My macho cop boyfriend was about to get his Achilles’ heel crushed. “Sam, do something. He’s going to get hurt.”

“Sit tight. He must know what he’s doing.” Sam didn’t sound so sure herself.

“I’m calling the police.” I flipped open my cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. NO SIGNAL, came the response. Why did Brad have to confront Gill smack in the middle of nowhere?

I watched with my heart in my throat as Brad approached Gill’s rolled-down window. They talked for a minute, then Brad gestured with his finger for Gill to get out of the car.

Trepidation washed over me as Gill stepped out, chest puffed like a fighting cock, and rolled up his flannel sleeves. Brad pointed to the grassy shoulder. The two men walked to the shallow ditch, their huge shadows blacking out the space behind them. They took up aggressive poses, paused five seconds, then lit into each other.

40

Inside the car, Sam and I had our noses glued to the glass.

Brad made fists and did some fancy footwork. Gill danced around him making half swings. Then he lunged. Brad dodged the attack. Gill landed on his face in the grass. He stood and brushed off. They went at it again.

“This is nuts.” I couldn’t take the thought of Brad bleeding. The whole idea twisted my guts. So what was I doing dating a cop? I wanted to jump out of the car and separate the two ruffians.

I looked at Sam. In the backwash of headlights, a tear glinted on its way down her cheek.

“Oh, Sam.” I reached over the seat and touched her shoulder. “You must feel terrible about this.”

She shook her head. “No. I feel lucky.”

“Why lucky?” I couldn’t grasp her logic.

“Lucky to have a brother like Brad. Look at him out there, defending my freedom.”

Brad was a protector. A defender. I bit my lip. It was enough to bring tears to my own eyes. I was the lucky one.

Brad ducked a punch, then lunged, taking Gill to the ground. The two grappled on the slope, nothing but black blobs rolling and tossing in the beams. Then Gill was facedown with his arms twisted behind his back. Brad bent close to Gill’s ear and said something. Then he got up and brushed off. Gill stayed in the ditch while Brad walked back to the car. He got in, put the car in gear, and drove in silence.

“Well,” Sam said. “What’d you say to him?”

Brad gave a smirk. “I told him your new boyfriend eats dweebs like him for breakfast and he was lucky it was me in the ditch with him.”

“Do you think that’s going to work? I don’t even have a boyfriend.” Sam sounded distraught.

He reached over and gave her a playful noogie. “Come on, sis. You think I don’t know about Joel?”

Sam pouted in her seat.

“And,” Brad said, his hand on her arm, “I approve. After getting to know Joel and Bernard Russo, I’ve decided they are the best sort of men. You’re in good hands. Joel definitely comes from a good family.”

Brad’s sparkling eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.

I snuggled back in my seat, my stomach at rest for the moment. We drove the last ten minutes to the lodge in silence.

By the time we reached my road, the bare light of dawn cracked on the horizon. Brad parked next to Gerard’s truck and Joel’s car. He turned off the engine and just sat there.

“Hey. Are you okay?” I leaned forward and rubbed his back. His neck muscles felt like clenched fists under my fingers.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Samantha opened her door. “Are you guys coming in?”

“Give us a minute.” Brad sounded as weary as I felt.

“Well, I’m hitting the sack,” Sam said.

The passenger door closed and Sam walked toward the house.

“What’s up?” I asked in the cushy quiet of the SUV.

He sighed. “Tish. There’s more to the story than you realize.”

“What story? Sam and Gill’s?”

“No. Yours.” He twisted in his seat until he faced me. “You can’t stay here.”

“What? Why?” Not stay at my own home? Maybe he thought I’d be safer down at the lake house.

He took my hand and held it to his lips. The heat lingered against my skin. “I don’t know how to say it any other way. You were raised in hiding for a reason. Now that you’re back, you’re in more danger than ever.”

“Then timing couldn’t be more perfect for me to close things up here, then meet you downstate, just like we planned.” I squeezed his hand in mine.

“Listen to me. Maybe your friend Candice was trying to go clean,” he said. “But her timing couldn’t have been worse. From what your grandfather told me on the phone, those photos contain evidence that puts a very big player in a really tight spot. The guy already has something against you because of your dad. Those pictures put you in an even touchier situation.” He pulled my head toward his until our foreheads gently bumped. “I can’t take any chances. Tish, I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

“So, what do you think I should do?”

