Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Katrina’s pulse pounded so loudly she couldn’t hear herself think.
“We need to call the police,” Hunter said.
“I know, but what are they going to do? It’s not like they’ll give me a bodyguard or something, and even so, Sebastián’s resources are unlimited with his family business.
I had no clue Bianca knew where I was. I’m worried about her.
For her to send that message means she knows something, and she’s probably in trouble. ”
She shook her head as if that would help her put her incoherent thoughts in order.
“What are you thinking?”
“I keep wondering what she meant when she said this was all her fault. What was? The fact that Sebastián knows where I work. How would she know that? I’ve been so careful not to make contact with people from my prior life.
And how long has she had my contact information?
And why hasn’t she reached out before this? None of this makes sense.”
Hunter reached down and gripped her hands.
“We’ll figure this out. I will not let anything happen to you. I will protect you at any cost. You know that, right?”
Of course she did. He’d proven that years ago.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. You nearly lost your life once already just from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
She pulled her hands from his and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Don’t pull away.”
“I can’t put you through this again.”
His gaze intensified, and she wanted to pull hers away, but couldn’t. She loved him and wanted to keep him in her life. She ripped her gaze away.
“I love you, Hannah.”
Her heart beat erratically at his profession of love and use of her real name. There was no way she could walk away from him again. Her gaze floated back to him.
“I have an idea. First, we’ll call the cops and get this on record. Second, let’s bait him.”
“What?”
The thought of intentionally calling attention to herself and Hunter scared the crap out of her.
“Let’s see if we can’t get him to do something stupid that gets him sent back to prison.”
“Say that happens, that would only be a temporary result, and we’ll be right back in this position when he gets back out.”
“That could be true, but it beats the alternative, right?”
“I guess so. What’s your idea?”
“We’ll drive to the Green Bay Police Department and get a report on file.
Then, you text Bianca back to let her know you’re going to run and hide out up north for a while.
If Sebastián is monitoring her phone or, unfortunately, if Bianca is trying to draw you out for him, hopefully that will be enough information for him to figure out you’re going to Yooper’s Adventures. ”
So, a part of Hunter thought Bianca could be a willing partner of Sebastián’s.
She supposed this was a possibility, since her friend seemed to desert her a decade ago when she needed her most. In her heart, she wanted to believe Bianca was a good person.
They were once friends. She couldn’t be that poor of a judge of character, could she?
Yes, she once liked Sebastián, so the answer was yes.
In her own defense, though, she’d figured him out quickly.
“What do you think?” he asked at her lack of response.
“Let’s start with the police. I’ll mull the rest over. I don’t want to put any innocent bystanders, meaning your uncle or clients, at risk.”
“Fair enough. I’ll call him to see what he’s got going on this week. It’s early in the season for camping and hiking, so maybe there aren’t that many people there right now. Could be some there for fishing. We’ll see.”
“Okay.”
“Give me a few minutes to pack a bag, and then we’ll go to your place so you can pack, and then to the police department.”
Katrina paced the kitchen and living room, waiting for Hunter’s return.
When he entered the living room, he had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, a large plastic case in his right hand, and a rifle case in his left.
He stepped up onto the kitchen island and popped the case onto the counter, dropped the bag to the floor, and then opened the case. Inside were two pistols and ammo.
“Are you good with a .45 auto? Or would you rather a 9mm?”
He was dead serious and dead right. They’d need to provide their own protection. A 9mm is what she normally carried, but in this case, she wanted the .45. The bigger, the better.
She pulled one of the matching 45s from the case just to get the feel of it.
“This will work,” she said as she put it back.
“I was hoping you’d opt for the .45, but I would have pulled a 9mm from the safe for you.”
Hunter followed her as she drove back to her apartment. Paranoia ruled her drive. Not even sure what she looked for, she kept her gaze and senses on high alert.
She tucked her SUV into the garage and Hunter parked in front of the large door. He followed her into her apartment and waited while she packed. Then, they loaded into his truck and drove to the police department.
Even to her own ears, she sounded like a crazy person as she told her story to the officer. He was kind and took notes.
“I guess mainly, I just want this on record in case something happens. And I was hoping you would reach out to the Minneapolis Police Department and have them check on Bianca. You know, like a wellness check. Only I really don’t know where she lives anymore, but I was hoping you could figure that out. ”
“The officer nodded. That we can do, but there’s not much else we can do at this point.”
“I know, and that is what I expected,” she replied matter-of-factly.
There was no reason to bust the officer’s chops, understanding how this story must sound, and the fact she had no actual proof Sebastián was after her, except for the flowers and the text from her old friend.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but...”
She held her hand up, and he stopped talking.
“I know. I get it.”
The officer held her gaze. “I am going to follow up about your friend.”
“Thank you.”
He looked and sounded sincere. She believed him.
After an hour at the station, she and Hunter exited the building and hopped into his truck. It was nine o’clock by the time they headed north on US-141. It was going to be a long drive to the U.P. in the dark.
“When should I text Bianca?”
“In the morning. I want to make sure we do this right. I want to talk with Chief Ricco to see what he thinks.”
Chief Ricco. She thought of him, his department, and his wife often. They were all so kind and empathetic. Wholesome, small-town people who cared. Yet the man was all business when he needed to be.
“He’s going to tell us this is too risky and forbid us to do it,” Hannah said.
Hunter turned his head toward her for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.
“Probably, but you never know. He saw firsthand what happened ten years ago, so he may have a different perspective about the severity of this versus the officer in Green Bay.”
“We’ll spend the night at Uncle Lee’s, then call the chief in the morning. Rather, we should go see him in person,” Hunter said, then chuckled. “It’s harder to say no when you’re face to face.”
“True.”
“I suppose you’d better call Lee and warn him we’re coming and why.”
