Chapter 7
THE SCENT OF WOOD smoke curled through the old cabin like a whisper from another time, earthy and warm, almost comforting if she let herself forget for a moment why they were there.
The fireplace crackled softly, casting golden light across the rough-hewn floors and log walls, dancing against the windows that looked out into the pitch-black forest beyond.
She saw no streetlamps, heard no hum of traffic.
Just the endless hush of trees pressing close around them.
The kids had eaten little, some crackers, a shared peanut butter sandwich, and even less had been said. They were exhausted, strung tight with fear, clinging to the smallest thread of routine that she could salvage.
Callen crouched near the fire, shifting a few logs with the metal poker.
His face was cast in shadow, all sharp cheekbones and a jaw that hadn’t unclenched since they’d fled the school.
He had said little. Just… watched. Guarded.
She couldn’t blame him. Things were tense when they last saw each other, and well, her father hadn’t made for a long-lost-love reunion.
She rubbed her lips together as she stared at him, wondering if that was what it was.
Long-lost love. She remembered his arms around her, his lips pressed to hers, and the way he had made her feel.
He had always been her protector, saving her ass more than once from her plans to embarrass her father when she was younger, before she got her shit together and had a plan for her life.
A plan she had made after Callen had walked out on her.
She remembered that as well. They had made love that night, and in the morning, he had made tracks. Not the best feeling for a girl already struggling to find love.
She turned her attention back to the couch, where Willie and Lucas sat side by side, Sophie curled between them under a fleece blanket too big for her slight frame. The boys leaned slightly toward her, protective, even as their eyes stayed locked on the flickering fire.
“I suppose we should get them to bed,” she said, afraid of speaking too loud. “They’re exhausted.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the kids, nodding. “I would imagine they are. They lived through one of their video games.”
She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “They’re too young for one of those type of games.”
He looked at her, one brow cocked. “I promise you, those kids know about superhero movies and Jurassic Park.” He turned back to the fire, stoking it. “They all start too young with that bull…” He sighed. “Bull crap.”
She glanced around at the kids. “Well, be that as it may, they need to get some sleep. Do you think they’ll be safe in the bedroom?”
He nodded as he leaned the poker against the wall and stood. “No one knows we’re here. We got rid of your phone, and no one knows your father called me, so they wouldn’t know who you drove off with. We’re safe here.”
She blew out a breath, but even with his reassurance, she couldn’t relax.
Still, she forced a smile on her face as she knelt beside the couch.
“All right, guys. Let’s get you to bed. I’m going to figure out how to reach your folks and get you back home while you rest.” She knew Callen had suggested his friend do it, but it was her responsibility; it had to be her.
Lucas’s voice trembled as he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “What if those bad guys come here next?”
Meaghan rested a gentle hand on Lucas’s knee. “They won’t,” she assured him. “You’re safe now. I promise.”
Lucas frowned, eyes darting toward the shadowy windows. “But they were at the school.”
“I know,” she said, brushing a bit of dirt from his cheek with her thumb. “And it was scary. But who got us out of there? Huh?”
The boys hesitated, and then Willie’s voice came out a little unsure. “Mr. Callen?”
“That’s right.” She smiled faintly as she glanced over her shoulder at Callen, still standing near the fireplace, watching her.
“Callen’s not just some guy. He’s a former Ranger.
A real one. He used to be in the military, and now he works for a special team that protects people in danger.
They’re like the superheroes of real life. ”
She glanced at Callen, who merely rolled his eyes at her.
Lucas’s eyes widened a fraction. “Like… like secret agents?”
“Exactly,” she whispered, leaning in as if it were classified intel. “He’s already saved us once today, right? And he’ll do it again if he has to. He doesn’t miss, and he doesn’t stop.”
Willie blinked at her, then peeked over her shoulder toward the man now silently standing at the fireplace. “Even when he’s kinda grouchy?”
Meaghan bit back a smile as Callen rolled his eyes again. “Especially when he’s grouchy. It’s part of his superpower.”
That earned a breathy giggle from Sophie, tucked under the blanket and barely peeking out. The boys relaxed just slightly, the tension in their small shoulders unwinding bit by bit.
She turned back. “Now, let’s get you into bed, and tomorrow, we’ll make pancakes if we can find the mix. Maybe even with chocolate chips. Okay?”
Lucas nodded first, then Willie. Sophie mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “chocolate,” and Meaghan stood brushing her palms on her jeans.
Still unsure, still afraid, the kids followed her down the hall to the small bedroom. There were two sets of bunk beds, and she coaxed Lucas onto the bottom bunk of one and then Willie onto the opposite one. Sophie insisted on the top.
Meaghan stayed until the boys’ breathing slowed, and until Sophie’s thumb fell from her lips and her lashes stilled. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment longer, her fingers brushing the top of Sophie’s blanket, her chest tight with emotion.
She loved them. Every single one of them. And they didn’t deserve any of this. Hell, she didn’t deserve any of this, and the only reason it was happening was because she had the unfortunate luck to be born in the wrong damn family.
When she returned to the main room, Callen was digging through the trunk he’d hauled inside. From it, he pulled out a heavy black satchel and tossed it onto the kitchen table with a soft thud.
“What’s that?” she asked as she moved over, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Satellite phone,” he said. “Figured you’d want to check in. You did say you needed to call their parents.” She shrugged. “Figured you’d want to do it instead of Blaze.”
She blinked at him. “Really? You said they could track us that way.”
He chuckled. “Really. And they could track your phone. They don’t know about this.” He pushed the phone closer to her. “I’m not a total asshole.”
