Chapter 3
Lauren
Two years later
The stormy sky matched Lauren’s mood as she sat in the minivan in front of the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
She’d read a whopping six pages of her book in the last hour, and her attention wasn’t getting better.
It would have been helpful if the man she’d spoken to on the phone could have given her an approximate time for inmate releases.
After three years, Zach Wilson would be walking the streets as a free man again. After three years, Lauren was finally beginning to pull her way out of the darkness.
Beginning. That was the key word. She still had a lot of work to do, but progress was progress. Hopefully, Zach would be willing to help her now.
The phone in the cup holder rang, and the name Lyric Scott lit up on the screen. Of course Lyric would call today. The man who shot her husband was becoming a free man again.
A pang of guilt throbbed in Lauren’s chest. She’d been lying to her friend for years, but could she keep it up now that Zach could tell the tale?
Putting up her walls, Lauren answered the call. “Hello.”
“Hey. How are you holding up today?”
It was just like Lyric to be a good friend, worried about how Lauren would take the news. Lauren was the original victim. Lyric’s police officer husband, Asa, had been doing his job when he’d been caught in the crossfire.
“I’m okay. I’ve had plenty of time to prepare. What about you? How’s Asa?”
Lyric sighed. “We’re fine. Asa thinks Zach won’t cause any problems on his own. With one of his brothers dead and the other still locked up, Zach doesn’t have the accomplices he once had.”
“That’s true.” Lauren had thought over every situation countless times. Removing Zach’s brothers from the equation was definitely a plus. Now that she knew him better, she could confidently say that the chances of Zach going rogue were slim, but not none.
“Asa said the department will keep an eye on Zach. And you,” Lyric added.
Having friends at the Blackwater Police Department was a blessing. Asa and Dawson had been there the night Zach and his brother grabbed Lauren off the street and tied her to a chair in an abandoned building. If her friends hadn’t shown up when they did, she probably wouldn’t be sitting here today.
“Thanks, but they don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t have anything Zach wants.”
It was the cold, hard truth. Unfortunately, that left her with little to bargain with today. Getting Zach to help her was a long shot—longer than the Continental Divide.
“Just be careful. We’re only a call away, and you know Asa will come running if you get even the slightest suspicion.”
There went the guilt churning again. After all Asa had done for her, including taking a bullet to the shoulder, could she really keep this secret? “I know. Thanks for checking on me, but I promise I’m fine.”
Lyric chuckled. “You’re so strong. I wish I was as brave as you.”
Brave. What a joke. Lauren had perfected the art of putting on a front, but her blood still turned cold whenever the memories crept in.
“I’ve done a lot of praying. It’s not me,” Lauren confessed.
“I’ve prayed enough for this whole town, but I still get scared.” Lyric let out a deep sigh. “Anyway. I love you, and we’re going to get through this.”
“I love you too. I’ll call you later.”
Lauren dropped the phone into the cup holder and brushed her sweaty palms against her white pants. She would tell her friends about her plans. She just needed to talk to Zach first.
The foreboding metal gate in front of the penitentiary creaked and slowly slid open. A man wearing a white T-shirt and black gym pants walked out with a backpack strap over one shoulder. He’d been wearing orange since she started visiting him—a color she’d completely eliminated from her wardrobe.
It was him. Zach Wilson was walking out of prison like it was just another day in paradise. Unfortunately, she’d know that walk anywhere. He’d walked away from her enough times to sear it into her memory.
He hadn’t spotted her yet, his attention focused on the white bus at the end of the sidewalk.
No, sir. He wasn’t getting away that easily.
“It’s go time.” Lauren slid her arms into her jacket and stepped out of the rental minivan. She was not putting miles on her own car for Zach Wilson. Plus, the check engine light was on, and getting stranded on the side of the road wasn’t on her list of things to do today.
As soon as she closed the door, Zach turned. It was in slow motion. The turn, the slight jerk in his step when he recognized her, the way he shifted course and headed right toward her. Her skin flashed hot and cold.
He stopped a few feet from her. With the sun behind him, the hard lines of his face were cast in shadow. She wasn’t used to his clean-shaven face, but she wouldn’t let the change trip her up today. The new look actually made him look softer. Younger. Less callous.
