Silent Run

--”
    He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t -- don’t say anything else.” He suddenly felt as if this conversation were more dangerous than the gun he’d faced earlier.
    Sarah tilted her head to one side. “I never did -- did I? Say anything else."
    â€œWhat does that mean?"
    â€œYou said before that we didn’t argue; we didn’t fight; we didn’t disagree on anything. That seems odd to me. Who’s like that? Don’t most people disagree on something? Don’t most couples argue, even if it’s only over who’s going to take out the trash or do the dishes?"
    He frowned, not liking the fact that she was picking up on something he’d failed to see for almost two years. “Obviously you didn’t want to rock the boat."
    â€œNor did you,” she pointed out “Did we each do everything the other wanted?"
    â€œYou more than me,” he admitted. “At the time I thought you were perfect."
    â€œI guess I’m not perfect anymore."
    No, she wasn’t close to perfect now, not at all the ideal woman he’d come to believe he was involved with. Now she was a mess of complicated emotions and behaviors. But for some bizarre reason, he was actually starting to like this version of Sarah. Despite the fact that someone had tried to kill her again, she was already back on her feet, ready to get down to business, not nearly as shaken by the events of the past hour as he would have expected her to be. Maybe he’d never given her enough credit for her quiet strength. She’d so often let him take the lead in their life together. He hadn’t realized until she’d left how little he knew of her own opinions. He’d seen their relationship purely from his own point of view, never stopping to consider that he was doing more talking than listening.
    â€œWhy are you looking at me like that?” Sarah asked.
    â€œI’m trying to figure you out."
    â€œAre you having any luck?"
    â€œNot much,” he admitted. “Knowing how you’ve lived these past seven months makes me realize how strong and independent you are. You hid yourself away from danger, found a place to live, a job where you could take Caitlyn, a way to make enough money to survive. I don’t think I saw your strength before."
    Sarah clasped her hands together on the top of the table. She gazed into his eyes “I do feel like I’m a survivor, as if I’ve been doing just that for a very long time. Maybe I didn’t seem strong when I was with you because I didn’t need to be. You took care of me, didn’t you? Just the way you did on the stairs earlier. You have protective instincts."
    â€œI tried to take care of you, but obviously you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what kind of trouble you were in. You should have trusted me, Sarah. You should have given me a chance to fix things."
    â€œI don’t know why I didn’t. I know it makes no difference to you, but I trust you now. That’s why I didn’t keep running this time, Jake, because we’re in this together now. While I can’t change the past, I can at least do the right thing from here on out."
    He saw nothing but sincerity in her eyes. He wanted to trust her again, but what she couldn’t remember he could, and those painful, unending days still burned bright in his memory. “Are you ready to go? I think it’s better if we keep moving."
    She gave a nod. “While I was waiting for you I looked in the phone book for the address of the place where I worked -- Gold Star Cleaners. They’re on Fifth and Harrison. I asked the guy behind the counter, and he gave me directions. We can go there now if you want."
    â€œMight as well. We certainly can’t return to your apartment."
    She swung the duffel bag strap over her shoulder and followed him out to the car. They stuck close together as they entered the parking lot. The weather was changing, the sun vanishing behind thick, dark clouds. There was an ominous feeling to the early evening air that only heightened his tension. Once inside the car, Jake flipped the locks. He had just started the engine when his phone rang. He saw his brother’s number on the screen. “It’s Dylan,” he said to Sarah as he answered the phone. “What’s up?"
    â€œThere’s a huge storm hitting the coast up here, so Catherine and I aren’t going to make it down