Free Beyond the Past by Carly Fall

are more physically capable, so I suggest you work hard and bring back your military physique and sharpen your mind.” Joe rolled back from the table. “Thomas!” he called, and Thomas walked in through the back door with Garrett on his heels. “We need to take our leave now. Mr. Tate, and Garrett will be joining us. He has some business to attend to for me. Please pack your bags, Garrett.”
    Garrett walked down the hallway without another word and Lucas heard the rustling of him throwing his belongings into a duffel bag.
    “You’re leaving me here all on my lonesome?” Lucas asked, actually hoping for it. He longed for the solitude he’d become accustomed while living on the streets.
    “Yes, I am,” Joe said. “We brought groceries for you and Thomas put them away while you slept. We will return in a week, but I’ve left a satellite phone in case of emergency. I expect to see results in you when I return, Mr. Tate.”
    Joe wheeled himself over to the door, and Thomas walked out in front of him.
    Lucas felt as if he were being reborn, his life beginning anew. It struck him as exhilarating, yet, depression tugged at him as he knew this represented his final break from Gabby. The last string had been cut, and from now on, she would have to be nothing but a distant memory.
    He followed them out the door, and Garrett came out shortly afterward. He stopped in front of Lucas and stuck out his hand.
    “Goodbye, my friend,” he said.
    “Later, but not too much later.” Lucas took Garrett’s hand and pulled him in close for a brotherly hug. “Thanks for everything, man. I owe you.”
    Garrett wrapped his big arms around Lucas and squeezed. “You keep running like you’re being chased by a bear, and you’ll be in shape in no time.”
    Gasping for breath, Lucas whispered, “And you give a whole new damn meaning to ‘bear hug,’ dude.”
    Garrett let him go and let out a huge laugh. Lucas stared into his honey-colored gaze.
    “Take care of yourself, my brother,” Garrett whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”
    He nodded as Garrett moved down the deck to the van. He climbed in and shut the door, and the vehicle took off.
    Lucas stared into the darkness for a while, the faint moonlight shining off the now trodden snow, the stars above twinkling in the clear sky. The nighttime air bit into his skin, and his nose began to run as goose bumps traveled up his arms and down his spine. The silence comforted him and unnerved him all at the same time. In the distance, a coyote howled, and another answered back.
    Shaking off the stillness, he went back inside and glanced at the fireplace. He could have sworn he’d cut enough wood for a couple of days, but apparently not. Kneeling down, he tossed the last log into the flames, and under it sat a white piece of paper.
    I tossed the wood. You need the upper-body strength. Love you, my brother.
    He sat back on his heels and laughed. Yes, he was pissed Garrett had thrown away his hard work, but at the same time, he understood why he had. Lucas needed to get into shape, and there was no better way for this than fending for himself, his very life depending on how hard he worked his body.
    He gazed at the fire; the flames wouldn’t last more than a few hours. As darkness fully descended, he decided it best to get the wood chopping done sooner rather than later.
    “Being chased by a bear is one thing, but a pack of coyotes is playing on a whole different ball field,” he mumbled as he slipped on his coat and headed around the back of the cabin.

Chapter 14
    Gabby sat at the kitchen counter printing off the MLS listings she’d found for Jerrod. A few of them looked promising, and she waited for him to call her back with a good time for him to see them. Then, she could call the other agents and let them know when she would show the homes.
    She glanced at the microwave; it read three-thirty p.m. The day had flown by, and she doubted they would have time to see the houses today.
    Her