“Please,” Nick said, “tell me you still have your parents’ car keys.”
She nodded and reached for them. Though she couldn’t imagine what good they would do when her dad’s car was likely still near Theresa’s house, or worse, impounded.
Nick rushed toward her and took them from her hand, studying them in the glow of her phone. A grin crossed his face. “The police are searching next door. It’ll take them only a few minutes to realize someone is in here. Can we go?”
She nodded and pulled the strap of the laptop bag across her torso. An open water bottle sat on the edge of the desk. She greedily gulped it as she ran after Nick, back down the stairs. The liquid instantly helped ease some of the soreness. “Where’s Raven?” Her voice sounded stronger but still hoarse.
“You’ll see. Turn off the phone light before the cops notice.”
“Those two sentences contradict each other,” she whispered. She grabbed his shoulder in front of her as she turned the beam off and descended the stairs. She hadn’t been counting the steps and wouldn’t know when they’d come to the bottom. As she fell into the space between his shoulder blades, she knew they’d reached the ground.
“Stay here a second.” The sound of metal and greasy wheels echoed through the garage. Light from the moon streamed into the back. Nick stood underneath the open garage door that led into the backyard. When her dad had renovated, he’d made it into a drive-through garage so he could easily take his riding lawnmower out in the backyard. Seemed like overkill given they had only a third of an acre, but it’d made her dad happy.
Raven sat in the sidecar of the old Honda cruiser motorcycle. Nick held something in his hands. “Think fast.” What looked like a dark ball volleyed into the air. She barely caught it with her fingertips and felt the opening to the helmet.
“Seriously?” she whispered despite the pain.
He threw his hands up at the otherwise empty garage. “Do you have a better idea?”
If she had, she would’ve argued, but the angry voices of officers yelling spurred her forward. A gunshot rang out but seemed farther away. The burglar was still out there?
Nick straddled the motorcycle and gestured for her to hop on behind him. She slapped on the helmet and adjusted the laptop bag to lie flat against her back. A harness of sorts, made from the pink leash, crisscrossed around the dog’s torso and attached to the seat belt Alexis’s dad had installed in the sidecar. Instead of a helmet, Raven wore her mom’s old white driving goggles.
“Let’s hope this starts.” Nick slipped the key into the ignition and cranked the handles. It sputtered before it revved to life.
“Go left.” She pointed with her left hand over his shoulder before the cruiser lurched forward. Without a backrest, wrapping her arms around his torso couldn’t be avoided. She tried not to notice how surprisingly solid the veterinarian was and instead focused on a decision that she would start a jogging routine if they survived.
The bike and sidecar spun into the yard and shot across diagonally to the alley. Except the sidecar lifted off the ground as Nick made the turn. Alexis held in her instinct to scream and fought against the momentum by leaning hard right. Raven licked her arm as she did so, which almost made Alexis let go of her hold on Nick’s torso.
He straightened the bike, and Raven’s seat settled back on the ground.
Over her shoulder, flashlights darted inside her parents’ house, but no beams were directed at them. Surely they had heard the engine, but maybe they assumed it was someone on the street. Though if they had gotten away without being spotted, what about the burglar?
Another gunshot rang out, and gravel sprayed to her right. A police officer wouldn’t have shot without at least calling for them to stop. She was sure of it. The silver vehicle sped out from the side street, windows down, lights off. The motorcycle beam caught the man’s eyes as he leaned out of the passenger window, but the ski mask still covered the rest of his face.
She squeezed Nick tighter at the memory of what the burglar’s arm felt like around her throat. If not for the helmet, she would’ve buried her face in his shirt until it was all over.
“Turn right,” she yelled. The strain hurt, but it was the only way to be heard. Nick rotated the handlebars and turned into what looked like a long driveway, but Alexis knew better. The small town had more alleys than streets, but the property owners were responsible for maintaining them. The three property owners of this little stretch were the only ones to contribute the money to pave it.
Nick narrowly avoided a trash can. Lights flashed on in different houses. Sirens grew closer. Raven’s nose worked overtime in the air as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
The silver car revved behind them and another gunshot sounded, this time spinning the trash can into the alley. The burglar had made it to his getaway car but chose to pursue them rather than escape from the police. Why? Her gut churned as she recalled the feeling of cold metal pressed into her side. If it were more important for him to kill them than to avoid getting caught by the police, how would they ever survive?
ELEVEN
Of all the bad ideas Nick had ever had in his life, this by far was his worst. He hadn’t ridden a motorcycle since his late teens, and driving with a sidecar proved to be a completely different beast. On a regular bike, he had to compensate with each turn, but with the sidecar, he had to brake and throttle less to turn left and add throttle to make a right turn. The wheels felt squishy and insecure on the gravel, and the trigger-happy driver behind them was enough to make his head explode with stress.
He took the next street without Alexis’s guidance, and it ended up being a long driveway. He revved the throttle, jumped the curb and drove diagonally across the front lawn until he came to the next driveway and took the very next right turn. The gunshots stopped momentarily, but he kept his speed as high as possible.
