Chapter Six
~ Ajag ~
I'd done it. I'd given Rad the week he had begged for, but now it was time to leave. Even though a couple of shifts had healed most everything, I wanted to make sure I was in the best condition before Sy and I left so I'd spent the week recovering.
That week was up.
I glanced up from my cleaning when someone knocked on the attic door. I had wanted to straighten up the place so we weren't leaving a huge mess behind. After everything these people had done for me and Sy, it was the least I could do.
"Come in," I called out.
The door opened and Rad stepped into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. I knew from the pensive look on his face what he wanted to say, or ask in this case. I just couldn't do it.
I had been serious when I told him it wasn't safe for me or the people on the ranch if I stayed. I'd already stuck around far longer than I should have.
"Are you sure you can't stay?"
Yep, saw that coming.
"I'm sure," I replied even though my heart screamed or me to stay.
My wolf wasn't too pleased with me either.
I liked the people here and I liked the ranch. It would have been a great place for Sy to grow up, but there was too much chance of us being discovered and that would bring disaster for everyone.
"It's best for everyone if I go."
"Is it?"
I nodded. "I know you think we'll be safe here, but we won't be, and leaving is the kindest thing I can do to repay the generosity you've all shown me and Sy."
It might even keep them alive.
Rad let out a heavy sigh. "All right, if that's your final decision I won't stand in your way." His shoulders slumped as he turned toward the door. "Come downstairs. I have some things for you."
I frowned as I followed Rad out of the attic and down the stairs. I could hear Sy's excited jabbering as we walked from the second floor down to the first.
When I scanned the large great room I saw him standing near the kitchen. From the deep timber of the other voice, I took a guess that it was Ze'ev. Made sense since he tended to cook when he needed to think.
I thought Rad would lead me into the kitchen, but he took me outside instead, stopping in front of a newer black four-door Jeep Renegade. He held out his hand, a set of car keys dangling from one of his fingers.
"The jeep is registered in your name as is the insurance, which is paid for the next year."
My eyes instantly widened and I started to shake my head. "I can't." My name couldn't be on anything. That was the one sure fire way I could be tracked.
"You can." Rad grabbed my wrist and pulled me around to the front passenger door. He opened the door and then bent down to unlock a black metal box secured under the seat. He grabbed a manila envelope inside and pulled it out.
"This contains your birth certificate. It also contains Sy's birth certificate listing you as his parent. There are also social security cards for each of you."
Fear gripped me like a vice grip. "Rad, you don't understand. My name can't be listed on anything."
Rad grimaced before opening the envelope and pulling out the papers inside. I frowned when he handed them to me. "What—"
"Just read."
I glanced down at the papers in my hands. I instantly recognized the first one as a birth certificate, but the name on it was not mine. It wasn't Sy's either. "What is this?"
"Your new identity."
My head snapped up. "My what?"
"I don't know what you are afraid of or who you are running from, but I do know what it takes to fly under the radar. If you insist on leaving, I want you and Sy to be safe." Rad tapped his finger on the papers. "This is one of the ways to do that."
"Is this even legal?" I asked as I looked down at the papers again.
"Hell, no," Rad snorted. "But it'll pass an FBI level inspection."
"How did you—"
"Let's just say that I know people in interesting places, but this is why I needed you to give me a week. It took that long to get everything together."
Rad reached into the black box again, this time pulling out a smaller box. "This contains ten thousand dollars in cash. Don't lose it." He stuck the box back and then grabbed something out of the center console. "Inside your wallet is some more cash, a prepaid credit card under your new identity, your new driver's license, and a picture of you and Sy when he was a baby."
Wait...what?
Rad must have seen the confusion on my face because he chuckled and said, "Age regression technology is a wonderful thing."
Must be.
Rad took the papers from me, slid them back into the manila envelope, and stuck it back in the black box before locking it. He handed me the keys and then stepped to the back passenger door. As soon as he opened it I saw the car seat. There was also a nifty little video screen attached to the back of the front seat.
Sy was going to love that.
"There are some toys here for Sy, stuff to keep him occupied on the road." Rad's eyes were hooded when he glanced at me. "Any idea where you're headed?"
Not really.
"I think west is out." We were in Oregon. The Pacific Ocean was less than a day's drive away.
"There's a cooler with some food in it on the other side of the car seat. In the back there is a tote with clothes for you and Sy, some stuff in case the Jeep breaks down or needs maintenance, and some camping equipment."
I stepped around Rad and walked to the back window of the jeep so I could look inside. He was right. There were a couple of totes, a tent, two rolled up sleeping bags, and a camp stove.
Frankly, I was surprised it all fit back there.
I frowned as I turned to look at him. "Why are you doing all of this?"
Rad's smile looked kind of sad, just like his eyes. "If you ever come back this way, maybe I'll tell you."
