“Baylend still didn’t know exactly what to do, but they came up with a basic set of laws that prevented the Rendierians from gaining control in Baylend. Those laws should have been in place all along after the purchase. Law enforcement increased, and arrests became top news for a while.
“Alexandar’s presence in Slaterville became less and less. And at the same time, the crossing methods became more difficult — difficult meaning dangerous and expensive. All half-way houses and anyone else dealing with defectors had to look out for their own families. Their safety became top priority. That’s when my father dug the tunnel. He had finished his degree in civil engineering and was newly married to my mother. He designed the tunnel and dug it by himself. My mother and grandmother hauled the dirt and rocks out bucketful by bucketful for months. They hauled it in the back of their pickup truck to the hills to dump. They didn’t want anyone to know what they were up to. They didn’t house crossers during those months.
“My grandma was pleased with their new crosser room and escape tunnel. She felt her family would be safe continuing their business. She had no intention of ever quitting. Not even when Alexandar began assassinating everyone who had the same tenacity as she did. Reginald took over control of Rendier at age thirty-one when Alexandar died. Grandma didn’t know a whole lot about Reginald, only that he was Alexandar’s son, so there was no reason to believe he would be any different. She’s always believed that a man with complete power will eventually misuse it.”
Sierra nodded her head in agreement and yawned in exhaustion.
Paul thought for a moment about the horrors that Sierra had fled and about who had given her all those scars on her back. His grandmother was right. Paul pulled her closer and said, “Let’s get some sleep.”
The next morning, light filtered through the dark drapes, adding to the warm ambiance of the cabin. Sierra looked around and felt safe, secure, and very hungry. Her movement awoke Paul, who was sleeping beside her.
“Good morning, my handsome prince.”
“Maybe a frog, but not a prince,” he muttered back.
“Then I’ll kiss you and make you into a prince.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently, then pulled back to look him in the eye. “Hmm, it didn’t seem to work. I better try again.”
Paul laughed and tickled her sides. He rolled her on her back and paused a moment to look her in the eyes. “Sara, I’ll be your prince if you’ll have me.” He leaned closer and took her mouth in a kiss that spoke of respect and admiration. He pulled back and said, “Was that your stomach growling or mine?”
“Both.”
They dressed and together prepared a modest meal with the limited supplies in the cupboard. As they sat at the small table, eating their breakfast, Sierra said, “This cabin should be a sanctuary and not just a half-way point. It should be equipped with food, medical supplies, basic clothing, and other survival items.”
“I totally agree. My father is putting me in charge of the cabin once you ….”
“Once I what?”
“After you’ve moved on,” Paul said quickly.
Ignoring the pain of impending separation, Sierra said, “Well, I think there should be a solid cement shelter with food and necessities for two weeks.”
“Like a bomb shelter?”
“Yes. If someone could hide for two weeks or perhaps longer, it would be a huge security comfort.”
“I don’t know. After two weeks, I think the bad guys would still be looking for you.”
“My case is different. Reginald won’t stop until he has found me, dead or alive. But not all your crossers are so directly involved with the dictator like I am. I think the whole cabin should be able to sustain four people for four months, not two weeks. Food would be slim pickings at the end of the fourth month, but four months is a long time. One thing’s for sure, the whole crossing system will need to change and become more secure, or else the crosser homes will disappear all together.”
“I agree.”
“I can’t believe the risks your family takes on by housing people like me. I sure hope your family is okay. All that noise and crashing we heard before we entered the tunnel scared me, and I’m sure it worried you.”
“Yes. But it’s unlike Reginald’s men to harm the people housing crossers. They are Baylend citizens now, and technically the Rendierian patrol has no jurisdiction here. And our police stay neutral unless the patrol breaks the law, like raiding a home.”
“Things slacked off since Martha went to the capital all those years ago,” Sierra said sadly.
“Yeah, they have.” Together they cleared the dishes and cleaned up.
“Paul, it’s a little cold in here. Can we start the fire again?”
“No. We can’t have smoke coming out of a cabin that’s supposed to be empty. Let’s huddle around the oven if we have to until tonight. Then we can make another fire. For now, I’m going to go outside and check the perimeter to make sure we’re still safe.”
Outside, Paul walked through the freshly fallen snow. Their tracks from the night before were covered nicely, and he took care to brush his own with a pine bough. He skirted the edge of the road for a few hundred yards, looking for tire tracks, but found nothing. On his way back to the cabin, he was careful to step in his own footprints and brush them out behind him, leaving no trace.
Once he made it back to the cabin, he chopped wood for the evening fire and picked up all traces of wood splinters that landed on the porch. He hauled the wood inside and cleaned the porch immaculately.
Sierra found some hygiene supplies while Paul was outside, and they took turns washing and cleaning up. The rest of the day was spent trying to relax. They took naps in shifts and took turns melting snow and watching the road through a slit in the drapes, but they didn’t really have a plan if anyone came to the cabin. It was the end of the road, literally. If anyone found them here, they’d be captured.