“You’re at least seventy percent asshole,” she muttered.
A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth was the closest he came to smiling. He slid the phone toward her, then turned away to check the locks on the front door.
“How did you know I worked with a team?” he asked as he crossed the room.
She shrugged as she moved toward a chair. “My dad’s a senator, remember? I hear things.”
He glanced at her, a smirk twisting his lips. “You mean you asked about me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why on earth would I ever ask about you?”
She sat down at the table and powered on the phone.
It took a few moments for the phone to connect, but soon she was dialing.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small, leather notebook she kept with her students’ phone numbers, as well as those of teachers and other important people.
It always paid to have a backup, just in case her phone died. Or got tossed out a window.
Lucas’s parents first.
The call rang, and rang… and rang.
A message. Disconnected.
She tried a second number she’d jotted down from a field trip release form. No answer. Then a third.
Voicemail.
She swallowed hard. “Hi, this is Meaghan Harrington. I’m sure you’ve seen the news by now and are probably really worried about little Lucas.
I just wanted you to know he’s safe. I’ll explain everything when I talk to you.
There’s too much to say over the phone, but I promise I’ll get him home as soon as it’s safe to do so. Please. Don’t worry.”
Her voice cracked on the last word as she ended the call.
With a deep breath, she looked through her small book for Sophie’s parents’ number.
The phone picked up on the second ring, a harried teenage voice answering with a distracted, “Yeah?”
Meaghan frowned, recognizing the voice of Sophie’s sister. Not the person she really wanted to talk to, if she were honest. “Is this Kara Anderson?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“It’s Miss Harrington. From school. Are your parents there?”
“Nah, they’re out of town. Some cruise or something, I think.”
Meaghan closed her eyes, wanting to scream. “Well, I’m assuming you noticed Sophie didn’t come home today.”
“Huh. I thought it was quiet. Usually she’s always whining about wanting to eat or go to a friend’s or watch TV—”
“Kara!” Meaghan cut in, exasperated. “Sophie is with me. Tell your parents I’ll call them later and explain everything, but for now, just tell them she’s safe.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”
The call ended without a thank you.
Willie next.
A woman answered: tired, raspy, and unfamiliar.
“I’m looking for Mrs. Davies?” Meaghan asked.
“She’s not available,” came the clipped reply. “She fell earlier today. Broke her hip. We’ve been at the hospital all afternoon. She might have to have surgery. Who is this?”
“This is Meaghan Harrington, Willie’s teacher.”
A pause. “Is he okay? I saw the news, but no one would tell me anything. And then we couldn’t find him and I was stuck here and…”
“He’s fine. He’s with me. And I won’t let anything happen to him. I promise.”
“I’ll… I’ll tell her when I can. Thank you.”
Meaghan ended the call, her hand still clenched tightly around the phone as her heart thrummed in her ears.
Three families. Three different situations, and none of them good. And no safe way to bring the children back to them yet, even if there was. Her stomach twisted.
Callen sat across the room now, watching her. Quiet as he sipped his coffee.
“I should also call my principal,” she said, already dialing again.
The conversation was brief, with Mr. Kinsey more concerned than surprised. He trusted her; that much was clear. And he didn’t ask where she was, or when she’d be back, for which she was glad, just that she needed to get the kids back to their parents before things turned ugly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll hold down the fort,” he assured her, his tone rough with emotion. “Take care of those kids until you can return them to their parents. And yourself. Just call when or if you need anything from us. We’re always here for you.”
She hesitated after the call, thumb hovering over the next contacts in her book.
Ronette. Andy.
Her best friends. Her family in every way that counted.
However, before she could press a button, Callen’s voice cut through the quiet. “No.”
Her eyes met his across the room. “You don’t even know who I was calling.”
“I don’t need to know,” he told her, standing and walking over to take the satellite phone from her grasp. “Whoever it is, it’s a bad idea. You’ve called all I agreed to let you call.”
“And why the hell can’t I call whoever I want? Other people will be worried about me.”
He waggled his finger at her. “Language. They might still be awake.” He slid the phone into his back pocket. “And as for the why… if they track you through them, if someone shows up at their house, and your name is the reason…”
She looked away.
“I’ve lost people that way,” he mumbled. “So no. Not your friends or any other family members. Not until this is over.”
Anger and grief tangled inside her chest “They’re going to worry.”
“They’ll survive that.”
“And what about me, Callen?” she whispered. “What about what I need? What about what I can survive?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he gestured toward the hallway. “Take the second bedroom. It’s yours tonight. I’ll stay on the couch, which will put me closer to the door, anyway.”
She nodded stiffly, rising from the table.
But she didn’t walk away. Not yet.
Instead, she stood there, watching him as he pulled off his boots and set them near the door like he had a hundred times before, back when life was simpler and they’d stolen kisses in the shadows of summer bonfires and laughed like the world couldn’t touch them.
“I used to think you were invincible,” she whispered. “Back when we were kids. You always acted like nothing could shake you.”
He looked up at her, tired eyes meeting hers. “That was before I figured out I could lose things.”
Meaghan took a slow step forward, then another. She stopped in front of him, her heartbeat like thunder in her ears.
“Good night, Callen,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Then she reached out, curled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, and pulled him down into a kiss.
It wasn’t soft.
It was fire and frustration and all the years they’d wasted pretending they didn’t want each other. His hand came to her waist, and for a second, the rest of the world faded into ash.
Then she pulled back, her breath shallow, eyes searching his.
She said nothing else. Just turned and walked down the hallway to the bedroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click.