"Rad—"
"Just be safe out there," Rad said. "There's a cell phone in the console between the front seats. It already has my number in it. If you need help, call me. It doesn't matter where you are, I'll come."
I glanced away when tears sprang to my eyes. It had been a very long time since someone had cared if I lived or died. Rad seemed to care. I had no idea why. We barely knew each other.
"I don't know when I'll be able to pay you back."
Probably never.
Rad gave me another sad smile. "Just keep you and Sy safe. That's how you can pay me back."
I wasn't sure that was possible, but I'd try. Rad had given me a good chance anyway with all of this stuff. It was more than Sy and I'd had in a very long time.
"Thank you," I whispered, but the words felt like dust in my mouth. How did you thank a man for giving you a chance to live while at the same time leaving him when he wanted you to stay?
I turned to Rad and stared up at him, his taller form towering over me. I gently placed a hand on the side of his face, feeling the warmth of his skin and wishing I could take it with me.
"I wish I could stay."
"You can."
I shook my head. "I really can't."
I'd give anything for my answer to be different.
Rad covered my hand with his own, closed his eyes, and turned his face so he could press a kiss to my palm. For a moment, he stilled, not moving, maybe not even breathing.
When he opened his eyes and looked at me, they were suspiciously wet. "I'll be waiting if you decide to come back."
With those words, Rad released my hand and then turned and walked away. I watched him until he disappeared inside the barn. I took a step forward, wanting to go after him, but then forced myself to stop.
No good could come from that. It was best for everyone involved if I just grabbed Sy and left. Maybe, with time, Rad would forget about me and get on with his life.
I sighed as I turned away from the barn, walked around the jeep, and into the house. I headed toward Sy's excited chattering. It was time to grab him and go. We'd been here long enough.
"Sy," I said as soon as I spotted him. He was sitting at the center island helping Ze'ev make cookies. I hated to pull him away, but it was time for us to leave. "Go get your jacket."
Sy glanced at me intently for a moment, almost as if studying me to see if I meant what I said. He finally sighed heavily. "I gotta go."
"Take some cookies with you," Ze'ev said. He grabbed a small plastic container and placed several cookies inside before handing it to Sy and then ruffling the hair at the top of his head. "You're a good cook's assistant."
I waited for Sy to leave the room before looking at Ze'ev. "Thank you for all you've done for me and Sy."
Ze'ev leveled a hard gaze at me, one that made me think he knew all my deep dark secrets. "I know you have your reasons for leaving, but I want you to remember that you and Sy are always welcome here."
"I appreciate that."
Ze'ev nodded once before turning toward the oven. "We'll be here when you want to come back."
He said that as if he fully expected me to come back at some point.
I wouldn't. Once Sy and I left the ranch, I doubted I would ever see these people again. There was a part of me that was saddened by that fact. These were good people.
That was a huge deciding factor for me. If Sy and I stayed, we'd only bring danger down on the ranch and its inhabitants. I couldn't do that to them.
"Sy and I need to get on the road while there is still daylight," I said as I grabbed the container of cookies. I held them up in the air a little. "Thank you for these."
Ze'ev shot me a friendly smile. "Come back when you need a refill."
Man, these guys were very persistent.
I waved to Ze'ev and then walked into the other room. As soon as Sy came down the stairs with his jacket, I handed him the container of cookies and then walked him out to the Jeep Rad had arranged for us.
"Pretty car."
"Yeah." I chuckled as I opened the back door and then lifted Sy into the car seat. "Looks like we might be traveling in style this time, little man."
Sy's light giggle brought a bit of sunshine to my heart. It felt as if it had been forever since I heard that sound.
"You ready to hit the road?"
"No stay?"
That sunshine in my heart darkened just a bit. "No, not this time. We've inconvenienced everyone here enough. It's time for us to go."
Sy hiccupped and his eyes flooded with tears before he said, "Okay."
I closed my eyes for a moment, wondering if I was making the right choice in leaving. Sy hadn't had a stable place to live since our mother was murdered.
If we weren't running for our lives, we were being held against our will and tortured. This was the first place I'd seen him act like the three year old he was in ages.
I drew in a deep breath and then opened my eyes. "Maybe we can come back some day, but right now, we need to leave. It's safer for us and it's safer for our friends here. We can't let the bad guys find us."
Sy nodded as if he understood, but I wondered if he truly did. He had faced horror after horror in his limited lifetime. I tried to shield him from most of it, but he still knew that the Boogeyman was alive and well and out to get us.
It was no life for a kid.
It wasn't a life for me either, but I had no other choice. Sy was my last living relative. He was the treasure my mother had left in my care and I refused to let her down by allowing anything to happen to him.
I plastered a smile on my face that I really didn't feel and patted Sy's leg. "It's going to be fun. Rad put a bunch of camping gear in the back. Maybe we'll just tour the United States until we find a place to settle down."
I was pretty sure we'd already found it.