Stop here,” I said, pointing to the side of the road.

“What?”

“Stop here. I can drive. I know where to go. Besides, you’re shaking, and Missy needs you.”

She continued to drive for a while longer before she finally pulled over.

I got out, opened the door for her, and helped her into the passenger side. Once she was settled, Missy in her arms, I leaned forward, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Hey, I don’t want you to worry, okay? Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to keep you and Missy safe. I promise.” We were forehead to forehead, staring into each other’s eyes.

She nodded.

“Do you trust me?”

Again, she nodded.

“Good.” I smiled and kissed her one more time, unable to resist. Now that I had gotten a taste of her, I couldn’t have enough.

Finally, I managed to pull away and got behind the wheel. Quietly, we drove for some time.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“A safe house.”

She tilted her head in question.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you about my job.”

“Oh?”

“I work for VanGuard,” I started. “It’s a special organization that works with ex-Navy Seals.”

“Wait… you were a Navy Seal?” Her eyes widened in bewilderment.

“I know. Shocking, isn’t it?”

She blushed. “That’s not what I meant…”

“It’s fine. I get it a lot. I work in the tech department, so many people think I’m just a tech guy, but I can actually hold my own pretty well in a fight.”

“Yeah, I saw that… You tackled that guy as if he weighed nothing.”

I chuckled. “Anyway, we’re a sort of task force that handles any highly-classified missions involving terrorists, organized crime, you name it.”

“So, what, you’re like the FBI?”

“Something like that.”

“I had no idea…”

“Of course not. We tend to keep quiet about it.”

“So why are you telling me now?” she asked.

“Because I want you to know that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. There are certain benefits to working at VanGuard, one of them being bodyguard protection. I can make sure you’re being protected at all times. That way, Emil will never lay a finger on you again.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want a bodyguard… I just want you.”

My heart quickened at her words, but I managed to keep my composure. “But in any case, it would be smart for us to hide out in one of the safehouses for the time being. They’re more or less built to withstand World War III and are pretty well hidden.”

“He won’t find us there?”

“Not a chance in hell.”

* * *

Soon, we arrived at the safehouse. It was stowed away in the middle of the woods. I drove as far as I could before we had to make the rest of the trek on foot.

“So… this is it? It looks like a cottage…” Stacey said, clearly unimpressed.

“No. The safehouse is underneath. This is just a decoy,” I explained, walking over to a nearby bush. I shoved my hand into the foliage until I found what I was looking for. Ah. There we go. I grabbed the lever and pulled on it.

Stepping back, the bush slid to the side, revealing a door.

“Wow… it’s like something out of a movie.”

I chuckled. “I guess so.” Using an authenticator on my phone, I generated the 14-digit code and entered it into the keypad.

Ding!

And with that, it opened. With Stacey’s hand in mine, I guided her into the cellar. Once we were off the stairs, I clapped my hands.

Light flooded from above, illuminating the small but tidy space.

It wasn’t much, but it was exactly what you needed to survive. A bed. Plenty of food. Running water.

“So… how long do we need to stay down here?”

“At least a few nights. I’ll have to make some calls, colleagues who can gauge the situation and advise us on how to proceed.”

“I see… Do you know if there’s any baby stuff…? I didn’t have time to grab any when I followed you out of the apartment.”

I nodded, rummaging through the boxes. The safe houses were stocked with just about anything anyone could need, from insulin to penicillin. Of course, we had taken into account that children might, at some point, find refuge in the safe house, so there were plenty of juices, dried fruit, and formula.

“Ah. Here…” I pulled out the box labeled ‘baby.’ “Take whatever you need.”

She looked at it in surprise. “Wow… you guys really are prepared.”

“It’s our job.”

As she fed Missy, I searched for the First-Aid kit. I knew that if I didn’t tend to my injuries, they would quickly get infected. This place was safe, yes, but it certainly wasn’t sterile.

It took a while to find, hidden behind a stack of winter clothing.

Stacey walked up to me, having put Missy to sleep in a small cot. “What are you doing?”

“Thought I would bandage myself up.”

“Here. Let me help.” She took the first-aid kit from my hand.

“Are you sure?”

“After everything you did for me? It’s the least I could do.”

“Oh, I never did thank you for what you did,” I said as I sat down on the ground, making it easier for her to tend to my injuries.

“What do you mean?”

“Running Emil over.”

“Oh…” She blushed. “That. I still can’t believe I actually did it.”

“It was quick thinking.” I smiled. “We might not be here now if it wasn’t for you.”

“Oh, please… you did most of the work.”

“Still, it was pretty brave of you. Most people would never dare to try something like it,” I insisted.

“Maybe.” She cleaned out my cuts with a bit of antiseptic, making me flinch. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” I said, looking up at her. “I trust you.”

Our eyes locked, and in that moment, it felt like the world had stopped.

Deep down, I knew that one way or another, we would make it out of this.

Together.