Sierra thought about how the emergency cabin could be better. An alarm system could alert them to intruders, and they wouldn’t need to stand guard all day. Other thoughts went through her mind as she sat at the window, like how she would operate her own crosser house someday. She had to do something to fight against the tyrannical reign of Reginald Rawlings.
Later in the evening, they ate tuna fish on homemade biscuits and sat in front of the crackling fire.
“Do you realize tomorrow morning will have been forty-eight hours since the raid?” Sierra asked Paul.
“Yes. I wonder why no one has come by or called. If we still haven’t heard from anyone by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll call home.”
“Paul, what are you going to do with your life after I’m relocated?”
“I always thought I’d go north to Densfield and attend the university, but that was before I met you.”
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”
“Before I found you, I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. I felt so useless and under-appreciated. But you made my tiny world open up.”
“Me?”
“I draw so much strength from you and your bravery.” Paul complimented her.
“I wouldn’t call it bravery. More like grabbing for straws. I only did what I thought was the only choice.”
“Yes, but you acted. You tried to get out of the life that was forced on you in Rendier. You are covered with scars of defiance. You could have perfect blemish-free skin if you only gave in to the demands placed on you.”
“You think I don’t dwell on that every day? My father could still be alive if only I had said yes to Victor. No way! I would never marry Victor! But now my father is dead because of my stubbornness.”
“Your father’s death was not your fault, Sara. Whoever pulled the trigger is to blame. Your bravery to say no to the most influential person in the whole country is what motivates me.”
“I still disagree about it being bravery. It was just common sense. I’ve heard Victor speak of genocide as if it is a reasonable solution to subdu
e the people, a small price to pay to keep the people under control. I also saw how he treated his mother and how Reginald treated his wife. She is a nobody. In fact, I only saw her a couple of times while I was at the palace. I didn’t want to become her. I didn’t want to become the mother of the next horrible man to take the throne of power. I’d rather be over here fighting against them.”
“Bravery. I rest my case.”
“So you didn’t really answer my question. What are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
“I want to spend the rest of my life defying the dictator. I want to be current on all developments in Rendier, to know all about the resistance fighters, and help them if I can. The dictatorship must be brought down, but if I can’t bring it down, at least I can help people escape it.”
“We want the same thing then.” She looked at his lips as she said these words. He had knocked down the last remaining walls around her heart, what was left of them anyway. Her heart belonged to him, and she rather suspected he knew it by the way he was looking at her. Knowing the way he truly felt in his heart made him all the more attractive to her. She realized that the moment he opened up on the first day and shared his fears with her. She loved him.
She loved him and wanted him to know it.
She looked back up to his eyes and felt her face heat up. Her heart raced so hard she thought it might explode right out of her chest. His eyes were on hers, and his intent was in his eyes. He leaned forward and cupped her cheeks with his hands. Gently he pulled her face toward his. Her mouth parted and her eyes closed in anticipation.
Chapter 10
She waited for his kiss, but it didn’t come. Instead, he pulled her into an embrace and leaned his head on hers.
“Sara, I’ve never had a serious relationship before. I don’t know what I’m feeling for you.”
“What do you feel?”
“Confusion. I don’t ever want to lose you. It scared me terribly when I couldn’t find you last night. I saw you slipping away, and I had to fight like hell to keep you with me. I want you with me. I want to be with you. There’s a difference between those two statements. I would never have thought it possible to fall in love in only a matter of days, but … I mean … I would have teased anyone who claimed to be in love after knowing a person for so short a time. It’s just not possible, is it? We don’t even know much about each other.”
“Maybe you are drawn to me because of my situation. You saw my injuries and took pity on me. Is that it? You feel sorry for me?” She looked up at him, still in his embrace.
“I do feel sorry for you. I want to protect you. I want to hold you close every night like I already have. I need you. With you my life has purpose.”
“But Paul, there’s more to life than just holding someone every night and protecting them through the day.”
“I want to comprehend everything about you and show you my world. I’ve lived a carefree life, exploring and enjoying nature. I want to do that with you. This summer I’m going to show you the magical place where the creek we just about froze in falls into the canyon.
“Sara, I never realized I’ve been looking for the right girl, but I have. No one has successfully turned my head before. I’ve had no desire to be close to anyone till now, till you, till I pulled you out of the hole in my closet and you landed on top of me. When that happened, my mind said to me, ‘There you are.’ I’ve waited my whole life for you. Now I can start my life, with you. I love you, Sara. I really do. I guess I’m not that confused after all.”
She stared into his eyes and smiled. His expression of love was all she needed to hear. “Paul, I’ve loved you since day one, and I’ll love you to the last and beyond.”
