by Cate Beauman
Abby rushed in with her bag and purse, dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie, her eyes clouded with worry for the first time in weeks. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” He slid his holster over his shirt, checked his weapon, and shoved the Glock in its place against his ribs. He pulled the pistol out just as quickly when a truck came barreling down the lane. “Stay here. Mom,” he shouted as he took the stairs in twos.
“I’m here, son.” She carried Grandpa Quinn’s old shotgun—the first gun he’d ever fired.
“Go upstairs.”
“It’s just Timmy.”
“Go on until I make sure. Keep Abby close.” Mom could handle a weapon as well as the rest of them.
The porch light shined on Timmy as he booked it up the steps and came inside.
Jerrod put his gun away, not bothering to greet his sleepy-eyed brother. “Mom and Uncle Jimmy can’t stay here.”
“I know.” Timmy scrubbed at his face.
“Wait a minute, boys,” Mom said with a hand on her hip. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jerrod glanced at his mother, then his watch again. Fifteen minutes had ticked by. “Mom, I don’t have time for this. I have to go. You’re going to do whatever Timmy tells you until this blows over.”
“What about the farm?” She asked with her brows raised.
“Screw the farm. This is your life. These people will kill you just because they can.”
“Jerrod—”
“I’m sorry,” Abby’s voice trembled as she walked down the stairs carrying their two small bags. “I’m sorry, Mary. You’ve been so kind to welcome me, and I’ve put you in danger.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Jerrod said as he looked into her eyes brimming with tears, trying to ignore the urge to wrap her up in a hug. He needed to keep her safe, not soothe her. He’d given her all the gentleness he could upstairs; now it was time to work.
“Now honey, you listen to Jerrod. This isn’t your fault.” Mom pulled Abby into a hug. “You two need to be on your way.”
“Please do what Jerrod and Tim ask.” Abby eased back, looking Mom in the eyes. “Please. They’re monsters,” she said, gripping mom’s hand.
“Okay, honey. I’ll pack a few things and leave with Timmy.” She gave Abby’s cheek a gentle pat and broke their connection, moving in to give Jerrod a hug. “You be careful. Watch your back and keep Abby safe.”
He hugged her hard, always hating when he had to say goodbye to his mother. She was the one person he regretted leaving behind. “I will. You need to be careful for a while too.” He kissed her cheek and let her go.
“I will, but Shelby didn’t mention you or any of us by name in the article.”
“At least that’s something.” His blood boiled as he thought of the unnecessary danger Shelby had caused everyone in this room. “I still don’t want you out here by yourself for a while. You or Uncle Jimmy. Make sure you have a couple of Timmy’s men with you until you get the all-clear.”
“All right, son.”
“We need to go. Timmy, I’m going dark. Contact Ethan at the number I gave you. He’ll keep you filled in.” He gave his brother a quick hug.
“Got it.” Timmy gave his back a solid smack. “Be careful.”
“You too.”
A car sped down the drive, stopping with a screech of brakes. Jerrod went instantly on alert, blocking Abby behind him, pushing her toward the stairs as he and Timmy pulled their weapons. Someone’s footsteps crunched toward the front steps. Jerrod clenched his jaw as he caught sight of long red hair in the front window. Shelby. He had absolutely nothing to say to her. “Come on, Abigail.”
She nodded, stopping in front of Timmy. “Goodbye, Tim. Thank you for all the fun.” She kissed his cheek. “Tell Uncle Jimmy thank you and goodbye for me.”
He nodded. “I will. Listen to Jerrod and come back and see us when things are better.”
She gave him a small smile. “I would like to.”
Jerrod took her hand and opened the door as Shelby raised a hand to knock in yoga pants and a sweatshirt. “You’ve got some fucking nerve coming out here.”
“I got a strange phone call—two of them. It creeped me out.”
