Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Those three words had passed from my lips like they weren’t hard to say, even though my stomach had been churning in the moments before. I couldn’t let her go on that stage without knowing.
“Please, Caroline,” I said, filling my voice with weight. “Let me do this. It’s our best chance to keep her safe, and if anything goes wrong, it won’t touch you. It’s all on me.”
I hoped she didn’t notice the desperation I struggled to keep from my expression.
“All right. Jesus.” She scrubbed her fingertips over her forehead. “Get her gone. We catch this guy, and then you and I are going to have a conversation about how this all went down. You got me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. That conversation’s not going to be pleasant for you.”
The dressing room door opened and Beth plodded out. Her pissed off expression said it all, but I asked it anyway. “How’d it go?”
She glared at me like I’d let her walk into an ambush. “Not well.”
“I tried to tell you.” I hoped my smile was restrained.
Caroline ticked her chin at me. “What do you need right now?”
“A clean vehicle.” We couldn’t use the one I’d parked in the garage because it wasn’t secure and I wouldn’t have time to sweep it for devices.
She nodded and turned her attention to the other woman. “You came prepared to move her into the program tonight?”
“Yeah,” Beth said. “I’ve got two agents standing by, but since she’s refusing to—”
Her gaze swung back to me. “You could use their car.”
The conversation was moving too fast for Beth. “What? Whose car?”
“Dunn needs a secure vehicle,” she said, “and you have one on standby.”
Beth considered it, and displeasure flashed across her face, followed by resignation. “Where exactly is my team taking you?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not looking for a ride.”
“You’re not . . .” She realized what I meant and her tone turned incredulous. “You want to, what? Just have it? You cannot be serious.”
“I’ll only need it for a few hours.”
She turned to the other woman with disbelief. “And you think I’m going to authorize that?”
“No, I am.” There was no hesitation from Caroline, silencing any further protest. “A clean vehicle,” she said, like she was checking it off my list. “What else?”
“Everything Bill was working on, on my desk,” I said. “I’ll be in the office by midnight.”
Right after I put the woman I loved on my brother’s plane.
I’d have to deal with my feelings about that later. The door opened and Laurel reappeared, dressed in the clothes from this morning, with her suitcase beside her.
Caroline gave her a plain look. “You aware of this plan he’s got?”
Laurel’s face gave nothing away. “Yes.”
She sighed and extended a hand. “All right. Good luck to you both, and stay safe.”
“Thank you. You too.” Laurel took the offered handshake before turning her focus to me.
Anger rolled off Beth in waves as she called for the car and led us to the back exit of the theater. I understood her frustration. In her mind, this plan was reckless and dangerous. It was why I tried to ignore her furious glare as she asked her agents to hand over the keys.
Her tone was sharp and colder than the winter air surrounding us. “I don’t know what you said to her, Dunn, but you’re going to get that girl killed.”
Her words parked a boulder on my chest, making it difficult to think, difficult to move. When I offered no response, she ripped her gaze away and followed her agents back inside. I didn’t breathe again until she’d disappeared into the theater.
But I forced myself to block it out and focus on the task before me.
The Ford Explorer was black and unassuming, and I had Laurel wait inside the building with the marshal manning the door while I put her suitcase in the back. Then I opened the door to the back seat and waved her over. She darted across the alley and into the SUV, keeping her head down as I’d instructed.
“Stay down until we’re out of the city,” I said once I was seated behind the wheel.
The car ride was tense and quiet for the first few minutes. When we crossed the river, I called Shawn and got the hangar number. Then I set my phone on the dashboard, and the weight of what was about to happen slammed into me.
Gone, but safe. This was what I wanted, I kept telling myself. I had to put her life above anything else.
“Shawn’s twenty minutes ahead of us,” I said.
“How long until we get there?”
“Thirty, maybe forty-five minutes.” That was how much time we had left together.
“What if I changed my mind?” she asked. “What if I want to stay?”
I exhaled slowly. “I know you want to, but you can’t. I need you to be safe.” I strove for a light tone, even when I felt none of it. “And you promised.”