No Way Out

by Susan Sleeman

  “Which means if it has GPS, we won’t be able to track it.”

  “Right. I even checked the emergency app I installed that will find a lost phone. Nothing.” She shivered again.

  “Maybe the rain damaged the phone.”

  “Even if it did, Nolan could still take out the SIM card and put it in another phone.”

  “SIM card,” he said as he searched his limited knowledge of technology for a reason why the card was important. “That’s the little card the phone company puts in the phone, right?”

  “Right. It holds your personal details, like your name, phone number, et cetera. If Nolan put it in another cell, it would display my information.”

  This was not good news. Not good at all. Saunders was sure to have men processing the area hoping to find a lead that would give him the identity of the person who’d overheard them last night.

  “Dani’s a computer whiz. She might know of another way to locate your phone.” He dug out his cell and dialed, then turned on his speaker so Alyssa could join in the conversation.

  “Please tell me you’re calling to say I can finally go get some sleep,” Dani answered, sounding exhausted. “I’m getting too old to stay up all night.”

  “You’re on speaker, Dani. Alyssa can hear you.” Cole could almost see Dani blushing with embarrassment over a comment she’d never make in front of a client.

  But he was more concerned by the guilty look stealing over Alyssa’s face. “I’m so sorry, Dani. It’s my fault you were up all night.”

  “No need to apologize,” Dani replied. “So what’s up, big brother?”

  “We have a quick question for you.” He lowered his voice and explained Alyssa’s phone dilemma. “Is there any way to track the phone if the battery’s dead?”

  “No, sorry.”

  “Really, there’s nothing you can do?” Cole asked.

  “Only if someone finds the phone and charges the battery. In that case if the right app is installed, an email would be sent to notify us of the phone’s GPS coordinates.” Dani paused to draw in a breath. “Do you know the name of the app you installed, Alyssa?”

  Alyssa rattled off the name.

  “Good choice,” Dani said. “That’s the one I’ve installed on all the Justice Agency phones. It will definitely notify you if the phone is charged and turned on.”

  “It’s just a matter of time before we know where the phone is,” Cole said.

  Alyssa’s gaze shot to his. “How can you be so sure?”

  “If Saunders finds it, he’ll be sure to charge it to see who it belongs to.”

  Alyssa shivered and panic filled those amazing chocolate-brown eyes.

  “Right, so Alyssa,” Dani added, “if you want to email me the login information for your phone and the app, I’ll be happy to check it out and monitor the phone.”

  “I can’t keep you from your sleep.”

  “Hey.” Cole peered at Alyssa. “This is why we’re here. Besides, Dani lives for technology issues.”

  “He’s right,” Dani added. “I’m a total geek and proud of it.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “I have my computer here and can send you an email right now.” Alyssa picked up her tablet and woke it up.

  Dani rattled off her email address.

  Cole waited until Alyssa had entered Dani’s contact information, then he turned back to his phone. “Do you mind hanging around until I get Alyssa safely in the car and out of the lot?”

  “No problem,” she answered cheerfully, but he heard her stifle a yawn.

  “Okay, Dani,” Alyssa said. “The email is on its way.”

  “I’ll set it up so the second someone powers up your phone, I’ll get an alert.”

  “Thanks, sis.” Cole hung up and caught Alyssa’s concerned expression. “Is there something else?”

  “I was thinking. Maybe we should try to look for my phone.”

  Cole shook his head. “Not a good idea. First of all, you can’t be certain exactly where you lost the phone—finding it would be tough, even if we could be sure it’s still there. And second, Saunders will have his men processing that area looking for any leads to your identity. We’d raise his suspicions if we showed up.”

  “How can you be so sure he’ll do that?”

  “Because that’s what anyone in law enforcement would do.”

  “We have to do something. Nolan said he tried calling me last night and kept asking why I didn’t answer. I told him my phone was dead. If we can’t find it, at the very least I need to get a new one before he calls again.”

  Cole couldn’t agree more. Since Saunders was already suspicious, he would call. Soon. It looked like the phone store was the next item on their agenda, and one they needed to take care of fast.

  FIVE

  Alyssa followed Cole to the coffee shop door. She forced a smile to her face and greeted her fellow residents with curiosity burning on their faces. Pacific Bay was a small town in the off-season and residents noticed things they were often too busy to see in peak tourist season.

  “Stay here.” Cole stepped onto the sidewalk.

  Alyssa waited inside but not patiently. She wanted to get to the phone store before Nolan called again. The last thing she needed was for him to have another reason to seek her out. She’d told Cole she’d been uneasy in her conversation with Nolan, but the truth was, she’d barely kept it together and she was certain Nolan was suspicious.

  Cole motioned for her to join him. “It’s clear.”

  She felt the other patrons’ eyes on them just as she’d felt Nolan watching her, so she hurried out the door and headed in the direction of her car. The sooner she was out of the public eye and they got on the road, the better.

  “This way.” Cole caught her arm and reversed her direction.

