CHAPTER 2
SIX YEARS AGO
" I just heard the news. Congratulations, Zoe."
Zoe looked up to see Mr. Arnold's grandson, Conner, standing in front of the nurse's station. He was dressed in a Marines t-shirt, cargo pants, and boots. His dog tags were on the outside of his shirt. Despite the new ring on her finger, Zoe could appreciate the man's good looks and masculine physique.
She liked Conner. Many of her residents' family members treated her like she was a servant, but Conner had always treated her like a person. He didn't come around often, being active duty military. It was admirable that he spent his leave-time with his ailing grandfather. Mr. Arnold was lucky to have family who cared so much for him. Not many of her residents were so fortunate.
Zoe held up her left hand as she'd been doing all day with her residents and co-workers to show off her new bling. "Thank you."
"When's the big day?"
"June, I'm hoping." Zoe looked down at her hand and realized, not for the first time, that she wasn't as excited as she should be when she reached this moment in the life. Since she was a little girl, she'd always dreamed of getting married in the same church her parents had been married in. Unfortunately, it had been condemned recently due to asbestos.
That was why she wasn't entirely happy. It had to be. She loved Davis.
"Tell your lucky man that he better seal the deal before a wayward Marine tries to steal you away."
Zoe blushed. The man was a flirt and too sinful for his own good.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The hand came out of nowhere, making Zoe flinch out of habit. However, this hand was gentle and did not cause her pain. Mr. Arnold had grabbed her arm innocently. Zoe had to close her eyes to calm her raising heart.
After she made sure Mr. Arnold was situated comfortably in his chair with the television on the History Channel , Zoe turned to head out of his room. She froze when she realized the doorway was blocked.
Conner stepped into the room, the furious look on his face out of character for his flirty, cheerful personality. He closed the door before approaching her.
Zoe felt her heartbeat pick up again.
Carefully, Conner lifted his hand to trace the black eye she was trying to conceal with makeup. He reached for the sleeve of the long-sleeve shirt she was wearing under her scrubs. Zoe stood frozen as he pushed the material up her arm to reveal the fingerprint bruises on her fair skin.
"Your husband?" The tone of his voice was deadly.
Zoe said nothing but felt like her silence was answer enough. She looked away.
"Did you go to the police?"
She flinched at that word. It had changed its meaning in the past year of her life. She used to love that Davis was a police officer. It had been a draw to her.
"Where's Betty?" Conner asked, referring to Zoe's boss. "We're going now. He won't get away with this, Zoe. No ring gives a man the right to put his hands on you."
He turned to leave, but the fact that he intended to go talk with her boss snapped Zoe out of her stupor. She grabbed his hand. "No, wait!"
Conner turned back towards her. "What?"
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it won't work."
"Zoe, your husband assaulted you. The police will ? —"
"Do nothing," she confessed. She didn't know why she was telling Conner of all people this. Hell, none of her co-workers or even Betty had noticed her eye. No one had seen the markings on her skin and thought to ask how she'd gotten them. No one had noticed…except for Conner. Perhaps that was why she was suddenly loose lipped. It felt good, to be noticed. "You don't understand. My husband is the police."
Conner just stared at her for a solid minute. Then his face turned angry. Very angry. "Your husband," his voice was practically a growl, "is a cop and he is the one who hit you."
Zoe didn't see any doubt on his face. Just anger. And yet… Davis got angry often. She knew the signs and did everything in her power to avoid seeing him like that. She feared Davis when he was angry. Conner, though? It was different. Anger was anger, but Conner seemed in control. Davis blamed his anger on Zoe. Zoe was the one who over- or undercooked dinner. Zoe was the one who did not get his laundry done or folded on time. Zoe was the one who did not get the house cleaned fast enough or well enough. Zoe was the one who forgot to pick up his dry-cleaning.
Zoe was the one who had failed to get pregnant.
"Go to his boss then."
Zoe shook her head. "I can't." Davis's captain was his old partner. The two were still tight. Monank had seen Zoe's eye the night before and had said nothing. Additionally, Zoe's father-in-law was the current police commissioner and Davis's grandfather was a retired judge. There was no hiding or running or leaving. She was a Rutterson for life.
"I'm not letting this go, Zoe. You deserve better than this."
Zoe's own anger finally showed. She ripped her arm out of Conner's hand. "It's none of your business. You have no right to tell me how I should live my life."
Conner watched her for a long time then he finally nodded. "You're right." He stepped out of her way. As Zoe started towards the door, he called after her, "But I'm here if you need me. If you ever call me and mention anything about my grandma, I'll know that you need me and I'll come."
