The Boys Club (18 page)

Sara accepted the change from the
cashier without looking directly at him and turned around to head to the
bathroom. She tried to stay conservative while shopping, settling on a couple
T-shirts, a few personal items, some water, and food. The truck stop had no
jeans or other clothes for her, but she figured she could make do with whatever
they had at the next safe house. It would only be for a few more days at the
most, she hoped.

In the restroom, she stood over the sink and used paper
towels to soap off her face, neck, and arms. After drying her skin, she went
into the handicap stall and changed into a clean shirt. She wanted nothing more
than to climb into a hot shower and change into fresh clothes, but she reminded
herself it wouldn’t be too much longer before she could do that.

Back at the sink, she took the toothbrush and toothpaste out
of the bag and worked on getting her teeth cleaned. Between that and the sponge
bath, she already felt much better, but was a long ways off from being back to
normal.

“Screw you, too, Vern,” a female voice came from just
outside the bathroom.

The door swung open and Sara froze at the sink as a stout
woman wearing a flannel shirt walked in.

“Men,” the woman said. She stepped up to the basin next to
where Sara stood and looked at Sara in the mirror, as if they shared some
common bond. “You can’t live with ‘em, but you can sure as hell live without
‘em.” Her laugh echoed through the small bathroom.

Sara gave her a brief smile, but returned her attention to
brushing her teeth. She spit out the last of the toothpaste. Leaning over the
sink, she cupped water in the palm of her hand and brought it up to her mouth.

“I’ve had to do more than one of these truck stop clean
ups,” the woman said, washing her hands. “Not the best in the world, but it
works. Where you heading?”

Sara hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Um, just taking a
road trip, that’s all.”

“I see, I see,” the woman said, eyeing Sara in the mirror. “Me
and Vern are heading over to Nebraska. Have a load to drop off there by
tomorrow. Looks like you’ve been on the road quite a bit already.”

“Not for too long,” Sara said. She worked on packing her
things back in her bag to leave.

“Yeah, you’re a bit worse for the wear. Still adorable as a
baby chick, though.” She moved to the paper towel dispenser and yanked out
several sheets of rough, brown towels. “You driving with your man or with a
friend?”

Sara grabbed her bag and headed to the door. “A man… I mean,
a friend. He’s a man, but he’s a friend.” She pulled open the door as a flush
crept into her cheeks.

The woman laughed again and followed Sara out of the
restroom. “I know that type of man friend,” she said.

Sara stopped to look around for Logan, and considered her
exit strategy. She didn’t want to be rude to the woman, who was friendly
enough, but she also couldn’t keep talking to her in case someone noticed them
or the woman happened to recognize her from the news.

“Over there,” the woman said, her short arm extended and
pointing to the hot dog warmers. “That’s my Vern right there.”

Sara smiled at the sight of Vern, who scratched the top of
his head and messed up his comb over.

“I sure do love him, but sometimes spending all day together
in that truck of ours gets the better of us. You’ll find out at the end of your
trip with your man, I’m sure. Which one is yours, now?”

Sara’s stomach knotted as she looked around for Logan. She
wanted to hurry and get back to him, away from the prying conversation.

“That’s him coming in now,” the woman said. “I know it sure
as I know my name. He seems like your man, at least.”

Sara swallowed hard at the sight of Logan walking into the
truck stop. She latched onto her locket and swung it back and forth on the
chain.

“Yeah, that’s him,” the woman said. “Man alive, he sure is
something.”

Logan stopped when he saw Sara and stared at her with his
trademark, unreadable expression.

Sara kept her eyes on him, immobilized by her thoughts. She
didn’t know what he was to her, other than her protector, even though she felt
something more when he looked at her. Any day now, he would walk out of her
life, and though she could not fathom why, that was not an acceptable outcome
to her. He seemed to be the only thing she had left to hold onto before the FBI
took her away and she did not want to lose the one person who tethered her new
life to her old one.

“It was nice talking with you,” she told the woman.

Logan’s eyes shifted to the cash register. He looked back at
Sara with a frown before walking toward her.

Sara wondered what he saw that changed his demeanor so
suddenly. She turned her attention to the cash register.

“Oh my goodness,” the woman said from beside her.

Sara’s jaw dropped and her heart jumped when she saw the
television behind the counter. There, for the whole store to see, was her
picture. Information scrolled across the bottom of the screen beneath the word
“MISSING” in large, block letters, just above a phone number.

“That’s you,” the woman said. “You’re that girl they’re looking
for in California.”

“Time to go,” Logan said when he reached her. He grabbed her
arm and guided her lead-filled legs to the exit nearest them.

“Wait!” the woman called out.

