He checked the perimeter of the yard to see which direction she had gone. Light footprints pointed toward the neighbor’s yard. As he followed them, he noticed movement at the window. It wasn’t unusual for neighbors to be curious. Most of them came out to investigate openly.
Garrett pulled out his phone and called Thorne. “She’s missing.”
“Son of a bitch. Find her, McKendrick.”
“I’m going to need Angel to get me intel on the guy next door.”
“Angel isn’t available. I’ll call in your clearance to Daphne. She’ll give you anything you need.”
“Thanks. Patch me through.”
A second later, Daphne answered. “How Can I help?”
“You know my location?”
“Yes.”
“The house on the east side of the property. Who lives there? What do they drive?”
He glanced around while she pulled up the information. There was no vehicle in the driveway, but it looked like gravel had been sprayed onto the grass in a rooster tail.
“Edward Maples. He owns a white, heavy-duty pickup truck. District of Columbia plates, number Charlie, Tango, Echo, one, seven, nine.”
“Put out an inter-agency alert on the vehicle.”
“Doing that now.”
“Tell me about Mr. Maples.”
“Self-employed contractor. Two charges of failure to report all income on his taxes. One charge of attempting to commit fraud on an insurance claim.”
“Thanks. Call me when you find that truck.”
“Will do.”
Garrett pulled his gun and knocked on the neighbor’s door. No answer.
“Mr. Maples, please open the door so I don’t have to bust it down,” he yelled. He was not in the mood for the whole S.W.A.T. act tonight.
The door opened and a short man with a large stomach peeked out. “Are you part of the thing with the other two?” the man asked.
Sometimes people made it too easy.
“Yep,” Garrett assured him. “They asked me to check in to make sure it was going as planned. Everything okay?”
“Hell yeah. Twenty grand for that piece-of-shit truck goes a long way to making everything okay.”
“You haven’t reported it stolen, have you?” Garrett raised his brows.
“No way. Your friend told me to wait a few months before I report it, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“Excellent.” Garrett patted Mr. Maples on the shoulder and walked off the dingy porch. His phone was at his ear a second later. “The safe house was compromised. I have confirmation that Wendy and Tom are dirty.”
“Damn it. They passed their last security check with flying colors,” Thorne muttered.
“And I just did a recheck a few days ago.” In WITSEC, every precaution was taken. People’s lives depended on the integrity of every single deputy marshal. “Nothing popped.”
“God, I hate that. A fox in the henhouse is the worst possible scenario. Now I’m going to have to follow up with an investigation.”
“Sorry for the inconvenience.” Garrett made sure to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“Can you track her down?”
“I think so.”
“Let me know when you have her back in custody. Take her someplace safe and wait for my orders. Absolute discretion goes without saying.”
“Got it.” He understood following orders—he had survived some hairy situations by following orders. But sometimes you just had to take charge of a mission yourself. He had a feeling some rough seas could be ahead for him.
Totally worth it. He would face whatever came next.
But first, he had to find Sam.
Chapter Fifteen
It was almost nine the next morning when Sam pulled into a truck stop. She was starving, but she’d managed to get a few hours’ sleep in the cab of the truck so she felt a little more alert. According to the map hanging inside the door, she was in southern Virginia.
After cleaning up in the restroom and purchasing a cupcake and chocolate milk with her tip money, she headed straight back to the truck. She didn’t dare take the time to order anything hot and nutritious.
Wendy’s phone rang before she got there. Tentatively she pulled it out of her pocket and looked around before she answered. As if they could see her.
Hell, maybe they could.
She didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID. For another ring she debated whether or not to answer. But she might gain some valuable information if whoever was calling didn’t realize she wasn’t Wendy.
She did her best to disguise her voice. “Hello?”
“Why the hell do you still have this phone?” Garrett yelled.
She recognized his voice immediately. He must have used a different phone. “What do you want?” she asked.
“They can track you with her phone. You need to get rid of it as soon as we’re done talking. Take the SIM card out and smash it to bits.”
“Okay,” she snapped. She didn’t like being scolded. Then again, she should have known that. Parents used cell phones to keep tabs on their kids. And had she learned nothing from countless episodes of Law and Order? “Okay,” she said again, this time without the attitude.
“Don’t tell me where you are, or any other details. I can only jam my side of the conversation. They’re listening to you, a hundred percent.”
“All right.” It actually sounded like he was trying to help her. Maybe he was one of the good guys, after all.
Or it could be a trick.
“Can you be at the rest stop at mile-marker sixteen on Highway 70 near Frederick, Maryland, by six tonight?”
“Maybe,” she said, boggled by all the numbers he’d rattled off. She was only about four or five hours away by freeway, but she’d have to take back roads. “How do I know I can trust you?”
He puffed out a breath. “I guess you don’t. If you think you can, I’ll meet you at the rest stop. If you can’t, then good luck to you. Pay attention to the cameras everywhere—traffic cams, parking lots. Avoid them whenever you can. But either way, you won’t make it another hour with that phone on you.” He hung up and she blinked in alarm.