Zoe looked over her shoulder. Mrs. Arnold had passed away almost three years ago. Not knowing what else to say or do, Zoe nodded once before leaving the room.
FOUR YEARS AGO
"You're looking good."
Zoe turned, her large belly narrowly missing the picture frame of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold with their twin grandsons that was sitting on Mr. Arnold's nightstand. He was lying in his bed, muttering to himself about butterflies. Zoe couldn't help the smile on her face as she saw Conner standing in his uniform in the doorway. He'd been gone for over seven months on this deployment. She'd seen him only briefly over video calls that she or one of the other nurses set up for him to talk to his grandpa.
"You're looking good yourself."
He dropped a large rucksack by the door, which indicated to her that he'd come straight from the airport. His eyes were a lot kinder than the last time she'd seen him. Zoe waddled her way around the end of his grandfather's bed.
"When are you due?"
"Not soon enough," she half-laughed. "Got another six weeks to go."
He nodded easily. Zoe could see him assessing her, looking for bruises or marks that he wouldn't find. Davis hadn't laid a violent hand on her since the day she'd shown him the positive pregnancy test. There was a part of her that feared what would come once she gave birth, but she had to believe that that chapter of their life was behind them. Davis had only been upset because she'd struggled to get pregnant. Things were even better at his work and he'd recently gotten a promotion.
Carefully, Conner leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I wish you all the best, Zoe."
THREE YEARS AGO
Zoe hated having to quit her job, but Davis refused to pay for daycare or a babysitter for their son.
"Why should I pay for a service? That's what I have you for."
She missed her residents. She missed her co-workers. But her son was her priority. She was taking care of the household and her son. She no longer had time for family, friends, or work. Davey was the sweetest baby in the world, and she loved him with all her heart. It was a good day if she could get Davis to even hold his son.
After Davey's birth, Davis had demanded a paternity test. Davey had been born with brunette hair that had turned into curls and large, green eyes. Even Zoe had to admit that he looked nothing like his parents, but she could see the resemblance to baby pictures she'd seen of her own father. She had not had an affair and she'd been faithful to her husband, which the paternity test proved.
Davis never stopped claiming she'd forged the test results, though. "Ain't no way that baby's mine!"
Davis had black hair with brown eyes. He had naturally tan skin and a lot of bulk. Zoe was fair skinned with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. The fact that his son was a brunette was only the start of Davis's mistrust of her.
He installed cameras in their house so he could watch her throughout the day. When she'd taken Davey to the park without his permission, he put tracking devices in all of her shoes. After Zoe had purchased a toy for Davey that Davis had not authorized, he took away her credit and debit cards. Even money that she'd earned from her previous paychecks was no longer hers.
Recently, he'd been making comments that Zoe had not gained back her figure after giving birth. Zoe hadn't been actively trying to lose weight, but she'd also only given birth a few months ago. Davis had put her on a strict diet. While she still made him full meals, Zoe was restricted to a carb-less diet that mostly consisted of vegetables.
She was also no longer allowed to breastfeed their son to slow her milk. Davis did not like having to share his wife's body with his son. He also had not waited the full six weeks after she'd given birth before he'd demanded sex again. She'd tried to find other ways of pleasing him, but Davis would not relent. Sex now was so painful that even the thought of being intimate with her husband brought tears to her eyes.
But worse than all of that was how furious Davis got when Davey would cry.
"Shut that fucking thing up or I'll shut it up for you!"
It. He called his own son an it . Like Davey was at fault. Like Davey wasn't a person or his flesh and blood. A thing that could easily be disposed of .
One day, Zoe broke down and carefully made a phone call she never thought she'd have to. Thankfully, though Davis went through her phone daily, she still had many of her old contacts saved in it. After making it look like she'd read about the death of a resident in the newspaper, Zoe picked up her phone and made the call she swore she never would.
It rang and rang before finally going to voicemail.
Zoe had to fight not to glance at the camera in the corner of the kitchen. She could practically feel her husband's eyes on her even though he was at work.
"Mr. Alessi," she said, using a made-up surname, "this is Zoe Rutterson. You knew me as Zoe Ballas. I used to work with your grandmother at her senior center. I just saw her death in the paper and I wanted to pass along my condolences. I have some pictures and videos of your grandma at my house. If you're interested in them, please reach out to me. Again, I am so sorry to hear about her passing. She was a lovely woman."