He pulled Abby with him to the rental car. “I’d plan on several more, or worse.” He didn’t care that her eyes bloomed with fear. She’d made this mess. “You have no idea what you’ve done, Shelby. No fucking idea. I hope it was worth it.” He got in as Abby took her seat, reversed, and drove off, not bothering to look back in his rearview mirror. If he ever saw Shelby again, it would be too soon.
Abby stared out the window, gripping her hands tight in her lap as they drove down Commerce Way toward the onramp. “Where are we going?” she asked quietly.
“To Cheyene.” He merged on Eighty West, checking for a nonexistent tail, and kicked his speed up to eighty-five—ten over the speed limit, eager to put distance between Abby and Parker, Nebraska. “Ethan’s booking us a flight.”
“Then what?”
“I’m not sure until he calls me back.” His cell rang as if on cue, and he checked the readout. “This is him right now.” He pressed ‘talk.’ “Quinn.”
“First available flight out is 10:35. United flight 2233 to Indianapolis. Tickets are waiting at the counter.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Abby made The Times again. Toni Torrell and Shelby Haggerty are sharing the byline.”
He huffed out a breath, absorbing the latest wave of anger. “Yeah.”
“I’m taking it you know Shelby.”
“Yeah,” he said again. “My ex decided to pay me back. She likes to make it count.” He grit his teeth in frustration, glancing at Abby as she turned her head his way.
“She doesn’t mess around.”
“No.” He shook his head, still trying to believe she’d actually done this. Shelby was capable of a lot, but this was a new low.
“Give me a call when you land, and we’ll figure out the next step.”
“Will do.”
“Later.”
“Later.” He hung up and gripped the wheel tight. Abby’s face was in the news again, and not just here in Parker. Shelby had already received ‘creepy’ phone calls, which meant the bastards were on to them. They were more than likely already on their way to Nebraska. He needed to talk to Adam and figure out what the taskforce had on Dimitri. Hesitating, he dialed, understanding the risks he took by calling anyone other than Ethan.
“Hello?”
“It’s Quinn. What’s the word on Dimitri?”
“We’ve got him narrowed down to two locations. Surveillance is running now.”
“Good.” His shoulders relaxed a fraction, knowing the men he used to work with and trusted had a bead on one of their problems. He wanted to ask where they thought Dimitri was, but Adam wouldn’t and couldn’t tell him over the phone. “Good,” he said again.
“Are you in trouble, man?”
“Nope. Everything’s fine. Just checking in.”
There was a long pause. Adam knew as well as he did that everything was not fucking fine. “Okay.”
“I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up, rolled down his window, and tossed the phone out, watching it crack into pieces on the pavement in his rearview mirror.
Abby stared at him. “Why did you do that?”
“New place, new phone. No risks.”
“Why did you tell that person everything’s fine?”
“Because you never know who’s listening.”
She let loose a trembling sigh. “I hate this.”
He took her hand, running his thumb along her knuckles. “We’ll be okay.” He wanted them settled somewhere hundreds of miles from here. “We’re going to make this work, just like we’ve done all along.”
She nodded, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, and set their joined hands in her lap as they passed a mileage sign. Cheyenne Wyoming was 200 miles away. He glanced at the odometer, tempted to punch the gas, eager to hurry them along, but h
e kept his speed at eighty-five, more than ready to leave Nebraska behind.
~~~~
The plane touched down with a bump and rush of breaks, slowing as the jet approached United’s terminal. Jerrod leaned closer to Abby’s side, glancing at the snowy mix falling outside the window, then at his watch. They’d lost an hour with the time change—not that it mattered much. He and Abby still had problems, whether it was three-thirty in the afternoon or midnight.
He reached for his cell, muttering a swear as he remembered that his phone lay in pieces somewhere on Interstate 80. Now that they were on the ground he needed to talk to Ethan and find a place for them to lay low until more secure arrangements could be made. Their unexpected departure from Nebraska meant a safe house scenario was more than likely in the cards. As much as he hated the idea of locking Abby behind shaded windows and closed doors, her days of wandering free were over. They should’ve had another week and a half on the farm, but this morning’s articles changed that.
