“About that. The kids crashed about midnight. Will went back to the bedroom, and Megan claimed the bottom bunk. I made them clean up their mess before they went to sleep.”
She yawned. “I didn’t hear a thing.”
“We haven’t been sleeping more than a few hours a night with all the standing watch.”
“No. And too much to worry about. It’s amazing what having a team behind me has done for my peace of mind.” She checked her phone. “Nothing more from Dad, so everything must be quiet. Any sign we’ve been followed?”
“Nope. There hasn’t been a single vehicle behind us for about an hour.”
She studied his face in the wash of light from the dash. His eyelids drooped, and he looked tired. “Want me to drive for a while?”
He slid a sideways smile at her. “Think you could handle one of these things?”
“Well, no.”
“Then you’re proposing to crash us in the ditch, Chief.”
“Well, there’s that. I wouldn’t know the first thing about driving a rig like this. How about some caffeine? I could make coffee or get you a Coke.”
“Coffee would be amazing.”
“We could stop for a few hours, let you grab a few winks.”
“We could, but I really want to get there. I can catnap at the campground. Two hours, and I’ll be good.”
She nodded and went back to the small kitchen. It had one of those fancy coffeepots built into a cabinet. The carafe wouldn’t slide all around while it was brewing. She put in the Captain Davy’s Coffee Roasters Guatemalan coffee she’d brought along and got it started. The aroma perked her right up.
She opened the fridge and studied the contents. “I’m starved. How about a cheese and turkey sandwich?”
“I wouldn’t say no.”
She got out two paper plates, and by the time she’d fixed the sandwiches and heaped corn chips on both plates, the coffeepot beeped. He liked his coffee black, too, so she poured him a cup and carried it to him with the plate of food. When she returned for her food and coffee, she noticed Will was sprawled out across his bed.
A wave of love hit her, and she watched him sleep for a few minutes before she returned to her seat in the front. “Will is totally out.”
“He’s almost giddy with relief on being out of the bunker. This was the right thing to do.”
“I hope you’re right.” She glanced in the side mirror. “No lights behind us.”
“Nope. We’ll take two days in Kentucky, then head back on Tuesday. You sure you can take three days?”
“I have a lot more hours than that coming to me, but I do need to get back to work then. I can relax knowing Augusta’s working the case as well as I could. But I won’t truly relax until Keith’s killer is behind bars and Will is safe.”
The darkness made her feel safer with her feelings hidden. Reid couldn’t read her thoughts and peek inside to see how much she enjoyed being around him. They ate in companionable silence with the tires eating up the miles to their destination. What was at the end of this road? Her mother or more heartbreak?
It could be both.
What if her mother was there but refused to see her? It could happen. She choked a bit as she swallowed the bite of chip.
It is going to happen.
Her panic was so real, it rapped against her ribs like a bird trying to escape its cage.
“Jane, what’s wrong?”
Reid’s voice was like a lifeline. All she had to do was touch him, and she’d be all right. She reached across the console and grasped his hand. It was warm and real, just like Reid. His fingers took hers in a firm grasp that promised he’d never let her go. She clung to it and took deep breaths.
“Jane?”
His concern broke the panic, and she opened her eyes to see the lights of a town approaching. “I’m okay. Just for a minute, I couldn’t breathe.”
He pulled into the far shadows of a truck stop and turned off the engine, then climbed across the console and landed beside her in the wide seat.
He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. “I’ve got you. Tell me what scared you.”
“She might not want me,” she murmured against his chest. “What if she’s there and she hates me for leaving? I don’t know how I’ll handle it.”
“No one could hate you, least of all your mother. Let’s take it one step at a time. So what if she doesn’t want to see you? You still have Will, a-and you still have . . . me. It’s her loss. Your life will still be great. You have a job you love, a son who adores you, and a guy who, well, let’s just say I’m not going anywhere.”
The words enveloped her with warmth. She should probe exactly what he meant, but it was too terrifying right now. She wasn’t ready to risk her heart again. Maybe soon, but not right here and now.
She raised her head away from the steady beat of his heart under her ear to gaze up into his face. “You’re right. It’ll be okay no matter what happens.”
His fingers cupped her chin, and his lids went to half-mast as he lowered his head. She raised her lips to meet his, and that same sense of homecoming she’d felt the first time returned in force. She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn’t want the kiss to end.
Until her son coughed behind her. “Um, what are you guys doing?”
She straightened and scooted off Reid’s lap. “Not a thing. You hungry?”
Reid’s eyes were laughing, and he whispered, “Busted,” before moving into the back.
* * *
The endless trip was finally over.
Reid yawned and rubbed scratchy, dry eyes as he navigated the last of the narrow road to the campground. At his insistence Jane had finally gone back and lay down on the sofa a couple of hours ago. He hadn’t been able to resist sneaking glances at her in the rearview mirror.
He parked the RV in the lot by the office and went in to rent a space. At the desk he noticed they rented four-wheelers, too, so he paid for one. It would be perfect to take out to the compound. Five minutes later he pulled into the marked spot under massive trees and sighed. They’d made it.
