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)
By the time we reached Bill, he was on the track and his call had ended. He peered at our linked hands, shook his head, and then motioned to the waiting helicopter.
“Go on, get in,” he shouted.
We scurried across the grass, both of our heads down to avoid the spinning blades, even though we probably had plenty of clearance. My still-damp hair whipped around in the current, smacking me in the face, blinding me. The door was open, and he helped me into the cabin, but he didn’t step up to climb in. His feet stayed on the grass as he pulled me close so he could speak into my ear.
“You do whatever they tell you, you hear me? Stay hidden and you stay alive.” Even over the powerful engine, I could hear every ounce of his desperation. “I’ll find you when it’s over, I promise.”
Dread prickled down my spine. “What?”
“I can’t go with you.”
21
JASON
It killed me to say it. It had nearly killed me when I’d made the decision back in the motel. Shit, there was nowhere else I wanted to be but with her, but I kept my feet rooted to the ground.
As long as Frey was loose, she’d never be safe.
So the first thing I’d do after the helicopter carried her away was fucking find him, and I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t a marshal.
That was, of course, assuming she didn’t kill me first.
“What?” Her haunting eyes filled with rage. “Get in the helicopter, Jason. Stay with me.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll see you soon.”
I turned and walked away from her feeling like something had broken inside me. Hopefully, when this was all over, she’d understand and forgive me.
Bill stood on the track by the fifty-yard line and watched my approach with a puzzled look on his face. As I got close, he yelled it over the spinning rotors. “What the hell are you doing?”
Was he fucking with me? “You told me not to get—”
“The log was blank. There’s nothing. I mean, not a goddamn thing.”
How was that even possible? The Marshals Service loved its paperwork. There would be requests and approvals, endless emails and phone calls. A full paper trail. It couldn’t disappear without a higher-up’s security clearance.
“Well, that’s a big fucking problem.” I clenched my teeth.
“No one knows where she is right now except for you, me, and that pilot. After you land, I don’t want anyone to know at all. You understand?” He leaned in, giving me the most serious look I’d ever seen from him. “I know this is a big ask, but I don’t trust anyone else right now. Can you do it?”
He wanted us to go off the books, underground. “Yes. How much time do you need?”
“Two, maybe three days.” He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. “Make it last.”
In case it took him longer than three days to expose a senior level official.
“There’s something else that may or may not be important.” His tone was grave. “We haven’t been able to locate the sister.”
Alarm glanced through me. “How worried are you about that?”
“Let’s say I’m mildly concerned. Do what you want with that info.”
I nodded. Laurel had said she wasn’t close with any of her family, but there was no doubt she’d be concerned to hear her sister had gone missing.
“Are you waiting for a kiss goodbye, Dunn? Get going.”
“Good luck.”
“Yeah, you too. And, for the love of God, don’t fuck her.”
As I hurried toward the helicopter, her angry face turned to me, and it looked very much like I already had.
The first thing I did after I climbed aboard was discuss the flight plan with the pilot while she sat quietly, seething. If looks could kill, I would certainly be dead.
When the plans were set, I tried to help her put on her headset, but she slapped my hands away. I didn’t bother to explain myself now. I could tell she was upset, and rightfully so, and there was a chance she wouldn’t hear me clearly through her headphones anyway. Plus, I didn’t want the pilot listening in on my apology.
I hoped she could forgive me. If not, I’d have to figure out a way for us to move past it, end of story. Her life was in danger, and that trumped everything else.
Once we landed, there was a car waiting at the regional airport, keys in the ignition and not a soul around. It took me ten minutes to inspect it for tracking devices. Once I deemed it safe, she got into the passenger seat and stared at the dash while I checked the mirrors and adjusted the driver’s seat.
When I was ready, I set my hands on the steering wheel but didn’t start the car. “You wouldn’t get on the chopper if I—”
“You’d said you wouldn’t leave me.”