Logan picked up the pace. As soon as they went through the
door, he coaxed her to run. She barely heard the commotion of people behind
them over her heart thudding in her ears. They both jumped into the car and
Logan fumbled for a second with the keys. Her eyes landed on the woman running
out with Vern and a few other patrons right behind her. She noticed a man on
his cell phone gesturing wildly, occasionally pointing in her direction.

The engine revved up and Logan tore out of the parking lot.
She watched the side mirror for the first few miles, but didn’t notice anyone
following them.

“We have to get on some back roads for a while,” Logan said.

“I’m so sorry,” Sara said. “That woman wouldn’t stop talking
to me and—”

“It’s okay, Sara. There’s nothing you could have done once
it was on the TV. If she didn’t recognize you, someone else would have. We’re
just lucky there were no cops there at the truck stop.”

“It was my fault,” she said. “I should have walked away from
her as soon as she started talking to me and came out to find you. I just
didn’t want to be rude to her.”

“Stop worrying.” Logan touched her arm and glanced at her.
“You did nothing wrong. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s as
simple as that.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Of course not.”

Sara crossed her right arm over her chest and placed her
hand on top of his. “I don’t want to screw up again,” she said. “I don’t want
anything I do to end up with you getting hurt.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

She squeezed his hand and placed her hands in her lap.
Turning to look out the window, she realized with horror that she had just
touched his hand. She had done so without thinking, as if it were a natural
exchange between them, and embarrassment flooded her mind. The more time she
spent with him, the more comfortable she allowed herself to become. She needed
to remember he was just a man assigned to protect her. He wasn’t Stephen, and
they weren’t even friends, but two people thrown together in a strange
situation, one that would soon end.

“By the way,” Logan said, breaking into her thoughts.
“Schaffer says Mary is fine.”

Sara let out her breath and relief overcame her. “Where is
she? Is she safe?”

“She’s with her family in Oregon, at one of our safe houses
there. They’ll keep her there until it’s safe for her to go back home.”

“I hate that she’s involved in this,” Sara said.

“We didn’t want to take her when we picked you up, but we
had no choice. That was our only window of opportunity to get to you.”

“I’m just glad you’re making sure both she and her family
are safe.” Sara glanced at him, pushing the awkwardness of grabbing his hand
aside. “Can you get me in touch with her? I want to explain this all to her.”

“She’s been told everything already, but I might be able to
get a call in between you two once we get to the Church.”

“When are we going there?”

“I’m not sure. Could be tomorrow, could be in a few days.
Right now we’re heading to a safe house a couple hours away from here. You can
get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow morning, we’ll figure out our next move.”

Sara nodded and rested her head against the seat. She looked
out the window and tried to enjoy the scenery to pass the time.

For two hours, they shared
off-and-on light conversation about the less important things in life. It
helped pass the time and Sara was grateful for no more emotional discussions
about their situation or about his history with her father and Stephen. For
their lunch, they ate the beef jerky and sipped on the bottled water she
purchased at the truck stop.

At one point, Logan turned on the radio and surprised Sara
by tuning it to a country station. She thought he would have gone more for some
brand of rock. She had never been one for country music, but she let him keep
the radio on the station without speaking up and soon found the twang in the
songs oddly soothing.

A few miles after the “Welcome to Flagstaff” sign, Logan
took several side streets into an upscale subdivision. Though Sara did not care
for beige, grey, and tan cookie cutter homes, she could find nothing to
complain about with these homes. The sight of them signified she would soon get
a hot shower and a warm bed.

Logan pulled the car off to the side of the curb near a home
and turned off the engine.

“Is this it?” Sara asked, as she unlatched her seatbelt.

“It’s a few blocks over.” Logan turned around in the seat
and grabbed his bag from the back. “We’re going to walk over to it and scout it
out first. I don’t want the stolen car anywhere near
  
us. When we get to the house, I’ll call
Schaffer with its location and he’ll send someone to get it.”

Sara watched as he took out a T-shirt and wiped down the
steering wheel. He then used the shirt on the dashboard and any instruments he
had touched. He put the car keys under the floor mat and used the shirt to open
the door. She took the shirt from him and followed his lead, wiping down her
side of the car before opening her door. Once out of the car, Logan had her
watch for nosy neighbors while he wiped their prints off of the outside
handles.

Stuffing his shirt back in the bag, he motioned for her to
walk with him. They moved down the sidewalk and turned right at a cul-de-sac.
At the arch of the circle, they walked on the side of a home without a fence
and went through the backyard.

“Have you been to this safe house a lot?” Sara asked, impressed
with his ability to navigate the subdivision.

“A few times,” Logan said. “It’s been maybe a year since the
last time I was here.”

They trudged up a small, grassy hill. At the top, Logan held
out his hand to stop her from going further. “That’s the house,” he said,
pointing to a grey, two-story house at the bottom.

Sara knelt down to catch her breath. The other side of the
hill was much steeper than the side they just climbed, and her asthma already
had her wheezing a bit. “Can I get my inhaler?” she asked.