He swiftly took her mouth in a kiss, stopping her heart altogether. Dreams, aspirations, fulfillment all flooded into her. She wanted every moment to be like this one. Her hands and arms wrapped around his neck, and she deepened the kiss. His hands urgently caressed her back and neck in an uncontrollable fervor. She moved her lips to his cheek and on back to his ear, kissing a trail along the way. She began moving her lips down his neck and was pleased when he arched his neck to allow her more skin to kiss.
He whispered something, and she noticed his body had tensed up. Looking up at his face, she saw his strained expression.
“Sara, we can’t do this, not here, not like this.” He ran his thumb tenderly down the side of her cheek.
She tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s not right. Don’t get me wrong — I’d love to — but we can’t.”
“But I want to.”
“You’ve never done this before.”
“How do you know that?
“You’re engaged to Victor. Reginald wouldn’t allow you to marry his son if there was any doubt. Producing an heir is the most important thing on Reginald’s mind. He’ll want to make sure the heir is definitely Victor’s. Am I right?”
“Yes.” She lowered her head. “I’ve had several exams to satisfy Reginald.”
“When the time is right and we are certain you are safe from …”
“I’m safe in your arms. That’s all that matters to me.”
“And I’ll keep you safe the best I can, but even I know my own limitations. We are in hiding, and that means you are still in danger of being found and taken back. Your virginity may be the only thing that keeps you alive, if you are captured.”
“My last name holds too much importance for Reginald to discard me.”
“I wouldn’t bank on that. I won’t put you in that kind of position.”
Sierra sighed, knowing he was right. “Will you just hold me tonight?”
They laid back and he held her close. “We’re going to free you from this unwanted obligation. Then you and I can enjoy life together.”
*****
Greg dialed the phone and waited for the other end to answer.
“Talk to me.” Victor’s urgent voice made Greg nervous.
“I haven’t heard from him yet, but — ”
“Then why are you bothering me?”
“I remembered they have an old cabin in the mountains. I drove up there to see if that’s where they went, but it was empty.” Well, Greg didn’t actually see the cabin itself, but he drove to the road that went to the cabin and didn’t find any tire tracks, so why drive down the road, right? Victor certainly didn’t need to know.
“And?” Victor pressed.
“And nothing. They weren’t there.”
“So let me get this straight. You call to tell me you haven’t found them, and they aren’t at the cabin you just remembered they own. Has your brain turned to mush? Do you think I want to hear anything other than ‘Hey Vic, I found her’? Don’t call me again until you have news I can use!”
Arrogant son of a dog biscuit! Greg slammed the phone down. If it wasn’t for the enormous amount of money his parents were being paid by Reginald, he’d go after this little stick in the mud himself. The world certainly wouldn’t miss him.
Greg ate another of Elsie’s cookies, savoring every bite. He would certainly miss these scrumptious goodies when his family moved, and they would have to move the moment Sierra was found. Otherwise they’d have a lynch mob chasing after them.
But, what if they never found Sierra? Would his family still be forced to move? The only people at present who knew his family worked for Reginald were the three adults in the next room, and they could be removed easily enough. Paul probably didn’t know, nor Sam. If the three adults were dead, Greg’s family could go on living in Slaterville and draw the large wage from Reginald. Greg would play the supportive best friend for the soon to be grieving Paul. It could work.
*****
The next day began the same way as before. Paul and Sierra made breakfast and cleaned up, sharing smiles and unsaid words between them. Since the revelations that came about the night before, the two of them were looking at each other through different eyes.
For Paul, being around Sierra was near t
orture. He wanted to hold her, be near her, and kiss her. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he started that again. It was hard enough last night to reign in his hunger for her.
She needed his protection. He watched as she hobbled over to the kitchen for a drink of water. She could put some weight on her bad foot now. She was healing. After enough time, her bruises would heal and disappear. Her back would probably always have a degree of scarring, but most of the injuries would fade with time.
Part of protecting Sierra included caring for her basic needs, and they needed food. Paul decided at three o’clock he would call home. He had to find out what was going on and why his father hadn’t come to get him yet.
*****
Greg paced the kitchen floor nervously. Any second, Victor might call for an update, and Greg had nothing. He’d been certain Paul would call home by now, but he hadn’t. If only Victor had raided when he’d first found out about Sierra, then Greg wouldn’t be in this situation right now.
The phone rang, startling Greg. “Hello?”
“Greg?” Paul’s voice sounded on the other line.
Finally! Oh, there is a God! “Yeah man, where are you?”
“Why are you at my house?”
“This whole raid thing turned the entire town crazy, man. My parents and yours are in the other room talking with the sheriff.”
“Can you get one of them please?”
“Yeah, hang on.”
Paul put his hand over the receiver end and explained the situation to Sierra. “The sheriff is at my house talking to my parents and the neighbors about the raid. My friend Greg answered the phone. It sounds pretty crazy there.”
After a few more seconds, Greg got back on the phone. “They’re really busy, but your dad says to come on back home now.”
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