I know it's been awhile, but inspiration for this story finally hit! I'll update as I get inspired again :) Enjoy!

Chapter 4

The next day, Jarod began his new job. As he walked through Johnson Middle School, dumping the trash into his big cart and mopping the hallway, he chatted with the passing students. As the day went on, he got to know each student. Eventually, the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy he had seen on the news passed by. Jarod noticed immediately that he seemed a little more withdrawn than many of the other students he'd met. His eyes seemed older than his twelve years, like he had seen things and been forced to grow up too quickly. Jarod's heart immediately went out to the boy.

Little does he know how well I understand. He thought.

Jarod finished the mopping he was doing and walked up to the boy.

"Hi, my name is Jarod. I'm the new janitor." he said.

"Ky...I mean James." the boy replied.

"Nice to meet you, James," Jarod replied, pretending not to notice the slip. "First day here?"

"Yeah. I gotta get to class. Bell's about to ring." James replied, clearly nervous.

"Ok. See you around." Jarod replied.

James walked down the hallway to the classroom at the end of the hall and entered the room. Jarod made the rest of his rounds, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious. At the end of the day, he saw James again as he walked out to his parent's car. After finishing the last of the cleaning, Jarod went home to Mackenize, Andrew, and Marie. He truly felt so lucky and blessed to be able to have this wonderful family and he thanked God everyday for them. After spending some time playing with his children and having dinner, he and Mackenzie put the kids to bed.

"Do you think tonight will be the night they sleep through the night?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"I don't know. With sleep regression, it can be hard to tell." Mackenzie replied as they sat on the couch together.

Jarod put an arm around his wife and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I love you," he said, planting a kiss on her head.

"I love you, too, Jarod," she replied. "But I have to know. Did they find us? Are you sure they…"

"Sweetheart, they don't know where we are. I've done everything I can to keep us safe."

"Including taking a job at a school where there's a witness to a major crime?"

"Yes. I have to protect that boy, too. I know what it's like to be hunted. To feel like there's always someone watching you."

"I hate that that was the kind of life you lived. Which is why I'm so concerned now that you're willingly putting yourself in a situation where you'd be going back to that kind of life."

"I know. And I love you for that. But I love our family and the second I feel that we're in danger, we're out of here. I promise."

"Ok. I trust you, Jarod. But promise me you won't put yourself in harm's way. If anything happens, you get yourself out of there."

"I promise."

Meanwhile, at The Centre, Broots was monitoring the news, looking for anything that could lead them to Jarod. He'd been searching for the last week and nothing had come up. Miss Parker was starting to get annoyed with him, but knew it wasn't his fault. Jarod was just too good at hiding. He knew all the tricks to make sure they didn't find him. Not even a red notebook was left behind. It was almost like maybe he was trying to protect someone other than himself. Suddenly, his computer alerted him to a news story. He pulled it up and saw it was an article about a boy in the Witness Protection Program. Apparently the boy had been a witness to a murder and his family was now in the Program. He quickly called Miss Parker to let her know. After promising he would do some digging to see where the boy and his family had been sent, he found that they were somewhere in New York. However, he couldn't figure out exactly where in New York. After a frustrating few hours trying to narrow it down to at least a county, he found they were somewhere in the Manhattan area. He called Miss Parker back and they quickly took the Centre plane to LaGuardia. Two Sweepers joined them on the flight and were the first ones off the plane. They spent hours combing the streets for any sign of Jarod. Finally, they arrived at Johnson Middle School.

"Sweep the place," Miss Parker said.

Immediately the Sweepers began combing the hallways and courtyard. Jarod was just finishing cleaning when he looked up and saw them down the hallway. Panicked, he ducked into a nearby classroom and locked the door. Thankfully the teacher was out that day and the substitute had left. Looking for any way of escape, he checked out the window. No one was there. After climbing out the window, he booked it to the nearest street, grabbing his phone from his pocket. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out a text to Mackenzie.

Mac, they're here. Grab the kids and meet me at Central Park.