“Sure,” Logan said. He sat down next to her and retrieved it
from the bag.

She took two puffs and handed it back to him. Closing her
eyes, she rested her hand on her chest and steadied her breathing.

“We can stay here until you’re ready. If we need to go back
to the car, we can drive there. Then I’ll bring it back here and walk to the
safe house.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want you going to all that trouble. I’ll
just do a treatment when we get there.”

He studied her face for a moment. “If you change your mind—”

“I’ll be okay. Why are you so worried about them finding us
at this safe house?”

“There’s a leak in our organization,” Logan said, still
staring at the house. “I kept hoping that maybe I was still wrong, but them
finding us at the last one proves it.”

“What does that mean, a leak?”

“Someone in my group is working for Langston.”

His words clicked in her mind. “That’s why you told me not
to trust anyone at the safe house.”

“I hate that you’re exposed to this because a leak makes
your already bad situation even more dangerous, but I’m not going to let them
find you. Schaffer is working on it to see if we can find out who it is.”

“Is that why you don’t want to go to the Church today?

“Exactly,” Logan said. “If someone on the inside is working
against us, I don’t want you to be in even closer proximity to that person.”

Sara settled down on the lush grass, pulled her knees up to
her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I can’t wait to get into a
hot shower,” she said. “I feel like we’ve been on the road for weeks.”

“I think that’s the first thing we’ll both do.”

“How many bathrooms in the house?”

“Three and a half, if I remember right.”

“Thank God. I thought I was going to have to arm wrestle you
to see who showered first.”

“I’d have let you win.”

Sara flinched and looked up at him. His tone held a hint of
humor, but no smile graced his face. She realized for the first time that not
once since he entered her life had she seen him smile or heard him laugh. She
wondered if losing his wife had created the sadness that ruled him or if his
demeanor had always been more on the serious side.

After several minutes passed in silence, Logan said, “I
think it’s safe to go down there now. We’ve scoped it out long enough to make
sure no one is inside. Are you sure you can make it down the hill?”

She nodded and pushed herself up from the ground. Peering
down the steep descent, she said, “Just don’t let me fall.”

He caught her eyes. “I won’t let you fall.”

Her heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched. He didn’t
seem to notice, as he started down the hill. She composed herself and he
encouraged her to follow his slow, deliberate steps, and Sara made sure each
step she took landed exactly where he had stepped. He kept his hand out toward
her, and after a couple steps she held onto his arm to help her balance. Though
she had moments where she thought she would stumble and roll down the hill,
Logan kept his word and got her down the hill in one piece.

At the house, he led her into the backyard. Under the wood
deck, Logan pressed several numbered buttons on a small, wooden box camouflaged
within the beams and retrieved a key. They went up the stairs of the deck, and
Logan used the key to open the back door. They entered through the kitchen, and
Logan set the bag down on the granite countertop.

Sara took a deep, cleansing breath, and let it out in a loud
sigh. “Feels good to finally be in a safe house again.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Logan said. He walked to the phone
on the breakfast bar and picked up the receiver. “I’m going to call Schaffer
real quick. Then we’ll go get cleaned up and figure out sleeping arrangements.”

Sara pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and watched him
as he turned to the side and spoke in a low tone to Schaffer. Every so often
she understood a word or two, but didn’t bother trying to strain so she could
eavesdrop. If he wanted her to know what they spoke about, he would tell her.

Instead, she occupied her time by studying his face. From his
tightened jaw, his creased brow, and narrowed eyes, she could tell whatever he
and Schaffer discussed was quite serious, even heated at times. Her eyes
traveled from the rough growth along his cheek and jawline, to lips that moved
with intent.

He turned his head, and his ice blue eyes caught her staring
at him. Her cheeks flushed and she jerked her head away to look at something
else in the kitchen. Not the first time she had been caught watching him, she
reprimanded herself for being so obvious.

Pushing back her chair, she decided to explore the rest of
the house while he finished the phone call. Anything to get her out of the
uncomfortable situation. She ambled toward what appeared to be the living room,
but stopped when Logan called her name.

“Don’t wander too far,” he said. “I still need to check out
the rest of the house.”

She nodded and went into the living room. The décor mirrored
that of the last safe house they were in, and immediately brought the rest of
Logan’s team to mind. She ran her hand along the top of the forest green couch,
thinking about sitting between Jack and Charlie, watching Jim Carrey movies.
They all had laughed so hard, not just at the movies, but at their light
conversation that day.

Dinner that night had been a wonderful time, as she got to
know all the men better, with the exception of Logan. If only she had known
that was truly their last dinner together, if there had been something she
could have done differently that would have resulted in their lives being
spared, she would have. Even if she had to surrender herself to the men
searching for her, the choice would have been easy for her. She would have done
anything to keep them alive.