Two turns later, Alexis patted his shoulder. “You lost them. At least for a moment.”
His breathing and heart rate weren’t sure they should believe her quite yet, but there were no longer headlights in the side mirrors. The library on his right caught his attention. He swung into the parking lot and slipped behind the building into a spot where the overhead lights didn’t reach them. He flicked off the ignition, and everything went dark and quiet.
They both breathed heavier than normal. Raven panted happily but stayed still in the sidecar.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” he whispered. “If somehow I still become mayor, my first act will be paving all those alleys.”
Alexis dropped her helmet-covered head between his shoulder blades and exhaled. He’d have objected to the discomfort, but she was either crying or exhausted, so he remained motionless, his hands still on the handlebars.
Raven looked expectantly at him. Nick removed the goggles. He had no intention of driving the motorcycle even two more feet unless they were held at gunpoint again. He scratched behind Raven’s ear. “Who’s a good dog?”
She panted like she already knew she was a rock star.
The weight lifted from his back. “Yes, you are,” Alexis cooed in hushed tones. She reached over and scratched the dog behind the ears, too, something Nick had thought he’d never see. Raven looked so happy, practically smiling as her mouth hung open. If she hadn’t been wearing the homemade harness, Nick felt certain Raven would’ve ended up in Alexis’s lap.
The rev of an engine and sirens approached at high speed. Alexis placed one arm around his waist as if they were about to take off again. The warmth from her embrace made his thoughts muddy, though he told himself it was probably more from exhaustion and lack of food.
The passing lights illuminated a newspaper box on the corner of the sidewalk, next to the back library entrance. He blinked but felt certain his and Alexis’s faces were plastered on the front page of The Barings Herald. He slip
ped off the motorcycle and rolled it, passengers and all, until it was deeper in the shadows.
Alexis slipped off her helmet and wordlessly helped him untangle the leash knots and remove it from the seat belt. The farther away the sirens became, the more he could relax.
“I hope they catch the burglar,” she whispered.
He walked to the newspaper box without her, clicked on his phone and held it close enough to the box that it wouldn’t reflect into the night.
The headline read Mayoral Candidate and Disbarred Attorney Accused of Ties to Drug Ring.
He squinted at the first line of the article. “According to an anonymous source, drugs were found—”
Alexis gasped behind him. She fumbled in her pocket, reached around him and placed a few quarters in the slot, then pulled out the paper. Nick straightened. So he finally knew why she didn’t practice law, but unfortunately, so did the rest of the town. Judging by her heartbroken expression, this would be news to everyone.
Her own phone illuminated the front page. The second half of the article included a photograph of Alexis and Nick in the back of a squad car. He groaned. That looked bad. The final photograph, while blurrier, showed Alexis and Nick clasping hands on the cliff. It had been right after she’d helped him to standing, but more importantly, who took the photograph? The angle looked to be from above. “Who’s the photographer?”
Her wide eyes met his. “I’m so sorry, Nick. I didn’t want to damage your campaign.”
“My campaign was probably over the moment someone planted drugs in my room. I’m just sorry the media pulled you into this.”
She shook her head. “You’re not going to ask me if I really did it?”
“Did what? Let an alleged murderer go free?”
“They’re twisting it. I broke privilege.” Her head hung. “But it resulted in a murderer walking free.”
“I figured it had to be something like that since you stopped practicing law. But look at the photo—”
Her jaw and arm dropped, taking the paper with it, as she shook her head. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Well, I don’t know all the details. Would you rather I be upset?” An exasperated sigh escaped before he could contain it. “Look, I’m sure there’s a story behind it, but I really want to know who took that photograph of us on the cliff.”
“It said anonymous.”
“Can they do that? Don’t they need our permission to—”
Her eyes flashed with fiery heat. “The photographer didn’t need our consent as we were in a public place. You know I wasn’t a defense attorney, right? I was disbarred.” She barely took a breath. “Still don’t care? ’Cause if you really don’t, then I’m happy to be your campaign manager.” Her voice rose as her words tripped over each other. She threw her hands in front of her, one hand waving the paper. She may have been talking about his campaign, but her tone and the look in her eyes seemed to be saying more. “They may have twisted the facts, but the result is still the same. I’m responsible for a murderer walking the streets of Seattle. The truth is, it’ll destroy your reputation because everyone else in this town will care. They’ll care a lot.”
Nick stared at her as he tried to process her words. “Like I said, I’m pretty sure people will care more about our suspected association to a drug ring. The word is out. We’re running out of time to clear our names.”
Raven whimpered and pressed herself into the side of Alexis’s leg. She slumped. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Everything’s out of control, and I just took it out on you. I have no excuse.”
Even in the moonlight, he could see the fiery shade of red blossom over her neck and cheeks. She dipped her chin. “I’ve been ashamed so long. To see it in print...”
