The Billionaire From Dallas
Page 3
Deena moaned, terror building again. Would this nightmare never end?
“This is too much,” she muttered, more to herself than Jake.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry you got caught up in my mess. I’m going to make this right, and I’m going to do my best to keep you safe. But you have to trust me.”
“You can barely keep yourself safe; how are you going to keep me safe too?”
“Trust me. I’m highly motivated. I don’t want to die.”
“Nobody does,” she said.
The bus pulled toward the curb, and Jake took her hand.
“Stay strong.”
“I’m trying.” She took a deep breath and held it, closing her eyes against the debris the bus kicked up then looking at him as the doors opened. “Is anywhere going to be open right now?”
“No. We still have an hour to kill before the manager shows up.”
“So, what are we going to do until then?”
“Stay alive,” he whispered, pulling out his wallet and stepping onto the bus right behind her to pay for both their fares. “And we’re going to get breakfast.”
Deena shook her head in disbelief, letting him guide her to the back of the bus, his hand on her back. She sat in the back in the only row without windows, putting herself against the wall so he would be between her and any danger. It wasn’t much, but it gave her a little comfort.
She watched him taking in the area around them, admiring him in the light for the first time while he was too busy to notice her attention. His hair was dark brown with just a hint of auburn that was only noticeable when the light hit it just right. He was handsome, his jaw chiseled but not too hard, his expression soft and friendly. If they’d met at a bar or a club, she would have zeroed in on him right away, but this was different.
She was angry at her body for reacting to him, even when they were running for their lives. It wasn’t the time, but she couldn’t help it. She wished she’d spent the night with him instead of Holt. She would be willing to bet that Jake was a much better lover than Holt. He even smelled better. She couldn’t place the gentle hint of cologne he wore, but she knew it was a pricey one. It was noticeable, yet not overwhelming, something the cheaper colognes could never manage.
Stop it, she thought angrily. If she’d been in bed with him, they would both be dead. And now, they were running for their lives, not stuck in some overblown romantic movie. This was real life, and this was real danger.
He was still watching the road, seemingly oblivious to her internal battle, but he must have felt her tension. His hand reached out, grabbing hers without turning her way. When she squeezed his hand back, he slipped his arm around her and pulled her against his side.
“You can do this,” he whispered. “Just do what I say, and everything is going to be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“We have hope. Hold onto that and don’t let the fear overwhelm you. Fear controls us and forces us to react instead of acting. Stay calm, and let your adrenaline push you in the right direction.”
“How can you be so calm?”
“I’m not.”
“You sure look like you are.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
She laughed despite the fear that still gripped her, then quieted down when a sour-looking woman with her purse clutched to her chest turned to glare at them.
“Let’s get off here. I’ve seen a little place around the corner that serves breakfast twenty-four-seven, and we’re a short walk from the DART train.”
“That sounds good,” she said, pulling the cord to signal the driver that someone wanted to get off at the next stop in case the bus stop was empty.
The driver pulled over, and they exited through the back door, Jake still holding her hand and looking more like young lovers than a couple of people running for their lives. They were miles from where they’d parked the car and even further from Cedar Springs and Field Street. With so much distance between them and the murder, and with the sky getting lighter in the east, she could almost let herself believe that young lovers was exactly what they were.
“Listen,” he said as they turned another corner and the tiny little restaurant came into view. “I don’t want to take you to a dive, but I think going to my normal breakfast spot is too obvious. So, don’t hold it against me. I promise this isn’t my typical first date choice.”
She laughed.
“When this is over, you can take me on a real date. For now, this place is just fine.”
“I’m going to hold you to it,” he said, opening the door for her, his eyes scanning the area around them almost imperceptibly. “When this is all said and done, it’s a date.”
The door closed behind them, and the sounds of the city disappeared with a resounding thud. A sleepy waitress with a huge smile greeted them at the register.
“Just two?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jake said.
“Seat yourselves, and I’ll be by to take your order in a minute.”
Jake thanked her, leading Deena to a table that she knew he chose for the view of the street beyond. Away from the window, they could see everything, but it would be nearly impossible for someone passing by to notice them.
“I notice you’ve strategically placed us by an emergency exit.”
“You can’t be too careful,” he said. “But I’m impressed.”
“That I noticed?”
“That you’ve managed to calm yourself enough to look at your surrounding area critically.”
“I’m sorry I got hysterical.”
He shook his head.
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. You’re having normal, human reactions to things that you should never have to experience. But instead of melting into a puddle, you’ve regrouped and you’re in fight mode. That’s impressive.”
“Thanks,” she said, smiling at him.