“I already did that when you were packing. He and Aunt Heidi are expecting us tonight.”
After a couple of hours, Hunter pulled into the winding driveway leading to the office of Yooper Adventures and Lee and Heidi’s house. Anxiety gripped her heart and squeezed.
“Just breathe,” Hunter said as he reached over and took her hand.
Such a natural task seemed hard to do at that moment. The horrible memory of that fateful day hurt like hell and felt as fresh as it did on that day.
Hunter’s grip tightened. “It’ll be fine.”
Though his words were meant to be reassuring, the hint of apprehension in his tone let her know he was worried too.
But, this was the only way—the best way she could think of to protect herself and those she loved.
Even if their plan worked, it was only a temporary resolution.
How long would Sebastián go back to prison for?
A tinge of guilt raked through her for trying to set him up this way, but the fact of the matter was, he would kill her and those around her, if she didn’t do something.
As they approached Lee’s home, the garage door opened, and Lee waved Hunter in. A thin woman of average height with short gray hair stood next to Lee and must be Heidi. She’d never seen the woman before.
She slid out of the vehicle and walked toward Lee and Heidi. Hunter hugged them both, then gestured to her.
“Uncle Lee, you remember Katrina?”
The man raised a brow and nodded.
“I changed my name after...the incident,” Katrina added.
Lee pointed to his wife. “This is Heidi.”
“Nice to meet you, dear. Can I help you with your things?” she asked.
“No, thank you. I just have one bag. I can get it.”
She and Hunter grabbed their belongings from the backseat, including the pistol case, but not the rifle.
Once inside the modest log home, Heidi showed her to her room, upstairs beyond the open loft area. Hunter tossed his bag onto the bed in that room as she hoped he would.
“I’ll let you get settled. We’ll be in the kitchen. Do you want a nightcap?”
“More than you can imagine,” Hunter replied with a hint of a forced smile.
The reality of what they were about to do seemed to settle in for him. It had taken its toll on her hours ago.
Katrina put her duffle bag on the floor next to a chest of drawers.
She pulled out her toiletry bag, took it into the connecting bathroom, and set it on the small countertop.
Then, she turned down the bed and followed Hunter down the steps and back into the open concept living room and kitchen area they’d previously walked through.
“Would you like a glass of wine or a beer?” Heidi asked.
“Beer, please,” Hunter replied without hesitation.
“I’ll take one, too,” Katrina answered.
Lee and Heidi already had theirs cracked open and sitting on the kitchen island.
Nobody sat. They stood around the island in silence for a moment before Hunter filled them in on the details of how they’d come to be here.
He’d informed them of some of the details over the phone before they arrived, but now he gave them the in-depth details.
Now, two more people were involved. The tension in the room thickened.
The thought of putting any of these kind people in danger made her sick, and the beer wasn’t sitting well.
Lee nodded. “I understand why you want to do this. I really do, but are you sure?”
“I don’t see any other way. I’m...we’re open to suggestions.”
“Heidi and I discussed this before you arrived. We understand you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, and we’ll do whatever you need us to do.”
“I don’t want to put you in any more danger. Hence, why I asked to park in the garage. Just in case someone comes snooping around here, they won’t see my truck.”
Lee took a swig of his beer.
“You’re family. Like a son to me. I will do whatever it takes to protect my family,” Lee said firmly and then shifted his gaze to her. “You included.”
Katrina’s heart overflowed at Lee’s conviction. She hardly knew the man, but believed him. At that moment, memories of her father bombarded her. This was something he would have said and done.
When Hunter’s alarm sounded at six o’clock, she wasn’t ready to get up. Worry prevented her from sleeping a wink. For a moment after she and Hunter had made love, she’d thought her sedated state would help her relax and fall asleep, but that wasn’t the case.
With reluctance, she rolled out of bed and padded off to the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, Hunter was already dressed.
She threw on some clothes and followed him and the aroma of coffee to the kitchen, where Heidi and Lee sat at the table. A pile of pancakes and sausage filled a plate in the center of the table.
“Good morning. I hope you like pancakes,” Heidi said.
The woman’s warm smile comforted Katrina somewhat, but she wasn’t sure if her swirling stomach could handle any food.
“You need to start your day with a hearty breakfast,” Heidi added.
Katrina sat, and Hunter took the seat opposite her. He wasted no time filling his plate.
“The chief usually gets to City Hall about seven, so when we’re done with breakfast, we can go see him,” Lee said.
“You don’t need to...”
“Yes,” Lee said, cutting off Hunter’s words.
There was no use arguing with Lee. His mind was made up.
Katrina looked across the table, beyond Hunter and into the living room. A large elk mount took up most of the area in the peaked area of the vaulted ceiling. It was a six-by-six.
Katrina looked at Lee. “Nice elk.”
“You should tell Heidi that. It’s hers. I could have never made that shot.”
Heat rose in Katrina’s cheeks. She just assumed it was Lee’s.
Heidi’s smile beamed. “Yes, you could have.”
“She’s too modest to tell you that six-by-six was shot at five hundred and seventy-five yards. She practiced and practiced before we went out to Colorado, and all the practicing paid off.”
Lee winked at Heidi, who gazed at him lovingly.
“Aunt Heidi shows us all up. Hits the bullseye on the target all the time,” Hunter added.
Heidi blushed. “You guys.”
Heidi stood and cleared the table.
Katrina drained her coffee, then loaded the dishwasher.
“We’ll take my truck to town. Keep any attention deflected that your truck may cause,” Lee said.
Hunter ran back up the stairs and returned with the pistol case. Once in the garage, Hunter pulled the rifle case from his truck and put it into his uncle’s. Lee loaded two more long guns into the back of his truck.
Good heavens, she hoped none of that was needed. But she knew differently.