Chapter 24
Both trucks stopped at the House first to unload the trailer Colton pulled, carrying the new equipment. They were greeted by Blake, who had an urgent look on his face rather than his typical glower.
“Hey, man, what’s good?” Colton asked, reading his expression as a possible warning.
Blake extended his hand, offering their typical handshake to each, giving Sam and Meg each a welcoming nod.
“Not much – just here to help you unload. Chief wants it done now so training can start first thing,” Blake said with raised eyebrows, hoping they caught on and would run with the opening he gave them.
“Well, okay then. Sam, can you run Meg and Jax home, and I can drop you off after?” Dawson offered to Colton, working with the opportunity Blake gave them.
“Sounds good…shouldn’t take long. We’ll be right behind you guys,” Colton said.
“Then, let’s barbeque! It’s chilly but clear today. The kids can play and get all that energy out from the long trip. Blake, we expect you to come too!” Sam said with excitement, not ready for their weekend to end.
“I don’t know. I still have a bit of a headache, and Jax is pretty tired,” Megan cut in, anxiety flooding her tone.
“That’s okay! I’ll drop you two off. Go grab a nap while I run to the store and get dinner going!” By the time Jax wakes, the guys will be home!” Sam explained, hopping in the truck while Colton put Jax in the other truck, leaving Meg no choice but to comply.
“See you soon, babe. Have a good nap,” Colton said, followed by a kiss.
Megan gave him a weak smile, leaving her hand on his cheek a second longer than she probably would have if this wasn’t the last time she was going to see him.
Blake had Colton and Dawson follow him to his office for a closed door conversation while rookies unloaded the equipment from the trailer. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a deep breathy sigh, searching for a starting point. He picked up a folder and began to thumb through it.
A file that size, after only a handful of days, left a weighted feeling deep in Colton’s gut. A sense of despair washed over him. He knew this wasn’t ending well for them and had an uneasy notion to get home to her.
“Let’s hear it, Coop. That’s a pretty hefty file,” Dawson said, using the words Colton couldn’t seem to find.
Blake took a seat on the corner of his desk, facing his friends. He pulled out several pictures from the expansive file, laid them in a row in front of the two men sitting before him and said,
“We have a problem…a big one…”
Megan watched Sam back out of the driveway with a quick wave and a superficial smile because there really wasn’t anything to smile about. Once Sam was out of view, Megan immediately made her way inside to execute her plan. She moved quickly, trying to ignore the pain in her chest that was her heart breaking. The heartache over-took the fear as the idea of leaving Colton and this place behind was more crushing than her past finding her. But, she had to go, had to run…for Jax.
She grabbed an already packed bag from the back of the closet in the room Jax had been using. She tossed it on the bed, opening it to add their basic day to day supplies that they would need in the next 48 hours. The rest she would buy later when she was far enough from McKenzie Ridge to do so, safely.
She changed her clothes to a non-conspicuous pair of jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers, along with a baseball cap to hold her hair. Getting out of town, unnoticed, was her first challenge. Small towns noticed everything.
She had a second car stashed just outside of McKenzie in an old abandoned forest service garage. It was fueled up and stocked with nonperishable food items, even toilet paper. Staying off the radar meant avoiding people every step of the way. Once she got to the other car, her short life as Megan Johnson would be over, and she would be in the wind, untraceable, again, she hoped.
She paused to look around the room, searching for anything she may have missed. She scanned the various pictures of the three of them that had already begun to accumulate. She picked up a picture of all three of them on the front porch, surrounded by their family of animals.
Tears sprung to her eyes as she heard a whimper behind her…Duke. She tucked the picture in her bag and went to her best K9 friend, bending to one knee. She hugged him, giving him a big loving rub down his back. She scratched his ears and hugged his head one last time and said, “You’re a good boy, Duke. Such a good boy. I’m going to miss you so much.”
She laughed at herself for getting so choked up and emotional over a dog, remembering her first meeting with their furry, feathery, little gang. She chuckled at how frightened she had been by the gentle beasts whom she now loved as much as the people in her life. She’d come so far, grown and changed so much in the past few months here in McKenzie Ridge. She was going to miss it terribly.
“You take care of Colton for me, okay? I love him so much. I don’t want to hurt him, but it’s too dangerous for everyone if I stay. Okay? You understand, don’t you boy? Forgive me?” Duke gave her another throaty whimper and laid his head on her shoulder. “I know. I love you too, buddy.”
