Emergency Contact

by Susan Peterson

  “Sorry, sir, but I need to check your bag,” the young guard said, holding out a hand. Tess felt the older guard’s eyes shift to her. She studied the floor, rubbing her lower back as if tired. He didn’t seem particularly interested in her as his attention shifted back to Ryan.

  Ryan set his briefcase on the counter and snapped the locks. The young guard rifled through the contents.

  Tess turned to search out the location of the man Ryan was impersonating. He was on the loading dock now, exchanging a few words with one of the workers.

  That’s it, buddy, she thought. Chat a little while longer. Be cooperative and stay there a few minutes more.

  The guard laughed and pulled a girlie magazine from the stack of papers inside the briefcase. “Guess I better check and make sure you didn’t hide any important top-secret documents in here.”

  “Be my guest,” Ryan said, leaning an elbow on the counter.

  Tess hid a grin. Ryan had shown a real touch of ingenuity including the magazine in the briefcase. Nothing like a few nude pictures to get men’s minds off the important stuff.

  The guard leafed through the pages, grinning and holding up the magazine for his partner to catch a glimpse of the models. The guard winked at Ryan. “Nice research you guys are involved in down there in the lab.”

  Ryan shrugged. “Just some light reading to pass the time when things get slow.”

  Keep it brief. Keep it casual. Don’t engage him too much, Tess thought, crowding in behind Ryan. She reached up and swiped her own badge.

  “Get a look at page twenty-three,” Ryan urged. “She’s worth the price of admission alone.”

  Both guards leaned over to get a closer look. Neither glanced at the monitor as the nurse’s face came up on the screen. The light blinked green and Tess stepped to the other side of the security gate.

  Neither guard glanced at her, their attention fully focused on the magazine and the stunning beauty on page twenty-three.

  Tess walked away, her shoulders braced so tight they ached. She was sure that any minute one of them would yell for her to stop. But no yell came.

  Behind her, the pages of the magazine continued to rustle.

  Up ahead, the lab tech waved to the worker he was talking to, and he started across the dock for the security desk.

  Okay, time to break up the little party, Ryan. Get moving! Tess tightened her hands into fists, but she resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder to see if he was aware that the technician was now making his way toward the desk. She kept moving.

  “Okay, guys, I need to get going. My old lady is probably counting the minutes until I get home. But you two keep the magazine. My personal gift to security.”

  “Hey, buddy, thanks,” the younger guard said. “It’ll make the evening pass at a faster clip.”

  Tess heard the briefcase snap shut and then the sound of Ryan’s footsteps as he hurried to catch up to her. “That was close,” she said, continuing to walk toward the exit.

  “It isn’t over yet. The guy arrived at the desk just as I was leaving.” He nodded toward the front of the semi parked at the loading dock. “Head for the cab. We’re going to need a ride out of here.”

  She shot him a quick glance of approval. “A little oversize, but it’ll serve our purpose.”

  “Not so terribly oversize when you remember that we’re going to need to get through the front gate.”

  Tess quickened her step—she’d forgotten that particular fact. There were still a lot of obstacles in front of them.

  Ryan swung ahead of her, headed for the driver’s side of the rig.

  They were halfway down the ramp when the late-arriving technician yelled, “For crying out loud! All I did was come a few minutes late and park in the handicapped slot. Is that a reason to pull a gun on a guy?”

  Tess glanced behind her. The guards had their guns drawn and trained on the technician. He was facedown on the loading dock.

  Ryan yanked open the door of the cab and stepped back, allowing Tess to climb in ahead of him. As she slid past the steering wheel into the passenger’s seat, a sense of relief washed over her. The driver had been kind enough to leave the keys in the ignition.

  “You know how to drive one of these things?” she asked as Ryan settled behind the wheel.

  “I drove a dump truck for two summers in college, working construction. We can only hope they’re somewhat similar.” He jammed a foot on the clutch and reached down to turn the key. The big engine rumbled to life as he threw the shift into gear.