That evening, Davis questioned her about the phone call. His voice was accusatory, like she'd done something wrong by speaking to another human being. Zoe was careful to be nonchalant and express her sympathies for her former resident's passing. Davis continued to eat in silence. Zoe picked at her salad, wondering what she would do if Conner did not call her back.
Davey got an ear infection. It seemed such a simple thing. Babies got ear infections, but Davis acted like Zoe had done something wrong. He called her a bad mother. He said she was worthless and incompetent. When she argued back that babies are prone to ear infections, Davis backhanded her across the face.
As she'd been holding Davey at the time, Zoe was unable to defend against the blow and lost her balance. Fear for her son had her instinctually clutch him tighter and land unprotected on the carpet. Her head smacked against the floor and Zoe lost consciousness.
She awoke to the sound of Davey crying. Somehow, she'd kept her grip on him. Her head screamed at her as she tried to rise. The nursery was dark and there was no sign of her husband. Though, Zoe could faintly hear the echoing sounds of the television downstairs. She checked herself for blood and found none.
Tears fell freely. Both from pain and from sorrow. She hated her life, but what could she do? Her husband was a police officer with many friends in the city. Where was she to go? She had no money. Her every move was watched by him.
She couldn't stay though. Davis could have killed Davey today. He'd left her unconscious on the floor with their infant son on her chest. Anything could have happened.
No. Zoe didn't know how she was going to do it, but she was going to leave her husband. She had to. For her son.
It took almost a week before Zoe got an acknowledgement from her phone call. It came in the form of a text. At first, it looked like a spam text message, but a second glance had her wondering if perhaps it wasn't.
Unknown Number: Dirty House? Call Arnold Sweepers! We clean, dust, and take out the trash! Call or download our app today! We get all up in your business! [link]
Zoe stared at the message for so long. It was the name ‘Arnold' that gave her pause, but also the trash and business lines. Could it really be? If so, why would Conner reach out to her in such a clandestine way? It seemed so cloak and dagger.
Yet what was the worst that could happen? If it was a spam message, she either deleted the app or it corrupted her phone. Not exactly a bad thing, other than it would piss Davis off that he'd have to pay for a new one.
Zoe clicked on the link. Rather than bring her to her phone's application store, it downloaded the app automatically. A screen that resembled an everyday calculator appeared. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, in the space where the calculations would write, words appeared. They scrolled to the left quickly like an ad.
Hello, Zoe. My name is Owen. I am here to help you.
The screen immediately went blank. It happened so fast that Zoe wondered if she'd even seen it or just imagined it.
Your husband is watching you on the monitors. Put the phone down and look like you're doing something else while I talk to you.
Zoe put her phone down on the kitchen counter where she could see the screen but her body blocked it from the camera. She picked up the dishes in the drainboard and started to dry them off with a towel.
The words continued on the app, reminding her of the Speak and Spell toy she had as a kid.
Good girl. Conner called me when he was denied leave. I've been watching you. We're going to get you out but it will take time. You cannot pack or take anything. I will get you what you need. Stay strong. I'll be in touch.
The words on the screen scrolled to the left and away. One more message came across before disappearing.
If you need to go, go. Type the number 9 in this app as many times as you can and ditch your phone. I'll find you.
If Davis noticed the new calculator app on her phone, he said nothing. Zoe continued to check for more messages from the mysterious Owen but never saw another come through. She was starting to fear she'd somehow missed a message.
Five days later, the doorbell rang. It was a messenger delivering flowers. The name on the card was for Amelia Cromwell . Zoe explained that no one at her address had that name. The messenger apologized and left.
Zoe went back into the kitchen. She had had to take Davey out of his highchair to answer the door. After putting him back in the chair, she went to reach for his pureed carrots and squash—and froze.
On the kitchen table next to the cup of baby food was a bottle of men's vitamins. She recognized it immediately because she bought them for Davis every month. The fact that the bottle was in her house was not the issue. The issue was the fact that they had not been on her kitchen table prior to Zoe leaving to open the door.
She picked the bottle up, the pills inside rattling familiarly. Cautiously, she looked around her kitchen. The backdoor was closed and she could see the deadbolt was still latched. Was she imagining things? No one else was in the house or could have gotten into the house. Maybe Davis had left it on the table and she was only just now noticing it?
Zoe went to put the bottle away when she noticed something on the bottom. Carefully, she turned her body so her body blocked the camera's view. Turning over the bottle, she saw a small piece of paper stuck to it.
Swap bottles.
