Secret Service Setup

by Jessica R. Patch

  But he’d shown up right after. Coincidence? If he was the bad guy, he could have used his badge to secure Evan. He’d know he was there if he’d fired shots earlier. And Terry Pratt had sniper training.

  “Any news from Wheezer?”

  “He’s still working on hacking into the assassination site to call the hit off.”

  “Okay,” Jody said. “We’ll keep on alert.”

  “Or you could come home and Evan could keep running on his own, Jody.” Wilder’s comment wasn’t a suggestion, but more of a request.

  “I agree,” Evan said.

  “I don’t. Keep us posted.” She hung up. “Don’t say a word.”

  Silence covered the van.

  “Word,” Evan muttered, and chuckled under his breath.

  She shook her head and parked on the square. “Library is over there, I think. I’m going in this convenience store. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

  Evan nodded and slipped on his ball cap. “That’s a plan.”

  “Evan...” She paused. “Please be safe.”

  “Always.”

  She watched him jog across the street and disappear into the library, then she entered the convenience store. Grabbing a small shopping cart, she combed the aisles for food to last two to three days tops. That’s all they had in this location.

  As she stood at the checkout to pay, a cold finger of fear walked up her spine. She glanced out the large windows in front of the store. Nothing seemed out of place. No one lurking. But the sensation of being watched wouldn’t let go.

  She carried her sacks to the Suburban, tossed them in and hurried across the street to the library, the eerie feeling growing stronger. Inside, she found Evan at the computer center, clacking away.

  “We need to go. Now.”

  Evan didn’t ask questions. He powered down the computer and followed her out of the library. At the car, she caught a whiff of something.

  “What is it?”

  She shook her head and glanced at the woman with a stroller a few feet away on the sidewalk. “Nothing. I caught her perfume and it’s familiar. Floral.” She shrugged off the odd sensation. “Let’s get back.”

  Evan jumped in the passenger side and clicked his seat belt in place. Jody climbed in and cranked the engine. Paused. Something felt off.

  “What is it?”

  Frustration and fear balled her fist. “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

  She was afraid they’d find out soon enough.

  SEVEN

  Evan helped carry in groceries and rummaged through the sacks. Pasta, lunch meat, bread...nothing fancy. Quick. Easy. Jody had never been a culinary master, but she never burned anything. The sniffer wouldn’t let her. It was mostly too many smells bothering her, so she’d kept dinners simple.

  Man, he missed meals with Jody. Coffee afterward and great conversation. They shared the same love for slapstick comedies and vanilla over chocolate. Jody busied herself hunting down sheets and blankets. “Jo, I’ll take the couch. I’d rather be at the front of the cabin than off in a bedroom.”

  She entered the living area with bed linens in her arms. “Okay. You still need a pillow and a blanket.” She tossed them on the couch and laid the extra sheets on the coffee table. “They’re stale smelling.”

  He doubted he’d notice. “Want me to cook the spaghetti?”

  “Yeah, and you can tell me what you did at the library.” Jody rifled through a grocery bag and pulled out the contents to make a pitcher of sweet tea.

  Evan had quickly encrypted the computer and checked his emails. No one would be able to track his whereabouts. “I got an email from my SAC, Clive Bevin. He said he didn’t believe the evidence. Thinks I’m being framed and asked me to come in so we could uncover the truth. But then I also received an email from Layla.”

  Jody filled a glass measuring cup with water and put it in the microwave. “Your investigative assistant? The one that comes to your basketball games?”

  Evan hid his smirk. “That’s the one.”

  “She said you were a catch.” She unpackaged four family-sized tea bags.

  “What’d you say?”

  “I agreed. I was undercover, ya know.” She glanced at him and the corner of her mouth tipped north. “What’d she want?” The microwave beeped and she opened it, then dropped the tea bags inside the boiling water.

  “It was a warning to steer clear of the field office. She said that Clive’s email to me was a ruse to get me to come in and arrest me.” He wasn’t sure what to make of the two emails.

