Maya stared at her phone in shock for a moment before jumping into action. Matt’s call had been surprising, but when she thought of their talk and his confession to being in the mafia, she knew she had no time to waste. Matt was not playing around.

She shoved clothing into a bag and tried to think about what she would need. She ran into Jason’s room and grabbed clothing and a few of his favorite toys. Her head was spinning and she didn’t know what to take or what to do. Would they be gone long? Forever?

Her heart raced and she jumped when someone knocked on the door.

She yanked it open without hesitation. “Thank God you’re here.”

She stared into a man’s face she didn’t recognize. She’d assumed it was Matt. She hadn’t even checked. How stupid could she have been?

“Nice to see you, too, sweetheart,” the man said with a smirk.

She tried to slam the door shut, but he stuck out an arm and stopped her. She dropped her bag and ran.

After almost tripping over a toy car in the hall, she made it to the kitchen. There were knives here, but also a sliding glass door leading outside.

She reached for a knife, but the man grabbed her arm and pulled her hard. She fell to the floor, banging her chin on the hard tile. She tried to shake it off, then heard the slide of a gun.

When she looked up, the man had his gun pointed at her. She sucked in a breath, and it was all she had time to do.

The door slammed open hard and both of them looked toward it. She scrambled to her feet while the man was distracted.

Matt’s voice called out, “Maya!”

“Kitchen!” she called back.

The man grabbed her again and spun her so that her back was to him. His gun pushed into her temple.

“Matt!” she squeaked as he appeared in the doorway.

He didn’t hesitate for a moment. There was no standoff with guns pointed all over the place. Matt rushed in and tackled the guy.

Both men crashed to the ground and the gun flew out of his hand. Maya picked it up and pointed it at the man, shaking so hard she would never be able to actually aim.

Matt smashed the guy’s head hard into the tile floor and the man went limp. Matt stood, grabbed the gun from Maya, and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

“Let’s go.”

They raced out the door and got into his car. He drove so fast that Maya held onto the car’s dashboard and tried to breathe.

“What’s going on, Matt?” She tried to hold back tears and the only thing keeping her together right now was the rush of adrenaline and terror.

“It’s bad. This is what I always feared. But there’s a safe deposit box at the bank if anything happens to me.”

“But, but…”

“We have to focus. We’ll get Jason, then you two are getting on a plane and getting as far away from here as possible.”

“You’re not coming with us?”

“I have to take care of things first.”

“No, Matt. We’re not going anywhere without you.”

He slammed on the brakes as he pulled into a parking spot. “Yes, you are. I’ll go get him.” He handed her the gun. “Use this if you have to.”

She watched him go into the school and put her head in her hands to try to breathe. Her thoughts and emotions were too scrambled. She felt like her brain was on fire.

Much sooner than she thought possible, Matt came running out of the school, carrying Jason in his arms.

He got him in the backseat, then hopped in the driver’s seat and took off again.

Maya tried to make things seem as normal as possible. She turned to smile at her son, but he looked scared.

“Hi sweetie,” she said with a smile. “This is an exciting day. We’re going to go on a trip. Are you surprised? We wanted it to be a surprise.”

He stared back at her with wide eyes. “Where are we going?”

“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?” she asked.

He screwed up his face, thinking. “The fire station! Then I could see all the trucks!”

“I’m sure there’s a fire station where you’re going,” Matt said. He turned hard into the airport. This wasn’t the main airport for the city, but a smaller, private one. Maya had never been here before.

“Where are we going?” Maya asked him quietly.

He didn’t answer as he pulled up to a small plane. “Come on.”

They all got out of the car. He grabbed Jason and hugged him hard, then kissed him and set him back down. “You be a good boy and listen to your mom. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“You’re not coming?” Jason’s lip quivered as he looked up at his father.

“Soon. I have to work, then I’ll be there.”

Matt turned his full attention to Maya. “I am so sorry for putting you through this. For everything I’ve put you through.” He pulled her close and kissed her hard, then whispered, “I love you. I’ve loved you since the day I walked away from you over six years ago, and I’ve never stopped loving you.”

Her mouth popped open in surprise.

He shoved a piece of paper into her hand. “This is the address. The pilot will take you, then a car will be there to drive you to the safe house. Stay in the area. I don’t know how long I’ll be, but I will come for you.”

“Will you?” Tears filled her eyes and her voice shook. “What if you don’t make it?”

“Then my lawyer will call you, and you’ll be set for life.”

She pressed her lips together and tears spilled down her cheeks. “Be careful. Please. We need you.”

He put his hand to her cheek. “I’m going to make things right for us.”

He walked away, and as Maya and Jason were ushered onto the plane, she realized she hadn’t told him that she loved him, too. She watched out the window as they took off, tears running freely. She pulled Jason close and held him, hoping they would see Matt again soon.