His stomach rumbled again, and his mouth felt like an oil slick. He swiveled his seat and got into the back, where he found a root beer and a beignet. Not a great combination, but he didn’t want to wake the rest of the group.
Jane lay curled in a ball on the sofa with one hand under her cheek. He drank in the sight of her and remembered that amazing kiss. Would she pull away again this morning?
She stirred and her eyes opened, meeting his gaze. The sunlight streamed into her face, and even with smeared mascara, she was beautiful.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Where are we?”
“At the campsite. There aren’t many people here, which is good.”
She stretched and yawned. “You need to sleep.”
“Strangely enough, I’m not sleepy. I want to get out to that site and see what we find. It’s eight so not too early to rouse people. You ready?”
Her hazel eyes flickered, but she nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She rose. “How far to Liberty’s Children?”
“Fifteen minutes. I’m going to take a quick shower to get presentable and feel human.”
“I’ll do the same.”
“Ladies first then.”
She grabbed her clothes and toiletries and vanished into the bathroom. He listened to the backdrop of water running and her humming “This Kiss.” He grinned idiotically as he made more coffee. So far she hadn’t smacked him across the face either.
When she came back out, her hair was damp and her color was high. Fresh jeans hugged her curves in all the right places, and her toned arms gleamed with fresh moisturizer. She looked too good for his peace of mind.
“My turn. Coffee’s almost ready.” He grabbed his stuff and stepped under the hot shower. Should he sing “This Kiss” at the top of his lungs? Too much maybe? He grinned and lathered up.
&nb
sp; It was going to be a good day. He could feel it.
The kids were awake when he exited the bathroom. Megan mumbled something and dashed past him with a bag of stuff. She probably wanted to get prettied up before Will saw her, though she could be dressed like a Goth and Will wouldn’t care.
“Breakfast.” Jane slid a plate of food his way. “The bacon is the precooked kind, but I warmed it up. The eggs are fresh.”
“I buy precooked all the time.”
He settled at the table with Will, who was wolfing down his food. Reid couldn’t imagine a better life than the chance to look at Jane over the breakfast table every day. She moved in quick, economical movements as she cleaned up the kitchen and put everything away. She’d look even better in his house by the river. They’d sit out on the back deck and listen to the gators bellow. They’d fish off the dock and take sunset boat rides.
Once he got another boat. He still hadn’t replaced the one that burned a few weeks ago.
“I’m going to shower,” Will said. “What are we going to do today?”
“First, we’ll see if we can find your mom’s mother.”
“My grandmother. That’ll be totally lit, but do we have to come? You don’t even know if she’s there, right?”
“You have to come. We can’t leave you alone.”
Will’s eyes widened. “Dad, I’m not a kid. Don’t lock me up here like you did in the bunker. I want to get out and have fun.”
Reid exchanged a glance with Jane. They’d talked about how unfair this all was, but he felt helpless to pull all restrictions off Will. A killer was still out there.
Had he seen anyone following them? No. Had he sensed any danger? No, again. Will was fifteen and Megan was fourteen. They were plenty old enough not to be on leashes like three-year-olds.
He started to suggest they go rafting to the falls, then stopped. “Let me talk to your mother a minute.” He motioned for Jane to follow him. The scent of the water and roar of the waterfall a hundred yards away enveloped him as he stepped out of the RV.
He pulled her into the shade of a big tree. “They could go rafting or do something else fun. They might be safer here than at the Liberty’s Children compound.”
“I don’t like it, Reid. Will could tip over and drown. Anything could happen.”
He took her by the shoulders. “Jane, we can’t do this. You can’t do this. Living in perpetual fear is no life. Will’s been kayaking since he was five. He’s an expert. We can’t give him a glimpse of blue sky, then slap him back into a box.”
She chewed on her lip. “You’re right—I know you’re right. But it’s so hard.”
“He’s nearly a man, honey. Three more years and he’ll be off to college. We have to loosen the strings and let him soar.”
“But that guy—”
“Is back in Pelican Harbor.”
“You can’t know that.”
“It feels safe here, and no one followed us, Jane.”
To his surprise she stepped forward and put her head on her chest, her arms encircling his waist. He embraced her and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Okay?”
“Okay.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt.
She stepped away and he followed to tell Will the good news. What had just happened? She was thawing.
Twenty-Four
He’d been snookered.
Gnats and mosquitoes buzzed his head in the early morning moisture, and he swatted at them as he went over the clues he’d seen. Jane’s SUV was still parked in front of her dad’s house, but he’d seen no sign of her, the boy, or Dixon since that RV left last night. Not a hint of movement other than the old man’s puttering in his garden.
How did they get away without being seen? He dropped the binoculars to let them dangle from his neck, then climbed down from the tree stand and thrashed through the brush to his truck. The Boss wouldn’t be happy at this news.
How did he locate them? If they were out in the open, now would be the time to act.
His truck was parked in a clearing surrounded by thick trees and brush back near the road. Hunters often used it, and his pickup sported a gun rack in the back window to further confuse anyone looking. It took a while to hike back where he could see, but his spot had been perfect.
