Bonnie

“Thank you, Tyson.” Bonnie took the new roll of paper towels from him with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Bonnie,” the boy replied. He flashed her a shy smile, his brown eyes happy. “I really liked today.”

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I thought you might. Was it worth missing our swim lesson for?”

Tyson nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely.”

He looked over at the table where his creation lay drying. Bonnie had set up pudding painting for any kids who were interested. She’d been surprised at the amount of kids that had opted to give up their free time before bed to do an art project. Granted, it was painting with pudding, so it was art and a snack.

It was just Tyson and Bonnie now. He’d wanted to stay and help her clean up before getting ready for bed. She appreciated the company and loved the way he smiled at her. He was a great kid.

“Is Dylan going to be at our swim lesson tomorrow?” Tyson asked. “I know he’s helping Ms. Laura do something for the horses tonight. But what about tomorrow?”

“I think so,” she replied. “He wanted to come paint with us, but Ms. Laura needed his help to take one of the horses into town. I’m sure he’ll come tomorrow.”

She had hoped to see him today, but an emergency with one of the horses had kept him busy. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to talk to him and make sure that last night wasn’t just a fluke. She liked him and not getting to eat dinner tonight with him had been strange. At least Tyson had kept her company.

“Okay. Good. I really like having him around,” Tyson said with a smile. “What else can I do?”

She smiled at him. He was such a good helper. “We need to bring those empty bowls back to the kitchen,” she told him.

“I can do that,” he announced. He carefully picked up a stack of empty pudding bowls and balanced them in his hands as he walked to the kitchen. His little tongue stuck out as he concentrated on what he was doing.

She smiled at him as he worked hard not to spill the bowls. She’d made sure to spend some extra time with him today, and it was obvious that the attention was appreciated. He was smiling and had even tried a new food at dinner. She was excited to see what a little more work with him could accomplish. He was such a great kid.

She looked around the room, making sure they had cleaned up the cafeteria after their pudding painting. The only thing left in the room was the picture Tyson had painted. She went over and picked it up.

It was three stick figures. There was a tall stick figure on one side, a small figure in the middle, and a figure wearing what Bonnie assumed was a skirt. They were all holding hands inside a blue square. Tyson said it was a picture of Dylan, Bonnie, and him swimming. It warmed her heart and made it ache at the same time.

She always got attached to her students. It was impossible not to, but Tyson was quickly stealing her heart. She shook her head and set the picture down. She was happy here, just like he was. In the two weeks she’d been here, this felt almost more like home than her townhouse did.

“Bonnie?” Tyson called from the kitchen doors. “There’s a stranger asking for you on the back porch.”

Bonnie’s ice ran cold. All the happy feelings from pudding painting fell from her like dropped water.

“What?”

“It’s a man. He says he’s looking for you,” Tyson told her. He came out of the kitchen and walked toward her. “I don’t know him.”

She swallowed hard on a suddenly dry throat.

“Did you tell him I was here?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light. She didn’t want to scare him.

Tyson nodded proudly. “I said I’d come find you.”

Her heart pounded an odd rhythm in her chest. They’d found her. She glanced around, trying to figure out the quickest way out of the building. She needed to make sure Tyson stayed safe. She could drop him off at the kid cabins if she went out the south door. From there, she had her go bag ready. If she could get to her car, she could maybe make it out.

“Bonnie?” Chef stepped through the kitchen doors and smiled at her. “There you are. You have a package.”

Bonnie nearly ran right there. She nearly grabbed Tyson and sprinted, but she noticed the brown box in Chef’s hands.

“What?”

“You got a package. It looks like it’s from Amazon,” Chef said. “I signed for it. The delivery guy just needed a signature.”

Bonnie heard a car engine start up and saw the distinctive design of the delivery truck pass outside the window. It was a false alarm.

“Are you okay, Bonnie?” Chef asked, coming over and putting the back of her hand on Bonnie’s forehead. “You look like you might be sick.”

Bonnie pulled away. “I’m fine. My package wasn’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow. It’s something for my computer.”

Chef handed her the small brown box. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Bonnie replied automatically. She still wasn’t sure that she wasn’t going to puke all over the cafeteria floor, but she wasn’t going to tell Chef that. “Thank you for the package.”

