her life. My death and now subsequent return has and will continue to cause her more than enough grief. Only having Claire in my life will be enough to tide me over until death comes for me … again.
“Penny called—” is all I hear before I’m moving past him. I step out into the open-air hallway to find Cara at the end of it speaking frantically on her phone. Peering inside the other room, I find an arsenal of weapons being lined up on the bed by Rask. He looks up and winks at me, as if this is his favorite thing to do. In hindsight, our guns are the only things that haven’t let us down. They do their job when we need them to and I have a feeling we’ll be using them tonight as we chase down this bitch who seems to have a hand in destroying our lives. What I still don’t understand is why? What on earth could she possibly gain by doing the things she’s done? Or has taken part in? I think that is what we all want to know. For me, it’s the fact she brought a fucking pervert into my house after we let her into our lives. How much did River know? I have so many questions that will likely go unanswered. The idea of torturing Frannie to give us the answers we so desperately want weighs heavily on my mind. Cara would have to turn a blind eye in order for that to happen. And then there’s Lawson. Even though I know Penny is alive, I still want to talk to him. I need to know why he did this and why our lives were targeted. He could’ve chosen anyone, but he chose the team I’m a part of and I have to know why.
“Get ready,” Nate says, throwing a bag at me. I catch it haphazardly as it thumps against my chest. A quick pull of the zipper and its contents are displayed: brain bucket, night vision goggles, ammo, and camo paint.
It’s easy to let my mind wander, to let my adrenaline kick in and consider this another mission, but I know it’s not. I can tell myself that I’m going out to do my job, but my heart is telling me otherwise. My wife and daughter are in danger and I’m going to save them. And in the event that I can’t, my team will. They won’t let me down, not after everything we’ve been through.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I ask, setting the duffle bag down on the bed next to Rask’s gun display. He stands tall, as if he’s about to tell me, but it’s Cara’s voice behind me which has me turning around.
“We think Frannie is in town.”
“What? Why?” I try to keep my voice level and not show any signs of worry, but that doesn’t exactly happen.
“Ten minutes ago I received a call from Penny. She was frantic and not making much sense. When I finally got her to calm down and tell me what’s going on, she said she was telling her husband about her life and that her … your daughter asked if her name was Claire. Penny went on to say that a woman approached Claire this evening calling her by her given name and commenting that she’s grown up. Penny called me immediately,” Cara says, as if this is an everyday occurrence for her. I want to shake her for her nonchalance, but I know she’s doing her job even if I think she’s lacking eagerness or excitement in her voice. We’re both trained in different ways on how to handle situations. Thing is, no one ever trains you on how to handle your life being ripped apart or for your family to be in hiding. If this were left to me, I’d go in there with guns blazing and the ‘shoot first ask questions later’ mentality.
“So now what? What’s our direction?” Although those are the words sitting on the tip of my tongue, it’s Rask who’s speaking. Nate and Evan stand in the doorway, making me wonder where Ryley is. Surely Evan isn’t going to let her out of his sight, not with Frannie nearby.
“Right now, I’m going to get in the car with Ryley. We’re going to drive out of town to enjoy a nice dinner and discuss wedding plans.”
“And us?” Evan asks.
Cara looks at him over his shoulder. I see the faint movement of her cheek and wonder if she’s smiling at him.
“You’re SEALs, I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“What abou
t your job?” Nate asks, as he reaches for her hand.
Cara shakes her head. “What about it? As far as I’m concerned you’re moving into position to protect McCoy’s wife and child. I don’t have a solid lead telling me that Frannie is here.” She winks at Nate before moving toward the door.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, boys.” It’s with those final words that she walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Silence falls upon the room as the four of us look at each other. I’ve never been to battle with Nate, but have a feeling he’s no different than Evan. Deep down I know I can trust him.
“Who wants to lead?” I ask because it’s not going to be me. Keeping a level head is going to keep Penny and Claire safe. If I see them in danger, I won’t act rationally.