His eyes narrowed as his gaze traveled down, then up. “What are you doing here?”
Lauren pushed her sunglasses onto her head. “No one else is coming for you.”
The bravado in his expression fell as he shook his head. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Yeah, well, neither should you.”
His gaze darted to her vehicle. “Go home.”
Ha! He didn’t know her at all. She wasn’t the kind to give up and go home. Crossing her arms over her chest, she doubled down. “No one is coming to pick you up. Get in the van.”
Zach mirrored her stance, showing off arms that were easily three times the size of hers. The muscles stacked on top of each other like blocks of a fortress. He leaned in a fraction of an inch to whisper, “You’re not the boss of me.”
Oh, so they were going to play games. That she could handle. She could do anything for twenty minutes, and by then, he’d be tired of standing toe to toe with her.
His eyes flicked to the side before returning to meet her. “Is there candy inside?”
Zach was too predictable. Rolling her eyes, she pulled out the Snickers bar she’d stashed in her jacket pocket and pressed it to his chest.
Wait. That chest was solid. Maybe a tiny bit of fear was healthy in this situation.
Zach grabbed the candy bar from her, swiping his large hand over hers so fast she barely registered he’d taken it. A second later, he was ripping off the wrapper, and his voice softened. “You’re an angel.”
She wasn’t. In fact, he was going to be really upset when he figured out why she was here. His jaw worked back and forth as he chewed. He had a really nice face now that she could see it without the beard.
When his jaw stopped, she jerked her attention to his eyes. “Enjoying your first snack as a free man?”
He pointed the candy bar back at her. “Are you trying to butter me up?”
The wind whipped her hair across her face, and she brushed it away. Good. She wouldn’t have to beat around the bush. “I have a proposition for you.”
A flash of life sparked in his eyes as his gaze dipped to her lips. “Good. It’s been a while.”
“Ugh.” Her hand slapped his chest before she had a chance to run through the repercussions of assaulting a former inmate.
He rubbed the spot on his chest where she’d slapped. “Ow. Rude.”
“Not that kind of proposition. I need your help.”
Zach held his arms out to the sides. “I’m not in a position to help anyone, angel.”
True, but he did have something she wanted. She hooked a thumb over her shoulder toward the minivan. “Get in. We’ll talk about it on the way home.”
Zach’s left brow lowered. “I don’t have a home.”
Letting her chin fall to her chest, Lauren closed her eyes. Great. That was one big point she’d forgotten to account for in her over-planning.
Nothing to do now but figure it out. Lifting her head, she brushed her hair back and set her jaw. “Just get in. I’ll make some phone calls.”
“What kind of phone calls could you make to get me a place to live? Any chance you have a connection for cars too? Because I don’t have one of those either.”
She hadn’t even broached the main subject yet, and the details of her plan were tangled up. He wouldn’t be much help to her homeless and without transportation.
Lauren turned her back and started toward the vehicle. “I’m not your fairy godmother, Zach.”
His heavy footfalls ate up the path behind her. “Nah. More like an angel.”
Oh, how wrong he was. He’d been calling her that for years now, and he’d soon realize his mistake.
She pointed toward the passenger side and rounded the front of the van. “You do the sitting. I’ll do the talking.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
That was easy. Almost too easy. She’d expected at least a little push-back. Then again, he’d really warmed up to her over the last year. The scariest part was that she’d warmed up to him too. The visits weren’t nearly as difficult as they’d once been.
Even now when Zach settled into the seat beside her, she didn’t have the urge to run.
Zach turned to look at her, taking up way too much space in the big minivan, and the unease picked up in the enclosed vehicle. “Want me to drive?”
“Ha! Are you trying to tell me that you have a valid driver’s license?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then how could you drive?”
“It’s like riding a bike. I think I remember how to do it.”
“Legally,” Lauren clarified.
“I never said it would be legal. I just asked if you wanted me to.”
Rolling her eyes, Lauren started the van. “No, thanks. I’ll continue to obey the rules of the road today.”
Zach shrugged and rested against the seat. “Suit yourself.”