Chapter 6
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked Wyatt as he, Bryan, and I raced out to the rounded, metal quonset hut where our trucks and tractor were parked. “I thought you said your Maisie wasn’t the same as Carter’s?”
“That’s what we thought, but I guess we were wrong. You taking tractor or truck?”
“Truck. I can’t imagine we need the tractor if she and the kids got out and walked. Damage should be minimal. We can all ride together, put it in neutral, and pull it home if we need to.”
Wyatt nodded, hopping into the passenger seat while Bryan climbed into the back.
We got moving, racing out of there like our asses were on fire.
I didn’t know most of the details, but I knew Maisie was fleeing something terrible, and if she was worried about her car leading someone to her, then we had to deal with it, and fast. Carter was one of the quietest, most relaxed people I’d ever met, so when his urgency had shot through the bond, I knew it was important.
“What do we know about her?” I asked Wyatt, trying to recall the details he’d told us over the last few years.
“Not much. She’s got to be the same age as Carter if they went to high school together.
Obviously has three kids. Bonded to an absolute shit-hole of a human being, and probably living in nightmare conditions, considering how long it took for her to feel safe enough to even tell me her first name.
She likes peach green tea, I think she mentioned once that she loves lemon cake, but never gets to eat it because her husband prefers vanilla. ”
Not a lot to go on, but useful information all the same. “I can’t believe this whole time your girlfriend was our omega’s first love.”
“She’s not—”
“Sure, sure, but now she’s out of there, and we need to make sure she stays that way. Folks like her husband don’t let go easy, so I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s a manhunt for her, probably saying she kidnapped the kids, or was kidnapped herself to get public sympathy on his side.”
“What family is doing this?” Bryan asked.
“The Deckers,” Wyatt replied. “They have a huge property farther west. Haven’t heard a good thing about them in my life.”
“All I can find online is that they run a goat farm and associated dairy to sell the milk and cheese,” Bryan said, his phone in front of him. “Is that the same people?”
“Yeah, that’s them,” I said. “They’re a weird bunch. I guess if Maisie is willing to talk we can get answers instead of rumors. Everything is speculation when they keep their people locked down. I’m still shocked they let her into town enough times for you to get to know her at all.”
Wyatt nodded stiffly. “They made her leave at least one child behind every time she left so they knew she’d come back.”
“That’s fucking sick.” My stomach turned. “I’ll never understand the urge some folks have to hurt others and build systems to keep it going. Too many of them kicking around and not enough doing a damn thing about it.”
“Should we be prepared to be arrested for harboring her?” Bryan asked.
“Fuck if I know. With a little luck we can keep her hidden until anything they’ve tried to kick up dies down.”
About ten minutes later at illegal speeds, we passed the car in the ditch and I turned us around.
The road was pretty quiet in general, used by a lot of farm folks more so than through traffic, so hopefully that would give us the time we needed to finish the job without holding anyone up and getting noticed.
Pulling onto the shoulder, I hopped out and assessed the situation.
It wasn’t the first vehicle we’d had to haul out of a ditch, and it wouldn’t be the last. Country roads got precarious between weather, wildlife, and human error.
Maisie’s car was at least in a position where I didn’t have to crawl under it to find somewhere to hook up the cable.
Between Wyatt and I, it was quick work.
“Bry,” I called. “Can you manage or do I need to do it?”
Our stray went white as a sheet at the request. Okay, maybe it was too much to ask when he’d only recently started getting comfortable with driving himself around after years of using a car service in New York degraded his skills.
“No worries, I’ve got it.” I climbed back in. “You’re still learning how to do it, though.”
He nodded, leaning to watch while I explained how to engage the tow hitch so the crank could drag the vehicle out.
It was a slow process, but effective. Wyatt monitored the removal from outside, and when we got it out, I took Maisie’s keys to see if it was drivable.
The fenders were dented, but that seemed like the worst of it.
It started up, thankfully, and lurched forward, evening out after a few seconds. I popped my head out the window. “I’ll drive it, keep behind me so it’s not visible for anyone coming down the road just in case.”
I’d have asked Bryan to drive her car so I could grill Wyatt on Maisie a little more, but best not to test his skills in this case.
Wyatt and Bryan stayed a safe distance behind me so they didn’t get gravel hitting the truck, and we started the nerve-racking journey back home.
It was a quiet day, at least, and we didn’t see any other vehicles on the way.
Harvest had long since finished, so most of the traffic on the road this time of year was people running errands or doing supply runs.
Earlier in the season there would’ve been trucks and tractors all over.
How bad had things been for her to keep walking down a highway with her children after an accident, rather than call for help?
Wyatt and I both had family and friends who had been victims of violence—some domestic, some systemic—and it pissed me off that people had such a capacity for evil.
