“Think about this,” she said. “Please.”

“Thought about it. I’ve seen you with your brother, your husband, your daughter. There’s no way you’d do what I’m doing. You’d have Mike wearing his pistol to bed every night before you’d go through this.”

“I’m not sure how Max is going to take this,” she said.

“Well, he’s a good man,” Conner said. “He might get a little unhappy with me, but he’s not going to retaliate by giving my current address to Mathis. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Brie took a moment to turn her back on him as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She turned back to him. “You really thought about this. What did it? What changed your mind? Made you put together all these plans? Leslie?”

“Leslie is so awesome,” he said. “But seriously, it’s not like we’re ready to make a commitment or anything—we haven’t known each other too long and we both have some pretty kinky exes to overcome. That’s why I want more time with her—I’m not tossing this away before it’s had a chance. It was your husband,” he said. “Mike.”

“Mike?”

“Decorated police officer. According to Jack, not only a bunch of medals in the Marine Corps but a commendation as a sergeant in the gangs unit. Here’s a guess,” he said, looking at Mike. “You’ve testified against a lot of bad guys. And you didn’t go into hiding.”

Mike gave him a small smile. “A ton of bad guys. And I did keep a very discreet profile. Still do. But I do agree with you about one thing—if Mathis doesn’t stop you before you testify—I think the revenge factor is fairly slim. He might be that kind of criminal, but I’m sure he’ll have bigger things on his mind. Mathis is a businessman, not a psycho. Killing you afterward isn’t going to get him much—just maybe scratch an itch. He might be too busy for that.”

“You face the same threat every day,” Conner said. “The revenge possibility.”

“As does Mrs. Valenzuela,” he said. “She put away a lot of felons.”

“There you go,” Conner said.

“One of them escaped conviction and attacked me,” Brie said. “Remember that.”

“I’ll never forget it,” Conner said. “I’m so sorry that happened. I really am. And I still think my plan is a good one.”

“Everything changes, of course, if he somehow gets another trial and you are once again the only witness that can hurt him,” Mike said.

“I guess I’ll have to count on Max to run a tight prosecution and make it stick then, won’t I? I’ll take my chances. I’ll let you break it to Max.”

“Oh, gee. Thanks.”

“We just gotta get this over with,” he said. “Really.”

“Well, how about this compromise—wait till after the trial to visit your sister....”

He was shaking his head. “Sorry. She’s my only family. Those boys are like my sons. The risk is now, not so much after the trial. I need to see them before something…” He dropped his chin and didn’t say, before someone gets to me to keep me from testifying. “Now. Before the trial. Who’s gonna know anyway?”

“At least do this for me—fly out of an airport that isn’t real high-profile. A smaller airport—Redding, maybe. Avoid the big airports if possible, especially the ones near Sacramento where associates of Mathis’s might happen to be.”

“I can do that.”

Conner emailed Katie. He asked her to email him her address, using their new, secure email handles and accounts. Katie was in Burlington, Vermont. And then he called her.

“But you can’t come here, Conner! You’ve been told not to do that!”

“I’m going to slip out of here in a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’ll let you know when to expect me. I’ll spend a few days to a week with you. By then it will be time or almost time for me to go to court. After that it will be over and we can get on with our lives. But, Katie, you and I have things to talk about. Where we’ll get on with our lives, for one thing. There are so many things to think about. The boys being a first priority.”

With a little catch in her throat, she said, “You are so wonderful. No matter how complicated things get for you, you always put them first.”

“It isn’t hard to do that, honey. I’ll always do whatever I have to do to make sure they’re in the best possible place.”

Their conversations were always pretty brief, so after a few minutes on the phone, they said their goodbyes, leaving Conner time to think about the future. Despite the fact that it caused a little ache in his heart to think of his only family living on the other coast, if they were happy there, he’d manage. He might end up spending more on travel expenses than he could afford, but the most important thing was that his sister and the boys have a good life.

The second most important thing was that he tell Leslie the truth and give her some time to consider the fact that she was lied to. He gave himself permission to wait until the weekend, when there would be time to talk it all out. While she went to her Saturday yoga group, he went to her house, cut the grass and watered her flowers. He bought himself a steak and the sea bass he knew she loved, along with all the other dinner trimmings that would please her.

When she got home and saw what he’d done, she smiled and said, “Someone wants something....”

“Understanding, that’s what I want,” he said. “Les, I’ve never lied about my feelings for you—they’re real and they’re real powerful. But a lot of the rest of my personal history is a lie.”

“Oh, God,” she said. “Oh, Conner…what?”

“It’s actually Danson Conner,” he said.

Conner was surprised by the weight it lifted off his shoulders just to be able to tell Leslie the whole story, even though she was shocked. Stunned. Pretty much blown away.

