Reluctantly giving in to his request, Ruth put herself together and followed Monte to his car. Whilst both seated he held her hand and pressed it against his chest, and then to his lips for a soft kiss.

"You've been with me since the beginning, there's something I have to show you." He said sounding melancholy.

"The beginning, do you mean the job?"

"Yeah, fasten your seatbelt... I'll have you back home by sunset."

For the entire journey Ruth had a pensive look on her face as she worried what this was about, knowing by Monte's behavior that this was more than what he was letting on. The temperature dropped as they approached the Maple Forests and the air started getting misty.

"All the way out here?" She asked out of concern, noticing he was being jittery again.

"We're almost there," he answered looking at her, her face shone with astonishment. "What?" He continued with a chuckle, "look, there's a house... and another one.. I'm not leading you to a slaughter, Ruth."

"Montgomery," she said, "tell me!"

"Fine! We're going to a cabin I bought." He admitted, though not telling her everything just yet.

A few more moments and they were there, the cabin was fairly in good condition but it was evident no one had been there in a long time. Stepping out of the purple bmw, they stood surrounded by maple trees and the leaves around the drive way had almost reached them by their ankles. They faced the cabin Monte had claimed to have bought; a single cabin made with logs all around and and an attic above. There were windows at the front of the cabin on both levels and most importantly to Monte, there were no neighbours for almost a mile away.

"Are you sure this place is yours or are there bears living inside?" Ruth jeered.

"Haha, very funny, come on let's go around back..."

Arriving behind the mysterious and vacant structure, Monte took a shovel from between two logs and looked down at his feet as he started walking and counting spaces. Ruth watched him as her anxiety fluctuated, he stopped suddenly and dug the shovel deep in the earth under his feet. Shoveling away leaves and earth he dug and dug until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Monte!" She shouted at him to desperately get something meaningful out of him.
He stopped and looked up at her before she spoke her next words, "is this where you buried him?"

"No, Ruth, I am not digging up a dead body. Relax, I'm almost done."

A few more shovels and he got to the top of a latched door in the ground.

"I bought this cabin a year ago, after.. you know.... but yeah I had this here built for storage, think of it as a room for dead presidents. Three feet beneath the earth all the way out here, and they're searching high and low in the city for it."

Ruth's astonishment exploded, "shit Monte, the money?!"

"Hmm."

He unlocked the small door and went down on his knees, stretching his hand down into the hole and pulling out five duffle bags made of pure leather.

"12.8 million, it's all here"

"Why did you really bring me here?" She asked him as she was close to a panic attack.

"Ruth, breathe, I'll tell you everything."

"Why?! We were over, Monte, I told you a year ago I want nothing to do with this and you show up to my house and tell me you love me, to bring me out here for this?! The money that will literally sink us for life?! Jesus! What is this?"

Monte sighed and unzipped one of the bags and took a good look at the money, before zipping it again and undoing what he just did. He covered the chamber neatly and shuffled leaves all over it. Ruth had taken a walk after her tantrum and he founded her sitting on the hood of his car.

"I'm sorry for dragging you back into this."

"I'm not into this, Montgomery, I was never here.. take me home."

"Doc, I paid you for a week.. this is where our therapy session truly begins." He said, holding her hand.

"What the fuck are you even talking about Monte?"

"Listen, Caitie was busted with the murder weapon... I thought I could trust her to get rid of it, but she sure as hell ain't you."

Ruth forcefully grabbed her hand away from him and scooted over on the vehicle so as to get further away from him.

"Then why the hell are you not behind bars?"

"Don't ask me stupid questions, no prints were on the gun.. but they know what it was used for and my officers on the inside said she's in there telling them everything she knows. Thankfully she doesn't know where the money is, that's what they really want. It doesn't matter that they know I killed him, they want the money before they pin me."

"Okay," she said, "I see why you wanted to kill her now.. *sigh* what are you going to do?"

"They'd know it was me.. and I can't deny I still love her too, she was a friend when I needed one but not everyone can take the pressure. Anyway, the reason I brought you here is because I know I won't be around to enjoy any of this money."

"Again I ask, what the fuck are you saying?" The doctor responded.

"Ruth, they're not gonna stop until they lock me down for life, and I don't necessarily have plans to spend my life in prison. The cabin is in your name, she hasn't told them anything about you, not that she knows you were in on it. One day when this blows over, take the money and contact Cory.. he'll help you clean it."

"This was supposed to be a simple robbery, no one was supposed to get killed. That's the main reason I left. I am not okay with this." She said sternly.

Monte sighed and told her he understood.

"Well at least spend the rest of the week with me. I'll still need a therapist. After this week I'm going away."

She looked at him with eyes of concern, "where are you going?"

"It's better if you don't know what's coming next. Come on doc, I have a lot of important decisions to make and I'll need your counsel."

"Monte... what do you need?" She drew near to him again.

"I'm gonna have this place cleaned up tomorrow, come back with me on the next day and stay for the remainder of our week. Aside from the cash I paid you for our therapy sessions, and aside from the millions of dollars you're respectfully declining, I want my last days in this town to be with you. While I try to make sense of what I'm doing."

"Okay, I wish you wouldn't leave but I don't want to see you in prison either. I'll come back with you." She conceded.

They began to head back to the city, with few to no words being spoken. Ruth's mind was clogged with the bittersweet thoughts she had of the days ahead. She would be shacking up with a murderer, a few feet above the most hunted money in the city, if not the entire state. On the other hand, she would be spending time with the only person she ever loved. Things were about to get interesting.


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