Carter followed close behind Ally as she walked up the worn wooden steps of the old farmhouse. He glanced behind him one last time, just to be certain that no one had followed them, but there was nothing but darkness surrounding the long straight rural road that they had travelled down. Not a single pair of headlights. Not even the faint lights from a distant neighbor’s house.
Wherever Ally had brought him, it was about as close to the middle of nowhere as he could imagine. If Carter had shaken off Lucas’ tail—and he was pretty sure—it was very unlikely that the man would think to look for them all the way out here.
The railing beneath his hand was weathered smooth with age but rock solid. The same could be said of the house. It had to be at least a century old, but it had obviously been in caring hands all that time.
The green and yellow paint was fresh and vibrant. The columns and trim adorning the porch were all in good repair. Not a single board so much as squeaked as he stepped up to the door.
Behind the curtain-covered windows, Carter could make out the lights from the television flickering and flashing. His stomach tightened as Ally lifted her hand and knocked.
How many times had he knocked on doors in hostile territory, not knowing what he would find when they were opened? His hand twitched, ready to go for the weapon at his hip if need be.
But this was a different situation, Carter reminded himself. Ally had assured him they’d be welcome here, no questions asked, and, most importantly with no trail leading to their door.
A moment later, the light behind the eyehole faded, and a second after, the door swung open.
A large, middle-aged woman stood behind the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise to see Ally standing in formal attire on her porch, but a welcoming smile spread underneath them.
Carter’s hand instantly relaxed.
“Ally?” The woman turned around, and shouted inside the house. “Ramon, Ally Weaver is here.”
“Hello, Sofia,” Ally said. “I’m really sorry to show up this late.”
The woman shook her head. “No apologies needed. You know you are welcome here anytime. Please, come in.” She opened the screen for them.
“Thank you,” Ally said as they stepped through the door.
Carter stepped into the hallway and felt every eye turn his way. A man had come down the stairs and stopped at the bottom stop. A teenage boy was a room over, doing homework in front of a pile of books. Another boy, who looked to be a few years younger, was stretched out on the floor of the living room playing video games.
Carter lifted his hand. “Hello.”
“Sofia. Ramon. This is a good friend of mine, Carter Macmillan,” Ally said. “Carter, meet Sofia and Ramon Garcia.”
Sofia put out her hand, and gave him an assessing look. She must have liked what she saw, because she didn’t make any effort to hide her approval. “Any friend of Ally’s is welcome in our house. Especially, such a handsome one.”
Carter shook the woman’s hand, smiling even as his confusion grew. Who were these people to Ally? She obviously knew them well, but she swore no one would be able to track them here.
Sofia’s husband came up behind her and greeted him next. “And these are our sons, Juan and Guillermo.”
“A pleasure,” Carter said.
Ally leaned in toward Sofia. “Is that Juan? He must have grown a foot since I’ve seen him last.”
“I know,” Sofia said. “You should see how he eats to get that way. But please, come into the living room. I doubt you came all the way out here just to check in on the boys.”
Sofia Garcia shut off the television and shooed Guillermo out of the room. “Please sit down,” she said.
Carter sat down on the couch next to Ally. The Garcias sat down in the chairs next to them.
“So what brings you out here?” Ramon asked. “And dressed so nice?”
“I wish I didn’t have to do this to you, but I wasn’t sure where else to go,” Ally started.
Carter listened as she gave a brief explanation of what had happened with Congressman Fuller. He thought for a second about stopping her. He didn’t know these people. He had no idea if they could be trusted.
But Ally trusted them.
And he trusted her. That would have to be enough.
The Garcias looked at each other for a long second after Ally had told her story. Then they both nodded.
“Of course, you can stay here,” Sofia said. “As long as you need.”
“We converted the old barn into a separate unit for when Sofia’s family comes to visit,” Ramon said, turning to Carter. “I can’t stand having all of them in the house. But you’re welcome to it.”
Carter’s brows pulled together as he leaned forward. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t help but wondering why you would be willing to put yourself in danger for us.”
Sofia smiled. “We would do anything for Ally. We owe her more than we can ever repay.”
Carter looked over at Ally. She shook her head.
“That might be overstating a little.”
“Not at all,” Ramon Garcia said. “Two years ago, when I was working for the power company, I discovered they were dumping dangerous chemicals into the waterways. I contacted Ally to blow the whistle, and she kept my identity secret. Even when it ended up in court and the judge ordered Ally to give up her sources, she still kept my identity secret. For that we are forever grateful. Had the company found out I was the one who talked, we would have lost everything—my job, my home, everything.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” she said.
“Don’t listen to her,” Sofia said. “The judge sent her to jail for contempt for sixty days. I can only hope that giving you a place to stay can go a little way toward paying the debt of gratitude we owe her.”
Carter looked over at Ally. He had no idea. It seemed his little Ally was full of surprises.
“Thank you,” she said, standing up from the couch. “You’ll hardly even know we’re here.”
“Yes, thank you,” Carter said.
“Our pleasure,” Sofia said, and she sent Ramon to get the keys to the barn.
***