Race the Storm

Chapter 25

Audrey wasn't going to let them go without a final gift, it seemed. She handed over a huge basket of food, one that Jax had to carry because Willa simply couldn't. It weighed down her arm like it was about to cut the circulation off.

"None of it needs to be refrigerated, but you shouldn't let the fruit sit too long," she said, closing the top of the basket. An old school picnic basket, it looked like it had belonged to them for a while. "Willa, make sure to get some fresh vegetables, too. You need to stay healthy."

"Yes, ma'am," Willa said, a bit of teasing in her voice.

"Are you sure it's okay to take all this?" Jax asked. "We don't want to inconvenience you more than we already have."

"It's no trouble," Audrey said, waving a hand in the air, brushing away his concern. "Really. We're just glad to help you get away from PsyOps."

"Thank you, Audrey," Willa piped up. She leaned over and bumped her hip gently into Jax's side. They couldn't give the basket back, and Audrey wanted them to take it. It would be rude to not accept it at that point.

"Yes, thanks," Jax said. He nodded to Audrey. "For everything."

"Come on, Everett, I'll show you the car," Vern said. He waved Jax out the door, and Jax followed, setting the basket down on the table before leaving out the door.

Audrey grabbed one of the dishes from the drying rack and began to rub it down with a cloth. "You two need to be extra careful out there. PsyOps isn't very keen on letting people get away."

Willa picked up another cloth from the pile Audrey had picked hers up from and started helping her dry dishes. "I'm starting to really understand that, after what happened." It had been a whirlwind, with the agents and the stolen car and getting the tracker taken out of her arm. "Did y'all get away because of your ability?"

Audrey set the plate down in a nearby cabinet and sighed. "Yes, but it wasn't easy. And we've spent most of our years running." She leaned back against the counter. "We've only been here a year, and we'll have to move again soon."

"Because of us?" Willa asked worriedly. That'd be awful, being the reason Audrey and Vern had to move again.

"Oh, no," Audrey said quickly, "We have a rule about moving. Can't stay in the same place much more than a year." She patted the kitchen table. "We don't want PsyOps figuring it out."

Willa nodded, but inside she was conflicted. Was this how life was going to be for her? For her child and Jax, too? Never settling, always looking over their shoulders, constantly on the move. What kind of life was that for a baby? It had to be better than whatever the Estate had planned for the kid, but she also wanted to give her child more stability.

A warm, gentle hand settled over hers and Audrey gave her fingers a squeeze. "You'll be okay. I have a feeling that Everett won't let anything happen to you."

That wasn't exactly what she had been worried about, but Willa still appreciated the sentiment. She offered Audrey a faint smile. "He's pretty cool like that."

Audrey gave her some kind of mysterious, knowing look that Willa wasn't sure she wanted to interpret, but before either of them could say anything else, the sound of the men's voices drifted back into the house.

"Ready, Paige?" Jax called a second before he popped into the kitchen to look at her. "I loaded our bags up."

Willa nodded and turned to smile at Audrey, who immediately pulled her into a hug. "Good luck to you both."

"Thank you again," Willa replied, squeezing her back before they released each other. She headed over to Jax, who was picking up the food basket now. He smiled at her, setting a gentle hand on her arm for a moment before it slid to her back in an absentminded gesture that still somehow made her feel protected as they moved down the hallway.