by Harley Tate
“Never give up. That’s what you’re saying.”
“The second you do, you might as well be dead.”
Dani nodded. “I can do that. The last few years with my mom… they weren’t easy. But I always kept my eyes and ears open. It was how I managed.”
“Then if the unthinkable happens, fall back on those skills. At some point, you’ll find a weakness and exploit it.”
Dani glanced past Colt toward the kitchen. “Any chance your current weakness involves dinner? I’m starved.”
Colt agreed and let Dani lead the way into the kitchen. She opened the cabinets one by one, standing up on her tiptoes to see into the back. It had only been a couple days, but Colt was really growing to like the girl. Never in a million years did he ever think he would get some bug to be a dad. It wasn’t in the cards for a Navy SEAL or an air marshal.
Too dangerous and too many missions and trips overseas. Colt always said if he couldn’t do something 110 percent, then he wouldn’t do it. Parenting, relationships, his job. The same. So he’d ended up giving it all to the job. Maybe that had been the wrong call.
Dani pulled down a box of crackers, a can of tuna, and bag of sunflower seeds. She waved them in Colt’s direction. “It’s five-star cuisine tonight.”
His stomach growled and she laughed.
Maybe he didn’t need to leave. While Dani fished around in the drawers for a can opener, Colt made himself busy finding plates and napkins. They might not have a dishwasher or running water, but they could still eat on a plate.
Dani deserved a chance to grow up protected and cared for. He never wanted to be a father, and he wouldn’t have wished for this circumstance in a million years, but people change. Maybe now was his time. Maybe this was his chance to experience a different sort of life. One without airplanes and threats and bad guys halfway around the world.
There were plenty of bad guys right here in this small college town. He could protect Dani and help her grow up. Give her a glimpse of a grownup who cared.
“Finally!” She pulled out a manual can opener, her brown eyes shining in the evening light. As Dani opened the can of tuna, Colt pulled out the crackers. He piled a handful on each plate and divided the seeds in half.
Dani scooped the fish onto the plates and they carried everything over to the little table tucked against the wall. She sat down and took a look around. “You’re sure we can do this? Just stay here and use all these things?”
Colt leaned back in his chair. “For now, yes. If the girl who lives here comes back, we can apologize and leave. But I don’t think she’s coming back. Without airplanes or running gas stations, how far is anyone going to get.”
“I’ve seen some cars on the road. More over by my mom’s place.”
“It’s been over two weeks. The college kids are long gone. After the college told them to leave, they did. Everyone else in town had to hear the same announcements. If they had family somewhere, I’m sure a lot of people left.”
Dani shoveled a bite of tuna into her mouth with a cracker. “But what about the police?”
“I haven’t seen any, have you?”
She shook her head. “Not since the National Guard rolled in.”
“Then I think we’re fine. But that’s something you need to keep in mind. We may need to leave at a moment’s notice. You should always be prepared to walk away.”
Dani stilled. “I can’t leave Gran.”
Right. Her grandmother. If he hadn’t promised the old woman not to tell Dani about the cancer, he would have done so already. She deserved to know the truth. But he couldn’t break the confidence of a dying woman.
Colt scooped up some of the fish and topped it with some seeds before shoving it all and a cracker into his mouth. “Mmm. You’re ready for Top Chef, you know that?”
She smiled. “When I lived with Gran we watched so much TV.”
“Really? I’m surprised she didn’t say it would rot your brain.”
“Oh, she did. That’s why there were rules. Cooking, gardening, nature shows. I could watch all of those I wanted.” She scooped up some sunflower seeds and took a bite, swallowing it down with a gulp of water. “The X-Files was the only show I could watch that didn’t have to be true.”
Colt almost dropped his tuna-laden cracker. “The X-Files?”
Dani’s eyes almost sparkled. “I’ve seen every episode at least twice. Gran had a thing for Mulder.”
