They arrived at a small cabin not far outside of Tacoma settled in the Cascade Mountains. There was a narrow dirt road leading to it, and they were completely surrounded by thick trees that stretched toward the sky. Kristy couldn’t imagine anyone would find it if they didn’t already know it was there. She felt relieved and anxious at the same time. If they had somehow been followed, they would be an easy target all alone in the middle of the woods. If they had gotten away unnoticed, then they would be hidden from danger at Cam’s cabin.

When she stepped inside, she was surprised to see how homey it was. Just inside the door was a pile of firewood. Beyond that was a small room that had a wood burning stove and a table with two chairs. There was a worn out couch facing the stove and a table and lamp next to it. Next to the stove was a bookcase filled with books and movies. An old TV sat on top. There was a doorway on each end of the room. One led to a smaller room with just a mattress on the floor. There was a pile of blankets and a pillow on a shelf. The other doorway led to a small kitchen. There was a shelf above an old stove and a sink at the end of the well-used counter top. A small refrigerator sat in the corner.

A loud noise outside startled Kristy and she turned around and ran into Cam.

“What was that?” Her breathing was heavy.

“Relax,” Cam stepped passed her, “I just turned on the generator.” He walked to the lamp next to the couch and flipped it on.

“Is there something I can do?” Kristy asked him.

“Bring some of that wood over here.” His tone was clipped. He was still angry; hurt even.

Kristy carried four pieces of wood to where Cam was crouched in front of the stove. He started a fire and then she watched him set up the cot and scoot it against the wall under the window to the left of the door they had entered. Kristy put one of the sleeping bags on the cot and the other she took into the next room and set it on the mattress. When she came back, Cam popped open a beer and was putting some of the food from the ice chest into the refrigerator. Kristy walked back out and sat on the couch in front of the fire. She glanced up at the clock that was hanging on the wall. It was almost 2:00 AM and she was exhausted.

Cam walked in the room and handed her a beer. She slowly took a sip and savored the taste. Her adrenaline had been pumping for hours, but she could feel it slowing now. For the first time since before she’d called Ariana she felt her muscles relax a bit.

“I’m sure you’re tired.” Cam finally spoke, “You can sleep on the mattress in there. I’m going to sleep out here on the cot.”

“Are you sure? I can take the cot.”

“No,” he shook his head as he took another sip. “You sleep in there.” He pointed through the doorway to the small bedroom.

“Okay.” She wasn’t going to argue with him. “Give me a few minutes though. My mind’s all over the place. I’ll go in there if you want to lay down,”

“No. It’s fine. I’m a little wired too.”

He lowered himself to the other end of the couch. He stared at the shadows the fire had created on the wall and the edges of his jaw flared. After a few minutes he sat forward and clasped his hands.

“You didn’t think you could trust me, did you?” His voice low, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

She hesitated, but eventually decided to tell him the truth. “No.” She lowered her eyes to the floor.

“Why’d you call me?”

“Because you used to be a cop and I know you have experience in these kinds of situations, and I thought you might know someone who could help.”

“Not because we’ve known each other for years or because your brother was my best friend and he loved you and I would do whatever I could to help you?” She could tell he was angry. “None of that mattered?” He glared at her.

“I just thought…” she trailed off.

“You just thought I might be able to call in a favor for you?”

“That’s not what I said,”

“That’s what you were thinking.” Cam muttered under his breath.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Kristy threw her hands in the air. She was too tired for this. “Yes, Cam, I thought you might be able to call someone. I thought you may have a friend or two who were able to remain cops. Excuse me if I question your judgment, but considering everything that happened with you, and with Alex, can you really blame me?”

Cam sat back and crossed his arms. He took a deep breath before he raised his eyes to her. The reflection of the fire made them glow as he spoke. “Yeah, I made some really bad decisions. I’ve done some really dumb shit and it got me in a lot of trouble. Alex gave me hell for that.” He shook his head at himself and sat forward on the couch. “But what happened with us was over ten years ago, Kristy. Are we really going to do this again? Is that why you don’t trust me?”

“You left him to defend himself against four guys while you ran away with your tail between your legs. What kind of friend does that? He was in the hospital for a week.” Her cheeks were hot with pent up rage as she remembered the day they were talking about.

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He shook his head and spoke quietly. “He was a hero that day. He probably saved my life. You have no idea…”

She turned her body and glared at him. “So tell me.” Cam looked up just enough to see her face, but he said nothing. He held his head in his hands, bracing himself to tell the story.

“My dad was a gambler.” He spoke to the floor. “He would gamble away anything he could get his hands on. My mom drank away the rest. It wasn’t a great situation. Anyway, my dad bet on everything; horse races, sports games, you name it.” He sat up again and looked over at Kristy. “And I’m not talking about casinos. He owed money to some bad people. He lost a lot, and we were used to that. But when I was fifteen he lost big. I mean really, really big. Everything we had.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. “He took a loan from a guy to pay his gambling debt, but he didn’t have the money to pay the loan, so they came and tried to take the car, our house, anything that had any value.” Cam stared at the wall as he continued.