Cameras. She hadn’t thought of that one. But first things first. She eyed the phone like it was a scorpion.
She glanced around the parking lot, expecting to see hordes of men in black suits swarming toward her. Instead, a helicopter flew by on the other side of the road. Would they send a helicopter after her?
Ditch the damn phone! She walked to the trash can, fumbling with the battery cover. Then she stopped. She had a better idea.
A truck driver came out of the building. She checked for cameras. Luckily, the only one she saw was pointed in the opposite direction. So, she followed him to his truck, keeping a safe distance.
“Which way are you heading?” She made it sound as if she needed a lift.
“South. You need a ride, sugar?”
“Oh.” She played up the disappointment. “I’m heading north. Thanks, anyway.” The man wished her luck and climbed up in the truck.
She surreptitiously tossed the phone behind the cab. Now it would be heading in the opposite direction. That should buy her a few extra hours.
She scanned the sky again for the helicopter. It was gone.
She tucked her hair up inside a baseball cap she’d found under the seat and pulled the brim low over her face, then started the vehicle. Between that and the thick layer of mud she’d covered the truck with last night, she might escape notice of anyone checking cameras.
It was nearly dark when she pulled into the travel plaza in Frederick. There were about six tractor trailers parked in the truck parking area, and only three cars in the smaller lot. None of them were the silver sedan she’d seen Garrett driving.
The clock on the dash said she was twenty minutes late, and she prayed he hadn’t given up and left without her.
She drove past every car and parked in the very last space before the ramp that w
ound back out on the highway, in case this was a setup and she needed to get away quickly.
“Why am I taking this insane risk?” she muttered.
None of the answers she came up with made her feel better. Desperation? Laziness? Or even worse…because he was attractive?
She sat in the truck and waited for Garrett to approach her. If she left the truck, she could be ambushed. She hated how much she had to think about every tiny detail just to stay alive. A week ago, she never would have given a thought to where she parked. Now everything mattered.
Everything.
She was looking through the passenger window at the other cars, so of course Garrett knocked on the driver’s side. She jumped a foot out of her seat. She rolled down the window. “Damn it, you scared me to death.”
“Way to pay attention,” he grumbled with an eyeroll.
She might have said something snotty, but he was helping her. She should play nice.
“Did you get rid of the phone?” he asked.
“Yes. I put it on a truck heading south.”
He nodded, and glanced at her mud-covered truck. “Is this the one you stole?”
“Yeah. But I’m sure it’s been reported by now.” she said.
“Good job with the disguise,” he said, but didn’t sound too sincere.
“I took off the ladder rack, too.”
“By yourself?” He sounded skeptical.
She shrugged. “It wasn’t that hard. Just four bolts.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” He jerked his head and started toward the trees. When she didn’t move, he stopped and came back to the window.
She bit her lip. “I, um—”
“Look,” he interrupted. “I know your detail turned on you. I don’t know how you knew or how you got out in time, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I’d like to help you keep it there, but you’re going to have to trust me. Not just that I won’t turn on you, but when I say something, you need to do it without asking questions, and without smartass comments.”
She tried to remember the last time she’d made a smartass comment to him. But it happened so frequently with her, she was no doubt guilty. So, she moved on. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Maybe you thought it was a better idea before, but now it isn’t sitting as well?” He spread his hands.
She tried desperately to let go of her suspicions. “A few days ago, my biggest issue was not wanting to go to a party with Nikki. Now people want me dead. Lots of people. I don’t have money, or anything else to give in exchange for turning against Howe.” She let out a sigh. “So, only a good, honest person would ever want to help me. In my experience, there aren’t a lot of truly good people in the world.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “There’s no time for this. I’m walking through those trees to the road that runs parallel to the highway. I’m getting in my car and leaving. As far as being a good person, I’m not. But if you want to go with me, I promise I’ll get you to the trial, or die trying.”
As far as a personal endorsement went, that had pretty much sucked. But it did convince her. And she was running out of options.
She picked up her bag and got out of the truck.
“One second,” she said, and climbed in the back of the truck to get her chain. Yeah, it was stupid. But if it hadn’t been for that chain, she wouldn’t have made it this far.
Garrett watched, but said nothing. He didn’t offer to carry her bag or the chain, which she draped around her neck like a serpent, holding onto it to keep it from clanking too loudly.
It wasn’t far to the road where he’d parked. They had to climb over a chain-link fence which was about five feet tall and covered in dry, prickly vegetation.
As he helped her over, she tried not to freak when he put his hands on her ass. It was obviously necessary.
He tossed over the bag, then the chain, and climbed over without needing any help. “Are you going to make me ask?” he said when they got to his gray Jeep.
“The chain?” she guessed, and he nodded. She shrugged. “It came in real handy. I don’t want to be without it. Just in case.”
