Hope was not comfortable not knowing where Devin was taking them.
But if she hopped out of the car, what would happen then?
Whoever killed Carl was very much capable and it was only right to assume that the killer was after them. It was better to think that the perpetrator had already found out that she and Samantha were gone and had discovered Carl's dead body. It was better to think that someone was out to kill them than to seat back and relax and not wake up.
"Why are we stopping?" Hope asked in alarm when Devin pulled into a parking lot of a small souvenir shop.
He shifted in his seat and looked at her without a hint of fear as she lifted the knife toward him. "Relax." His gaze momentarily landed on Samantha's sleeping form beside Hope. "The safe house I have does not have anything to offer to women," he told her when his gaze went back to her. "I never imagined I would be stupid enough to drag two women in the safest place in the world for me. But now that I have, I have to make sure that you two don't go walking around my house with that stinking dress of yours. Stay in the car." He then turned around to face the windshield, grabbed the keys, saying, "And don't attempt to pick the car and escape. You know I am the safest company right now no matter how you think I am not."
Hope did not say a word and watched him climb out of the car and into the shop. A man was already closing the store, but Devin stopped him and talked him into accepting one last customer.
As the man reluctantly let Devin into the store, Hope sighed and looked down at Samantha.
The child would need a lot of professional help once she got home. The nightmare she had experienced may be nothing compared to what Hope and Patty had, but it was enough to ruin the rest of her childhood. She just hoped that Samantha would be strong enough to forget everything.
Hope let the quiet of the night calm her senses and she leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes. Trusting Devin was a very difficult task.
But she had been through hell for the past ten years to know that she could accept whatever misfortune awaited her in his safe house.
They had a lot of questions and very few answers.
*****
Devin grabbed whatever he thought was needed by his two passengers. He grabbed slippers and he didn't bother to check if the sizes were right. Then he grabbed a few undergarments that had logos of the place they were in, spending a few moments to consider the sizes. Taking a handful of shirts and shorts with garters, he went to the counter and paid in cash.
He had to save the little cash he had at hand from now on. Cards were not part of the plan and he didn't have one. Never had one since he spent his life in hiding.
Devin kept his head bowed down the whole time he was in the store. His enemies had a lot of connections and it was easy to track him down now that he was out of Burton's protection. He didn't check if the store had any surveillance cameras, but he assumed it had.
The man behind the counter threw everything inside a plastic bag and handed him his change.
Devin was out of the store in seconds.
"I have a plan," Hope said even before his butt touched the seat.
Devin paused for a second. "A plan," he murmured, positioning himself behind the wheel and closing the door. He took his time with the key and did not say anything more until they were back in the road. Glancing at the rearview mirror, he asked, "What plan?"
As he waited for her response, he checked for any signs of anyone following them. So far, so good.
"We should take Samantha home."
"What if she--"
"Do you honestly believe that it is her that the killer was after? We are not even sure if the killer knew Carl was hiding someone else in that house."
"Then where do you suggest we take her? Home? I can't risk being seen in the house of parents who are looking for their missing child. There will probably a lot of people there."
"We can drop her off somewhere."
"Great. And let the child wander around for another kidnapper to find."
"Let's drop her near a police station then. They can help her from there."
Devin hesitated. Letting Samantha go would make things easier. But what if Samantha was the one the killer was after?
"Let us first find out more about her, her parents and her life. If I feel like she will not be in grave danger, then we let her go."
Hope nodded from the backseat. "Okay."
*****
The safe house he was talking about was a small tattered shack that his grandfather won in from a stupid game of cards years before Devin was born. No one in the family knew about it because his grandmother would have freaked out to know that her husband never got over poker.
It would take years before Devin would get a call from his grandfather's lawyer after the old man died, telling him that he inherited the shack. He was still in college by then and had no money to maintain the property. And he was wise enough to not sell it, thinking the place--or the land--would cost more over the years.
It would then take him almost ten years to remember that he owned a land. And by then, he was already hunted and running for his life.
No one knew about the little property he inherited from his grandfather. If his parents knew, they never said a word until their tragic accident caused by the very same people who were after him. His grandfather's lawyer was also dead due to natural causes. Burton had asked for information of all his properties but he kept the shack a secret.
To Devin, the dilapidated shack was the safest haven.
And he was glad he never sold it.
The shack was at the edge of the woods that separated the town center from the abandoned lands such as Devin's property. The woods were almost three miles and were rarely trekked because legend said that wild animals lived there and feasted on humans who happened to get lost. The next house was a mile away and as Devin's memory could recall, an old couple lived there. He was not sure if they were still alive.
Years ago, Devin made effort to have the property be surrounded with barbwires and signs that said, 'Private Property: No Trespassing'. So far, the place looked like no one dared enter the place. It seemed that the little town didn't have a lot of teens who would get their thrill of adventure by trespassing properties and smoking weeds.
"This is your safe house?" Hope asked quietly.
Devin couldn't disagree with her condescending tone. The place had overgrown grass and ony the top of the shack's roof was visible outside.
