He was also determined to keep her safe, whatever it took, but he doubted she believed that, and he couldn’t blame her.
He swore aloud. Viciously, but also quietly.
Was there another way?
Frowning, he gazed at the doorway to the living room without seeing it.
Sure there was. He could set her free. He remembered the earrings she’d worn that night, with the tiny birds taking flight. He could help her assume another identity, as she’d begged him to do. He at least knew how to avoid some of the pitfalls. She’d given them enough, they might be able to bring down Cobb and Greer without her.
But not the third man at that table, the one the edge of the door had cut off. And Colburn was right. Once she was settled into that new life, she’d be completely on her own. Any small slip, and she’d be found again.
And if she never made that slip?
The burning sensation beneath his breastbone didn’t surprise him as much as it should have. He knew what was bothering him.
She’d be on her own – and so would he. He’d never see her again.
A matter of days ago, he’d despised her. He still couldn’t claim to really know her. He felt sure she was still holding back. Thinking about it, he realized she’d dodged talking about Frank’s death. But he believed what she’d told them about that night. He believed she hadn’t been Cobb’s girlfriend.
And the idea of never seeing her again was…unacceptable.
He groaned and thought, So who’s the fool?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Accepting the set of car keys, Naomi slung her bag over her shoulder and said, “I won’t be gone long. Twenty minutes, tops. Hold down the fort.”
“Of course I will,” Anita said.
On impulse, Naomi gave her waitress a quick hug, something she never did. Looking startled, Anita had no chance to make the embrace reciprocal. Motherly. Naomi didn’t dare give her that chance, or she would have been crying. Instead, ignoring the sting in her eyes, she slipped through the kitchen and opened the back door, taking an even more than usually cautious look up and down the alley.
Nothing moved.
Of course, anybody could be behind either of the two big dumpsters, or crouched behind the cars and SUVs parked back here.
Taking a deep breath, clutching the borrowed keys tight in her hand, she hurried toward Anita’s almost new and treasured green Subaru Forester, parked on the other side of the dumpster from her own spot. Which was vacant today, because of course Adam had insisted on driving her, no doubt congratulating himself on having her safely trapped in the café for the day while he went about his business.
Poor Anita, facing the lunch rush and no chef. No food to serve. She’d be alarmed at first when Naomi failed to reappear, then scared. For me. How long it would take her to realize that her boss wasn’t coming back? That The Sea Watch Café was no more? That her job was no more?
That I stole her car.
Not stole. Borrowed. She’d get it back. Once I’m safely away, I’ll call and let her know where to find it.
Naomi unlocked and slung her bag across to the passenger seat. Please God, Adam didn’t decide to come back for lunch. He’d had breakfast at the café, but she knew he and Daniel intended to get together and plot. Probably by this time they were meeting with the county sheriff. Adam had made her promise not to set foot out of the restaurant until he was there to get her. So, sue her. She’d lied.
That gave her at least three hours, unless Anita got worried enough to call Daniel. No matter what, Naomi should have time to get as far as Lincoln City. Once he found out she was gone, Adam would likely assume she’d gone north instead, the logical route to Portland. South would delay his pursuit, if only briefly. There was a branch of her bank in Lincoln City, too, where she could withdraw every penny she had. Plus, Lincoln City was larger than Cannon Beach to the north. She could park Anita’s Subaru somewhere it wouldn’t be spotted too soon, and with luck find a cheap secondhand car to buy quickly. Which she’d trade the minute she reached Salem, where she’d either catch a bus or find another car or…
Maybe she should keep going south and not turn inland, she thought. Unpredictable might trump convenience.
Think about the next step, she counseled herself, not two or three steps away.
As always, she locked the minute she was in, letting go of the extra tension that had gripped her as she scurried across the alley. The engine started immediately, and she released the emergency brake. Her hand shook and she was breathless. Her heart was racing, that’s why. Déjà vu. For a moment, she tightened her hands on the steering wheel, closed her eyes and did some deep breathing.
I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
Last time she hadn’t stolen a car.
Borrowed. I’m only borrowing.
Anita would have loaned it to her without a second thought, if Naomi had been able to tell her what she was doing and why.
Don’t waste time. Go.
She opened her eyes, saw a dark figure in the side mirror and screamed. She thrust the gear into reverse and stepped on the gas.
Instead of jumping back, Adam leaped behind the rear bumper so she’d have to hit him to keep going. Naomi slammed on the brakes and sat there, shaking like a leaf. He’d been out here all this time, waiting for her to try to make a getaway.
A hand slapped the window inches from her head. She flinched, refusing to look at him, but even through the glass she heard his bellow.
“Open the damn door, Naomi!”
She controlled the shakes enough to push the button so the window glided down a couple of inches.
“You promised,” he snarled.
“You’re not the only one who can lie.”
“God damn it! You think that creep out there isn’t waiting to catch you alone? Is this glass bullet-proof? Tell me that!” His voice boiled with fury.
She pressed her lips together.
“Open. The. Door.”
At that moment, she hated him. She’d have run him over if it would have done any good, but it wouldn’t. She’d be pulled over within the first five minutes. Daniel undoubtedly knew where Adam was and why. Humiliated, she realized they’d both guessed what she would do.