“Wow,” he said. “You are quite beautiful, but when you smile, you light up the room. I guess I didn’t notice while we were running for our lives.” His voice was low, his elbows on the table as he leaned forward and stared into her eyes. “You have the most beautiful eyes. Such a rich brown that they’re almost black.”
The waitress appeared, receipt tablet in hand, ready for their order. Deena ordered quickly, then waited for Jake to finish his order before the waitress scurried away.
“I’m going to hold you to it,” she said finally.
“To what?”
“To a date. A real date, when this is all over.”
He smiled, melting her heart and making her forget everything that had happened for a blissful moment. What he said next made her heart flutter inside her chest.
“Wild horses couldn’t stop me.”
Chapter4
A generic male voice came through a speaker near Deena’s head, letting them know that the next stop was coming up. Deena looked at Jake, who was holding his phone and watching the screen intently.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for the factory reset to complete.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want my contacts getting out.”
“Okay. Will that stop someone from tracking your phone too?” she whispered.
“No. I’m leaving my phone here.”
As he answered, the rest completed and after a brief check of the contents, he stuffed the thin phone between the leg of the seat and the wall beneath the bench.
“You don’t think that’s a little paranoid?” she asked, still whispering.
“Do you?”
“I guess not.”
“Good. This is our exit. Let’s go.” He jumped up and they left the train, stepping onto the brightly lit DART platform. “I don’t want to take my phone to the dealership and risk someone finding out that’s where we went.”
“Won’t they know pretty quickly? I mean, they’re going to run your credit, right? Can these guys track things like that?”
He smiled a
t her.
“You’re cute. No. None of that is going to happen. I have a guy.”
“He has a guy,” she muttered, following him at a slightly slower pace.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m exhausted, someone tried to kill me, and I’ve been going since about five last night with no sleep and in heels. Take your pick.”
“We’ll deal with the rest of that soon. I promise.”
“That’s good, because I don’t know how much longer I can take this.”
They got on another bus and exited a few miles later on South Ewing Avenue.
“At least it will take them awhile to figure out which one you went to,” she said, squinting against the sun and the headache she was fighting.
“That’s the idea. There are a lot of smalltime car dealers within a mile of here, and there are other businesses we might try to make use of. If we’re tracked to this bus stop, they’ll have a hard time figuring out where we went.”
He led her through the streets, turning a few times before finally leading her into a dealership’s parking lot. He went around the outside of the building without going in, knocking on a smooth side door and waiting for it to open. A man peeked out seconds later, smiling when he saw Jake.
“I tried to call.”
“I had to ditch the phone,” Jake said, going into the office, Deena right behind him.
“That bad? I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.”
“I need a car, Bob.”
“Done.”
“Without a GPS tracker.”
“Give me a minute,” he said, picking up the phone on his desk and paging someone, then hanging up. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Can you wait to file the paperwork until this all blows over? I don’t want them tracking me.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“You know I owe you one.”
“I appreciate you.”
There was a knock at the door, and a man came in, mechanic’s uniform spotless, hair slicked back, a huge grin on his face. He went to Bob’s desk, leaning over when the man motioned to him, then nodding his head and disappearing out the side door.
“I have an Audi A3 Turbo. Not as flashy as you’re used to, but it blends in around here, and it has a lot of power.”
“Perfect,” Jake said.
“Tank’s full. Do you need any cash?”
“I’ve got that covered, thanks.”
Bob held out his hand, and Jake took it, shaking it, then embracing his friend with his free hand.
“You stay alive, Jake,” Bob said.
Jake nodded.
“That’s the plan.”
“He should be done.”
“He knows to get both units?”
“He does. This isn’t his first rodeo.” Bob slid a large yellow envelope across the desk. “It isn’t mine either.”
“Great. Thanks, Bob,” Jake said, taking the envelope and tucking it into his jacket.
“Anytime.”
Deena smiled weakly at Bob as they left, her head spinning at the quick conversation as Jake led her to the waiting car. The mechanic handed them the keys, and Jake pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket. When the mechanic tried to refuse, Jake stuck it in his shirt pocket.
“You got both?” he asked.
“I did.”
“You never saw me.”
“Understood.”
The mechanic opened the door for Deena, closing it softly after waiting for her to get settled. As they made their way back toward I-35, Deena was shaking her head in disbelief.
“That man just gave you a car,” she said.
“Not really. I’ll pay him when this is all said and done. I’m not really a silver Audi guy, so I’ll probably sell the car when I’m done.”
“I’ll take it,” she teased, surprised when he shrugged.
“Sure. That’s sounds good.”
“I was joking.”
“It’s a fair trade. I saved your life, and I give you a car.” He laughed and winked at her. “I’m just teasing you about that, but if you want the car, it’s yours. I don’t need it.”
