Wrong Number (26 page)

“Do you trust Jason?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question.” Aubree hesitated. “I think so.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “I have to trust him— there’s no one else, and it doesn’t make sense not to.”

“Is there another way you can communicate with Jason?” Wyatt asked. “Maybe you could make sure his supervisor gets the message too.”

Aubree cupped her chin in her hand. “That’s a good idea, but I can’t take any chances with Scarlett. I want her to be with my mom in case something happens.”

“Are you still talking about making a phone call or something else now?” Wyatt put his arm around her. “I don’t think you should take any chances with yourself either.”

“But that’s what I’m doing right now,” Aubree said. “I don’t even know what’s going on with my case because I’m on the run.” She put her head in her hands and thought for a second. “Help me figure out how to get Scarlett to my mom without alerting whoever is watching her house. I have to make contact with Jason.”

She shook her head when Wyatt tried to interrupt. “I’ll be using myself as bait, but the people who are hunting me down will only be able to find me through Jason and never in a remote campground like Paris Springs.”

“You can’t use yourself as bait unless you’re going to be making the calls from the police station in Logan—Wait, I have an idea.” Wyatt snapped his fingers. “Do you trust me?”

His hazel eyes sparkled, and Aubree looked directly into them and nodded.

“Good, I know how we can keep Scarlett and your mom safe.” He looked over his shoulder at the sleeping bundle on the bed. “We can take her to Logan to stay with my parents and have your mom come after you’ve made the call to the FBI.”

“But how can we be sure that’s safe? I don’t want to put your family in danger too.” Aubree stood and put their dishes in the sink. Then she paced the small space in front of the table. Wyatt reached out and grabbed her hand.

“You know it’s the best chance we have. If you’re certain there’s a leak connected with your agent, then maybe after you make the call, they’ll back off your mom.” Wyatt squeezed her hand. “She wouldn’t even have to come right away. My parents could take care of Scarlett until you think it’s safe.”

Aubree leaned into Wyatt and blinked back tears. “I’m scared. This is too big. What if it doesn’t work?”

“It’ll work. We’ll take Scarlett to my parents’ house. Then we’ll come back to Bear Lake and make the call. We can arrange to meet Jason at Bear Lake, and we’ll be safe here in the meantime.”

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I feel like this is my only chance.” She spread her fingers on the tabletop. “If I can sound convincing enough, like I have solid evidence of my attackers—maybe it’ll flush them out.”

“I don’t think it will be difficult to sound convincing.” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “I can’t believe how you figured out GREANE.”

“It’s like it was waiting there for me. My freedom is encapsulated in those letters and what they stand for.” Aubree closed her eyes and tried to imagine how it would feel to be free again—to live in peace instead of having her heart hammer constantly like a hunted animal. She breathed in and out slowly and opened her eyes.

Wyatt watched her and pulled her close. He kissed her softly and murmured, “I love you, Aubree.”

She kissed him back, but she couldn’t say those words yet. They were lodged in her throat, stuck up against the memory of the life she’d left behind a year ago, and buried in the circumstances that haunted her. Her mind swirled with the thoughts that it was her fault Devin had died and
that she was on the run with a baby who would never know her father. She didn’t want to think about it, but it came unbidden to her mind. It wasn’t fair, but it had happened anyway. She pulled back and looked at Wyatt. “Can we go to Logan tomorrow?”

T
WENTY-THREE

T
HE
FBI
HAD ALLOTTED
as much man power as they could spare for a solid three weeks, and they still hadn’t found Aubree. The possible routes, as well as the number of gas stations and campgrounds, made the task equal to searching for a needle in a haystack. Given enough time, they’d find her, but Jason was having a difficult time convincing Agent Napierski of that. He explained the information they had on Aubree again and expressed how close they were to finding her as he sat in Napierski’s office.

“I can’t give you any more men, Edwards.”

“But it may be too late if you don’t,” Jason said.

Napierski frowned. “Maybe it already is. Concentrate your efforts on the latest activity we’ve seen. We can solve this case without Aubree Stewart.”

“Yes, sir.” Jason walked down the hall and slammed the door to his own office, throwing Aubree’s file onto the stack of papers on his desk. They had their finger on a number of connections, but without Aubree, the connections would short-circuit. He needed her to flush out whoever was so desperate to cover their tracks.

The chill of the morning air was refreshing, but Aubree’s mind was occupied imagining every possible scenario of the plan, making it impossible to enjoy the drum of the woodpecker or the rush of the creek outside the trailer. Her insides churned as she packed a small bag for Scarlett.

Soft, brown ringlets poked out of a pile of blankets where Scarlett still snuggled in bed. Aubree finished packing and eased onto the bed next to her baby, caressing her cheek. Scarlett had been the only constant of the past year, and Aubree felt grateful to notice the peace that always surrounded her. Her baby girl seemed unaffected so far by the turmoil of events, and Aubree wanted to keep it that way. It would be difficult enough to meet Wyatt’s family, but the thought of leaving her daughter there made her head spin.

The crunch of gravel announced her early morning visitor, and Aubree hurried to open the trailer door before Wyatt could knock. She stepped out with a finger to her lips.

“Oh, you want a kiss?” Wyatt pulled her close and kissed her.

“That wasn’t what I meant, but good morning to you too.” She relaxed her head onto his shoulder.

“Scarlett’s still sleeping, then?”

“She’ll probably wake up any minute.”

Wyatt rubbed Aubree’s arms and smiled at her. “I wanted to come by early because I figured you’d be over here worrying about today.”