She got up on her feet, grabbed little Jax, and hugged him tight. This wasn’t just hard for her, but it would be hard for him as well. First his mom, now the new family-like friends they had made who he had come to love and adore. It broke her heart.
“Maybe when this is all over, we can come back here,” she said to the tot resting on her hip. She wondered who she was trying to convince, the toddler or herself. Someday. That was a day she looked forward to. Someday meant no more running, no more hiding, no more fear or threats. Someday. Such an ambiguous idea. Her someday could be tomorrow, or it could be 20 years from now. Someday was as likely as chocolate rain, she conceded, not in her lifetime. Such a defeating thought.
Her heart filled with sorrow as she grabbed her bag and headed for the front door. If it were just her, she could stay…she would risk it all. But she wouldn’t risk Jax’s little life. She would keep her promise and protect him, at her own expense, for as long as it took.
Her eyes welled to the edge of her lids as she made her final pass down the hallway, past the living room and kitchen to the front door. She reached for the door knob, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, readying herself for what opening that door would unleash.
“Were you even going to say goodbye? Or did you not trust me with that either?” Her eyes shot open and breath caught at the sound of his voice. He was here to stop her. She turned to her left, facing the living room, and there he sat on the couch, waiting for her. “Colton,” she whispered.
“I…”
“You were running. Why? I thought we had a deal? We were going to fight,” he reminded her, his voice thick with his pain. “Let me help you.”
Large tears finally spilled over, flooding her cheeks like a rapid rainfall at the look of sadness and desperation on his face. The sound of defeat mingled with his words. She hurt him. She knew she would, but she didn’t think she would have to endure witnessing it.
“Colton…” She choked on his name, as if it was painful to even mention. “I have to leave. This
is what I was so afraid of, why I tried so hard to avoid a relationship to begin with… I can’t do this. I just can’t.”
Her own words pained her. Sure, they were honest, but they didn’t represent what she really wanted. She couldn’t tell him why she really needed to leave. He would try to fight her past for her or follow her. Either way, he was in harm’s way, and it could cost him his own life.
She needed to protect him, just as he wanted to protect her. He needed to believe this was what she wanted. She may have said she could fight for forever, but those words took new meaning when that fight followed her to Portland, putting everyone in the line of fire.
Now, she needed to get said harm away from her loved ones. She needed it to follow her away from McKenzie.
“That’s crap, Megan, and you know it. Or, should I say, Trinity?” he finished with a near whisper, showing her his whole hand at once. If he couldn’t get her to stay because she loved him and trusted him enough to help, then he had no choice but to lay it all out there.
Her face drained of color, eyes glazed over in shock, a wave of nausea rushing through her. He said her name. She wondered how much more he knew and how he found out. He was a moving target now in a mercy situation. He would be used, at any cost, to get to her.
Colton moved closer, reaching for her, aware of the fear he had just instilled in her. She stepped away, back against the door, shaking her head no as the tears streamed fiercely to a near sob. She choked on her words, trying to speak, but couldn’t. Everything she tried to protect him from was staring back at her…he knew
. He was as good as dead.
“No, no, no…” She started in a whisper but graduated to a near yell. “You can’t, Colton! You can’t know! You aren’t safe! You can’t fight this for me. It’s bigger than us, and it’s bigger than this town! You’re all in harm’s way! Don’t say that name again,” she cried, uncontrollably. Gasping between her words. “You don’t know me, okay?”
“Please, let me in. Let me help
you. If you won’t let me help, then let me go with you. Because knowing you are out there in the world alone, being chased by this
, will kill me too. I swear on everything I’ve ever known and loved, I’ll keep you and Jax safe. Let me help you carry this weight.” Colton’s anger and pain had become desperate. He needed her to hear him and let him in.
“Meg, I’ve waited my whole life for you. I will not
let it end like this. I will not
let anything hurt you. Please, baby, please, trust me enough with this. Please, trust that our friends can and will help,” he begged, his interest not only to keep her but to keep her alive.
“Colton, they are bigger than us. If anyone got hurt, I couldn’t live with myself. I brought this here, and I need to take it away,” she said, moving away from him and the door, not sure of her next move but knowing it would be at a run.
She heard the side door to her left open and close, followed by urgent heavy footsteps of what sounded like a herd of people. Panic won, her greatest fear realized, and anxiety took over. “Oh, my God!” She whispered through her shaky words. “They’re already here.” Her eyes rolled back, eyebrows furrowed, and she gasped for breath before collapsing, completely unconscious.
“Megan!”