  As they started rolling, Tess checked the side mirror. Two men on the loading dock were yelling and the doors to the tractor trailer swung back to hit the sides of the truck with a loud bang.

  “Keep moving,” she said. “They’re not looking happy.”

  Sure enough, a siren sounded as they pulled away from the dock and headed for the parking lot exit.

  “Buckle your seat belt,” Ryan yelled over the roar of the engine. “By the time we reach the main gate, they’re going to be ready for us. I have a feeling they’ve figured out you’re in the cab.”

  She reached over and grabbed the shoulder belt next to him, pulling it across his flat stomach. Her knuckles grazed the cloth of his shirt and as she sat back to buckle her own belt, her eyes briefly met his. The tiniest of smiles played at one corner of his lips.

  She quickly glanced down, concentrating on tightening her own belt. The exchange had been brief, but it had warmed her, sending a delightful thrill of excitement surging through her. Less than two hours ago she wouldn’t have trusted Ryan Donovan to drive her to the supermarket and now she trusted him with her life.

  “Get down,” he ordered, the tenseness in his voice conveying his concern.

  Up ahead stood the main gate, the thick mesh locked down tight. The guards had driven two security vehicles, heavy-duty Hummers, back to back in front of the gates. Tess knew they were there to act as extra stopping power.

  She shifted forward in her seat and peered through the windshield. “I see four—no make that five guards.”

  “Their weapons are drawn so they’re aren’t standing out there to wave goodbye,” Ryan said over the roar of the engine.

  He stomped on the clutch and shifted, hitting the gas and bringing the rig up to a teeth-rattling sixty-five miles per hour.

  “If I had a ten-ton truck bearing down on me,” Tess said through clenched teeth. “I might be holding a rifle, too.”

  She braced her palms against the dashboard and jammed her feet against the floorboards. Ryan’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, but he didn’t take his foot off the gas.

  The speedometer kicked up to seventy. The roar of the engine rattled inside the cab, setting off an odd buzz in Tess’s ears. As they closed in on the gate, the guards ditched the guardhouse, jumping out of the way. The truck hit the Hummers with a bone-jarring crash, and the cab shuddered as the two security vehicles hurled backward out of its path.

  The front end of the truck hit the gates full on with the high, eardrum-splitting whine of metal against metal. The gate held for less than a second as the truck strained at full throttle to get through.

  Finally the hinges snapped and the gates flew off their posts. They hurtled past the windows of the cab, and the truck plunged through the opening.

  Tess glanced into the rearview mirror as the five guards ran into the middle of the road. Three of them dropped down into firing stances and let go. She ducked as the glass on the side mirror disintegrated into flying shards. Other bullets pinged off the side of the truck.

  She sat back and threw a triumphant glance in Ryan’s direction. “That was damn good driving. You’ve got a real knack for this escaping business.”

  “Thanks.” His expression hardened as he used both hands to keep the careening rig on the narrow road leading into town. “We need to get rid of the truck. It’s too big to continue using. They’re bound to be after us in a matter of minutes.”

  Tess nodded her agr
eement, but she was at a loss as to where they could hide. And at the same time, Tess realized that even though they had escaped, she still had no idea who she was or why Flynn was determined to keep her captive.

  A SHORT TIME LATER, Ryan slowed and pulled the rig onto a small side road. It was rough going as the road was hard-packed dirt with a good number of potholes. The trees on either side grew close to the road and hung in the way, scraping and snapping off on the sides of the truck.

  When the vegetation got too thick to drive any farther, Ryan stopped, shifting the gears into Park. He nodded to Tess, and she slid across the seat, showing a flash of white thigh as the nurse’s dress rode up even higher. She piled out of the passenger’s side without a word.

  Ryan climbed from the other side and threw the keys in a high arch. They glittered silver for a moment when hit by the rays of the low-hanging sun but then disappeared into the surrounding brush.