“We’re all set,” Logan said from behind her.

Sara whirled around and smiled. “Did he say anything about
the leak?”

“Nothing yet, but he thinks he found a thread he can
follow.”

“Hopefully that will lead to something.”

“Are you ready to tour the house?”

She followed him up the carpeted stairs at the other end of
the living room. At the top of the stairs, Sara noticed a closed door on her
right. Logan led her left, passing another closed door. They continued down the
hall to a dead end with three rooms, all with the doors shut. Logan picked the
room on the left and set his bag down on a queen bed.

“I think I’ll have you stay here in this guest room,” he
said. “I’ll stay awake for most of the time you’re asleep, but when I do sleep
for a few hours, I’ll be in the master bedroom near the stairs. That way I can
hear anyone coming in the house and get to them before they get to you.”

“Do you think they’ll come here?”

“I don’t know, but I want to be prepared for anything.
There’s something I need to show you. All of our safe houses have a secret room
somewhere in them.”

“Like the room I was in at the last safe house?”

“Exactly. If someone does come here, I want you to hide
right away and don’t come out until I get you.”

“Where is the secret room?”

“It’s been a while, but it’s somewhere in here.” His eyes
traveled over the walls of the room until they landed on the closet. “Right
there.” He examined the seams in the drywall, pushed on the upper corner of the
wall next to the closet, and a hidden door swung open.

Sara jumped back. “That’s amazing!”

“There’s a handle on the inside for you to pull it shut once
you’re in there. You can also use that to push the door back open, but like I
said, don’t come out until I get you.”

As he closed the door, she memorized the release latch’s
location in case she needed to use it. “Where can I take a shower?”

“The bathroom is down the hall, on your left, just before
you reach the stairs. I’m going to head down to the master bathroom and shower
as well after I check out the rest of the house.”

“I need to do a breathing treatment first,” she said, “so
you’ll probably be done before me.”

“I’ll leave my bag with you since the master bedroom should
have clean clothes that fit me. You’re welcome to go through the dresser in
here and use whatever you need. There should also be some things in the
bathroom that you can use if you need to.”

“Thank you, Logan.”

“I’ll see you in just a few minutes.”

She waited until he left before opening his bag and pulling
out the nebulizer, once again amazed he had thought so far ahead to get duplicates
of all her medications. She found an outlet near the bed, plugged in the
machine, and prepared her treatment.

Sitting on the bed next to the bag, she clamped her lips
around the mouthpiece and breathed in the familiar medicated steam. She coughed
a couple times, but settled down almost immediately.

Boredom struck a couple minutes later, as it usually did
during a treatment. She fumbled with the handle of the bag for a moment before
unzipping it just a bit, then all the way. Not wanting to be caught snooping,
she looked at the door and wondered if Logan would come back in. She shrugged
and decided she could make up a story if he did.

She pulled out the T-shirts she bought at the truck stop,
followed by some dirty clothes. She rummaged through the rest of the bag, only
stopping when her hand came across one of the two guns in the bag. She yanked
back her hand and decided going through the rest of it wasn’t worth it,
especially if she accidentally discharged one of the weapons.

Putting everything back in its place, she zipped the bag
back up and resumed her treatment. When the medication in the nebulizer ran
out, she disconnected the tubes and cleaned the parts out in the bathroom down
the hall. Back in the bedroom, she put the machine into the bag and sat on the
edge of the bed to allow time for the shakiness from the treatment to wear off.

She glanced back down at the bag and noticed a small bulge
in the pocket on the side. She unzipped the pocket and reached inside. Two
items came out with her hand, both surprising her. The men’s wedding band broke
her heart, as she realized it was Logan’s. She rotated it around and tilted it
to read the engraving on the inside of the band. The words, “My forever,”
brought tears to her eyes.

No wonder he had been so passionate when he spoke to her
about not marrying a man she didn’t love. The love between his wife and he
still resonated today, from the words on the inside of the ring to the fact
that he still carried it with him. His morose demeanor, a constant reminder of
his loss, paid tribute to the pieces of his soul ripped out of him the day she
died.

The ring stirred up envy inside of Sara. She and Stephen
never had that kind of love, or any love at all. They never would. She doubted
she would ever experience something as wonderful as what Logan and his wife
must have had, before the cruelty of this world stole her away from him.

She focused her attention on the second item, a worn
photograph, the creases in the corners and the upward curvature in the middle
letting her know it had been handled far more than any random picture. A
beautiful brunette stood in front of a house with a wide smile, her hand
resting on her pregnant belly. Sara lifted her hand to her mouth as she studied
the woman. From Jack’s story, she knew Logan’s wife had died, but Jack failed
to mention she had been pregnant at the time. She couldn’t imagine Logan could
do the work he did while raising a child alone, so she could only assume his
wife died while pregnant.