  Jody opened the pound of sugar and searched for a measuring cup. Scooping a heap and dumping it into a plastic pitcher, she said, “Who do you believe?”

  He’d been friends with Clive for years. But he had a job to do and that was bringing in Evan. He couldn’t fault his SAC for that. He’d have done the same thing. “I want to believe Clive. But when you have a job to do, you do it any way you can. So maybe it is a ruse.”

  “How would Layla even know he sent you an email to come in?” Jody asked, and poured one more cupful of sugar into the pitcher.

  “I’m sure it’s the buzz around the office. If it’s a ruse, then they’ll know and be on the lookout. I mean why would she lie? What would be the benefit of having me stay on the run?”

  Jody emptied the steeped tea into the sugar and stirred. “There isn’t one. She’s probably telling the truth.”

  “Yeah. But why would Layla get herself involved? It’s not smart.”

  “Maybe she wants to help.” Jody filled the pitcher with water, then stirred again and put the tea in the fridge.

  “I don’t know.”

  Evan retrieved a skillet from the warming drawer under the stove and dropped a pound of hamburger in it. “Seasonings?”

  Jody pointed to the cabinet by the sink. He grabbed what he needed and doused the meat with onion powder, garlic and pepper. The aroma of sizzling beef filled the kitchen. Jody sat at the table, hand propped under her chin. Was she thinking of all the times he’d cooked for her? Years’ worth of meals. Was she sitting there wondering where they’d be right now if they’d gotten married? If he’d have been brave enough to ask. If he could have been guaranteed that he wouldn’t turn out to be like Dad.

  “Jo?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are we ever gonna talk about what happened? Did nothing in that letter mean anything to you?” He’d asked for her forgiveness and bared it all to her.

  She came out of her lazy gaze toward the windows and bristled. “I didn’t read it.”

  With that, she strode from the kitchen and into the master bedroom, and quietly closed the doors. She hadn’t read it? Evan couldn’t blame her. He might have ignored it, too, if the tables were turned. She didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to forgive him. What was he supposed to do with that? He’d asked for forgiveness and talked to his pastor about it. He’d been doing volunteer work at the church to make up for it—though he knew he never really could.

  Shouldn’t God’s forgiveness be enough? If so, why did his stomach turn constantly?

  He mechanically finished the spaghetti and toasted the garlic bread. He placed it all on the worn and nicked kitchen table but had a feeling Jody wasn’t going to come to share a meal with him.

  But he’d try.

  He knocked lightly on her bedroom door. “Jody, dinner’s ready.” She probably already knew that with the smells. “Please come eat. With me. I won’t bring up the letter.” Leaning against the door, he waited. Hoped.

  The knob turned with a click, and he backed up as she opened the door.

  She’d been crying. It killed him to see red-rimmed eyes and a pink nose. “You hungry?” he asked, instead.

  “Yeah. Smells good. Thanks.” She sat at the table and placed the paper napkin in her lap.
>
  Evan served up the food and cleared his throat. “Can I say the blessing?”

  “Sure.” She bowed her head and he prayed.

  They ate in uncomfortable silence. Finally Evan couldn’t stand it anymore. “I’m going to collect more firewood. It’s going to be cold tonight.” He grabbed his gun from the living room coffee table and headed outside. He needed air.

  When he came back inside, Jody had already cleaned up the dinner dishes. The smell of coffee brewing filled the cabin. She was curled up on the couch. Evan stoked the fire, added more wood and poured a cup of coffee. “You want one?” he asked.

  “Thanks.”

  He brought her a cup and sat on the other end of the couch. “I’m not going to turn myself in. In case Layla is right.”

  “Wise decision. I called Wheezer while you were outside. He’s only cracked through three layers of encryption on the assassination site. But he’ll keep at it.”

  Evan was impressed. “That’s actually pretty fast.” He sipped his coffee. “Any thoughts about where we go next?”