He lifted the paper from her fingertips. “Maybe I’m more tired than I want to admit, but I find it hard to believe that the woman in front of me who dreams of advocating for the elderly, who babysat and served her community in word and deed her entire childhood, would intentionally let a murderer go. And until you tell me your side—or let me read this article—I refuse to think anything but the best of you.”
She took a step closer to him, her eyes cross-examining his features. His heart raced at her closeness. It was pointless to deny he was falling for her hard despite his best intentions.
“Innocent until proven guilty?” she asked.
“Shouldn’t it be that way? I certainly wish someone would give me that benefit of the doubt.”
She reached out with her right hand and rested it on his shoulder. He glanced at her fingertips and felt her lips brush his cheek. He closed his eyes and struggled not to pull her into his arms. He turned toward her, but she didn’t move away.
His left hand slid across her neck and into her silky hair. He bent his head and leaned forward to—
Raven shoved herself between their legs. Alexis blinked as if waking up from a dream and stared at the dog. A soft smile crossed her face.
Never before had he disliked a dog as much as he did at the moment. Although, maybe Raven was trying to protect them both from broken hearts. “I... I guess we should go before they retrace their steps. It won’t take them long to find us.”
* * *
She walked toward the motorcycle.
He shook his head. “I think there’s nothing more noticeable than a dog in a sidecar. Did your dad have to go through additional training before driving your mom in that?” He gestured at the scrapes on the side of the sidecar. “It was harder to handle than I thought.”
She shrugged. She’d never taken any interest in learning how to drive it. “Actually, it was my mom’s motorcycle. Dad wanted to have her drive him around in the town parades so he could wave like those men in the little cars, with the additional benefit of getting to throw candy.”
“Like the Shriners?” He laughed. “I wish I could’ve seen that. Your parents sound like fun people.”
They were fun people until she had come home in a depressed funk. She hoped Arizona was treating them right. “You would like them. Dad made a good mayor.” She pointed to the line of trees bordering the back of the parking lot. “We’d better move quickly. It’s a good five-minute walk back to Joe’s.”
He cringed.
“I know,” she said before he could comment. “It feels wrong to stay at a dead man’s house, but he would want Raven to eat, rest and be comfortable. It’ll give us a chance to look at the time cards and regroup.” She put a hand between the laptop bag strap and her neck with a grimace. Her spine and muscles might never be the same after the past few days.
Nick slipped a finger underneath the strap on her shoulder. She faltered as he wordlessly lifted the bag off her and placed it on his shoulder. How she wanted to kiss him. It probably had been for the best that Raven had interfered. It would’ve just complicated everything even more. If they ever got out of this, her situation remained the same. There was no reason to stay in Barings. Once her parents’ house sold, she’d have nowhere to stay and no job. Falling for him had to remain off the table. Even though he woke up her mind and her heart in a way no one else ever had. He’d proved himself to be trustworthy and a good man.
“I wanted to tell you,” she said softly as they walked in the shadows. “Before the story came out. I wanted you to know.”
“So tell me now. Unless you’d rather I read about it.”
She took a deep breath and focused on the path ahead. “I haven’t told anyone but my parents. I’ve been writing small web articles for different content farms for pennies just so it’d drive the article down in the search rankings. It’d take a while to sort through all the Alexis Thompson hits—it’s not a rare name—but you could find it on the internet. Eventually.”
“So it’s been in the news before?”
She nodded. “I was a patent lawyer, and my cl
ient was in a David-and-Goliath-type case.” Her lips lifted in a sad smile. “I was going to win. Out of the blue, he told me he had killed his partner. He had faked evidence that made everyone believe his partner had just left the country. He told me every detail.” Her stride diminished, and her steps faltered as she recalled everything. “So, after countless sleepless nights, I called in an anonymous tip. Only it eventually came to light that I was the informant.”
“Does it really fall under attorney-client privilege when you weren’t his defense lawyer?”
“Unfortunately.” She sucked in a breath. “But I argued it was the exception to ‘prevent, mitigate or rectify substantial injury to the financial interests of another that is reasonably certain to result or has resulted from the client’s commission of a crime in furtherance of which the client has used the lawyer’s services.’” She huffed. “Can you tell I memorized the rules from the American Bar Association? Basically I argued that if I helped my client in the patent case, he had a good chance of winning substantial money that his partner’s family would never receive. Not to mention the wife couldn’t get life insurance because everyone thought he’d left her. I felt part of the crime. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t eat...” Her throat and nose burned with held-back tears.
“You had no idea that would happen. You were a patent lawyer.”
His gentle voice and understanding nature weren’t helping her keep it together. She refused to let her guard down, so she pulled back her shoulders. “No. But when I entered this profession, I should’ve been willing to live with the consequences if it did happen. In the state of Washington, at least, they ruled I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I was disbarred. All of my lawyer friends agreed with the verdict, and worse, the murderer got to walk free. That poor family knows that he did it, and yet he walks free.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed. “You were just trying to do the right thing.”
She sighed and savored the comfort. “You are a good man, Nick. I can’t stand the thought of being the reason you can’t be mayor, then state senator, then...”
Tracking Secrets Page 14