“You’re right.” Aubree stepped back and sighed. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing?”

“I do. As soon as you’re ready, I have a couple more campgrounds to check on the way out. I thought we could grab some breakfast in Bear Lake—my treat.” He squeezed her hand and pulled her close to him again. “We can wait to make the call to the Feds until after we’ve dropped Scarlett off, okay?”

“Okay. Let me change Scarlett’s diaper, and then we’ll be ready.” Aubree pulled him into the trailer after her. “Do you want some orange juice while you’re waiting?” Wyatt nodded, and she pulled the quart of orange juice out of the miniature fridge crammed with food from shopping the day before. Scarlett yawned and turned over on the bed. She smiled when she saw Wyatt and Aubree standing there.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Aubree said and then swallowed a lump in her throat. She pulled Scarlett into a cuddle and blinked several times.

“You okay?” Wyatt asked.

“Yeah, I was thinking how I’ve never been apart from her, ever.”

“You’re an incredible mom, Aubree, but guess what?” Wyatt winked at her. “My mom is, too, and I know Scarlett will love her.”

Aubree swallowed again and gave Wyatt a weak smile. “I hope so.”

“Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma,” Scarlett said and then giggled when Aubree kissed her cheeks.

It was barely eight o’clock by the time they left camp, and Aubree tried to appreciate the quiet of the morning and redirect her thoughts, but her hands clenched with anxiety.

Scarlett acted excited about going somewhere again, and Aubree mentally counted the days they had been at the Paris Springs campground. It had been twenty-two days, and there were only a few weeks left until September. Her time at the campground had to be up soon anyway because the weather wouldn’t allow her to stay much longer. It seemed so long since she’d left Nebraska, but it was barely a month.

The crystal waters of Bear Lake came into view, and Aubree noticed a few sailboats out for an early morning turn on the lake. When Wyatt stopped to check on the campgrounds, Aubree tried to keep herself from thinking how nice it would be to stay in one place without looking over her shoulder. It was impossible not to hope, though.

The information she pieced together about Chief Ferrin and his brother, Governor Ferrin, had to be on the mark. It was the only thing that could explain why the FBI had failed to solve the murders. Then again, maybe they did have more information than the last time she’d been in touch with them, but it wasn’t likely.

Wyatt was quiet on the drive into Bear Lake, and she knew he was brooding over the same things. She wanted to have so much more time with him. She pursed her lips and shook her head. She wouldn’t let Wyatt live this kind of life. If the FBI couldn’t find enough to convict the Ferrin brothers, she would have to go on the run again.

Aubree swallowed the familiar jagged lump of tears in her throat and stared out the window.
Please, I want a normal life. Nothing fancy, just something safe with no more running.
She let that prayer echo over and over in her mind as they drove closer to their destination.

An hour later, filled to the brim with raspberry-stuffed French toast, they drove carefully through Logan Canyon. “We’re lucky they’re not doing construction this summer. They’ve been widening all these roads for years now,” Wyatt said.

“It’s beautiful,” Aubree responded.

“I promise you don’t have to be nervous.” Wyatt reached over and squeezed her hand.

“I keep trying to tell myself the same thing.” Aubree covered his hand with hers and looked out the window. “So, what did you tell your parents?”

“I told them I met the most amazing, beautiful woman who has a daughter, and that they happen to be members of a witness protection program gone bad and that you needed help.”

“And they didn’t totally freak out?”

“Well, I didn’t say it quite so succinctly to my mom. She was pretty worried, but of course, they said they’d do anything to help.” Wyatt leaned forward and rested his arms on the steering wheel. “My mom really wanted to have time to visit with you, but I explained to her about the dangers and how we didn’t want a bunch of neighbors seeing you and me and then asking about Scarlett.”

“Thanks, Wyatt. I’d like to visit with your parents too. Maybe this will be over sooner than we think.”

“Why don’t you close your eyes and relax?” He glanced at Scarlett dozing in the back seat. “Follow her example. This is going to be a busy day for you.”

Aubree grinned. “We planned this right for her morning nap. She should be happy when we get there.” She yawned and then chuckled when Wyatt lifted his eyebrows. “Okay, I’ll rest for a minute, but aren’t you tired?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to this by now. Sweet dreams,” Wyatt said.

Closing her eyes felt good, and Aubree concentrated on relaxing and letting go of her worries. Her mind drifted to flashes of memories—giving birth to Scarlett, saying good-bye to her mom, moving to Nebraska, buying the old truck and trailer and heading to Idaho, meeting a park ranger named Wyatt Erickson, and allowing herself to fall in love again. She dozed until she felt the gentle vibrations of the pickup stop. She stretched and looked around. “Are we here?”

“Yep, my parents live on the island—which won’t make sense to you, but think of it as a sunken island. Every other part of town goes up from here.” He motioned to the foothills and mountains rising around them. The streets were lined with shade trees bursting in greenery that would soon turn to autumn shades. Wyatt opened the door for her, and she stepped out. “This is a nice neighborhood. It’s quiet.”

“I like it. It’s not as quiet as the Paris Springs Campground, but it’s where I grew up, with the mountains right in my backyard.”

“I think I can see why you chose the occupation you did.”

Wyatt reached into the backseat of his cab and unhooked Scarlett’s car seat. Blue eyes popped open, and a two-toothed grin made him chuckle. “Are you ready to meet some new people?” Wyatt stroked her cheek. Scarlett reached out and grabbed his finger, and she babbled something intermixed with gurgles and a smile directed at Aubree.