  “We can’t use friends or family. We have several thousand dollars in cash. I say we go farther south. Maybe rent a boat and hit the seas for a while.”

  “You know I get seasick.”

  “Exactly. Anyone who really knows you knows that. Buy some motion-sickness meds and suck it up.” Jody cupped her mug and shivered. Evan lifted the blanket off the arm of the couch and covered her legs.

  “And what about you? Are you gonna be on this boat?” Evan asked. “How long are you going to run with me, Jody? You have a life, and the longer you aid and abet, the greater the chances of you doing time.”

  “Let me worry about that, Evan.” She closed her eyes. “I’m exhausted.”

  Evan leaned over and took her mug, setting it on the coffee table. Jody didn’t budge and her breathing evened out. The woman could fall asleep on a dime and in any position. Her neck was going to protest later. He put his empty cup on the coffee table, then he gently picked Jody up, cradling her in his arms, the feel of her against him undoing everything he’d kept bound inside.

  He carried her to the bedroom and toed the door open. She lightly stirred, a soft murmur escaping her lips. Squatting with her in his arms, he pulled the covers back and laid her on the bed. Carefully he slipped off her shoes and covered her up. She nestled into the pillow, but didn’t wake.

  Evan brushed the hair back from her face and wished things hadn’t turned out so tragically. Biting back the temptation to kiss her while she slept, he tiptoed from the room and closed the door with a quiet click. She might be a sleeping beauty, but his kiss wouldn’t waken her to love. And that, too, was a tragedy.

  * * *

  Leaves burned in a huge pile and Jody was only ten. She watched as the smoke billowed into the fall sky; Granddaddy Flynn stood with a water hose in hand. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Jody-girl. You gotta be safe when messing with fire.”

  Her eyes popped open.

  Disoriented, she glanced around. She was in the master bedroom.

  And she smelled smoke.

  Not leaves. The smell must have brought on a memory from her past and it manifested as a dream. She slid over the side of the bed, slipped on her shoes and followed the scent. Opening the bedroom door, a cloud of smoke smacked her senses. She covered her mouth, coughed and saw the source.

  The fireplace had smoke billowing from it. Had the chimney been stopped up? She rushed to the fireplace, but the fog kept her from seeing, burned her eyes. Evan. Where was Evan?

  She fanned her hand in front of her and saw his silhouette on the couch. “Evan!” She ran to him and shook him. Had he inhaled too much smoke? “Evan! Wake up! Can you hear me?” She shook him more violently and he stirred, coughed. Thank You, God!

  First kind words she’d said to Him in a long time.

  “Evan, wake up.” She used his shirt and pulled it up over his mouth and nose. “The chimney is stopped up. We have to get out of here.”

  Evan roused and coughed again. Reality set in and he jumped to his feet, fully clothed and shoes already on. “What happened?”

  Adrenaline raced through her blood, fear leaving her in a cold sweat. “We have to get out of here.” She ran for the front door.

  “Wait!” Evan held her back. “If the chimney’s been clogged it’s a trap to get us out.”

  “Well, we can’t stay in here. We’ll die for sure!”

  Evan threw on a backpack and tossed one to Jody. “We don’t know how many there are. We have four exit points. Surely there isn’t someone stationed at each one.”

  Maybe. Maybe not. But what if they picked the wrong exit point? They were easy targets!

  Evan peeked out the living room windows, but it was too dark to see and the smoke was too thick. He coughed and rubbed his eyes. “How did they find us?”

  Jody wasn’t sure, but her educated guess was Evan hadn’t been as thorough in covering his tracks at the library as he’d thought. Only, that might not be true. Jody had felt watched while in the convenience store.

  Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Jody-girl.

  Her hands shook and panic threatened to overtake her senses. She kept her shirt over her mouth and nose. A flare of orange flickered in the kitchen window. “Evan! We gotta go. Now.”

  “Bedroom window. We have to attempt it.” Evan grabbed her as they stayed low, trying to bypass the dense cloud choking them.