“I’ve seen them all, too. I can’t believe your gran and I have something in common.”
Dani paused. “You’re into Mulder, too?”
Colt laughed out loud. “No! But his partner? Hell, yes.” He shook his head. “Redheads, man. They’re nothing but trouble.”
Dani laughed and it warmed Colt like a familiar song on the radio. Something he’d missed these past weeks. Radio. TV. All the things people used to escape into, gone. Now they only had each other to fill that void. He wished he’d known Dani before the power grid failed. He could have saved her from so much pain.
She might be smiling now, but it had been difficult to get here. They ate with relish, diving into the fish and crackers like it was a juicy burger at Colt’s favorite bar back home. All the while, they laughed and talked, Dani explaining about her favorite books and Colt sharing a little about his life as an air marshal.
After they finished, Colt stood up with a sigh. “It’s getting dark. We should head back to the nursing home and check on your grandmother before curfew sets in.”
Dani reached for his plate. “Let’s clean these up and we can go.”
Ten minutes later, they were once again walking down the street in Eugene, eyes open and ears listening. It was quiet that night; not even the sound of birds or crickets broke the stillness. They eased into the nursing home through the same window as before and this time Colt managed to not fall on his backside squeezing through.
They walked down the hall, both light on their feet, smiles on their faces. The place was deserted.
Dani leaned into Colt’s side. “Just wait until I tell Gran about the apartment. She’ll be so happy.” She pushed the door open to her grandmother’s room and stepped inside. “Gran! Just wait until you hear the—”
Her voice caught mid-word and Colt spun around as he shut the door. A woman stood beside Dorris’s bed, smiling at Dani. She had brown hair cut like a boy’s and wore a trim little dress with a checkered pattern. She looked like she’d been out for a casual date, not roaming the streets of a town on the edge.
Dani stepped closer, her eyes almost bulging. “Mom? Is that you?”
The woman beamed. “Hi Danielle. It’s so good to see you.”
Chapter Seventeen
COLT
Sunnyvale Convalescent Hospital
Eugene, Oregon
7:30 p.m.
Her mom? Colt stared at the woman who looked like Betty Crocker with her prim little outfit and sensible shoes. This was the woman who tried to sell Dani to a drug dealer? This was the woman sent to prison for armed robbery, too strung out to do anything but steal?
Colt turned to Dani. She looked as shocked as he felt. He closed the distance between them and stopped beside her. With a smile, he stuck out his hand. “Hi. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Colt Potter.”
The woman glanced down at his hand and the smile plastered across her face slipped a fraction. “Becky Weber.”
Dorris snorted from the bed and Colt caught her eye as he let Becky’s hand go. From the way she held herself a bit to the side of the bed, and as far away from Dani’s mom as she could, he could tell she wasn’t buying it. Colt wasn’t sure if he should, either. What were the chances a drug addict who let her daughter go hungry could clean up this fast?
Dani shifted her weight back and forth beside Colt. The charming and outgoing girl he’d had dinner with only an hour before was gone. Now she stared at the floor, fingers fidgeting with the cuff of her sweatshirt. He couldn’t stand to see her like that all because of the woman s
tanding a few feet away.
“Dani told me you disappeared before the power went out.”
He could feel Dani’s stare on him, but he didn’t look her way. He needed to get a read on her mom. Friend or foe? Which was it?
Becky cocked her head to the side. “I’m sorry, how do you know my daughter?”
“He’s my friend.” Dani’s words came out surly and thick. She still didn’t look her mother in the eye.
“A much older friend.”
Colt smiled. “I helped her out of a jam the other day and when I found out she was alone, I sort of took her under my wing. I have a hard time seeing kids go hungry.”
Becky’s eyes might have matched her daughter’s in color, but the fire spitting from them told a whole different story. She glanced at her daughter. “I know I’ve been gone, but I’ve been thinking about you every singe day, sweetheart.”