“I see.” He wasn’t able to hide his smirk as he unlocked the door for her. After checking his phone, he pulled out onto the back road.
“How did you know my detail turned on me?” she asked when they were on their way.
He pursed his lips. “Wendy didn’t answer my call last night, so I decided to check things out in person. By the time I got there, you were gone. She said you took her phone and ran off. I thought I’d give it a shot and call you.”
She got the feeling there was more he wasn’t saying. But she let it slide for now. “Where are we going?”
“Does it matter?”
“No. I guess not.”
“What made you decide to trust me?” he asked after a few minutes.
She frowned and twisted her fingers together. “I don’t know that I actually do. But you are my only shot, so I don’t have much of a choice. If you screw me over, I guess I’ll know better in my next life.”
“I’m not going to screw you over,” he said, glancing over at her. He looked sincere. But so had Jack the Ripper, probably.
“As I said, I didn’t have any other option.” She leaned her head against the glass, hoping she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
“When was the last time you slept?” he asked.
“For more than a few hours?” She shook her head, unable to remember.
“We’ll be driving for a while. Get some rest.”
She nodded, but couldn’t close her eyes. Her nerves felt too frazzled to sleep. As though someone had flipped a breaker and she couldn’t shut it off. She was cold, not just because the Jeep hadn’t warmed up yet, but from a chill deep inside her body. “I can’t relax enough to rest.”
“Okay. Then tell me what happened at the safe house.” he suggested.
She told him everything, from the moment she thought something was up with Deputy Benson and Wendy, until the second Garrett had tapped on the window of the truck.
There were a few nods and a couple of chuckles. When she was done, he actually smiled at her. “So, you knew something was up because she was too nice?” He laughed again.
“Something in my subconscious must have warned me. I just knew something was off.”
“With instincts like those,” he said, “you might not need me, after all.”
He was wrong. She did need him, because she couldn’t keep going like this. And because he was trained for this sort of thing.
“I do need you,” she said quietly. “My mind won’t shut off. I’m constantly thinking of how to escape. Like, right now I’m wondering how much it would hurt if I had to jump out of your Jeep while it was moving. Would I be able to get up and run? How fast could you pull over and chase me down? Do you have a gun? Would you shoot me? Should I run for the trees or try to flag down another driver? Is there a camera watching my every move? I’m not cut out for this. I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep because I can’t shut it off.” Her voice cracked and tears came to her eyes.
She knew Garrett didn’t like crybabies, so she tried to keep it together.
“Don’t jump out of the Jeep while it’s moving at this speed,” he told her. “Trust me, you couldn’t get up and run. I do have a gun, but I’m not going to shoot you. If I was, though, you should run for the trees because you definitely can’t count on another driver wanting to get involved.”
She nodded while trying to get her bottom lip to stop quivering. “Good to know.”
He reached out and patted her leg. “I won’t try to convince you to trust me, but I will say this. I’ll protect you with my life. I’m never going to hurt you, you have my word. For what it’s worth.”
At his continued sincerity, she finally broke down. Thank God. She had someone to help her through this nightmare.
She wasn’t alone.
“I’m sorry,” she said, and tried to wipe away the evidence
of her weakness.
“It’s okay. Go ahead, Sam,” he said softly. “Your entire world has been turned upside down, and you’ve done a damn fine job so far of keeping it together. I’m going to give you a free pass this time. Cry if you need to. Then get some rest.”
With that, she burst into tears.
Chapter Sixteen
When Sam finally fell silent, Garrett looked over to see her sleeping. He relaxed at the sight. It meant she trusted him enough to be vulnerable. Humans could stay awake a very long time when their lives depended on it.
Though he was happy to see her safe and resting, he realized what it meant. He’d promised he’d give his life to protect her, and he’d meant it.
She was now his responsibility. No one else could be trusted.
He normally handled extractions and long-distance protection duties. He was never around the subject long enough to build any kind of relationship. The person was usually terrified or in shock, so it was easy to turn them over to their assigned handler without another thought.
That wouldn’t be the case with Sam. The two of them would be alone, possibly for months. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, they would end up knowing one another. Well.
But he had to make sure well didn’t turn into intimately.
Things needed to stay friendly between them. And strictly platonic. Despite his uncomfortable attraction to her. From the minute he’d started talking to her at Santiago’s, he’d been a goner. That kiss? Totally unplanned. And totally inappropriate. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. All that bullshit about keeping her safe being easier if she’d gone with him was just that—bullshit.
Yeah, he’d wanted her to come with him. Badly. But not to keep her safe. He clamped his jaw against the unbidden feelings surfacing just thinking about it.
No.
Hell no.
Taking advantage of Sam Hutchinson was not an option. No matter how sexy she looked at the moment with her perfect bow lips parted in sleep. He needed to stop thinking about her lips, and how they’d felt against his during that kiss.
He would keep things professional between them, even if he came off as a hardass. The alternative was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
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