"It may not be a house, but it is safe. Wait here." He climbed out the car and grabbed the bold cutter from the trunk. As he did so, he secured the gun tucked behind his back and walked to what he remembered as the entrance to the shaft's driveway and started working on the barbwires that had rusted through the years. With his boots, he kicked the wires out of the way and went back to the car. He sensed that Hope was more tensed now.
Devin sighed. He couldn't do anything about it. She had her reasons.
She just better not be stupid to do something stupid that would put both their lives out of danger.
*****
Hope held the knife tighter as she watched Devin walk back to the car.
She thought it was better to wake Samantha and she did that by shaking the girl's shoulder. Samantha shot off her numbing lap, eyes wide open and alert.
"It is okay, Samantha. You're safe. Everything's okay."
The girl's eyes watered with tears as she looked around the dark property, the same time Devin opened the driver's door.
"You're awake. How was your sleep, Samantha?"
Samantha wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Okay."
Devin and Hope shared a look, both relieved that the child had slept without interruption. It was a good sign, Hope thought.
"The shack will be in bad shape, but let us pray it will be comfortable enough for all of us," Devin told them as he drove right through the tall grasses.
Samantha did not say a word and so did Hope. They both watched in anticipation as they neared the shack. For a moment, Hope thought that her old room back at Carl's house was way more comfortable than the shack when she finally saw its condition.
Devin did not say a word. He grabbed the plastic bag from the passenger seat and handed it to Hope. "Take this. Let's go. We still have things to do before we can get a proper sleep."
Hope did not climb out of the car until she saw Devin behind the trunk again, taking his duffel bag.
"Come on. What are you waiting for?" he asked, walking to the front steps of the shack.
Hope would not have been surprised if one of his foot fell through one of the steps. The shack had been totally neglected for years.
She let Samantha out of the car and they followed Devin, their steps careful.
Looking around, she was glad for the tall grasses surrounding the area of the shack. It hid them well enough from the roadside.
She watched as Devin took out a small box from his bag, opened it and when his hand reappeared, was holding a key. "Let's hope it still works."
Hope doubted that, but the padlock of the door seemed to have survived the harsh elements of the outdoors because it opened at Devin's first try.
The interior of the shack was no way better than its outside. It was dusty, drafty and dirty.
One look and Hope almost felt tired. They would clean this place up tonight?
"We'll just clean the areas we need," Devin said, as if hearing her thoughts.
The shack was small with a small space that was intended to be a living room but now empty and had been constantly flooded by the look of its wooden floors; a small kitchen at the other side with a tiled counter that were once white but now covered with a yellow and orange stain; a short hallway that led to two small bedrooms and a bath.
It would have been a good, relaxing place under different, better circumstances.
Samantha was reluctant to step inside but they had to. Devin led them to the other larger bedroom with an old, dusty mattress on the floor. She coughed out dust and hurried to open the window to let in fresh air from outside.
"Let's do some cleaning first, Samantha," she told the girl and almost cringed, remembering that night when Carl had asked her to clean Patty's room.
*****
Devin did not bother to clean the small room he chose for himself. All he did was open the window and laid out a clean bedsheet he took with him. The girls would have to manage on their own. He didn't know Hope that much, but he was certain she would refuse any more help from him.
He took out the canned of goods from his bag and walked to the kitchen. He tried to switch on the lights but it was no longer working. Of course. What else did he think? Dark was better, too.
With his knife, he opened the three cans and walked to the girls' room.
"You should eat something. We'll get something better tomorrow."
The two of them were sitting on the floor against the wall under the window.
It was Hope who got up and took the cans from him.
"They are not poisoned if that's what you're thinking."
"Poison is also good," he heard her mutter before walking back to Samantha.
"You better change clothes as well," Devin said before he left.
He went back to the kitchen to have his meal. And to start planning.
*****
Hope sat beside Samantha until the girl fell asleep once more.
She discarded her dress and changed into what Devin bought them.
It was the first time in ten years that she had something new. A new place, new company, new clothes.
Walking to the kitchen, she was sure that Devin was there and he was. His face did not look surprised to see her standing there with a knife in her hand.
"Samantha's asleep?" he asked.
She nodded and walked toward him and sat down on an empty wooden stool. She laid the knife on the table. Devin looked at it and into her eyes. Not a word was said, but both knew what the other was thinking.
"You promised you'd tell me your story," she said.
Devin leaned away from the table, looking uncomfortable.
"You promised," she repeated.
"I know. But I am not sure telling you would do any good."
"Try me."
She watched him take a deep breath and let it out, waiting patiently. "I am under a witness protection program."
"Not a big surprise. Give me something new. I want the whole story."
"I may lie to you."
"Let me be the judge of that."
His eyes flickered to the dusty windows behind her. "I am a lawyer. Was, actually. Before everything went awry."
An eyebrow raised but she did not say anything. She did not imagine him to be a lawyer. Hop waited.
"It all started when I killed my wife and daughter."