  The guards probably wouldn’t have any trouble hot-wiring the truck when they found it, but Ryan didn’t intend to make it easy for them.

  “What now?” Tess asked, coming up to stand beside him.

  “About half a mile down this road there’s a path that cuts across the field and heads back toward town. I used to come out here on my bike with my friends when I was kid.” He glanced up. “It’ll stay daylight for another couple of hours so we won’t have any trouble finding our way.”

  “But it will make it easier for them to see us, too,” she countered.

  “In all likelihood, they’ll figure we headed for the interstate. I’m counting on them going there first. It’ll be a while before they realize we didn’t take that route.”

  He started off, using the shadows of the overhanging trees to shoot a covert glance in Tess’s direction. He needed to know if she was physically up for a fast pace. She caught him taking stock of her condition and she scowled. She didn’t appreciate him even considering her not being up to the challenge.

  But in spite of her resentment, Ryan didn’t miss the veil of fatigue that had settled over her features, the way she worked to hide it but couldn’t.

  He didn’t need to ask to know that her energy reserve was low. She’d been fighting Flynn, Bloom and his research team both mentally and physically for God knows how long. But in spite of it all, Ryan was certain she’d rather collapse face first than admit to him that she was running on empty.

  “Why is it exactly that we aren’t heading for the interstate? Even though that’s where they’d look first, wouldn’t we make better time?” she asked, matching his stride with a determined set of her chin. “Aren’t we trapping ourselves by ditching the truck?”

  “They’d be on us before we had a chance to get off the on-ramp. We need to get ourselves a car and some cash.”

  “Don’t even think about trying to pull any cash out of your account. As soon as you use your bank card, they’ll know where we are.”

  “I know. I’m hoping my sister has some cash in her house.” He reached up and brushed back a few strands of damp hair. There was a breeze, but the heat of the day still hugged the ground.

  Off to the west, clouds were building, warning of an impending storm. They needed the rain—the humidity had gotten almost unbearable—but the thought of traipsing around in the woods in the rain wasn’t pleasant.

  “If we take my sister’s car, we can sell it for cash and pick up a used car they can’t trace.”

  “If we drag your sister into this, there’s no telling what could happen. Better to stay away from her.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. I can’t risk anything happening to her or the boys. Any suggestions?”

  “We take the first vehicle we can find, drive it to Des Moines and trade it for cash and a untraceable clunker.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’ve done this before.”

  Tess frowned and then shrugged. “I don’t know. It just sounds right. But I can’t be that good if the first time you found me, I was wandering around in the cornfield butt naked.” She glanced down at herself. “At least this time I managed to escape fully clothed.”

  “And that fact is one of my greatest disappointments.”

  She laughed and then grew serious again. “I notice you haven’t suggested we go to the police.”

  Ryan trudged across the field, reaching out now and then to steady Tess when a rock or tuff of high grass made her unsteady. “If Flynn is able to fabricate such an elaborate psychiatric file and such an official-looking court order, I have no doubt that he could convince any police department that we’re making this up.”

  Tess paused, her shoulder brushing his arm, and gazed at him appreciatively. “I think you’re actually getting the hang of this.”

  Ryan vaulted over a half-hidden stone fence and then reached back to give her a hand as she scrambled over. The lines of fatigue on her face had deepened a bit over the half mile or so they’d traveled, but she didn’t complain.

  “Any ideas on a car?” she asked.

  “Ida Relations lives about a half mile from here. She always leaves her car out of the garage with the keys in it. She’s been a volunteer firefighter for thirty years and prides herself on being the first one on a scene.” He held back a branch, keeping it from smacking Tess across the cheek. “We’ll borrow hers. She’ll never forgive me if there’s a fire tonight and she can’t get there. But we’ll deal with that at a later date.”

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, they reached the hedge surrounding a large Victorian-style house. There were a few other houses farther off in the distance, but the huge rambling Victorian was the only one with lights on.