That was it. That was all it said. Swap bottles . As in Davis's vitamin bottles? She glanced over her shoulder at Davey in his highchair. He was safe. But clearly someone had been in her house. How had they gotten past the cameras? Wouldn't Davis have seen them or will see them when he reviews the footage?
Zoe's heart was beating extremely fast. What was she supposed to do?
Before she could think twice about it, she reached into the cabinet and swapped the bottles.
Zoe never did learn what was in the vitamin bottle or how it ended up on her kitchen table. Something happened at work that led to Davis being reprimanded. He came home drunk and fuming. As instructed by Davis himself, Zoe had had dinner ready for him by six-thirty. He did not get home until after eleven. By then, Zoe had packed up his dinner and put it in the fridge so the food did not spoil.
"Where's my fucking dinner?" Davis stumbled into the kitchen.
"It's in the fridge. I can heat it up for you—" The slap across her face cut off her words.
"I told you to have my fucking dinner ready for me when I get home, bitch! Do I have to do everything around here?! Is it too much to ask you to get off your fat, lazy ass during the day to cook me dinner so I have a hot meal when I get home from work? Is it?"
He was not keeping his voice down and Davey was already sleep in his crib upstairs. "Davis, please, Davey is sleeping—" Another slap. She backed herself up against the kitchen sink to put some distance between them.
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Davis roared. "This is my house and I can fucking shout if I want to." He approached her faster than she would have thought possible in his inebriated state. His hand circled around the top of her forearm. He dragged her over to the fridge and threw her against the hard door. Zoe barely had a chance to catch herself before he had his hand gripping the back of her hair and slammed her forehead against the fridge. She could feel his hot breath as he spoke in her ear, smell the alcohol. "Get me my fucking dinner."
Her head throbbing from the impact, Zoe could only nod.
After she served him his dinner, where he drank two more beers and had a shot of whiskey, Zoe started to clean up the kitchen again. He had not liked that she planned to reheat his earlier dinner plate and had demanded she make him a new meal.
Zoe was exhausted, and her head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. All she wanted to do was finish cleaning up the kitchen and go to bed.
She thought Davis was in the living room. She had not heard him approach her from behind. Her hands were ripped out of the dishwater, flinging soap bubbles and suds everywhere, as she was thrown backwards onto the hard kitchen floor.
Her shoulder connected awkwardly, causing her to cry out in pain.
Davis stood over her. He started to undo the buckle of his belt, and Zoe felt a cold dread seep over her.
"No, Davis," she moaned, clutching her hurt arm to her chest. "Please, I don't want to ? —"
"I don't care what you want," he slurred. "You're my wife. You don't get to say no."
Zoe did not sleep that night. Following what Davis would call her wifely duties and she called rape, Zoe sat numb on the kitchen floor. Her shoulder throbbed and it felt like she had a hot, burning stake sticking out of her.
As the sun started to rise, Zoe stood. She wasn't entirely sure where her train of thought was. Her memories of the following moments was fuzzy and bleak. Like she was in a fugue state.
How had this become her life? When she'd been dating Davis, he'd been so sweet and kind. It wasn't until she said, "I do," that things changed. That he changed. Zoe knew that she had no family protection. Her parents were old; she'd been a later-in-life miracle baby. She could not risk going to them. His parents were even worse. His father the commissioner and his father a former judge. They owned Philadelphia. Their reputation was everything. There was no one she could turn to. No where to go.
The calculator app and the vitamin pill bottle never even crossed Zoe's mind as she opened Davis's gun safe. He thought she didn't know the code, but she did. The man was not as cunning as he believed himself to be. There was no one in the world Davis loved more than himself. Of course, he would use his birthday as the code.
Zoe had never held a gun before. She'd never wanted to. Davis had never offered to teach her either. Television had taught her the basics.
Davis was asleep in their bed. God, Zoe hated him. She'd given him everything and the only good thing he'd ever given her was her son. A baby he had only wanted as a prop, something to tout about.
She recalled the first time he'd struck her. Zoe should have left then. How stupid was she that she actually believed his words that she had been at fault. That it wouldn't have happened if she had gotten pregnant.
"You had one job, Zoe! One job!" His words from that terrible night rang in her head like a bell.
Zoe didn't remember flicking the safety off the gun. She didn't remember lifting her hand towards her sleeping husband.
She did not remember pulling the trigger until there were no bullets left.
