by Claire Adams
I guided Chris as he drove us out to Rebecca’s house. I didn’t know how I would be able to explain things, but I knew there was no hiding what was going on now. I was too afraid to hide anything. I needed to feel safe again.
“Where will you go? How will you stay safe?” I said as I reached for his hand.
He held my hand tightly for a moment but then needed to use it to drive. His injured shoulder seemed to be bothering him very badly by that point. It was leaking blood through the bandage and onto his shirt.
“I’m going to go to Chicago. I have to figure out what is going on. I have to end this.”
I tried to swallow, but a big lump started in my throat. How was he going to stay safe if he went right back out there?
“How do you know the people that tried to kill you weren’t the ones from Chicago?”
Chris seemed to ponder what I was saying and did not immediately answer. He looked in the rear view mirror and was preoccupied. I watched as he continued to drive to Rebecca’s house and took special care to make sure no one was following us. He never did answer my question.
As we pulled up to Rebecca’s house, I felt my heart pounding very hard. My face was flushed and I didn’t know how I was going to explain things to Rebecca. I watched Chris as we pulled up to the house, he seemed very focused and intent on a plan that I was not aware of.
After parking in their driveway, Chris jumped out of the car and went up to Rebecca and Robert’s door very quickly. He didn’t wait for me and he didn’t look back at me. Robert opened the door and I watched as the two shook hands and exchanged some words. Chris motioned for me to come up, so I grabbed my things and made my way to the door. When I got there, Chris kissed me quickly and shook Robert’s hand, then he left. He didn’t wait around; he didn’t have time for small talk. He was just gone.
I stood in the doorway and watched Chris drive away in my car. The last thing I was worried about was my car though; I was worried that Chris was going back to Chicago to settle the score for whoever had come to his house and then my house. I was worried that Chris was going to end up dead after confronting the people he was going to see. Never had I been so concerned for a man I had only met a few short weeks before.
Chapter 38
I knew it was going to be difficult to explain everything to Rebecca and Robert. My life had become so dangerous that even I couldn’t believe what was going on. I could see the concern on Rebecca and Robert’s faces and I knew they wouldn’t be happy until I told them everything.
So I did.
I just let out everything. I told them about sleeping with Chris, I told them about my art show and following Chris to the airport. I didn’t leave anything out, except the details of our nightly rendezvous. Finally, I told them about my last couple of days and Chris getting shot.
It was all so much, so hard to relive in such a short period of time. I started to cry as I finished the story and ended with my house being broken into and Chris needing to leave to go settle things in Chicago. Rebecca just shook her head in disbelief.
“Katelyn, this guy is bad news. You need to stay away from him,” Rebecca said finally.
“Yes, you’re going to end up hurt or dead if you keep hanging around that guy,” Robert added. I could see where they were coming from. It wasn’t like I could argue that Chris was a good influence on me. Since meeting him, I certainly had put myself in a very delicate position. But I wasn’t willing to let go of Chris. I held out hope that he would be alright and this all would be settled soon.
“I know it looks bad guys. But just trust me, Chris is going to settle everything.”
“Katelyn, this is not alright. You can’t be hanging around some mysterious guy who is murdering people in his house and getting shot.” Rebecca did not seem pleased with my choices at all.
“It’s not like that. He isn’t a murderer.”
“Well, actually, that’s exactly what he is. Didn’t you say he killed the two people in his house?” Robert said.
“Well technically yes, but they shot him and were going to kill him.”
“Katelyn, you need to get away from this guy and that’s it. You can stay here as long as you need to, but you need to end things with him. He’s obviously only out for himself. Look how he just abandoned you here with us and took off.” Rebecca obviously did not like Chris anymore.
“I know how it looks guys. I really appreciate you letting me stay here.”
I wasn’t about to continue to argue with them. Chris needed to go to Chicago and end this craziness so I could show Rebecca and Robert that things would be alright. Because at that moment I was starting to believe them. Maybe staying away from Chris was exactly what I needed to do in order to stay safe. I certainly didn’t want anything bad to happen to me. I didn’t want to end up shot or dead. It wasn’t on my ten-year life plan to have something like that happen to me.
For the next two weeks, I continued to stay with Rebecca and Robert because I had not heard from Chris yet. I intended to stay with them until I finally got word from Chris that everything was alright.
“Robert, can you take me to my house to get my camera?” I asked one late afternoon.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Robert asked with a look of concern.
“Yeah, it’s been two weeks. If something bad was going to happen then, it would have already happened.”
“How about we drive by the house today and see if anything looks out of place, then maybe tomorrow you could go in and grab your camera and anything else you needed?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
Chapter 39
We drove by my house slowly and there didn’t seem to be anyone around. I had Robert drive around back and I looked all around for anything suspicious, but there was nothing that stood out. Unfortunately, I did have a feeling that someone was following us or watching us. I made Robert leave and then drive all over town to make sure no one was following us. I didn’t feel safe to go into the house and get my camera.
