“Weren’t your feet wet and freezing?” I asked.

“I was wearin’ my snow boots.”

Lula was obviously a whole lot smarter than I’d given her credit for.

“I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go, so I decided to go to Max. He’s always been nice to me. Momma had hinted that maybe Bingham wasn’t my daddy after all, that maybe it was Bart Drummond. She knew I was wantin’ to quit workin’ with Mobley, and she thought I’d keep doin’ it if I thought there was a pot of gold at the end.”

Which meant Bart was likely behind the operation after all.

“Did you call Max to come get you?”

“I had to get to a phone first. I stuck to the trees, so it took me most of the day to get to town. I wanted to stay hidden, so I let myself into one of the rooms at the Alpine Inn by pickin’ the lock. That’s when I called Max. I told him someone was after me. He said to stay put, that he’d come get me after closin’, but then he called and told me to get out of there. To go hide in the church until he could come get me.”

I nodded. “I saw Neil Carpenter coming out of one of the rooms at the inn, and it freaked him out. He must have thought his father was lookin’ for you.” I made a face. “Your father.”

I glanced up. Marco was leaning against the opening to the kitchen, watching me with concern in his eyes.

Her hands twisted in her lap. “I hadn’t given him any details at that point. Anyway, he brought me back to the inn and put me in the second room from the end. He said he’d fortified the locks and no one was gettin’ in. He left me a burger and fries and then went back to the tavern. He called me later, after he walked Greta to her car, and said this was gettin’ serious and I needed to tell him what was goin’ on. I was scared he was just puttin’ me up temporarily, so I told him. Just blurted it out. ‘I’m your baby sister,’ I said. And Carly, I’m not proud of this, but since I didn’t know what else to do to get his help, I lied to him. ‘We have the same daddy,’ I said, ‘and I think he wants me dead.’ He told me to stay put and he’d be over after he closed.”

Had Max made that call from his office? He’d been gone a long time and then acted tight-lipped afterward.

“He hated that you were lookin’ for me. He thought that tellin’ you Ruth wouldn’t like you lookin’ would make you stop, but he said he underestimated your stubbornness.”

Marco grinned, but he stayed in the background, giving us our space even though it was his house.

Earnestness filled her eyes. “Max wanted to tell you, but I made him swear to keep it a secret. It’s my fault he kept it from you.”

“How did Wyatt get involved?”

“He knocked on my motel door and gave me a blanket to wrap around my head and told me to get into the backseat of his truck and stay down. Max was sittin’ in the front, smellin’ like puke.”

“Late Saturday afternoon?” I asked. After Wyatt had taken off running.

“Yeah.”

I nearly asked if they were worried about being seen, but then I thought better of it. Downtown Drum was pretty dead on the weekends.

“Wyatt took us both to his house, and after Max showered and had some coffee, we just talked.” She gave me an apologetic smile. “Wyatt had already figured out that Bart was my daddy, and he knows about five others. He has a notebook he keeps notes in.”

I smothered the involuntary gasp rising in my throat. He barely knew Lula, but because they shared DNA he’d told her more than he’d told me. After everything we’d been through.

Marco made a move to come into the living room, but he must have thought better of it because he stopped and turned toward the table, easing himself into a chair.

“Wyatt said we needed to take the weekend to think things through and figure out how to handle the situation, ’cause they still thought it was Bart comin’ for me. The guilt just ate at me, so I told them the truth on Sunday. That it was Carson Purdy’s guy who was after me, and I’d been smuggling drugs to Chattanooga.” She paused. “Wyatt didn’t take it well, sayin’ he’d thrown away the best thing that had happened to ’im in a long time to save me, but Max told him to calm down. That you’d understand. Look at what you’d done to try to find me. Then they argued about tellin’ you the truth, but Wyatt said he’d do it in person on Monday. They’d figured out that Ruth had opened the bar by then, and Hank had said you were workin’.” Tears filled her eyes. “Then you called around midnight that night, and Wyatt didn’t get the chance.”

I was dangerously close to tears, and I searched for Marco’s warm eyes. He nodded slightly, and a soft grin lifted the corners of his mouth, his silent message loud and clear. You’ve got this, Carly. You’re stronger than this.

“I’m sorry I wouldn’t let him tell you,” she said, tears tracking down her cheeks. “I’m sorry you were nearly killed tryin’ to help me.”

I gnawed at the inside of my cheek, hesitating. “Marco said Wyatt and Max don’t know the truth about what happened, that you wouldn’t tell a soul. But you didn’t…?”

She shook her head. “As far as they know, you came down with the flu and you’re stayin’ with Marco until you recover so you don’t get Hank sick. The only reason they let me out of their sight is they know Todd will protect me.”

I nodded.

“You look tired,” she said. “I only wanted to tell you thank you and let you know that Wyatt was helpin’ me. Both of the Drummond brothers were.”

I gave her a tight smile. “Lucky for you that you have them on your side.”

“Yeah,” she said with a wistful smile. “I am.”

Greta had been silent, but I turned to her and said, “Greta, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Then I told her what Charlie had told me about her sister.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a soft smile. “I already moved out and into a small house outside of town.”

“That quickly?” I asked in surprise.

Lula gave her a conspiratorial smile. “It helps havin’ friends with connections.”

I lifted my gaze to Marco’s, and the look in his eyes confirmed we were both thinking the same thing—Bingham had helped Greta find her new place.

They got up to leave soon after, and I stood to see them out. They both gave me hugs, and just as Lula was getting ready to walk out the door, I said, “Lula?”

She turned back to face me.

“Do you remember much of the day your mother shot your father?”

Storm clouds filled her blue eyes. “I don’t like to think about that day.”

Then she turned around and walked out the door.

I watched her and Greta get into a car driven by a man with serious muscles and an even more serious expression. Moments later, they were gone.

It stood to reason Bingham would give her a bodyguard.

“I forgot to ask if she was still workin’ at the tavern,” I said softly as I watched the car disappear around a curve.

“I think you know the answer to that. I’m surprised Bingham let her off his property long enough to come see you. I expected him to make you go to her.”