He patted the front seat. “Come sit up here.”

I stuck my legs out over the console and squeezed between the seats until I was next to him.

He leaned toward me and looked in my eyes. “Yes. I want you to come back downstate with me. But it’s not that simple. There are people that would kill you because of who and what you know. You’re not even safe with me.”

“This is ridiculous. I didn’t ask for this.”

“Shh.” He put a finger over my lips. “There is a place you can be safe. It’s out of the way. And as long as you don’t try to contact anyone back here, they’ll never think to look for you there. You could have a quiet, safe life until this whole thing washes over.”

I pulled away from him and leaned against the passenger door. “I am not going into hiding again. I spent my whole life hiding from reality and didn’t even know it. I’m done. Whoever wants me can come and get me. I’m going to face them head on. Just like you did with Gill. That’s the only way to get my life back—the life that was stolen from me when I was eight years old.”

“Trust me, Tish. If I thought we could beat these guys by taking a stand, we’d do it. But it’s a huge network of dealers, suppliers, and transporters all across the state. We don’t know who half of them are. A lot of lifestyles are on the line. And people are willing to kill over it. You know that better than anyone.”

“Up here I’m a big nobody, Brad. So I saw a couple photos in a box. I’ll just give the pictures back and forget I ever saw them. The cops could hypnotize me and I still couldn’t identify any of the bad guys.”

“You don’t have the pictures anymore. I turned them over to the state cops at the scene. They’re the ones that recommended you lay low until the investigation is wrapped up. Leave the area for a few months and then you can come back to Michigan.”

“What do you mean come back to Michigan? Where were you thinking I’d go?”

“An old mentor of mine lives out in California. A little town called Del Gloria, along the coast. He’s got a house that needs some fixing. He said he’d put you up in exchange for renovations.”

I crossed my arms. “That’s bold of you to make all these arrangements without consulting me first.”

“It’s about staying alive, Tish. I thought you might be interested in doing that, even if it means swallowing your pride for once.”

“I just don’t get it. How can I be a threat to anyone?”

“I don’t understand the whole thing either. Your grandfather tried to explain as best he could, but I still don’t know how everything fits together. There’s some vendetta against your dad that puts you in danger. Your mom died because of it. And Candice’s poor timing makes things even worse. She should never have involved you in this.”

“I couldn’t agree more. But I live in peace and quiet out here. They’ll forget about me soon enough, when they see I’m no threat.”

Brad’s head dropped as he shook it. “Your thinking is so naïve.” He raised his eyes and looked at me. “Luckily, that’s one of the things I love best about you.” He took a folded slip of paper out of his pocket. “Listen, I know you don’t like anybody telling you what to do, but here’s the name and phone number of that safe place to land. Don’t lose it. After you go, don’t contact anyone back here. I’ll get a hold of you when it’s safe to come home.”

The whole idea seemed insane. I took the slip with reluctant fingers. I opened it and read Brad’s neat, legible writing. Denton Braddock, it said, along with a phone number with an unfamiliar area code.

“Fine.” I tucked the note in my jeans. “But only in case of emergency. I just got started on this place. There’s still a ton of work to be done.”

“Hey. That’s what your family is for. They’ll handle things while you’re away.”

“Brad, this is nuts. I’m not going anywhere, unless it’s downstate with you. I don’t even have the photos anymore.”

“Come here, Tish.” His voice was low and soothing.

He pulled me to him. I buried my face in his neck and submerged myself in his comforting heat and mellow scent. I loved him. Of that I had no doubt. But that didn’t mean he could take over my life and order me around. How did he know what was best for me, anyway? It was my journey. My story. If I wanted to hire a bodyguard and hole up in the woods until I got my projects done, why shouldn’t I be able to? In fact—my muscles tensed at the thought—why didn’t Brad just stay up here right now? If he cared so much, we could go to town tomorrow, get married, and live at my house. What made his plan the Holy Writ, anyway?

He rubbed his palm against my back. I relaxed into him. Then again, what kind of woman got mad at a man for trying to have her best interests in mind?