As he turned the corner, Miss Parker was there.

"Jarod!" she yelled.

He started to run towards the parking lot, his heart pounding with adrenaline. Shoving his phone into his pocket and grabbing his keys, he threw the car door open and sped out of the parking lot, Miss Parker and two Sweepers in hot pursuit. They jumped into a limo and followed him through the streets. Jarod kept them guessing, taking side streets and unexpected turns. After what seemed like an eternity, they lost him. In his mind's eye, he could hear Miss Parker's yell of frustration. A few minutes later, he pulled into Central Park. Mackenzie and the twins were waiting for him at their favorite part of the park.

"How did they…?" Mackenzie began, panic in her voice and eyes.

"I don't know. And I don't know how long we have." Jarod replied, frustrated with the situation.

Mackenzie sighed, ran a hand through her dark brown hair, and nodded. Her fear was clear to see as she debated believing her husband and doing what she felt was best. She pushed the stroller and Jarod helped put the twins into their carseats. They sold the car and bought a new one with a different license plate in hopes of throwing off the Centre. All of their clothes and the kids' toys were in the trunk and they drove back to their house in a suburb of Manhattan.

"Why are we going back?" Mackenzie asked.

"We have to. I'll quit my job. They don't know where we live and I know the school is unable to give them our address. We're safe, Mackenzie, I promise. But I have to protect this boy as well."

They pulled into the driveway, parking the car in the garage, and kept all the lights off and blinds closed. Jarod made sure that there were no toys out front, no sign that anyone lived there. The next day, he went back to the school and removed any sign that he had ever worked there. After swearing the front office staff to secrecy, he left. As he walked, he saw Sydney walking towards the front office. He quickly ducked into a room and waited a few minutes. While he waited, he checked the news on his dimly lit phone. He saw an article saying that the suspect in the murder had been arrested and put in prison. He was due to be in court the next day. With a sigh, Jarod decided that it was better for him to protect his family and keep an eye on the family from afar. When the coast was clear, he exited the room he was in, went out to his car, and drove home. As he was about to open the garage door, something caught his eye. A black limo was parked down the street, clearly running surveillance on the neighborhood. He could see the Sweeper in the front seat and Miss Parker next to him.

How did they find me again? He thought, feeling the anger rising inside him.

His face red and his heart pounding, he turned down another street east of his house and parked. He took out his phone and called Mackenzie.

"Jarod?" she asked.

"Yes. Don't panic, but we have to leave quickly."

"What? Why?"

"Don't worry. Just listen and do what I say. I have all of our things in the trunk of my car. In ten minutes, take the kids out through the backyard. Then head east about a block. Make sure no one sees you."

He could hear Mackenzie gasp as she put two and two together.

"They're here...in our neighborhood...aren't they?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Yes. But don't worry. I have a plan. I'm parked on a side street and I don't think they saw me."

"Ok. But how did they…?"

"I don't know. They have their ways."

They hung up and a few minutes later, Mackenzie came up to the car, a twin in each arm. Jarod quickly helped her get them buckled up in their carseats and they drove down the street to the main road through town.

Back in the limo, Miss Parker had seen Jarod's face as his car had turned onto the side street.

"Wait," she said. "Let's see what Boy Wonder does."

The Sweeper nodded and they just sat there waiting. A few minutes later, they saw what looked like movement in the backyard. Miss Parker nodded and the Sweeper looked out the car window. They watched for a few minutes and a dark-haired woman with a stroller left the backyard. She headed east to one of the side streets and went down that side street, where they lost sight of her.

So, Miss Parker thought. Boy Wonder has a family?

About a minute later, they heard a car engine start up just east of them.

"He's moving. Let's go."

The limo's engine started and they followed Jarod's car as it drove towards the main road through town. A few moments later, Jarod must have noticed them because he was weaving between lanes and trying to throw them off his trail. He was doing everything he could to get lost in the crowd. A few minutes later, they lost him as they turned onto the highway out of town.