He looked at Abby’s pale cheeks and tensed shoulders, struggling to ignore another rush of anger, understanding that the useless emotions did him little good. Shelby made her choice; now he and Abby were dealing with the consequences. He sent her another glance, brushing his fingers along her hand, winking as the plane rolled to a stop and the flight attendant’s voice filled the cabin.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She gave him a small smile as she grabbed her carryon and purse from below the seat in front of her. “Yeah.” She’d said little during the four and a half hour flight, spending most of her time staring out the window. She was trying to stay strong, but he knew she was struggling to hold on.
He took both their bags and stood, wedging his body into the aisle, making certain he and Abby weren’t the first or the last passengers to deplane. “Come on.” He snagged her hand, pulling her in front of him. “Right by my side. Just like always,” he murmured close to her ear.
She nodded, moving forward, following the line out as they walked the jetway.
He stepped to her right side, slipping an arm around her waist as they moved closer to the gates, his eyes scanning the groupings of passengers waiting to board and the hoards of people lounging around or walking by on their way to catch another flight. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll grab a phone and a bite to eat. I’ll call Ethan and figure out what’s next.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She’d nibbled two or three bites of a banana nut muffin in Cheyenne and handed off her peanuts and pretzels to him mid-flight.
“Abby, you need to eat something.”
She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t feel very well.”
Without fail, her appetite had vanished. “We’ll get you some crackers and a ginger ale.”
“Ginger ale actually sounds really good.”
“One ginger ale, coming up.” He smiled and kissed the top of her head as he continued his scrutiny of Indianapolis International’s other patrons, pausing when he spotted the small shop selling novelties, snacks, and magazines. “This looks like a good spot.”
“Sure. When we’re finished here I want to hit the bathrooms.”
“You’ve got it.”
Abby broke free of his hold, heading toward the cooler of drinks mere feet to his left.
He struggled not to pull her back and keep her at his side as he looked around at strangers perusing magazines or purchasing packs of gum. He’d grown accustomed to the quiet and safety he and Abby experienced over the last three weeks in Parker. For the first time in years, he actually missed the farm.
“Do you want something?” she asked as she grabbed a soda.
“Uh, just a water, thanks.”
She pulled a bottled water from the cooler and studied the small selection of crackers, pretzels, chips, and cookies, choosing a bag of pretzel rods. “Do you want a snack?”
“I need a real meal.” He took a pay-as-you-go phone from the shelf, noting the thirty-minute card included. “Are you all set?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s pay for this and get out of here.”
Jerrod paid the bored-eyed woman at the register, using cash. “You can keep the bag,” he said as he and Abby walked out, stopping next to the women’s restroom close by. “Go ahead, and I’ll get this taken care of.” He gestured to the phone he battled to pull from the thick plastic.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Abby set her snacks on top of their carryons and hurried to the bathroom.
Several moments later, Jerrod finally freed the throwaway phone and entered the information from the card quickly, knowing he only had a fifteen-minute charge before he would have to plug in. The screen beeped, alerting him to a successful activation, and he dialed Ethan.
“Cooke.”
“It’s Quinn.”
“You’re secure?”
“Not yet. We’ll find a hotel until you can send someone to give me a hand. He glanced around, waiting for Abby’s return.
“I don’t have anyone until Saturday—Friday at the earliest.”
“That’s a long damn time.” He’d handled solo situations like this numerous times in the three years he worked WITSEC. Four days had never been a big deal. Hell, he’d been on his own for weeks at a time, relocating participants on the fly, but they had never been Abby. Of the thousands of witnesses he’d helped transfer, she was the one who mattered most. When they reached their final destination, he wouldn’t be handing her off to another Marshal. When all of this was over, he wouldn’t wave and walk away. He blinked as he realized he had no intention of letting her go.