“I’m not sure Robert, something felt off. What do you think?”
“I felt fine,” Robert said. “Do you want me to just go inside with you?”
“No, let’s just get back home, maybe I’ll go back tomorrow.”
I couldn’t put my finger on what was going on, but I felt like something bad was going to happen. I looked everywhere and had not seen a single thing out of place though. It was entirely possible the events of the last few weeks had made be jumpy and were the only reason I couldn’t feel safe.
“Well, I have to work all day tomorrow. How about we go back in after work?”
Robert was a good man. Rebecca sure had found herself a keeper. I used to make fun of her for getting married so young and starting her family. But seeing how Robert took care of her and the kids, it certainly was more than any woman could hope for in a partner. They both seemed so very happy and it was something to look up to in my future relationships.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep Chris around or not. He certainly got me hot and bothered when we were together. There was a chemistry between us that I had never felt with any other person. It was hard for me to imagine that there was another man out there that I could feel so bonded to so quickly.
In the morning when Robert went to work I decided to go with him. I wanted to keep an eye out through the town and see if I saw any suspicious vehicles. Since his office was right downtown, I could easily watch people from the comfort of his building. No one would even know I was there since he had tinted windows that overlooked the main street of town.
Originally I had planned to venture out into the town a little bit, but I lost my nerve. I was terrified of going out by myself and I couldn’t ask Robert to stop working to babysit me. He was starting to think I was crazy as I watched all the cars that came and went throughout the city.
“There’s a black SUV, that’s unusual. Right?”
“No, that’s the Edward’s new SUV. They just had a baby and n
eeded more room,” Robert said as he became more and more annoyed with me.
“Oh, wait. Look at this sedan. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Katelyn, that’s the city manager’s wife. I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to try and kill you.”
“Seriously Robert, what about that minivan. I’ve never seen it around town before.”
“Katelyn, that is the Johnson’s van. Either sit there quietly or I’ll take you home. I can’t keep doing this all day I won’t get any work done.”
“Alright, I’ll sit quietly.”
I did sit quietly for the remainder of the day. It was very hard for me to do as I watched car after car went by throughout town. But I decided to wait until I could see the drive and then I almost always knew who it was. There was one woman that drove by in a minivan that I didn’t know, but then I thought it would be silly to think a woman in a minivan would be the one coming to get me.
Robert seemed to appreciate my silence and he worked quickly on his projects so he could get off from work early. He packed his things at a quarter after four and we loaded into his truck to head over to my house. It was only a few blocks, but I felt relieved to have him with me. I was thinking and worrying so much about someone following us that I could hardly think anymore. I just wanted to relax and feel safe again and that wouldn’t happen until Chris got back from Chicago.
“I don’t see anyone around, do you?” I asked.
“Just run in and grab your camera and come back out,” Robert snapped.
“I also wanted to grab some clean clothes. Do you think that will be alright?”
“Yes, just hurry up. I don’t want to be out here all day.”
I jumped out of his truck and made my way up to the door of my house. I got too scared and turned around and came back to the truck.
“I can’t go in there alone. Will you go with me?”
“Oh man, Katelyn, just go in.” I stood next to the truck and just shook my head no. I felt like I was going crazy, but I was so scared to go back into my house. I needed Chris to go with me, but since he wasn’t there, Robert would have to do.
“Please Robert, I know I'm horrible. I’m too afraid to go in there by myself.”
Robert sighed, turned his truck off and climbed out of the cab. He seemed really annoyed as he walked up to the door of my house. I put the key into the door, but it wouldn’t open. It looked like Chris had jammed something into the door to keep it from opening after it had been kicked in.
“Let’s go to the back,” I said as I started around the side of the house. This made Robert even more annoyed at me. I used my key to get into the house and then waited for Robert.
“You go first,” I said as I stood in the corner of the kitchen.
“Oh man, Katelyn, you are going to owe me big for this.”
Robert slowly started moving throughout the house and I stayed in the kitchen and waited for him to tell me everything was clear.
Chapter 40
“Is everything alright?” I yelled up to Robert as he made it to the top of the stairs.
“Yes, just come get your things.”
I hurried up the stairs and into my bedroom. I grabbed a bag from the closet and started to fill it with some more of my clothes. I wanted to grab everything, but I knew Robert wouldn’t be alright with that. Instead, I just grabbed some clothes from each of my dresser drawers and a couple pairs of my favorite shoes. I had forgotten to grab shoes last time and wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
“I’m going to wait for you out in the truck,” Robert said as he made his way down the stairs.
“No, no, no. I’m coming. Don’t leave me here,” I said as I tried to hurry and pack my things as quickly as possible.
“You are fine Katelyn, just grab what you need and then head out to the truck.” I heard him finish moving down the stairs and go out the back door. I looked out the window and watched him get into this truck and start it up. I did feel a bit silly for making such a scene, but it was really hard to be in my house after everything that had happened. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to feel safe in my home again.