He fired up his truck engine and drove to town, driving slowly past the school. The kids might provide some information. Even though it was early on Sunday, several kids were out shooting hoops while others smacked a tennis ball around on the court. He parked in the lot and grabbed a shirt emblazoned with a Pelican Harbor city employee logo and a small bag of chips, then put on a genial grin and walked back to the basketball court.
He sat on a park bench and opened a lunch box as if he were an employee on break. He tore open the chips and ate them slowly so the kids would get used to his presence. He recognized Tyler as one of the kids who stopped by to see Will.
A loose ball rolled his way with Tyler hot on its trail, and he grabbed it, then stood to hand it back. “I think this is yours. Tyler, isn’t it? I’m a friend of Will’s dad, and I’ve seen you around.”
Tyler looped his arm around the ball and eyed him with a perplexed expression. “Sorry, I don’t remember you. I-I have some memory issues with things from a few weeks ago.”
“It’s okay you don’t remember me, son. I was trying to track Reid down, but he’s not answering his phone. Any idea where he scooted off to?” Though if the kid’s memory was shot, this was a lesson in futility.
Tyler wrinkled his forehead and pulled out his phone. “I’ve been writing stuff down.” He scrolled through his phone. “Will was talking about going on a camping trip to the Cumberland Falls area. They were going to go this weekend, so I’ll bet they’ve left.”
That’s why Dixon had brought the mammoth motor home last night! He’d marked down the license number to be on the safe side. Kentucky was too far to drive, but he could take his small plane up there in a few hours.
He clapped the kid on the shoulder. “Thanks, I’ll just wait until he gets back then. No wonder he’s not answering his phone. Have fun.” Strolling off, he kept his pace leisurely and didn’t look back.
Cumberland Falls. Great, just great. But that big RV would not be hard to find. He should be there by ten or even a little before.
He considered calling the Boss before he left to tell him what had happened, but he was in no mood for a chewing out. He drove to the Jack Edwards Airport and filled out a flight plan, checked out his plane, and was in the air sooner than he’d thought.
This should be a piece of cake.
* * *
Fear was a bitter taste in her mouth.
The ride to the parcel of land owned by Liberty’s Children had been glorious, but Jane was in no mood to enjoy it. The wind in her hair and the scent of wildflowers in her nose had tried to lift her spirits, but what if her mother wouldn’t talk to her?
“You think Parker will be all right in the RV by himself?” Reid asked.
“He’ll just sleep.”
A chain-link fence lay across the narrow track, barely wide enough for a vehicle to pass through the scrubby vegetation crowding in. Jane stared at the heavy forest covering the terrain off Rock Branch Road.
“Pretty place.” She sniffed the air, fragrant with pine and wildflowers. “I can hear a waterfall in the distance. This has to be it. Friendly sorts, aren’t they?”
“Like always.”
“How are we going to get in?”
He started forward again and drove slowly past the front of the property. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I doubt the whole thing is fenced, and the four-wheeler can go where most cars can’t.”
Jane squinted in the sunshine and watched for an opening. She spotted one between two oak trees and pointed it out. “Think we can get through there?”
He jammed on the brakes and backed up. “Let’s see.”
The vehicle barely rolled along as he nudged it toward the opening between the tre
es. They passed close enough on Jane’s side that she had to pull her arm tight against her to avoid having her skin scraped off by the tree bark.
Then they were on the other side, and she released her breath. “Good driving, Captain America. I think you’re ready for the next Daytona race.”
Reid wore a triumphant grin, and he fist-bumped her. “You still have that map loaded on your phone? I want to see where we are.”
She leaned closer to peruse the map with him. Close enough to feel the heat of his body and to smell the faint tang of his aftershave. Close enough that it was hard to keep her thoughts from scattering in unwelcome directions.
She cleared her throat. “Um, I think we’re here.” She pointed out a spot on the west side of the property, then ran her finger toward the clearing in the middle. “We have to keep going east and north until we run into the buildings.”
“Got it.”
She swallowed and slid back over onto her own side. “Let’s get this over with.”
“You’re still scared?”
“Yep. Wouldn’t you be if you thought your dad might be on the end of this journey?”
“Oh yeah. He’d give me a whupping.”
It didn’t seem right to laugh, but one bubbled up anyway at the mental image. “You’d stomp him into the ground.”
“I never did before.” His voice went serious.
She glanced at him, and his eyes were downcast. “He roughed you up?”
“Beatings might be a better word.” He looked up with a forced smile. “But hey, he’s dead. He can’t hurt either of us anymore.”
But others could.
She couldn’t discount the fact that she’d asked him to take them both into danger. Mount Sinai men had often kidnapped and murdered people—especially women. Liberty’s Children were an offshoot from them, so chances were they were snipped from the same coil of wire. Reid knew the facts even better than she did—his mom had probably been murdered by his dad. That was a hard fact to get past.
Reid’s jaw muscles flexed. “Let’s go.”
Moving to the north and east, they meandered through groves and thick brush, through heavy forest and across small streams until they broke through into what appeared to be a larger clearing.
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