  Feeling his hand clamping on her arm sent visions flashing into her mind of the night Todd hit her. He’d grabbed her in the same way, then lifted his other hand and slapped her. The memory real, vivid, and simmering just below the surface, she jerked her arm free. Her breath came in short pulses as she stared up at Cole and found him looking down on her, his face alive with questions.

  “My car is the other way.” He took a step closer to her, but she moved back.

  “I’ll drive.”

  “Not a good idea,” he responded, but let his hand drop.

  “You said we needed to make our cover story look legit. When I show houses, either I drive my clients or they follow me. If Nolan finds out I’ve deviated, he’ll know something’s wrong.”

  “You never let clients drive?”

  “Not usually.”

  “But you have let a client drive?”

  “Once when I had car trouble.”

  “And did Saunders know about that?”

  She nodded. “He arranged to have my car towed and repaired.”

  “Then you’re about to have car trouble.” He scanned the area again. “No more arguments. My car’s right over there.” He put his hand on her back and gently pressed her forward.

  She didn’t want to comply, but people were openly staring now and failing to follow his directive would only draw more attention. She allowed him to guide her to his SUV.

  As he clicked his remote for the locks, she looked up at him, conveying her displeasure. “I’d like to talk about this, Cole.”

  “Let’s get out of the open, and I’ll explain. If you don’t like my explanation, I’ll reconsider letting you drive.” At least he was open for discussion—something Todd never entertained when he was in one of his moods.

  She climbed in. “You don’t really think I’m in danger out here in broad daylight, do you?”

  He slammed the door without
answering, but she caught the worry in his expression before he hurried around the SUV. Maybe he believed Nolan had learned she’d overheard him last night.

  Cole slipped in, put the key in the ignition and fired up his SUV, the large engine roaring from his aggressive foot on the gas pedal. Something had him spooked, and her anxiety mounted.

  If he had any information about her situation, she needed to know. “Even if Nolan has figured out it was me last night, he’s not foolish enough to try to hurt me in broad daylight in the middle of a busy shopping center.” She met Cole’s gaze directly. “And I’m pretty sure you know that. So why the big push to get me off the sidewalk? Unless, of course, you know something you’re not telling me.”

  “I’m not withholding anything.”

  “I can’t stand being lied to, Cole,” she said, putting every ounce of feeling over Nolan’s recent betrayal in her words. “If you’re not going to be up front with me, then I’ll have to find someone else to help me out of this mess.”

  “I’m not sure why you think I’ve lied to you, but I haven’t and I wouldn’t.” His eyes flashed with hurt. “Ever.”

  “Then why this crazy reaction to walking to the car?”

  He took a breath and held it then slowly eased it out.

  A flicker of apprehension coursed through her. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing. At least nothing to do with you. I... It’s just...bad things can happen. Even when it doesn’t seem possible. I’m responsible for your safety, and I can’t let my guard down. Not for a second.” She could feel his unspoken pain radiating across the cab.

  “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you?”

  He nodded, but the movement of his head was so slight that if she hadn’t been studying him intently, she wouldn’t have seen it. Someone he cared about had been hurt, and he blamed himself. He didn’t want the same thing to happen again so he’d overreacted.

  Her anger melted away, but she still needed an explanation for why she couldn’t drive her own car. “I still don’t get why I couldn’t drive. We wasted time out there arguing when I would’ve gotten out of the open even faster if we’d gone straight to my car.”

  “From what you’ve said, it looks like Saunders is suspicious of you. That means he’s made plans to track you. He knows your car and can have his fellow officers keep an eye out for you. But he doesn’t know my vehicle—nor do they—so we won’t be followed.” He met her gaze again. “If I’m to keep you safe, we have to think like Saunders and remember he’s not the man you once thought he was.”

  She didn’t need any reminders of Nolan’s betrayal. Her neighbor. Her friend. The man who’d held her children. Loved them, or seemed to, and watched over them, all the while knowing he’d killed their father. The thought of him holding Brianna and Riley sent a shudder down her back.

  “Alyssa,” Cole said, pulling her back. “Are we good to go?”

  She nodded and looked out the passenger window, taking comfort in the familiarity of the shopping center, giving her hope that she would return to a normal life once this was over.

  “Then a quick call to Dani and we’re out of here,” Cole said.

  She heard him moving, digging out his phone and settling it in the dashboard holder, but she didn’t want to look at him and reopen their discussion. Feeling lost and confused, she closed her eyes.

  Father, please help me make sense of what’s happening. I know You’re here with me. Watching over me. Help me let go of my worry. To stop focusing on these problems that I know You will solve and to put my focus solely on You.

  “Hey, sis,” Cole said, bringing Alyssa’s prayer to a close. “Alyssa needs to have a flat tire. Can you take care of it before you head home?”

  Alyssa spun to look at him. He’d said she needed to have car trouble, but she never thought he’d actually make it happen.