People were good, too, and I reminded myself of that often, but it didn’t erase the rest. Maisie was one of many who were in terrible situations, and if I could help her, I would, because it was the right thing to do.
When her car was secure and the truck slid into the quonset hut behind me, I finally let my shoulders drop from around my ears.
I popped the trunk, expecting to see suitcases or anything resembling supplies, but there was only a pair of paper bags with a few pieces of clothing scattered around. Had she truly left with nothing?
I gathered everything into the bag and headed toward the tiny guesthouse Bryan was living in that usually would’ve housed whatever family member was visiting for any extended period. Our main house had plenty of bedrooms, but some people preferred privacy and wanted to wander over at their leisure.
The guesthouse wouldn’t be the most ideal for Maisie and her children since there was only one bedroom, but I wasn’t sure if she’d want to stay with us in the house. Bryan would probably have to move, which wasn’t ideal for him, either.
Carter was sitting with Maisie on the guesthouse porch, the children playing with our dogs. She was leaned into him, her head on his shoulder, blankets bundled around her. The whole scene would have been sweetly domestic if I didn’t know she’d fled in such a panic.
My omega caught my gaze as we approached. Maisie sat up sharply, eyes wide.
Carter said something to her I couldn’t discern and she relaxed a fraction, getting to her feet.
“We got your car,” I told her, passing the keys back. “It’s parked here, and we didn’t see anyone on the way back. Did you check for any trackers?”
Maisie nodded. “I removed one from the car and the kid’s backpacks, and left my phone behind.”
I blew out a relieved breath. “Okay, good. And, now that you’ve had a second to relax, I’m Colton, Colt for short. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Thank you.” Her voice shook as she said it. “We didn’t mean to barge into your lives, but please know we appreciate this respite to get our bearings.”
“Hey, any friend of Carter and Wyatt is a friend of mine.” I looked down at the little girl loving on Foxtrot. “Who’s this little lady?”
“Nowa!” she yelled. “You Cote?”
Maisie smiled. “Her name is Nora. She’s still figuring out Rs and Ls.”
“I am, indeed. Lovely to meet you, Nora.”
She rubbed her face on Foxtrot, our dog patient with her grabby toddler fingers.
“Who are your other two?” I asked, watching her carefully. She was visibly nervous, but her body was probably still holding on to panic.
“Cody and Paisley,” she replied. “They’re eight, five, and two. Do you mind having kids around?”
“Hell no. I love kiddos. It’ll be great to have them around, though we’ll probably have to beef up some of the fences.
We can get rolling on that right away so you have one less thing to worry about.
” I took a chance, kneeling to pet Foxtrot and looking up at Maisie, who was trying to hide the shake of her hands by holding her blanket tighter.
“I don’t know what all you’ve gone through, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re safe here.
You don’t have to believe it, or trust it, or us, it’ll still be true.
Consider this place your home for however long you want to stay. ”
Her shaking spread to her whole body, her eyes closing as she sucked in a slow breath. I hated that she was so scared and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
“We have lots of bedrooms in the house if you want to stay there,” I offered. “Or we can move Bryan out of the guesthouse. It’s not very big, but I totally get if you’d rather have your own space to settle in.”
A whimper slipped out of her.
Wyatt and Bryan hung back, probably not wanting to overwhelm her.
“Maisie,” I continued, “whatever you need, we can do. If you’d rather go somewhere else, your vehicle is drivable, or we can take you, put a hotel under one of our names. What would make you feel safe?”
“Nothing,” she whispered. “He’s so angry. I can feel it. I don’t know how to feel safe when he’s part of me.”
Only death could break a bond.
Maisie would carry her abuser inside of her until one of them passed, and nothing we did for her would change that shitty reality. We could make it a bit better, though.
“What would help, though? Do you want to go farther away? Do you want us to get you into a shelter? Whatever you need, we’ll figure it out.
We can keep you hidden here. We’re on five thousand acres, not much for neighbors, and harvest season is over, so folks tend to keep to themselves.
Whoever you’re running from shouldn’t have any reason to think you’re here, right? ”
Maisie nodded. “I don’t know where to go. Carter said I could stay.”
“You can. We’d love to have you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t,” I said with a nod, “but Carter does, and so does Wyatt.”
My packmate had come into view out of the corner of my eye, waving shyly.
“Like I said, a friend of theirs is a friend of mine. Maybe we can be friends too, but no pressure there. Take your time to settle in wherever you think you’ll be most comfortable.”
Maisie reminded me of a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest. She looked so small and fragile, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and in this moment, I wanted more than anything to make sure she got tucked somewhere she could grow and blossom.
I just knew she’d be beautiful when she finally smiled.