As much as I didn’t want to blame Chris for this feeling, I couldn’t help it. If he had never moved to Bain, then none of this would have ever happened. I went back to packing my things and tried not to freak out. I looked through everything one last time and then headed down the stairs.
“Don’t scream,” I heard a familiar voice say as I got to the bottom step.
He reached out and wrapped his hand around my mouth and then tilted my head up to see him. It was Gunner. He looked different. His dimples were covered up by a beard and he looked like he hadn’t showered in the three weeks since I had seen him last.
“Gunner, what are you doing here?” I said as I tried to calm my nerves.
There was something different about him and how he interacted with me though. I had an uneasy feeling and didn’t want to be alone with him.
“Go tell your friend he can leave. You aren’t going back with him.”
“I am supposed to stay with them until Chris gets back.”
“Tell him now!” Gunner said as he yelled at me.
Something was wrong, I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t want to find out. Gunner had been sweet and nice to me before and now he was rude and agitated. Suddenly the thought came to me that Gunner wasn’t one of the guys with Chris. Maybe he was some sort of a double agent and really worked for the bad guys. I tried to remember the times I had seen Gunner before and I thought he worked with Chris, but I had never heard that directly from Chris before.
Chris had said he was working with the bad guys and pretending to be one of them, maybe this Gunner guy was really one of the bad guys who was trying to get to Chris. Maybe taking me with him or hurting me was the only way they could get Chris out of hiding.
I couldn’t disobey Gunner though, I could tell in his eyes that he wasn’t messing around. So I walked out to Robert’s truck and did my best acting job ever.
“Hey Robert, I’m feeling better about things. I think I’m going to stay here,” I said and then I turned around and came back to my house. I walked around to the back door and Gunner was standing there with my back.
“I need my camera too,” I said.
“No, let’s go.”
Just then Robert came around the corner and saw Gunner. Robert threw a few punches and Gunner easily avoided them. Then Gunner threw one single punch and knocked Robert out cold.
“Gunner!” I screamed and then ran to Robert’s side. I could tell he was breathing, but he had been hit pretty hard. It wasn’t likely that he would wake up anytime soon.
“Why did you do that?” I said.
I could feel myself getting angry, but I wasn’t about to show Gunner that. Something was different about him and I didn’t know if he was on Chris’ team or if he was working for the bad guys. There was just too much unknown about this situation and I thought it would be best if I kept quiet. I had to wait and see what was going on before I started to be defiant with a man who could clearly hurt me very badly if he wanted to.
“He just tried to hit me three times. Get in the SUV.”
Gunner grabbed my arm and carried my bag in his other hand. When I got to the SUV, he put me into the back seat and I was just about to let myself out when I realized there were no handles on the doors. I looked at Gunner and he watched me through the mirror. Something bad was going on and I just landed myself smack dab in the middle of it.
He took off driving down the road and I looked back and saw Robert as he started to move around. I felt a slight bit of comfort knowing he was alright. But I certainly didn’t feel comfortable or like I was going to be alright.
Chapter 41
I didn’t know what was going on and I couldn’t scream for help. I didn’t trust my own opinion at all anymore. Nothing was as it seemed and nothing about this situation seemed safe to me. Gunner had come to take care of me after Chris was sho
t and taken away and I thought he was nice. I thought he worked with Chris, but I couldn’t know for sure. Now he was being rude and seemed much scarier that he had before. Perhaps it had just been the intensity of the situation, but Gunner no longer seemed like a nice person. He had a new arrogance about him that had been missing from our last encounter.
I sat in the vehicle and looked around to try and figure out what was going on. There were two other men in the vehicle and Gunner drove. When we got a few miles down a dirt road, Gunner pulled over and moved to the back seat and let the other guy drive instead. I sat quietly and looked at each of their faces. I tried not to make it too obvious that I remembered what they looked like. But the more I looked at them, the more I realized that if they were the bad guys they wouldn’t be letting me look at them so much.
Unless they didn’t plan to let me live. If they planned to kill me, I figured they probably wouldn’t care at all if I saw them.
I swallowed hard at the thought. Only a few weeks before I would have never even considered such a thought, now it seemed like my whole life had changed. Everything that had once been normal was gone and a new normal was right in front of me.
“Where are we going?” I finally managed to ask.
No one answered me. In fact, no one even turned to look at me. It was like I didn’t exist. I turned to watch the countryside go past as we moved along a back road. It wasn’t a major highway and it wasn’t a county road. Instead, we were moving down a gravel road at a speed much faster than I was comfortable with.
I knew gravel roads all too well and they weren’t meant for going 60 mph on them. These type of roads were unpredictable and way too dangerous at that speed. I tightened my seat belt and looked for something to hold onto. These guys had a much different level of comfort with speed and danger than I did. I wanted to ask again where we were going, but I didn’t. Instead, I just stayed quiet and tried to pay attention to as much as possible. We were going northeast and I could tell they seemed to know where they were going. They didn’t use directions and the driver guided the SUV along the back roads with expert precision.