Chapter 24
24
Anya
T he Hayes brothers spend the rest of the day checking CCTV footage and double-checking the motion sensors. They still can’t figure out how Leo got past them. How he made it all the way up to the porch to leave that note without tripping a sensor. The tension builds.
In the morning, I sneak into the backyard when the brothers are gathered in the living room, making another round of calls to their Navy buddies. I text Breonna again, constantly looking back at the house to make sure no one is coming out.
“What going on here?” Breonna quips as she stumbles out of the patch of woods that separates our property from hers. “Oh, you look like crap.”
“I haven’t been sleeping,” I mutter, then shush her. “Keep it down, though. I don’t want the guys to know you’re here.”
Breonna pauses for a moment, looking around in confusion. She’s a bright pink spot against the white snow, but she’s still a sight for these sore eyes. “Why the secrecy?” she whispers and comes closer to the back porch.
“I need your help. They can’t know.”
“Anya, I’m serious, you look so pale…” She seems genuinely worried. “I’ll eat in a bit; I promise. It’s just low blood sugar, that’s all. I’ll be okay once I get some cereal in me.”
“You need a proper hearty breakfast for you and the little one.”
“Fine,” I hiss. “Hearty breakfast. Eggs and veggies and… I don’t know, whatever cheese we have left in the fridge. Listen, Breonna, I really need your help.”
“What’s going on?” she asks and looks around again. “Don’t tell me that Leo dude came back.”
I nod once. “He most certainly did, and he left me this on the front door.”
I show Breonna the note and watch the color drain from her cheeks as she reads his ominous message. My blood curdles as I, too, go over the words again before I put the note back in my pocket.
“What are you going to do about it? What are the guys going to do about it? Sheriff Mills? You need to call the FBI or something. You can’t—”
I cut her off. “It doesn’t work like that, not with Leo Sokolov. Nico must’ve told you what he’s about, what the Russian mob is about. Breonna, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me. It’s only a matter of time before Leo does something awful to get to me.”
She nods slowly, her gaze wandering about. “Okay. What do you want to do, Anya?”
“As much as I hate it, I have to leave at a moment’s notice, when no one is looking.”
“Are you serious?”
I shrug. “What else can I do? Nico, Booker, and Chance will fight tooth and nail for me, I know. But how many innocent people will get hurt in the process? The folks down in Seeley Lake are all in danger because of me.”
“But you are in the greatest danger of all, Anya.”
“And if I stay, it’ll make everything worse,” I tell her. “I know where my grandmother’s safe house is. If I can get out of here, unseen, unheard, I can get to Missoula, hop on a plane and make my way over to her before Leo figures out I’m even gone.”
“Are you sure about this, Anya? You need to be smart.”
“Honestly, there’s no best way to do it,” I reply. “I’m just trying to pick the lane that keeps my baby and me safe, without getting the Hayes brothers killed. I care about them too much to let them risk their lives for me.”
“What will you do once you reach your grandmother’s?”
“Figure out a way to fight Leo. As long as I’m still alive, as long as my grandmother is still alive, we have a shot at bringing some of our soldiers back into the fold, just enough bodies to show the other families that the Asimovs aren’t dead yet,” I say. “It’ll buy us some time, and it’ll cripple Leo’s expansive powers. It’s either that or stay here and brace for a literal war. The Hayes brothers didn’t survive hell overseas just to die on this mountain, defending their home because Leo is desperate to get to me. I can’t do that to them.”
I love these men too much. So much, it hurts.
And while nothing hurts more than the thought of leaving them, I’m armed with enough information to understand that I need a different approach this time around.
Breonna isn’t entirely sold on my idea, though. “Please,” I reiterate, “you’re the only one I can trust to help me.”
“How can I help you?”
“I’ll need a ride to Missoula when the time is right, and some cash for the flight and stuff. I will wire it all back to you as soon as I find my grandmother.”
“Good grief.”
“Please!”
“It’s not about the money, Anya. I don’t want anything back. I just want you and the little one to be safe,” she says, reaching over the porch railing to give my hand a gentle squeeze. “I care about you both.”
I nod slowly. “This is the best way to help us.”
“Fine,” she says and exhales sharply, glancing over my shoulder. “I’ll keep my phone turned on. Tell me when you want to leave, and I’ll be ready, gas tank full, and whatever else you need.”
“I cannot thank you enough.”
“Oh, honey, I only wish I could do more,” she says, then looks at the kitchen windows again. “I think they’re coming. Go back inside. Text me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Breonna disappears between the trees as the back door opens, and Booker pokes his head out. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I turn around and give him a soft smile. “Just getting some fresh air.”
I absolutely hate lying to him and his brothers, but I’ve gone over my other options so many times, and nothing else makes sense. Nothing else feels right because of my love for them. Maybe when this all blows over, we’ll be together again.
Maybe they’ll find it in their hearts to forgive me once Leo is gone from this world.
“Come on, we’re about to get lunch ready,” Booker says, his eyes never leaving my face. “Mills is coming up from the station this afternoon to help us form a plan.”
“Okay.”
I give him a kiss for good measure, then follow him into the kitchen, making sure to lock the door behind me.