Dorris cleared her throat from the bed and Becky twisted around to glare. This woman wasn’t who she claimed to be. Sure, she might be Dani’s mother, but the Susie Homemaker act? Colt didn’t buy it for a second.
He reached out and gave Dani’s arm a squeeze. The girl had retreated into a shell of herself, barely able to look up or speak. Becky had really done a number on her. Colt resisted the urge to deck the woman and be done with the whole thing.
Becky spoke up again. “I hope you’re ready for a new adventure, Dani. I’ve got some exciting news.”
Dani’s head jerked up and she stared at her mother without speaking.
“I’ve got us a new apartment that’s three times as big as the old one. You get to have your own room and Dorris even gets to come live with us. Isn’t that great?”
Dani glanced up at Colt, her eyes broadcasting fear and confusion.
He couldn’t let her get hurt, not again. “Where is this place?”
Becky smiled. “The college. The National Guard have been so helpful. They’ve arranged everything.”
Dani reached out and clutched Colt’s arm. Her fingers trembled.
“What about Dorris’s care? She needs a nurse.”
Becky glanced back at Dorris. “We’ve gotten that covered. The staff here are thrilled to discharge her.” Becky leaned closer and Colt caught a whiff of something floral. Was she wearing perfume? “You know it’s not like they’re at full staff these days.”
Colt shifted to catch Dorris’s eye. Did the old woman want to leave? She sat on the bed, her face an unreadable mask. “Don’t you think you should talk to her doctor?”
“Already did. All the paperwork’s been taken care of and any minute now we should be getting the go-ahead to leave.”
Oh. Colt blinked. He didn’t know what the hell to do. Family drama wasn’t his thing. If Dani’s mother was on the up-and-up, then she should be the one to care for Dorris and Dani. But after everything the pair of them said about her, how could he believe anything she said?
If she really had been with the National Guard all this time, wouldn’t he have run into her? He squinted in the dim light of the fading sun outside. Had he run into her and just not noticed?
The two weeks he’d spent on the college campus weren’t the most aware of his life. Most of his hours revolved around Heather and the double bed they shared. For all Colt knew the woman standing across from him could have been sitting next to him at every meal and he never gave her a second glance.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, the door to the room opened and an orderly pushed a wheelchair through. Dani shrunk back, afraid of the orderly spotting her, but the man paid her no heed.
He smiled and stopped the wheelchair beside the bed. “All right, Mrs. Weber, we’ve processed your paperwork and you are all ready to go.”
Dorris straightened up. “Are you sure everything’s in order?”
“Oh, yes. The staff at the college hospital will take over your care and see to it that you take your medicine.”
Colt stood like a tall weed in a freshly mowed field, obvious and out of place. How could he protect Dani if she went to live with her mother? How could he not let her go?
He leaned down and whispered, “If you don’t want to go with her, just let me know.”
Dani didn’t say anything, but Becky did. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Danielle is coming with me. She’s my daughter. I’m her legal guardian.”
Colt straightened back up. “She’s fifteen. If she doesn’t want to go with you, I’d say that under the circumstances, she shouldn’t.”
“And where is she going to go, exactly?”
He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t seem to care much about that two weeks ago.”
Dani grabbed his arm. “It’s okay. I want to go with her.”
Colt started. “You do?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” A forced smile tipped up the corners of her lips. “You look great, Mom.”
“Thanks, honey. Now help me get your grandmother into this wheelchair, will you?”
Colt couldn’t believe Dani wanted to go with the mother who abandoned her time and time again and never once gave a damn whether she lived or died. He watched helplessly while they loaded Dorris into the wheelchair. Her wrinkled feet curled as they hung in the air, her legs too short to touch the ground.
Crouching in front of her, he smiled. “Are you sure you want to go, Dorris?”
She reached out and patted his hand. “If Dani is going, then I’ll go, too.”
“You don’t have to.”
