1. Crew #2
I stared at one of the addresses longer than the others.
It was a non-disclosed location that had been fortified and forgotten once the businesses became legit.
It was just right for what I needed, it was carved out for a moment exactly like this.
An uneasy feeling came over me, making my hand tighten around the phone.
I had to stomp that shit down before it took hold.
I wasn’t running or hiding, this wasn’t me repositioning to a safe position for my family's sake.
Because if war came, I wanted it to come to the battlefield I chose.
I sent one message through an encrypted channel.
Crew: Sanctuary
There was no explanation needed. The twins didn’t need one. Their responses came back almost instantly.
Black: Ten minutes.
Blue: Copy.
I turned my phone off and placed it in a drawer before standing.
My body felt heavy, like I was carrying the weight of the world on my back.
I rolled my shoulders, forcing tension out of my muscles.
Then I turned off the monitor and went back to the bedroom.
I hadn’t been gone for that long but by the time I returned Nova was awake again, propped up slightly on her pillows, eyes narrowed at me.
“Where did you go?” She asked.
I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, making the mattress dip beneath me. Nova’s gaze flicked to the gun on my hip, then back to my face.
“What happened?” She asked. Her tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
I didn’t sugarcoat it. Nova didn’t do well with sweetened bullshit.
“I had a nightmare,” I said. “It felt… so fuckin’ real.”
“About what?” She asked, hands unconsciously drifting to her belly.
I met her eyes and wished like hell that I could lie to her and tell her that everything was gon’ be alright and that I knew for sure that we would come out on top of this bullshit, but I couldn’t, because I didn’t know.
But what I did know was that I would protect her and our children with my life and the lives of every man or woman that tried to come against us. I sighed deep before I continued.
“It was about losin’ you,” I said. “About losin’ you and baby girl.”
Nova’s face tightened for a moment, then smoothed out just as quickly. She inhaled slowly through her nose, like she was forcing herself not to let fear take the wheel.
“It felt so real. Your screams echoed in my head when they snatched you away from me. How Timberly begged for me. The pain of hot steel ripping through my body. I can’t stand still and let that become a reality,” I said.
“What are we gonna do?” She asked.
“You trust me?” I asked.
“With my life.” She breathed.
“We’re leavin’ tonight.”
Nova didn’t flinch; she just threw back the covers and started to get out of bed.
I caught her wrist before her feet hit the floor, helping her the rest of the way, one hand steadying her elbow while the other flattened briefly over her belly as if I could protect my son with just my touch.
This right here was one of the reasons I loved this woman so much.
She trusted my instincts even when she didn’t like what they required.
“How long are we gonna be gone?” she asked.
“As long as it takes,” I answered. “Until I know exactly how to end everyone movin’ against us.”
Nova watched me for a beat, then nodded once.
“Okay. But Crew, you’re not less than because that nightmare spooked you,” she said softly. “And damn sure not for wanting to keep us safe.”
Her words hit somewhere deep inside my chest.
“The only thing that I fear is the death of everyone I love,” I said. “This is me choosin’ your safety over everything else. This makes the most sense.”
I pressed a kiss on her forehead as I led her to our walk-in closet.
“Pack a bag. Only pack essentials. The house is stocked but I’m sure there are a few things that you need that I may not have thought of.”
“What about Timberly?” She asked as she packed.
“I’ll get her,” I said.
Leaving our room as quickly as I came, I stepped into the hallway and listened.
The house was still quiet, but just as I started towards Timberly’s room, I heard the quiet beep of the panel to the door downstairs disengaging before the distinct sounds of two sets of heavy footfalls.
The twins were here, good. I went into Timberly’s room and gently shook her shoulder.
“Timberly, wake up baby girl.”
She blinked, a little disoriented at first, but then focused on me, hers becoming clearer.
“Daddy?”
I would never get tired of hearing her call me that. I loved this little girl like she had come from me just like our son and I would always treat her as such.
“Yeah, baby.” I kept my voice low. “We gotta go on a little trip.”
Her face tightened, before it brightened just as quickly and she said clear as day.
“What kind of trip? Because I remember you saying we could go to Disney after you killed the rest of the bad guys trying to take me.”
I couldn’t do shit but laugh. Kids these days were just built different. I know damn well I ain’t say all that but if that’s what she heard that's what it would be.
“Not Disney, not yet,” I said. “But I promise the first thing we do when this is all over is to take you to Florida.”
“Can I bring Mr. Waffles?” Timberly asked, sitting up and clutching another one of her many stuffed animals.
“Of course you can Timber.” I said, a small smile creeping up.
“Okay.” She nodded.
I lifted her out of bed and set her on her feet.
She moved faster than most adults, the training Black and Blue were giving her, showing even when she was half-asleep.
She grabbed her little bag from the corner like she had practiced this scenario in her mind already a thousand times.
The thought of this being her current reality made my stomach turn.
I never wanted this for her. Once she had packed her bag, I helped her pick out some warm clothes before she went into her bathroom and got herself dressed.
When she was ready, I walked her into the hallway where Nova was already moving with purpose.
Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her beautiful face was composed of a mask of calm.
She looked at Timberly and forced a small smile.
“Adventure time, baby girl. You ready?” Nova asked, gently.
“Are we leaving because the bad people are trying to hurt us again?” Timberly asked with a straight face.
“Nobody is going to hurt us,” she said. “Not with your daddy and your uncles keeping us safe.”
Timberly smiled and nodded, satisfied by the certainty in Nova’s words.
I grabbed their bags and we headed downstairs to the foyer where Black and Blue were waiting.
They were dressed in all black tactical gear, their weapons concealed.
Their eyes scanned the room until they fell on Nova and Timberly.
“Uncle Black! Uncle Blue!” Timberly squealed.
She ran full force, launching herself at the twins as soon as they came into view. She crashed into Blue's legs first and he caught her under the arms, easily lifting her like she weighed nothing at all.
“You ready Timber?” He asked.
“Yeah, Daddy said we're going on a trip. You two are coming with us, right?”
“Of course we are. We still need to work on your aim and start hand to hand combat training.”
Timberly squealed with excitement before asking.
“Does that mean I get my own knife?”
“Of course, as long as you promise to practice your skills every day," Black said, like a proud teacher.
I walked past them with our bags, opening the door and handing them to one of the men stationed at the front of the house.
There were at least 100 men positioned around the property but only fifty of the most loyal would be going with them to the safe house.
There were nine SUVs positioned in the driveway ready to take them to their destination.
Once the bags were inside the trunk the men loaded them inside.
I turned toward the stairs and held my hand out for Nova.
When her hand was in mine, I guided her down the stairs and over to the middle SUV.
The vehicles were positioned strategically so that the one they were riding in would be flanked by the others.
Black placed Timberly into the back seat with Nova before getting into the front seat with his brother at the wheel.
I took a deep calming breath before getting in next to my wife and daughter.
Timberly was clutching her stuffed animal and looking at me like I was invincible.
But I felt anything but, because the nightmare had shown me the truth I had been trying not to admit.
Waiting for Valdez and Sabrina to come to me wasn’t going to end well for any of them.
Sooner or later, I would have to hunt for what was hunting us.
“Let’s go.” I said once we were all secured.
First things first, I had to get my family to safety before I implemented the first part of my plan to take down Valdez but once that was finished there wouldn’t be anything standing in the way of our happiness. This had to end now.