Zoe sat in handcuffs in the back of a police car. The red and blue flashing lights over her head hurt her eyes. She had yet to be read her rights or be asked why she did it. No one seemed to care that her drunk husband had assaulted her the night before or that her shoulder was in pain. The cops all treated her like she'd taken the best man they knew from this world too soon.
The worst part was watching Davis's parents carrying Davey out of her house. She did not want Davey to go to them.
Tears fell down her cheeks. Not for what she'd done but the consequences of what she'd done. Davis was dead. He was never coming back. But the universe had one more trick to play. She would go to jail for his murder and his parents would raise her son.
The tears continued to fall. More than the physical pain she was experiencing, she hurt for her son and the future she'd doomed him to. What have I done…
Zoe was being escorted into the courthouse. She could barely see with the flashes of lights from the press cameras. Her useless lawyer and the police did nothing to try to keep them back. Someone ended up pushing her and Zoe lost her balance on the concrete stairs.
Hands caught her and a voice in her ear said, "Make a scene. You need to get to the bathroom."
Zoe's head whipped around to see the back of a man walking away from her. But she knew that man. Her heart started thumping harder. Conner!
Once inside the courthouse, Zoe begged and pleaded to be allowed to use the bathroom. She showed the police officer the scrapes on the palms of her cuffed hands. He finally relented, though it looked like it pained him to do so.
No one, not even her own lawyer, believed her story. She could see it in their eyes. The Davis she knew was not the man they knew. His father and grandfather were encouraging the District Attorney to seek the death penalty. If they succeeded, Zoe would be the first person in over twenty years to be executed by the State of Pennsylvania.
She'd begged and pleaded, but no one would allow her to see her son. She didn't even know if her own parents had been allowed to see him.
In the women's room, a female officer escorted her to the sink. Even the woman showed no sympathy for Zoe.
"He never deserved you."
Zoe looked up into the mirror at the officer. "What?"
"Davis, he never deserved you. I told him from the start that you weren't good enough for him, but he didn't listen." She sneered, "He loved you and you killed him."
Zoe looked back down at her hands. They weren't that bad, but she still winced as she used soapy water to clean out the wounds. "He was a monster."
"He was not!" the woman snapped, slapping her hand down on the counter by Zoe's elbow. Zoe flinched away. The female officer leaned in close and whispered, "Did you know that he was sleeping with me too? My partner and I would share him. He was the best fuck I ever ? —"
An arm came around the woman's throat, cutting off her words. Zoe leapt back and gasped as she saw Conner put the officer into a choke hold. As she slumped over, Conner gently laid her on the bathroom floor.
"Well, that's enough of that." Conner reached into the woman's utility belt and pulled out her handcuffs and keys. He cuffed her arms around the column between two stalls. Then he took the handcuff keys and undid the ones on Zoe's wrists. He dropped both items into the trash can.
Zoe gasped out. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your life," he answered. "We don't have a lot of time. My team is getting everything into place now." Conner looked down at his watch. "The judge paid a hitman to take you out after court this afternoon."
Zoe's jaw dropped open. "What?"
Conner went to the lady's room door and peeked outside into the hallway. "You're going to need to walk fast. Can you do that?"
Not sure what was going on but trusting Conner, Zoe nodded. "My baby?"
"I've had someone in place to guard Davey since the night you killed Davis," Conner answered. He seemed too calm, too sure of himself. What the hell was going on? "It'll take time but we'll get Davey away from the Ruttersons too."
He approached her and gave her his jacket. He placed a hat and sunglasses over her head. A press badge then went around her neck.
"Wait," Zoe pleaded. "What is happening? Where are we going? I can't escape ? —"
"Did you not hear me when I said the Ruttersons took a hit out on you? Zoe, if you stay, you die." The fire alarm suddenly blared. Conner raced to the bathroom door and peeked into the hallway. It was now filled with smoke and screaming people seeking the exits.
He held out his hand to her. "It's your choice, Zoe, but now is your only chance."
After leaving the courthouse, Conner and three other men escorted her to a motel. Zoe didn't know where, but it was way off of the highway. It was only after they got there that Zoe recalled Davis had put trackers in all of her shoes.
They left her shoes behind and narrowly escaped after a gunfight was exchanged between Conner's people and whoever was hunting her.
It was nearly a day after her escape that Zoe finally got some answers. "Conner, what is going on?"
Conner sat down in front of her. They were now driving cross country in a large motorhome. "First, I'm not Conner. My name is Owen, I'm Conner's twin."
