Chapter 5 #2
“I knew you’d react this way,” he said with a sigh.
There was a distinct lack of surprise in his voice.
After a pause of silence, he spoke again.
“Okay. I just sent a text to have my men focus on Betty, and I’ll also contact the FBI and get an official team.
I’ll try to put a rush on it, but it could be a few days with the FBI. ”
I grumbled. A few days felt like too long. “Listen, I’m glad you told me. Do you have any information about who Matteo assigned to tail her? Have any of you guys noticed?”
I heard some clicking and typing on his end before he replied. “Yeah, looks like one of my scouts said it was Ron on the job.”
“Ron—right. Well, at least he’s not a complete nut like some of Matteo’s other guys. Still dangerous, but he has a sense of morality on some things.” Ronny had a daughter, and wouldn’t hurt Betty unless he had to.
“Just stay safe, okay?” Ethan’s voice was suddenly sincere. “I’m rooting for you. You’re a rare breed, having made it this long on your own.”
It was rather a backhanded compliment, but still a compliment. “Thanks, E.”
I rummaged through the closet in the corner where I kept my travel supplies: guns, knives, cameras. I pulled out each item and began laying them across my bed.
“Anytime, Gray.” He hung up immediately.
I heard the oats in the pot begin to gurgle and bubble up, now cooked.
The satellite phone bounced when I tossed it down on the mattress and grabbed the pot from the stove, setting it to cool before continuing with my packing.
In a bag, I tossed in a few more of my tiny surveillance cameras.
My intention was to place extras around her house and outside, even down the street.
Ten minutes later, the rucksack was packed tight, having also added camping gear. Considering how I’d left New York, finding a safe place to hide would prove tricky, so the street seemed like my best option. People ignored the homeless—invisible in plain sight.
By my desk was another, smaller bag. I hoisted it onto the tabletop and packed up my computer and a few mini solar chargers I could use to ensure I didn’t go without power.
Throwing the rucksack over my shoulder and the smaller bag in hand, I secured the cabin and concealed the key before heading to the shed.
I walked fast down the hill, avoiding patches of ice-covered snow, and flung open the doors.
The lights switched on with my presence, scarcely illuminating the space.
I pulled back the snowmobile cover and examined the fuel level.
Topping off the tank with a gas can, I attached my rucksack and small bag to the back using bungee cords.
I heard the familiar scurry of a pine marten across the shed roof, probably the same one that turned me into his breakfast peep show.
He was young and extra curious. Too bad I wouldn’t be here to keep an eye on him.
It wasn’t long before he was chittering outside the door before darting into the shed and beneath the snowmobile.
“Come on, little dude. What’s your issue? You’re going to slow me down.”
He chirped from under the chassis.
“Well, if you’re gonna hang around, you’re gonna need a name. How about Larry?”
There was scratching and movement, a tail popping out, then a probing little head.
“I’ll take that as a yes? Larry it is. Okay, Larry, you’re in charge until I come back, got it? I’m trusting you to keep Tallulah out of the greenhouse.” The greenhouse was secure and electrically charged for this reason, but anything was possible in the deep wilds of Canada.
Larry, with a curious paw, gently touched my leather boot and then rubbed his face against it.
He proceeded to roll against my heel, enthusiastically buffing the dirty leather like a shoeshiner.
There was a smell there he apparently enjoyed, likely the leather.
His kind was always nosy, sprightly, and clever, and more likely to bite your face off than cuddle.
This little one was proving to be an exception.
“Also, keep an eye out for rats,” I added.
I threw a leg over the snowmobile and turned the key.
It took some coaxing, but the engine turned over and rumbled to life.
The sound of it shook the surrounding trees, causing Larry to bolt through the open shed doors.
I maneuvered the machine forward and out onto the snow before dismounting and securing the shed doors behind me.
Larry cackled over the sound of the motor and the crunching of my boots in the snow.
I looked around, finding him up a nearby tree and overseeing the situation from a branch.
I gave him a salute. “Good luck, Larry!”
He stared, body frozen, amber eyes wide.
I gunned the engine and sped off through the snow, following the overgrown path back towards civilization.
It was a two-hour ride to where I’d left my truck, and then a ten-hour drive, skirting around Lake Ontario and into New York.
I’d swapped out the plates since the last trip in, so I figured I was safe to drive straight into the city.
Even if this trip were a suicide mission, nothing was going to keep me from her.
I refused to let the bad guys win any longer.