  Dani and Cole talked through the details of damaging her tire to make it look like Alyssa had picked something up on the road. Their back-and-forth discussion seemed as normal for them as if he’d called and asked her to stop at the store for a gallon of milk, not to slash a tire.

  “Once you’re done with that, get some sleep and I’ll talk to you later.” Cole pressed a finger on his phone, then pointed out the window. “There’s Dani. Your tire will be flat in a few minutes.”

  Alyssa shook her head. “If you hadn’t told me she was in the lot, I wouldn’t even know she was here.”

  “If we do our job right, no one sees us.” His expression suddenly turned serious. “Just remember—if we can tail you undetected, so can Saunders.”

  Not knowing how to respond, she stared ahead and waited for Cole to back out of the lot.

  But he turned to her instead. “So the phone store. Care to give me directions?”

  The space thick with tension, she searched for something lighthearted to ease the stress. “You’re sure you want directions?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Well, you are a man, after all.” She smiled at him.

  He rolled his eyes then grinned. “Trust me. I’m secure enough to let a woman give me directions.”

  He really was secure. At least enough to make fun of himself. He’d just moved up a notch on her good-guy list.

  “The only phone store in the area is at the downtown shopping center.”

  “Where you parked last night?”

  She nodded and he maneuvered the truck out of the lot. She noticed him frequently checking the mirrors and glancing around, obviously looking for Nolan or one of his men.

  Once on the main road, he seemed to relax a notch and pointed at his phone. “After Saunders came home last night he went out again and Dani followed him. He met with a man we think is involved in the meth distribution. Dani was able to snap his picture. It’s not real clear, but if you grab my phone you can take a look at it to see if you know him.”

  Not really wanting to see this picture, she reached for the phone anyway and thumbed through the menus until she located his image folder. She opened the photo. Cole was right. The picture was dark and grainy, but she could still see the man had a thick head of dark hair, a wide jaw and mean-looking eyes.

  “I don’t know him, and I’m glad I don’t.” She shuddered.

  “Dani also picked up a cigarette butt he dropped. We’ll get it processed for DNA.”

  She settled the phone back in the holder. “That’s good news then, isn’t it?”

  “Could be. But in order for the lead to pan out, the guy would’ve had to have been arrested and his DNA collected so it’s a long shot.”

  Long shot or not, it was a lead and she would cling to the hope that it was a good one. “I’ll pray that it works out.”

  He glanced at her. “So you’re a woman of faith then?”

  She nodded. “What about you?”

  He shrugged. “God and I have been on a break for a while.”

  She understood that sentiment. She’d given up on God after Todd died until she figured out He was her key to moving forward. Maybe Cole had walked away after losing the person he’d alluded to earlier.

  Perhaps she could repay him for being here for her by helping him work through his loss. “If you ever want to talk about it, let me know.”

  Their eyes met for the briefest of moments. She caught another glimpse of his pain before he masked it. “We’re here.”

  Ah, yes, he was avoiding the subject. That was his right. He swung his large vehicle into the lot, and parked in front of the phone store.

  “Stay here while I check things out.” He reached for the door handle then made his way around the front of the car.

  The sun darted out from behind clouds and heavy shadows cast from brightly colored awnings clung to the buildings. Cole’s focus was as sharp as a razor, searching ev
ery nook and cranny of the shopping center.

  Seeming satisfied with what he’d seen, he opened her door. “We weren’t tailed, but if Saunders has your phone, it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to figure out you’d need a new one. Since this is the only store in the area, he could be concealed nearby. Stay close to me until I give the all-clear.”

  And just like that, the fear from last night returned with a force that threatened to swamp her. Looking around, searching the shadows, it took everything she had to climb out of the car and potentially reveal herself to a killer.

  * * *

  Cole peered out the phone store window, inspecting each vehicle turning into the parking lot. Alyssa had requested the same phone model as her current one and the sales rep was inputting her information into the computer.

  “This’ll take a few minutes if you want to look around at our accessories,” the salesman said, and Cole heard the hope of add-on sales in his tone.

  “Thanks,” Alyssa replied and then joined Cole, a look of utter consternation clouding her beautiful face.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Buying a new phone isn’t in the budget right now, that’s all. No biggie.” She smiled up at him.

  He had to admire her attitude. She’d been thrown some curveballs in life, yet he could tell she tried to look on the bright side of things. That was not the way he’d been thinking about life at all since coming back from Iraq.

  “I wouldn’t need this new one if I could come up with when I lost it.” She stared out the window, deep in thought. He stood silently by her side, listening to the computer keyboard click behind them.

  “That’s it.” She glanced up at him. “I fell last night on the main jogging trail. I’m guessing my phone dropped out then.”

  “Then I need to get Dani out there in case Saunders hasn’t come up with it.”

  “But you said Nolan would already be doing that and we couldn’t go there.”

  Cole dug his phone from his pocket. “We can’t because Saunders and his men know you. But since the odds are good that the phone is there, we need to take the risk of sending Dani to look for it. She’ll come up with a cover story for being in the area, and she’ll be discreet.”