“We weren’t exactly planning on your ex’s little exposé.”
“Yeah, I know.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to concentrate on his conversation with Ethan instead of his epiphany.
“I’ll do my best to finagle coverage and get someone out there sooner. I know what’s at stake here, man.”
“We’ll be fine, but I’ll take the help as soon as you can send it. I’ll check in tomorrow.”
“I’ll have a better idea of who’s coming and when.”
“Thanks.”
“Take care.”
“Will do.” He ended the call, checking the time he had remaining until the battery went dead.
“I feel much better,” Abigail said as she came out of the restroom. Her cheeks still lacked color, but her eyes seemed brighter.
“Good. Let’s take a seat while I make one more call, then we’ll get food and find a place to stay.”
They picked up their bags and seated themselves against the wall, facing the crowds as he dialed Adam’s number.
“Hello?”
“It’s Jerrod. Have you heard anything more?”
“Not yet.”
“What the hell’s taking so long?” It wasn’t uncommon for surveillance to take days or even a couple of weeks, but he needed answers now.
“I’m sorry, man. You know how this shakes down. We can’t afford mistakes.”
He rubbed at his forehead as he steamed out a breath. “I know.”
“What the hell’s up? Are you in trouble?”
“You could say that.”
“Where are you?”
He stayed silent.
“I know. You’re not going to tell me. Fucking protocol.” Adam sighed. “Come to New York. Shane and I can help you out.”
The idea of giving Abby a secure location with men he trusted was appealing. “I don’t know.” They both knew he wouldn’t confirm or deny his plans over an unsecure line.
“Look. Maybe we’ll see you and maybe we won’t, but you know where we are if you want a couple extra sets of eyes.”
“I appreciate it.” The phone beeped, alerting him to his dwindling time limit. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Keep in touch.”
“I will.” He hung up as Abby swallowed her bite of pretzel, washing it down with a sip of soda. “Let’s walk.” Staying
idle was never a good idea.
She shouldered her bag and purse and stood, walking with her snacks in hand. “What did you find out?”
“Well, we have a couple of options.” He slid his arm around her waist, keeping her close, talking next to her ear like any cozy couple would. “We can lay low here in Indianapolis until Ethan gets someone out to help, or we can head to some friends of mine. My old roommates.”
She slowed, her weary eyes meeting his. “The taskforce guys?”
He nodded, understanding Abby’s nonexistent trust for law enforcement and their agendas. He couldn’t blame her. The Baltimore Taskforce would have left her twisting in the wind if it hadn’t been for her sister. “This would be off the radar—just a couple of my friends giving us a hand for a couple of days.”
She shrugged. “What do you think?”
“I wouldn’t hate having the backup. And the anonymity of where we would be going is a big plus.”
She nibbled her lip. “You want to go.”
“I want you safe.”
“I trust you, Jerrod. If you think this is right.”
“These are good guys. I lived with them for two years.”
She sighed. “I guess we should book another flight.”
“I think this is the right move.” He gave her a kiss. “I’ll call Ethan.” He dialed Ethan with his remaining four minutes.
“Cooke.”
“I need flights.” He glanced behind him, making certain no one stood too close as they continued down the concourse. “LaGuardia. My service time is running out.”
“I’ll set it up right now.” Ethan’s fingers flew over the keys. “I can get you guys out of there at five-twenty on American. Flight 1727. It’s direct.”
“Set it up.”
“I’m halfway done.”
The phone beeped again. “I’ll check in tomorrow. We’ll be staying with some friends.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks.” Ending the call, he pulled the memory card from the phone as he and Abby stepped out of the busy path. He dropped the chip on the floor, crushing it under his heel as she stared into his eyes. He picked up the mangled pieces, tossing them in the trash as they walked by. “Looks like we’re changing carriers. Let’s go.” He wrapped his arm around Abby again as much for safety as comfort while they made their way to the American Airlines ticket desk.