Zoe's jaw about hit the floor. "What? No. You… You died." She had been there when Mr. Arnold had received the news that one of his grandsons had been killed in action overseas. She knew Conner had been an identical twin, but… damn .
"Conner is working on an alibi in case anyone spotted me at the courthouse yesterday. We're getting you to a safe house in Montana. I have a buddy there who is going to look out for you. His name is Jack."
Her mind was spinning and not everything he said made sense to her. "What about Davey?"
"He's coming too. Like I said, it'll take some time." Owen leaned forward, his arms on the table. "Look, Zoe. No one can know I'm alive. I'm doing all of this as a favor to Conner. Once I get you to where he wants you, I'm out of here. I can't be seen and I can't be involved. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the way it is."
Since Zoe still had no idea what was going on, she could only nod. "Thank you," she offered. "For saving me. I can't believe the Ruttersons put a hit out on me." The whole thing was so surreal. Everything, from the moment she'd pulled that trigger.
"Several," Owen corrected. "We neutralized two of them but it's an open bounty, Zoe. You're going to need to be extremely careful. The police and the Marshals are looking for you too. Zoe Rutterson is a wanted fugitive."
She winced. "So what happens now?" Maybe Davey was better off away from her. Should she tell Owen to bring him to her parents?
"I got you a new identity. Davey too." He reached up into an overhead cabinet. "You are now Clara Everwood. Davey is Kyle Everwood."
She took the manila envelope from him with a shaky hand. "I was arrested. They have my fingerprints on file, my DNA. This is great, thank you, but it's not going to change who I am if I'm caught."
He leaned closer and, with a wicked smile that matched Conner's, said, "Then I suggest you don't get caught." Zoe swallowed hard and Owen sat back again. "We swapped out your samples. If they were corrupted then someone would be tempted to look into the matter. We only exchanged them so if they're ever compared to the ones taken at the time of your arrest, they won't match." He gave a half-shrug. "Davey's DNA can't be fooled. He's half Rutterson. You need to do everything in your power to ensure that his DNA is never compared to any of his living relatives."
"Have you heard anything about Davey? Is he safe yet?" Zoe had not liked leaving him behind but, after the gunfight at the motel, she'd stopped pushing the matter. She was beyond grateful Davey had not been around flying bullets.
"They're extracting him tonight," Owen told her. "I'll let you know as soon as I do that they have him."
"Where in Montana are we going?"
Owen gave her a devilish smile. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
TWO YEARS AGO
Clara,
I hope you are well. Jack says you rarely leave the cabin. I'll take you and Kyle out during my next visit. Stay safe.
Conner
Clara,
I am finally free! The Marines are no longer my master and I am no longer their slave. I'll be up in about two weeks. I have a present for Kyle that I think he'll love!
Conner
Clara,
I got recruited into a motorcycle club today. I know, right? But they're really good guys. The president and VP were also Marines. I know I complain a lot about my time in the military but I really do miss the atmosphere, the brotherhood. Maybe I'll find it here.
If everything works out with them, I'll be a patched member in a year. That will be 3 years since everything. I want to bring you to come live with me. We'll fake being a family and raise Kyle together.
Think about it.
Conner
Clara,
Jack believes you are safe where you are, but I need to know you'll be safe if something happens to me. One of my club brothers had a close call today. His entire family nearly died in a fire. I spoke with Jack. If something happens to me, I need to know you're still protected. There's no one I trust more than the brothers I have found here. Jack has your escape plan. I pray you don't need it, but I also will sleep better knowing you're prepared. Just in case.
Conner
Clara,
If you're reading this, then I'm gone. All I can say is sorry. I feel like I keep letting you down. Follow the escape plan Jack has to the letter. I mean it. Don't take any chances and do exactly as he says. The man you need to see is Jack Duncan—a different Jack. I know, confusing. No one calls him Jack, though. He goes by Steel. Give him the envelope with his name on it.
I know it's too late but I feel like I owe you this, especially with the fact that you'll only be reading this letter if I'm dead. You have to be wondering why I did all of this for you. Jack (the one you know in Montana) thinks it's because I'm in love with you. I'm not, just to be clear. You're a great woman and I do love you, but I'm not in love with you. The first day I saw your bruises, I felt like I needed to protect you. My parents weren't killed in a simple car accident. My dad killed my mom and then killed himself. I was too young to remember but my grandparents told us about it. My dad abused my mom and, when she tried to leave, he killed her. I couldn't let that happen to someone else.
I wish you the best, Clara. Trust Steel. He'll protect you. Tell Kyle bye for me.
Love Conner