  Smoke clogged Jody’s lungs as she gasped and coughed, her eyes blinded by the haze and burning sensation.

  Heat filled the cabin as an orange flame burst through the kitchen window and licked up the counters. They’d set the place on fire! She clutched her backpack. It wouldn’t take long for it to eat up the cabin and make its way to the bedroom.

  He raised the window. “I’ll go first. Cover me.”

  No way. He was the target and going out first gave him the disadvantage. “No. I go first.”

  Evan growled. “Not happening. Not in this lifetime. Not ever.”

  His eyes darkened. Intense. He wouldn’t budge; he’d stand here and burn alive before he let her go out that window first and risk a fatal wound. Anger and appreciation intertwined in her chest. They’d discuss it later. They’d both die if they stayed inside arguing.

  Flames dogged the bedroom door frame.

  “Fine! Go!”

  Evan glanced at the flames and back to Jody. Something in his eyes... “While I’ve already got you mad...” He grabbed her neck, pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth, then dived from the window, rolling onto the ground and crouching low.

  No time to protest. No time to process. Jody bounded from the window and stayed low next to Evan. The woods surrounded them, but they also masked whoever was trying to kill them. The sniper? Someone new? How had they been tracked? Jody’s mind buzzed, but her lips tingled from that frantic, desperate kiss.

  The wind howled through the trees and she shivered. Smoke clung to the air, masking any other scent. If someone was nearby, Jody couldn’t smell him.

  The moon gave off little light, but the flames engulfing the cabin shone a fiery spotlight on them. “We have to move fast. Let’s go south. There’s a ranger station. I’m not sure where exactly, but I know there is one. Along the river. We can find some shelter maybe and hide until first light.”

  Evan nodded and they scrambled into the woods as a gunshot fired. Bark splintered and rained down on Evan’s head. “Stay low and run!”

  Jody raced through the woods, tripping over fallen limbs, leaves crunching beneath her feet, but she was thankful for fresh air. She gulped it in as they ran south.

  Another shot fired and hit a tree about five feet away. Either the shooter was a bad shot or the night blinded him, which meant he wasn’t using night goggles. “Zigzag!” she whispered.

&n
bsp; “Right behind you,” Evan snapped back.

  No point in reminding him that she was supposed to be covering him. She zigged right...zagged left, her legs pushing harder. She hurdled a log and moved faster, Evan right on her heels.

  About half a mile more and Jody slowed, then took cover behind a tree. “No more gunfire.”

  “You think we lost him?”

  They’d eaten up about two miles of ground. Guess Evan hadn’t given up cross-country running, either. She wasn’t out of breath, but she was drained. The adrenaline had slowed and she was crashing. Sweat dripped from her brow and she wiped it with her shirt. “We have to get warm or we’ll get a chill.”

  “Smoke and fire will draw the shooter to us.”

  They couldn’t sit out there all night. The temperature was in the twenties. “Jackets in the backpacks.” She’d been thorough.

  Evan rummaged through his blue pack and retrieved an army jacket. Better than nothing. Jody grabbed an identical one, a little big but she’d snuggle into it. When their body temperatures dropped, they were going to freeze.

  “Let’s hoof it and see if we can’t find a safe place to get through the rest of the night,” Evan said. They trekked south, stopping periodically to listen, Jody to smell. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Evan, how did someone find us? I thought maybe the computer, but I had a feeling we were being watched before anyone would have had time to track us through an IP address.” Jody dug in the backpack and retrieved a bottle of water. She sipped and put it back inside.

  “I know it wasn’t the computer. I was cautious, I promise. The only thing I can think of is someone must have put a tracker on the SUV at CCM, especially if they saw you packing it up before they shot at us.”

  Jody tugged the jacket tighter around her. “Or they followed us from CCM.” But she hadn’t seen a tail. “Or put a tracker on the SUV at the gas station when we stopped for snacks and gas. That way they could fall back and we wouldn’t have been alerted to their presence.”