  Ryan motioned to a soft spot near the hedge. “Wait here while I take a look around.”

  Tess didn’t argue. She was so tired she could barely see straight. She sank onto the grass and waited while Ryan headed off to scout out the area.

  She tried to ignore the persistent ache in her muscles, but she could feel her brain shutting down. She needed to get some rest or she wouldn’t be able to walk, let alone talk.

  A few minutes later, Ryan was back. He crouched down next to her, his broad shoulders shifting and bunching beneath his shirt. His smell, an intriguing combination of masculine sweat and strong soap, wafted up and touched the end of her nose. She had an overwhelming urge to curl up against him and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. But then she realized it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep. Too many nightmares lately for that to happen. She snapped awake.

  Ryan gently smoothed the hair back away from her forehead. His eyes, contemplative and gentle, told her that he knew she was almost done in. She hated seeing the concern on his face, but she knew there was nothing she could do to reassure him. She just needed to prove herself by keeping up.

  “Can we get to the car?” she asked.

  Ryan nodded. “The TV is on in the living room, and Ida’s got the sound turned up pretty loud because she’s in the kitchen making dinner. She probably won’t hear a thing. As I expected, the key is in the ignition.”

  Tess grinned. “Would you think less of me if I told you I could have hot-wired that car in under thirty seconds?”

  “And you picked up this little skill where exactly?”

  “When I—” Tess stopped, confusion immediately clouding her brain. She bit her lower lip, angry again at the untimely intrusion of her memory loss. “I—I’m not sure exactly.”

  Ryan reached out and gently caressed the line of her jaw, the heat of his touch reassuring. “Relax. It doesn’t really matter. I say we’re just lucky you remember how to do it.” He laughed. “But be assured, you and I will be discussing where you picked up that skill at some later date.”

  “You do realize that means you’re stuck waiting around until that little issue of my failed memory is solved, don’t you?”

  Ryan hit her with that devastatingly sexy grin, the one that had the ability to shoot something hot and liquidy into her lower belly. “Oh, I’ve got time. In fact, I have no plans to be anywhere else bu
t right here next to you until that memory of yours returns.”

  Tess ducked her head, knowing she didn’t want him to see the sudden surge of gratitude that rushed through her. His willingness to verbally commit to staying with her throughout this ordeal meant more to her than even she realized. But she knew she didn’t want to scare him off or make him think she’d become a quivering ball of pathetic appreciation.

  After all, he’d already set the boundaries of their relationship once. He’d warned her that there could never be anything personal between them. She had to respect that.

  He touched her shoulder as if checking to see whether she was ready to move. She nodded and slipped her hands in his, pulling herself up. They made their way across the yard, and the late-model Town Car’s engine was purring in less than thirty seconds.

  Somewhere inside the house, a little dog yipped, but no faces appeared at the tall windows. Ryan backed the car out of the driveway and then took off. They avoided the interstate and traveled the back roads, heading northeast. Neither of them was sure where in the East they wanted to go, but they knew they wanted to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the Bloom Research Center.

  They kept moving through the night and well into the next day. Ryan insisted on driving, telling her that she needed to sleep off the effects of the drugs. Although Tess didn’t argue, as she knew her body was crying for rest, she found sleep impossible. She had reached the point of running on pure adrenaline.

  Several times, she tried closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the seat. Nothing. She tried curling her legs up onto the seat and wedging a shoulder into the corner with her head against the window. Still nothing. Her brain refused to let her sleep.

  Wild thoughts filled her brain, racing across her consciousness at breakneck speeds. Every car that roared up behind them on the lonely country roads brought Tess’s heart into the back of her throat. She knew that any one of them could be Flynn and his men.

  She knew Flynn would never give up. He’d follow her until she was recaptured and returned to the center. He needed her. For whatever reason, he couldn’t let her walk away.