Chapter 15
Micah moved swiftly, putting his body in front of Clover’s before a gasp had fully left her.
“I said don’t move,” the woman snarled.
Clover stared at the woman holding the pistol on them, trying to control the tremor that rolled through her. Micah was closer than her, had put himself in front of her.
If anything happened to him…
“Please don’t shoot us,” she blurted.
“Why are you out here skulking in the woods?” The blonde’s hair was pulled back in a braid, her light brown eyes a similar shade to Ilena’s.
“Are you related to Ilena?” Clover asked.
The woman blinked, clearly surprised, but then shook it off. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s clear you don’t want to shoot anyone,” Micah said, his voice calm and soothing. “So we’ll just back out of here and get out of your hair.”
“The hell you will.” Her voice was hard, her weapon hand steady as she aimed it at Micah.
So Clover blurted out the truth—or most of it—as she stepped out from behind Micah.
“My friend told me she saw Ilena at this campsite and I’ve been worried about her.
I ran into her a few days ago at that gas station diner off US 17 and the guy she was with was scary.
I was worried that she was in an abusive situation. ”
The woman lowered her weapon, her expression cautious, but not as menacing. “Is your name Clover?”
“Yeah.”
The woman nibbled on her bottom lip for a long moment, then motioned with the weapon. “Turn around and walk that way, right through the woods. You’re going to the cabin.”
Even though she was slightly worried the woman might shoot them in the back, they were too far away to take her on.
So they did as she said, and Clover could feel Micah’s body vibrating with rage.
She just hoped he didn’t make a move. She had no doubt that if he got close enough, he could take the woman out.
She also noticed that the woman had given them a wide berth. Which meant she’d likely noticed the same thing. She wasn’t getting close enough to Micah to let him try to disarm her.
Smart woman.
As they got close to the cabin, the front door flew open and Ilena strode out, eyes wide as she looked between Clover and the woman Clover was pretty sure was Ilena’s sister.
“Clover? What are you doing here?”
“Trying to help,” she said, blurting everything out even though she could feel Micah’s hard gaze on her, practically willing her to not spill everything. “I know you’re in trouble.”
Before Ilena could respond, the kidnapped woman from the news, Maeve Morrow, stepped out of the cabin wearing jeans and an oversized sweater.
And she wasn’t in cuffs or ropes or any kind of restraints as she leaned against the doorframe, watching all of them warily.
Clover looked at Micah, saw surprise in his expression.
“Jesus, put the gun down, Taryn,” Ilena muttered.
“No way. The big guy is trained. I can tell. Tell your friend to talk first.” There was no give in the woman’s voice. Taryn, it sounded like.
Micah spoke now, his voice low and still in that soothing manner.
“We’re not the cops, if that’s what you’re worried about.
Or any law enforcement. But it’s clear you’re all in trouble.
We thought you might be involved in her kidnapping,” he said, looking from Ilena to the Morrow woman.
“But now I’m guessing something else altogether is going on since you’re not restrained. ”
Morrow straightened, shoving her hands into her pockets as she looked worriedly between Ilena and the woman behind them. “They didn’t kidnap me.”
“Then let us help you. I know a really good lawyer—great lawyer. She got Andi Bowman off from murdering her husband,” Clover said. Her brother’s best friend Sinead Goode had already been a powerhouse, but after that trial she’d become known nationally.
“Jeez,” Ilena murmured. “Taryn, gun down. Now. You two, inside.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed back in, Morrow doing the same.
Inside, Clover scanned the place, was surprised by how little there was. There were two double bunk beds that had seen better days. No sheets on the thin-looking mattresses, but a blanket on two of the bottom bunks and one tossed over the couch in the attached living room.
The cabin was basically one open space with a kitchenette, living room area and the bunk beds in one corner.
“Before we go any further, I want to know why you’re really here. And how you found us.” This from Taryn, her tone still aggressive but her pistol tucked away at least. She didn’t sit like the two others, who were huddled next to each other on the couch.
Clover sat on a lounger across from them, while Micah stood next to her like a sentry.
“I already told you. I was worried about you,” she said to Ilena.
“I got a job at The Laughing Llama because I thought Louis kidnapped you or something. I suspected that you…maybe delivered packages for him or something?”
Ilena looked surprised, but simply nodded.
“It’s a long story, but basically Nyla told me that some guy came into the bar one day and scared you. Then you disappeared after that. So I went looking for you. It took a while but…” She glanced up at Micah. “I had some help. We followed you to the Kendrick property.”
“How?”
“Tracker on the station wagon,” Micah said.
“Ah.” Ilena’s smile was wry. “Is that how the Feds found out about everything?”
“Yes.” No apology from Micah. “I’ve been working with Clover to help find you, that’s it. And I’m not helping a kidnapper.”
“I already said she didn’t kidnap me,” Maeve Morrow murmured. “Are the Feds on their way?” She looked absolutely defeated.
Which felt like the wrong reaction for a kidnap victim. At this point it was clear she wasn’t one.
“Maybe,” Micah said. “We didn’t tell them who you were, but they’ve got a lot of resources. They’ll be close to tracking you down if you left any sort of digital trail or stopped anywhere with cameras. But if they find you here, it won’t be because of us.”
Taryn sat next to them now and the three of them looked worried.
“What’s going on?” Clover asked. “We can help you.”
“Why should we trust you!” Taryn again, the woman a ball of anger.
Micah sighed. “At this point, I don’t even know if I want to help you. If you’re not a kidnap victim,” he said to Morrow. “Then my involvement ends.” He placed a hand on Clover’s shoulder. “She’s here willingly and your friend is fine. We don’t want to be here if the Feds show up.”
Clover couldn’t tell if he was trying to goad the women into telling them what was going on, but she could feel the shift in the room.
“No, wait… If you can really help, we need it.” From Maeve Morrow again, her voice tinged with desperation.
She was a willowy redhead with big brown eyes and she looked exhausted.
“It’s a complicated story. But to keep it short in case you really think the Feds are close to finding us, I’m under a conservatorship.
I’m basically my parents’ prisoner. And I’m not going back to that place they call my home.
” Her expression was defiant as she stood.
Micah sighed, looked down at Clover. “I’ve got a safe house for them if you want to get involved in this.”
She could tell from his expression now that he really did want to help.
But if they pushed these women too hard, she had a feeling the three of them would run again.
And without resources, they weren’t a match for the FBI.
Clover looked at Ilena. “We can get you guys somewhere safe, and with…” She looked around the sad cabin.
“Food and clothes and a decent place to sleep. But you’ll have to tell us everything. ”
“If you’re going to come with us, you need to get a move on.” There was a hint of urgency in Micah’s voice that hadn’t been there before. “The Feds know where you are. I just found out that they got a tip.” He was looking at his phone screen, his expression tight. “We have to leave now.”
She’d ask for more details later. Heart pounding, she stood. “Grab anything absolutely necessary that you can carry.”
To her surprise, the women sprung into action, simply scooping up the blankets and duffel bag. Ilena ran into the bathroom and came back out with a plastic bag of toiletries. “We’re ready.”
Clover wasn’t sure if this was the right move, but she wasn’t walking away from her friend when she needed her.