“I’ll do it.”
We all turn and look at Rask, wondering why he’d volunteer for something when he’s never led before. When we went on our mission, he was just a young kid barely out of BUD/s. I’m not even sure if he had been on a mission before that day. River was our leader then and I don’t miss the irony in the fact that we’re now hunting this wife.
“Why?” Evan asks Rask.
“Because,” he says, shrugging his shoulders, “I have nothing to lose. I don’t have a wife or a kid depending on me. I don’t have a family to go home to at night. I have nothing except you guys. No one is going to mourn me if I die again.”
“I will,” I say, adding my two cents. “You’re our friend and brother. We care deeply about what happens to you.”
“And we’re wasting time trying to decide who is going to be line leader. This isn’t kindergarten. This is real life. We have some shit to fuck up, and standing around here isn’t getting us any closer to where we need to be.”
“Let’s get over there.” Nate slings a duffle bag over his shoulder. It dawns on me that the guys are already dressed in their sand-colored fatigues with their combat boots laced up. My eyes wander from each of them, watching as they prepare for the unknown and wonder how I’m going to be able to do this.
The sound of a shutting door jars me out of my thoughts and I realize I’m left alone in the room, holding my duffle bag. The guns, which were laid out on the bed, are gone, and the only sound in the room is the television and my thumping heart. The guys’ voices carry upward from the parking lot and I count three doors slamming before the horn is honked.
Can I do this? Can I go into this knowing another man will be protecting my wife and daughter when it should be my job?
Will I let my life be continually dictated by this mad woman?
The horn honking once more startles me into action as I reach for the duffel bag. With one last look around the now empty room, I leave, letting the door slam shut behind me. As much as I wish to never see this hotel again, I know we’ll be back here later, hopefully with Penny and Claire by my side.
As soon as I’m in the car, Nate is driving out of the parking spot and onto the road. It’s only a matter of minutes before we’re driving through town and turning off onto a road that quickly turns into dirt. So many questions are plaguing my mind, but I don’t ask them. Instead, I stare out the windows, letting my gaze move from side to side so I can take in my surroundings. I catch a quick look at Evan and Rask only to see that they’re doing the same thing. We’re memorizing all that we can in case we need to escape. But unless Frannie has brought an army with her I doubt we’ll be retreating at all.
After what seems like twenty minutes, Nate pulls off onto the side of the road and shuts the car off. “Up this driveway is Penny’s house. Fortunately for her it was easy to hide here. Unfortunately for her, it’s so far off the beaten path that no one can hear her if they’re in trouble.”
“How’d you know where to go?” I ask, as I slip a pistol from my duffle bag into my boot and drop a few magazines into my side pocket.
“Cara gave me detailed instructions which I memorized,” he replies, as he gets out of the car and walks to the rear, popping the trunk open. Evan and Rask follow him, and through the rearview mirror I can see faint reflections of guns being taken out. I say a silent prayer aimed at Penny, letting her know I’m coming for her, before I get out of the car.
The guys are putting on their helmets and checking their night vision when I come around to the end. Rask hands me a rifle, similar to the one I used in Cuba.
“Where’d we get all of this?”
“I have great contacts,” Evan says, answering me with a smile. For some reason I don’t want to know about his contacts, but am very thankful they like him enough to outfit him with military grade weaponry. The less I have to learn in the heat of the moment the better. I set my rifle down and put on my brain bucket, securing the chinstrap. The night cam is the same one I’m used to, and it comes on as soon as I drop it over my eyes.
Rask leads us up the hill with me following last. My senses are heightened and every few steps I’m turning around with my gun aimed at the woods. I want to yell at Penny for living like this, but I get it. It makes sense to stay hidden when you’re trying to be inconspicuous, but to be so far out and away from civilization is not a good thing, especially considering the threat she was facing.