Dorris glanced over at the orderly standing by the door. He hadn’t even helped her into the chair. “Yes, I’m afraid I do. But don’t worry, Dani won’t be alone. I’ll be there.”
She meant well, but an old woman dying of cancer wouldn’t be much help to Dani other than company. Colt couldn’t help but feel this was all a scam, but he didn’t know why or what it could be about. All he did know was that he was losing the one person who came to mean something to him in this world.
He reached out and took Dani’s hand, crouching so she could look him in eye. “I know I said I was leaving, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to stay. So if you want to stay, it’s okay. Just say the word.”
She swallowed, eyes trained on his. They were full of sadness and something else he couldn’t place. “I’ll be okay, Colt. You can go.”
Didn’t she understand? She might be fine, but he wouldn’t be. He squeezed her little hand. “I’m staying, Dani. If you need me, I’ll be there. You just have to let me know.”
All of a sudden she slipped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shirt.
Her mother cleared her throat. “This is touching and all, but Dani, we really need to go. One of the soldiers is outside waiting with a truck. We need to get Dorris loaded up and back to the campus before he goes out on patrol.”
Dani pulled back, her eyes wet and shining. “Bye, Colt. Thanks for everything.”
“Bye, Dani.”
She pulled away and he stood up, watching as Becky wheeled Dorris toward the door.
“You need anything, you find me, Dani. Promise?”
Dani turned to look at him one last time. “I promise.”
Colt watched the three women walk out of the door, and part of his heart went with them.
Nausea settled in the pit of his stomach. Dani’s mother couldn’t clean up that fast. Meth would take days to leave her system and then she’d be in massive withdrawal with no energy to do anything but sleep. Cravings should kick in and the woman would have done anything to stop them.
He spun around and rushed to the windows, peering down into the darkness at the camo-painted truck waiting outside. Becky didn’t look like a meth-head. Her skin appeared healthy, her hair vibrant and clean, and she didn’t have a single sore.
Colt paused. When she smiled, she didn’t show her teeth.
The door to the truck opened and a man in a soldier’s uniform stepped out. He helped load Dorris into the back and Dani followed. As he shut the door, he turned to Becky. They leaned
together, but Colt couldn’t see. Were they kissing or talking? He didn’t know.
Becky rushed around to the passenger side and hopped in and all of the hope and joy Colt experienced the last two days drove off in a humvee.
This wouldn’t be the end of it. Colt wouldn’t let this night ruin his newfound relationship with Dani. He promised to protect her and he would.
DAY EIGHTEEN
Chapter Eighteen
COLT
Big Sky Sporting Goods
Eugene, Oregon
8:00 a.m.
The sporting goods store sat on the edge of Eugene, over a mile from the campus where Dani presumably now lived. Colt hated to leave her, but he needed supplies. He couldn’t sneak into a fortified facility in jeans and dress shoes, even with all his skills.
He crouched in a rear stairwell to a building sharing the same loading zone, watching for activity. The place appeared empty. From the outside, it looked undisturbed, but that meant nothing. The army could have come in and ransacked the place or the owners could have cleared out the second the grid failed.
Colt stepped down off his perch and strode to the back door. His patience had been spent. Colt hoisted the M-4 and took a deep breath. He lifted it up above his shoulder and with a brutal slice, he slammed it on the bottom corner of the door.
The glass warbled. Shit. He hated to waste ammo. Pulling out his Sig, he stepped back and aimed at the same spot. One shot and the door shattered, the tempered pieces falling like little pebbles. Colt raised the gun and stepped inside.
The smell hit him first.
Cloying and heavy, the stench of ripe death caught him off guard. He gagged.
No throwing up.
Swallowing down a wave of bile, Colt advanced into the store.
Apart from the putrid odor, nothing appeared disturbed. Racks full of everything from energy bars to lanterns to every kind of climbing rope still sat full and welcoming. Cases of freeze-dried camping food and the fuel to reheat them greeted him at the end of the aisle.