“I have a car,” she said, melting into the comfortable seat and watching out the window.
“I’m sorry.”
His hand was on hers.
“What for? This isn’t your fault.”
“It kind of is. I should have tried to kill that man instead of grabbing you, but I thought saving you was the smarter option.”
“Did you have a gun?”
“No.”
“A bigger knife?”
“I didn’t even have a pocket knife.”
“Then, I don’t see how you were going to kill him. He was creepy as all get out. Men like that don’t just die.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“You seem really smart; trying to kill him with your bare hands would have been a dumb move.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
“Where are we going now?”
“I’m going to stop by the bank and get some cash. Once I’ve done that, we’ll pull into one of those coin-operated car washes, and I’ll put the license plates on the car. Maybe it’s a little paranoid, but they have cameras at the bank, and I’m withdrawing the maximum. I don’t want the license plate number on camera.”
“I don’t think you’re being too paranoid.”
“Once the plates are on, we’ll find somewhere to hole up and get some rest. I haven’t been sleeping well since the first attempt on my life, and you look like you could use some sleep.”
“I normally would have some kind of snarky comeback to that, but you’re right. I’m exhausted.”
“Once we’re rested and I can think straight, we’ll figure out our next move.”
“This is you too tired to think straight? Wow. What are you, ex-military or something?”
“It’s a long story,” he said, pulling into the parking lot of the bank and going straight for the drive-thru.
She looked at the clock, shaking her head when she saw what time it was.
“I can’t believe how much has happened in just a few hours.”
“I know.”
“I can’t wait to lay my head down.”
“Are you going to be able to sleep?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to try.”
“I’ll be there.”
He filled out a withdrawal slip, sending it and his license through the little tube and smiling into the camera.
“You don’t have to go in for that?” Deena asked. “I tried to withdraw a thousand dollars once, and I had to go in.”
“The rules are different with different accounts,” he said, thanking the clerk and retrieving his money and license from the tube.
He tossed the envelope to her and drove away from the bank.
“Take some of that and put it in your wallet. I don’t want to risk getting separated and having you stuck.”
“I don’t have my wallet. It’s in my car.”
“You were walking around without a wallet?”
“Yeah,” she said, dreading the next question, but she knew it was coming.
“What were you doing in Victory Park if your car was all the way in the Deep Ellum neighborhood?”
“Don’t ask.”
“I won’t.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll get a wallet when we get some clothes for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me.”
“You keep saying that.”
“It’s the truth. Just let me take care of you, and don’t worry about the money. I have plenty to go around.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Look, I’m not sure how long we can stay in the hotel, but if we can hole up for a day or two while I try to get one of my buddies on this, it would be best.
If you can stay on your feet for another hour, I’d like to get a few changes of clothes for both of us, some shoes you can actually run in, and a burner cell phone for you and for me so we can keep in touch if we get separated. That and some food so we don’t have to leave the room would make me feel a lot better about all this. The more we’re out and about, the more likely we’ll be spotted.”
He squeezed her hand.
“I can handle it,” she said. “I just want to get somewhere where I don’t feel like we’re constantly a few minutes ahead of this guy.”
“I agree.”
He exited the highway, stopping behind a deserted business to attach the license plates, then driving on to a shopping center with an Academy store and a grocery store across the street.
Deena took a deep breath, reminding herself that they were almost done, and before she knew it, she would be laying in a nice, comfortable bed, too tired to think about anything but sleep.
Chapter5
Water rained down on Deena from the showerhead above, the pressure much better than the no-tell motel she was expecting to stay in while they rested and regrouped. An upscale weekly rental, the room was large, with a separate bedroom, kitchen, and a small dining room. They got a room on the first floor, right next to an exit door. Jake had backed the Audi into a space nearby, prepared for a quick getaway if they were found.
“We won’t be found,” Jake had assured her. “I used a fake license I got from Bob, so my name won’t come up in any search.”
“I saw that,” she’d said as she unloaded the clothes from the shopping bag and shoved what she wasn’t using into the backpack she’d bought at the store. “That picture didn’t even look like you.”
“No one really looks at the pictures, and who looks like their driver’s license picture after a few years? It’s a picture of a generic white guy. As long as the names on the credit card and the license match, the clerk doesn’t care.”
Deena laughed to herself, remembering the conversation and Jake’s totally blasé attitude towards the entire thing. He was so calm that she could almost believe that the danger was gone and that they were safe for now. And there she was, in the shower, rinsing the water through her tight braids, and scrubbing herself with the fragrant body wash in tiny little bottles that smelled of citrus and mint.