had rung, and he’d been on the line with Cy for the remainder of the ride home. She had so many questions, but once they arrived, her daughter jumped into her arms, and she hadn’t been able to ask any of them.
It was time for her to figure out her next move. “I really appreciate everything you guys have done to help me.”
Gumby’s eyes narrowed. “Those are the words someone says before they are thinking about running.”
Money wasn't an issue for Siena, so maybe it was time to go to a remote location with her daughter. It wasn’t like she had to work, but that didn't mean she wouldn't miss all of the friends she’d made over the years in California. She really wished things were different.
“There’s a place in the mountains that I used to visit when I was younger. It's remote. Not many people live in that city, and those who do live there don't ask questions. When the media got their claws in me, I used it as a place to escape to.”
“No. If you run, it will just make you look guilty.” Gumby ran a hand over his face. “Hudson will be annoyed if you run.”
“Payback is a bitch sometimes.” She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. Time didn’t heal everything. Sometimes, time made the memories worse. “That was rude. I'm just having a lot of shit thrown at me at once.”
“Don't get me wrong,” Gumby said. “Hudson told me what he did, and you have every right to be pissed. I'm not trying to make excuses for him, but he is a man, and sometimes we don't think things through all the way. But the men who are after you are dangerous, and you running to the mountains is not going to stop them from finding you. I know your ex said it had to do with some drugs hidden at your house. How did they just disappear? Something larger is going on, and leaving town is not going to help fix it.”
She knew that everything Gumby was saying was true. She would have noticed a duffel bag full of drugs in her house. God, I still can’t believe he was hiding drugs in my home.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you came to the station today to help me,” she said.
“You have a lot of people on your side. Your friend did the right thing when she ran and found Kaiden in his class to say that you were arrested. He called me, and Cy had a few contacts at the station, and along with Kaiden’s alibi, that’s how we got you out.”
It warmed Siena’s heart how Hudson’s friends blindly wanted to assist her. She decided to stay put for the moment. She could use all the help she could get. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to have a backup plan to escape to Alaska and hide out. Mia was her everything.
“Thank you for everything. Especially watching Mia for the day.”
Sidney smiled. “Watching Mia was fun. I’ve never seen the dogs so tired before. Tomorrow, we might head over to the shelter and play with a few more of the puppies.”
“It’s been a long day. I’m going to go home and finish tucking Mia in.”
Both Sidney and Gumby hugged her. She felt Gumby’s eyes on her as she walked back to Hudson’s house. When she entered the kitchen, Kaiden was making himself a sandwich. “She fell asleep before I got to the second page of the book.”
“Thank you for helping, Kaiden. You know, you don’t have to stay around with us, right?”
The young man rolled his eyes. “I know. But I like spending time with her.”
It was late. She couldn’t hold back a yawn. “I’m going to go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Siena walked down the hall to the master bedroom. Mia had moved her things into the spare room across from Hudson’s. She peeked in, and her daughter was curled in a ball, sound asleep.
As Siena climbed into bed, her phone chimed, and she glanced at the screen. Her fingers shook as she tried to unlock her phone. A picture of her ex popped up in the text message. Blood dripped down the side of Kyle’s face. His right eye was swollen shut.
Under the pictures was a message.
You have seven days to find my product, or he dies. Don’t bother telling your friends, or he dies sooner.
The only way she could find