They were seated at her little kitchen table, facing each other, because this wasn’t a conversation for bed or for the porch, where they might be overheard. When he got to the part about being the only witness in a murder trial, thus the name change and low-profile existence in Virgin River, she let her head drop to the table with a groan.

“I’m sorry, Les,” he said.

She lifted her head wearily. “It’s not like you planned it....”

“When I said I had baggage, it was more than a divorce and those trust issues.”

“No kidding.”

“You would probably be smart to cut your losses here and now.”

“What does that mean? You mean kick you to the curb?”

He gave a little shrug. “The reason no one knows where I am or who my close friends are is because I’ve been threatened. My store was burned down. And the reason no one but me and the D.A. knows where Katie and the boys are is because we can’t take the chance that they would be threatened to get to me. We won’t be going back to Sacramento, where we’ve lived almost our entire lives, because we’d make too visible a target in the unlikely case of revenge.”

“Where will you go?”

“Not sure. Katie likes it where she is, but that’s not a final decision. I like it here, but that’s not a final decision, either.”

“And after the trial? Is your life in danger after the trial?” She wanted to know.

“Always possible, if you consider revenge. But I’m not a mobster testifying against mobsters.... I’m just a guy who was taking out the trash. I’ll keep this new identity and start over, but I’m not planning to hide in deep cover like secret witnesses in a marshal’s program. You know—like never make a phone call to friends or visit them. Every witness to any crime faces the possibility of revenge, I guess. But if the guy is locked up, getting rid of me won’t help him. Might even make things worse for him. I think I’m at risk before the trial. Which is why I’m going to visit Katie and the boys before I have to go testify. While I can…”

“You should,” she said.

“It would be hard to give you up, but like I said…”

“Right—cut my losses. Well, not before you cook and serve me that sea bass, that’s for sure.”

He smiled at her. “Maybe after I finish the dishes?” he asked.

“Maybe after you finish me,” she said. “But unlikely. If you decide to go away, I won’t try to hold on to you. You’re free to go, you know that. But I’m not going to give you up just because you come with a few complications. You’re too good in the kitchen.”

“I don’t want to put a strain on you....”

“Oh, I think we’ll manage. Now before we enjoy a splendid meal and some wild monkey sex, is there anything else you should tell me?”

“You mean other than a crazy ex-wife and a murderer who could be after me? No, that probably covers it.”

Twelve

Jack actually heard the motorcycle pull into town before he saw the biker. The Harley had a fierce rumble, like someone had poked a screwdriver into the muffler a few times. On purpose. He glanced out the side window behind the bar and saw a roadster with high handle bars parked right next to the bar. Seconds later its rider ambled in.

He was a big guy with a lot of leather and hair, long retro sideburns and a shaggy goatee. And it kind of surprised Jack to note a wedding band.

“Afternoon, pardner,” Jack said.

“Hey,” the guy answered. “Just a cup of coffee while I think about food. And while you’re pouring that, can I trouble you for the restroom?”

“Absolutely. Right through the kitchen there. Be sure you hit the one with the sign on the door and don’t make a wrong turn into the cook’s residence.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, making his way through the door.

He was back momentarily, looking a little spruced up. His long hair, which had been a little matted down where it wasn’t wild and crazy, had been combed into a fresh pony tail; he might’ve washed his face.

“Get the bugs out of your teeth?” Jack asked.

“Pretty much,” he said, lifting his coffee cup. “It’s a beautiful day out there.”

“This place really lights up in spring,” Jack said. “Where you headed?”

“Don’t know,” he answered. “Just around. What’s good today?”

“There’s the irony,” Jack said. “There’s no choice, but it doesn’t matter—everything is good here. It’s whatever the cook dreams up. Today it’s a seafood bouillabaisse—there was a special on lobster and scallops.”

“Damn,” he said. “That sounds awesome!”

“It is. Has a coconut base and Preacher said to be sure to tell anyone who’s gonna eat it, there are peanuts in it. Not a lot, but they’re there. The way he tells it, people who are allergic to peanuts can’t take the smallest amount.”

“No problem. I love peanuts.” He looked at his watch. “Am I too early for some of that?”

“I think I can talk him out of some even though you’re a little ahead of the dinner crowd. Excuse me a second.” Jack went to the kitchen door to ask the question. “Fifteen minutes,” he said to the biker. “Can I get you some bread and butter to tide you over?”

“I’ll be okay, thanks,” he said. “But I’ll have some with the bouillabaisse, if you don’t mind.”

“My pleasure. Your bike was pretty loud coming into town....”

“Hope I didn’t wake anyone from a nap,” he said. “I have a couple of problems with the engine and muffler. I could work on it now, but it’s safe, and after I eat, I’m headed home.” He got up, took off his leather jacket and hung it on the hook by the door, ready to get down to some serious eating. When he came back to his stool at the bar, Jack couldn’t help but notice the tattoo of a n**ed woman on his forearm.