“Sure thing,” Chef replied. She frowned but went back to the kitchen to finish prepping food for the next day.

Bonnie needed to be more careful. She didn’t realize how unprepared she was until just this minute. What if it hadn’t been a delivery? What if they had found her? They would have her, and probably Tyson and Chef too.

“Tyson? I need to go make a phone call. Can you head over to story time?”

“Sure, Bonnie.” The boy came over and gave her a big hug. She held him tight for a moment, thanking her lucky stars that the boy was still safe. She needed to protect him. She doubted the Trio would do anything to the staff here, but they could get caught in the crossfire if they came for her.

She made sure he made it safely out to the campfire area where the camp counselors were reading stories to the kids in pajamas. Tyson waved to her before running over to sit next to Elena. She watched him for a second before turning and going back to her cabin.

The camp was quiet all around her as she stood on her porch. The big pines rustled in the wind, but there was no other noise. She could smell rain on the way. She took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. It was a burner phone she’d picked up at a gas station on the state border.

She dialed Detective Patton’s number.

“Patton,” the familiar voice answered.

“It’s Bonnie,” she replied, knowing that he wouldn’t recognize the number.

“Bonnie! Are you okay?” he asked, but his tone was light. “Are you safe?”

“I’m okay.” She took a breath. “Actually, I’m calling you to make sure everything is still okay. How’s my brother?”

“He’s great,” Detective Patton said. She could hear the smile in his voice, and she imagined him sitting at his desk at the police station. “I think he’s actually enjoying this. He keeps talking about a job in law enforcement just so he can keep this job up.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course, her brother would find a way to make the situation more fun. That was Brett.

“What about me?” She tried to keep her voice even. “Have you heard anything from them? Any threats?”

“There hasn’t been anything,” he assured her. “It’s been quiet. There haven’t been any threats to your brother or you. Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing a good job of staying quiet. There’s no chatter.”

“And nothing’s popped up on the computer stuff?” she asked, still unconvinced of her safety. She was still spooked.

“I saw your background check request went through last week, but I handled it personally. No one saw it, but me and I made sure nothing could be traced back to you. You’re safe on that front. Congrats on the new job, by the way.”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her.

“Bonnie, is everything okay? Did something happen?” Worry crept into Detective Patton’s voice.

“Not really,” she admitted. “A delivery guy came a day early, and it gave me a scare.”

“I could see how that could make you think of this, Bonnie,” the detective agreed. “But Bonnie, there’s nothing. They’re busy dealing with bigger problems right now. I covered your tracks. You’re safe.”

Bonnie felt anything but safe.

“You’re sure?” she asked.

“As sure as I can be,” he told her. “Our undercover agents haven’t heard a thing. But listen, Bonnie. You need to trust your gut. If you don’t feel safe, then leave.”

“Okay, Mike.” She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Bonnie. If you need anything, you let me know. I’m here for you.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

She hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket. Thunder rumbled overhead. It was late in the day for their daily afternoon shower. It was an evening shower tonight. It reminded her of her first night here. The storm clouds were dark and ominous above her. The air crackled with anticipation of rain and lightning.

She fiddled with the phone, trying to calm her nerves. She’d grown complacent. She’d grown comfortable here. She was fairly sure she was out of their reach, but then, who really knew?

A black sedan pulled up to the garage. The windows were tinted, and she didn’t recognize the plates. It slowed, did a slow circle around the garage and then sped went back toward the main entrance. She ducked inside her cabin, staying low to the ground and peeking out of the window on the door.

Her heart was in her mouth. She knew, logically, that it was probably just a lost foster parent. That happened a lot around here. She knew that there was a decent amount of security given that billionaires lived on and owned the ranch. Most likely, it was nothing. But what if it wasn’t? What if they were looking for her.

Anxiety gripped her chest and made it hard to breathe. Her heart wouldn’t slow down, and she kept thinking she heard the sound of footsteps outside her cabin.

She couldn’t stay here.

She needed to run. It was better if she ran now. It was better that she left before Tyson or Dylan became attached. If she left now, they would be disappointed, but they would forget her. If she left now, she could keep them safe.