Rask puts his fist up as the house comes into sight. It’s larger than anything I could ever provide for her and probably something she dreamed about long before she met me. The wraparound porch likely offers great views of the sun rising and setting each day, not to mention the calm way the summer nights tend to leave us. I can see her sitting out there with a glass of iced tea in one hand and a book resting in her lap.
Just beyond the porch is a large picture window with two shadows reflecting off the light and I’m assuming one is Penny’s while the other is her husband’s. I don’t want to meet the man who has loved my wife and daughter when I couldn’t, but I know I need to thank him. And I need to tell him that I’m not here to take Penny away from him. She loves him. I’ll never stand in the way of that.
On the second floor one room is lit and I can faintly make out a shadow.
“Claire,” I mumble under my breath. If the guys hear me they don’t say anything.
Guns are raised and I’m quickly scanning the perimeter as to why. Rask still has us holding position and I’m desperately trying to see what he does. When I place my hand on Nate’s shoulder he points ahead, and I follow his finger until my eyes land on the basement. A flashlight is being turned on and off down there, and as I flip my goggles to infrared and do a quick scan I now know why Rask has us on the ready. There are four bodies when there should only be three.
“They have company,” Evan says, confirming what I’m seeing.
“Let’s move. Archers, take the front. Knock first. Let them have a chance to answer before you bust down their door. McCoy and I will take the back and see if we can dance with their intruder.”
Dance? No, the tango doesn’t interest me. Grabbing Frannie by the neck and squeezing the life out of her does, though, and as demented as it sounds I’m really hoping I have the chance to do that soon.
Rask and I duck under windows and pause when he points down to the ground, where glass and wood splinters are littered. I duck my head into the window and try to squeeze in, but can’t fit.
“Definitely a small-framed person,” I report to Rask.
“A man doesn’t leave a broken window like this lying around.”
“The glass is on the ground, making it seem like it was broken from inside,” I add, questioning why anyone would break the window from inside the house.
Rask’s face deadpans as he glances at me. I don’t want to know what he’s thinking, but if it’s anything like the thoughts running through my head right now, I’ll be aiming my gun at Ray Barnes while the rest of the team aim theirs at Frannie. I hate that I instantly think he can’t be trusted, but this seems suspicious.
“We need to move,” he says and I nod, hoping he understands that we need to consider multiple hostiles and proceed with our senses heightene
d. We step over the glass and around the corner to face the kitchen. The light above the door is broken with glass shards resting on the steps. Whoever did this is hoping that the occupants flee barefoot and cut themselves.
“God she’s sadistic.”
“And well trained,” Rask adds.
He tries the door, turning the handle easily. It makes me wonder if our intruder did the same thing or if she’s beaten us upstairs and unlocked the door for a hasty exit. We get our answer the moment we step into the house. The calm, eerie voice causes the fine hairs on my neck to stand tall. Each step that Rask and I take is calculated and meant to catch her off guard. Nate and Evan should also be in the house by now, but I don’t hear them, and calling out to them would be foolish, costing us the advantage.
“Do not answer the door,” the voice says from inside the room.
Rask pauses and glances slightly in my direction, nodding. The voice belongs to Frannie Riveria—just as we suspected—and explains why Nate and Evan aren’t in the house. In front of us is an entryway into the living room where I’m suspecting Frannie is since that’s the last place I saw the shadows of the two people I assumed to be Penny and Ray.
Rask and I quickly enter the room just as the Archers come in, but we’re too late. Frannie stands in the center of the room with Penny sitting in a chair, her hands duct taped to the armrests. A gun is pressed up against her flesh, penetrating Penny’s temple. It takes everything in me not to rush forward to knock Frannie down and cover Penny for safety reasons, but I don’t. I do what my training has ingrained me to do and steady my rifle onto Frannie. This is the scene we saw outside. The only difference is that when we were looking, we saw someone downstairs.
We’re late.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Hogan’s Heroes.” She doesn’t seem to care that there are four Navy SEALs each with a gun aimed at her. She’s come to finish off the last person who can testify against her brother and I have a feeling she’s not leaving until Penny is dead.
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