After a minute, she shifted to drive and eased the Forester back into place, set the emergency brake, grabbed her bag and got out. Adam reached for her arm and she jumped back.
“Don’t touch me!” she spat.
He leaned toward her, his face taut with that same rage. “What the hell was this about? How far did you think you’d get?”
“Far enough to walk into a crowd and disappear.” Instead of letting herself shrink back, she thrust out her chin. “What the hell this was about is staying alive. You’ll get over it if I die for a good cause, but I won’t. And I don’t want to die.” She was mad to hear the tremor in her voice, but couldn’t help it. Wouldn’t let herself see the pity or contempt in his eyes, so she pushed past him and ran for the restaurant door.
She had almost reached it when Adam grabbed her good shoulder and wheeled her around. “Oh, no,” he said, low and angry. “We’re not done.”
“Gosh. I thought it wasn’t safe to stand out here in the open.”
She saw the jolt before his head turned sharply to scan each way. “Inside, then,” he said, from between gritted teeth.
She managed to unlock, then tried to close the door in his face. Of course she failed; he was stronger than her, pushing her back and grabbing one of her hands before she could race for the front. In the confined space, he loomed over her, making her bitterly aware of how easily he could dominate her physically.
“Is that you, Naomi?” Anita called. “Did you decide not to go after all?”
“No, I ran into Mr. Rostov. He distracted me.”
“Who?” The comfortably plump waitress appeared in the kitchen and her eyes widened at the sight of Adam. “Oh! Oh, my. I suppose after the shooting….”
He smiled at her with delib
erate charm. “I convinced her I’d stop with her to do any errands later. I don’t want her running around by herself until Chief Colburn figures out who fired those shots.”
Like everyone else, Anita assumed Naomi had been shot by a careless hunter. Although everybody professed to be puzzled by why anyone had been firing a rifle out on the point.
She’d shaken her head that morning and said, “So close to the highway. It’s crazy.”
Crazy wasn’t quite the right word, Naomi had thought then and now. Cold-blooded was closer.
She handed back the keys, thanked Anita again, and said, “I’d better get started on lunch. Adam can chew me out while I’m slicing and dicing.”
Anita chuckled comfortably. “I’ll finish setting the tables and then come back to help.”
Adam erased any hint of charm the moment she was out of sight. “So now I have to watch you non-stop,” he said, a scornful curl to his lip. “There are more useful things I could have been doing.”
“Like what?” Refusing to let him see how she’d shriveled inside, she hung her coat and muffler on a hook by the door and stowed her bag in a cupboard, then went to the sink to wash her hands.
“Like check out everyone who arrived in town within the right time frame.”
For some reason that surprised her. “You don’t think he’s here under his own name?”
“No, but neither of these guys is likely to have a wife in tow. If we identify the single men, we can run background checks. Maybe come up with some possibles to watch.”
She thought of all those single men who had made her uneasy. “He wouldn’t have come into the café to eat, would he?”
“Probably not. He can’t be sure you wouldn’t recognize him, for one thing. Unless he’s someone Greer hired, but I really don’t see that as a likely possibility.”
She looked down at the Yukon Gold potatoes she’d heaped in front of her. Her potato chowder was easy and popular. Given that she hadn’t expected to be here to prepare any soup, easy was a necessity.
“I’ll stay put,” she said tightly. “I swear.”
Adam leaned back against the door, his arms crossed, his expression still dark with anger. “Turns out you lie.”
“I give up.” She snapped on plastic gloves. Hands almost steady, she picked up the peeler. Golden curls flew. “I wouldn’t get far enough to do any good.”
“No. You wouldn’t.”
“Why didn’t you just have one of Daniel’s officers pull me over? Why the big scene?”
“Because I wasn’t the only one who might have been waiting in that alley, Naomi. Did that occur to you? Did you think about what happened to you the last time you went to your car when it was parked there?”
She looked at the potato in her hand. “Yes.”
“That’s it? Yes?”
Even knowing tears glittered in her eyes, Naomi glared at him. “Yes. Yes! I was scared, okay? Does that make you happy to hear? But I’m more scared of being staked out like…like that goat in Jurassic Park. Because I don’t think you can keep me safe.” She finished bitterly, “I don’t even think that’s a priority for you.”
Shock wiped out the anger. “You really believe that.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Oh, damn.” She turned her back on him and snatched a paper towel to swipe furiously at her cheeks and blow her nose. And that meant tearing off her gloves and donning clean ones before she picked up the peeler and the next potato. “Go do what you have to do. I’ve conceded.”
“What you said. That’s crap. I wouldn’t—”
“Here I am,” Anita declared cheerfully. “What do you want me to start with?”
Adam said something foul under his breath that, thankfully, Anita apparently didn’t hear.
“Go,” Naomi ordered him. “You’re in the way.”
“You’ll be here when I get back.” Tamped frustration sounded like gravel in his voice.
“Apparently I don’t have a choice.”
His teeth showed, but he turned and opened the door.