“So, one day I came home and the car was gone. I thought he had given up the car to the guy he owed so they would leave us alone, but no. Not my dad. Not only was the car gone, but the money was gone, their clothes were gone, the liquor was gone; my parents picked up and left while I was in school.” He brought a hand to his face to hide his shame. “I called all our relatives I knew of, but no one had heard from them. I knew they weren’t coming back. So, about a week later, Alex and I were hanging out after school when this guy comes and asks me where my dad is. I told him my dad ran away and I had no idea where he was. He didn’t believe me and started yelling that if I was going to cover for him, then my dad’s debt was mine too. He said he would get his money one way or another, or he would kill me. I tried to tell him, we both tried,” Cam hung his head again. Kristy was leaned forward, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, waiting for more.

“A few days later, the same guy showed up outside the back of the school with three other guys looking for his money, but of course I didn’t have it. I turned around and ran, and one of them grabbed me. He pulled out a knife and I thought I was done. Then, from out of nowhere, here comes Alex and he hits the guy with a brick. They let me go, and went after him. Alex yelled for me to run. By now, they were on top of him, and he kept fighting them off. I came back and hit one of them from behind, and the whole time Alex is yelling Run! Cam, run! Get out of here! He told me he’d kill me himself if I didn’t leave.” Cam’s voice cracked and he swallowed. After a short pause, he continued, “So, I ran. I ran as fast as I could to find a phone and I called the police. I told them to bring an ambulance. I was so afraid of what they would do to Alex.” Cam paused briefly. “By the time the police got there, they were gone, and Alex was just left lying on the ground all bloody. It was everywhere. They beat him so bad. The ambulance took him away and called your grandparents. I wasn’t family, so I couldn’t go with him to the hospital. When I went to the hospital and the nurse told me he was in the ICU, I sat in the waiting room all night. That was the worst night of my life.” He looked up at Kristy again. She was in shock. “I was afraid to go to you and your family. People at school were already talking about how I ran away and left him there, and I knew you were angry. When they moved him out of the ICU I went to see him. I was so ashamed. When I asked him why he did it, he said he knew he’d get a good beating for interfering, but I’d have definitely been gutted and left in the street. He made the choice that kept us both alive.” Cam’s voice cracked again. He swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions under control. “I told him he was my hero, and I owed him my life. He said I was right, and he made me promise to finish school and do something good with my life. I could have ended up a bum like my dad, but Alex, he wouldn’t let me. I would have done anything for him at that point. I knew college wasn’t going to happen, so I enrolled in the police academy right after high school. I was doing really good too,” He shook his head. “And then I did what I do best. I fucked it all up. My own worst enemy…” He trailed off. When he looked back at Kristy, her eyes were wide and a hand covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry. It was all my fault. He should have never been there.” He wiped a single tear away from his face hoping she hadn’t seen it.

“Oh my God. Cam….” She started to talk, but couldn’t find the words. She licked her lips and stared at him. What could she say? She felt awful for how she had treated him all these years. There was no way to make up for that. “How did I not know this?” she finally asked.

“I told him not to say anything. If you’d known what he did for me, you would have been furious with him. He loved you so much. I would rather have you hate me than him.”

Kristy looked down at her hands. She felt terrible. “I don’t… Oh god.” It was all she could say. Overwhelmed, she put her hands over her eyes. He had told her so much. She hadn’t absorbed it all yet. He got up and let her sit alone with her thoughts. She pictured him coming home to an empty house and wondering why his parents would leave him. She pictured her brother yelling at his friend, trying to save his life all because of Cam’s dad. She was a mix of emotions. She felt anger that no one had told her the truth until now, and she also felt a deep sense of pride that her brother would save his friend at all costs. She felt sorrow for Cam and what his parents had done, and she felt humiliated that she had been so cold toward him. She got up to search for Cam. He was in the kitchen leaning against the counter. She put her hand on the back of his shoulder and he turned to face her.

“I’m sorry, Cam.” Kristy’s lip trembled. Her cheeks heated. She was so ashamed. “I’ve been terrible.”

“You didn’t know the whole story.” He shrugged and smiled. “I knew that. I never held it against you.”

“I wish I’d known. You’re right; I would’ve been mad at Alex, but not forever. I feel awful. I’m so sorry I doubted you.”

“It’s okay. You know now.” He held out his arms. “Friends?” She didn’t hesitate.

“Friends.” For the first time, she stretched both arms around him and felt gratitude instead of animosity. It felt good.

“You should get some sleep.” He said when they let go.

“I want the cot. You sleep on the bed.”

“No. Not gonna happen.”

“Why not? I’m the reason you’re even here. I pulled you into this, and after everything you just told me, I need to do something for you. Right now this is all I’ve got.”

“I appreciate that. I really do. But I need to sleep out here.” He crossed his arms and his jaw tightened. The decision had been made.

“Cam, let me,” She started to argue, but he cut her off quickly.

“The answer is no.” He pushed away from the counter and pointed toward the cot. “Right there is the only place I can sleep that will put me between the only door into this place, and you. By sleeping out here, I can see out the window while I’m lying down, I can hear the outside noises better, and I can make sure I’m between you and any kind of danger that may or may not have followed us. You need to sleep really well tonight, and I don’t imagine you’ll do that on this cot. We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow and I need you to be rested and alert,” He paused and looked at her. “So please, go sleep in the other room.” He turned and plowed a hand through his hair. “Damn it. I’m trying to do what’s best for you.”

For the second time in an hour, Kristy wasn’t sure how to respond. She opened her mouth to speak, and closed it. She opened it again, “Okay. Sorry.” She picked up the bag she had packed and carried it to the other room with her. In the doorway she stopped and turned around.

“Goodnight. And thank you.”