Naomi bleated like a goat. Well, a sheep, anyway. Her “Baa-a” earned her one last, savage look before he left, ordering, “Lock behind me.”
After a stunned moment, Anita said, “Oh, my. Is he mad at you?”
*****
Adam made it back to the police station to find a sheriff’s department car parked in the small lot and Sheriff Alex Mackay already seated in the police chief’s office. The man rose stiffly and held out a hand.
They shook, Adam recognizing stoicism and catching a glimpse of old scarring showing above the collar of the guy’s shirt. Mackay looked to be in his forties, although the effect of chronic pain might have aged him past his actual years. Silver threaded brown hair, but he was a big guy who was somehow maintaining his conditioning, because a powerful build showed no sign of softening.
“Daniel’s been telling me about you. And about Naomi’s problem. I’ve never met her, but I eat at her café when I get the chance. She’s talented in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, she is,” he said grumpily, aware Daniel was watching him. “Not so good at using her head in other ways.”
“You were right, then?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, yeah. She tried to make a getaway. Apparently she was ‘borrowing’ her waitress’s car. I should have let her get a block away and had you arrest her. We could have kept her safe in jail.” He raised his eyebrows. “If you have one?”
“Couple of temporary holding cells. Otherwise, we contract with the county.”
“Our jail isn’t very big, either.” Mackay had just as stiffly resumed his seat. “Not real suitable for keeping women long-term.”
Adam looked at the one empty chair, straight-backed and not meant for lingering, longed to pace and sat anyway, exhaling a frustrated breath. “This time she swears she’ll stay put.”
“You think she means it?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “She’s convinced we plan to stake her out.”
“I can see why it seems that way to her,” the police chief said. “Not sure that isn’t what we are doing. Except I don’t see a good alternative.”
“You going to show me this video?” Mackay intervened. Evidently he’d had most of the story from Daniel Colburn already.
“She did email the link to you?” Adam asked.
“Yep.”
Despite the piss poor quality, Adam was as riveted by the short video as he’d been every other time he watched. He still couldn’t believe she’d taken it at all. The way the image vibrated made his gut clench.
Feeling…protective, he guessed that was part of his nature. Maybe it was the same for most cops. He never liked seeing fear or suffering, especially when it was on a kid’s or woman’s face. He had never before felt anything like he did now, though. Never wanted so desperately to go back in time and change the unchangeable. Never wanted to kill for a woman’s sake.
Never felt so goddamn much for a woman who clearly hated him and hadn’t hesitated to look right at him and lie.
He could only imagine how he’d have felt a few hours from now if he’d trusted her and then discovered she was gone.
Mackay sat frowning at the now black screen of Daniel’s desktop. “I’ve seen miracles accomplished on photographs. A face or a license plate brought out, crystal clear, when I’d have sworn they weren’t there. I suspect this won’t be much of a challenge to someone with the right software who knows what he’s doing.”
“You have the right someone in mind?” Daniel asked.
“I think so. There’s a guy at the lab in Portland. It was thanks to him we recovered a little girl snatched by a serial pedophile and murderer because a teenager across the street had her cell phone in her hand and snapped a picture. It was so bad, I didn’t think it would be any help, but it only took this guy minutes. We had an Amber Alert and a BOLO out before he got a mile away.”
Daniel looked at Adam. “Your call.”
“Do it.” He grimaced. �
��You happen to have any job openings if I get fired?” He was mostly kidding.
“I think you’re over-qualified for my department.”
Mackay chuckled, a rusty sound. “Me, I almost always have an opening in the detective division. Feel free to give me a call.”
“I might be doing that,” Adam said ruefully.
He had a disconcerting thought. What if they pulled this off? Proved Congressman Greer had wanted to win the election so bad he’d hired Greg Cobb to kill his opponent? Caught the fed in the act of trying to silence Naomi? Arrested all three of them, which meant she was safe to return to her life. Which life would she choose? The one she’d fled two years ago – or the one she’d built here in Cape Trouble?
He had an uneasy recollection of how he’d felt at the idea of her taking on a new identity. Was he really going to wish her well, pack up and go back to California?
Why not? He’d lost any chance he might have had with her when he’d lied to her. When he’d kissed her under false pretences.
Yeah, and he couldn’t forget that he’d met her only days ago, and he’d been singing a different tune then. It was still possible she was conning him. Sure he wanted her. So what? He’d wanted other women before. He’d get over it.
Crap.
“You started on calling hotels?” he asked.
Apparently they were going to have to visit each individually, which he’d expected. There was a Forest Service campground and a KOA campground, too, nearby enough to be worth checking. Unfortunately, it was just as likely that either or both of their targets had set up camp somewhere along the miles of deserted shoreline or tucked into the dense Northwest forest. He’d glimpsed a few tents or campfires during his drive along the coast. If he wanted to be as close to invisible as possible, that’s what he’d do. He held onto some hope because most southern Californians would find unthinkable the concept of camping out in the cold and wet, having to crap bare-assed amidst the ferns.
“What about that new resort under construction?” Mackay asked. “You can’t tell me all the hiring was local.”
See How She Runs (A Cape Trouble Novel Book 2) Page 13