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Nate opened the back passenger door of his car and she quickly put Hailey into her booster seat. When Melissa was about to crawl in beside her daughter, Nate stopped her with a firm hand on her arm.
“In front, with me.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, shutting the door and then climbing into the passenger seat. Nate slid in behind the wheel, and soon they were back on the road, heading west, leaving the lights of the city behind.
Silence hung heavy between them.
“What happened to the driver?” she finally asked.
“He’s unconscious, but he’ll be fine,” Nate said in a cold, clipped tone. “Do you mind telling me what you were thinking when you left like that in the middle of the night?”
Protecting you, she thought, but she held her tongue.
“What? No snappy comeback? Do you realize how cold it is outside? What about your daughter?” He was starting to raise his volume, and Hailey whimpered, making him lower his voice. “Where were you going to go without a car?”
She swallowed hard. “I planned to call for a taxi.”
“And go where?” he pressed.
“The bus station.” She looked away from him, staring out at the darkness through the passenger-side window. Several houses were decorated with brightly colored Christmas lights, reminding her of home.
Not her apartment in South Carolina, but the home where she’d grown up. Where she’d lived with her father. Gone to school. Dated Nate. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She’d been so happy back then. How had everything gone so wrong?
“I shouldn’t be surprised you tried to leave without telling me. After all, that’s your usual response.”
The bitter note to his voice made her feel terrible. She forced herself to turn and look at him. “I’m sorry, Nate. I’m sorry I hurt you all those years ago, and I’m sorry I hurt you now. Obviously I’ve put you in danger, too. They must know you’re with me. Otherwise they never would have found us.”
“Yeah, and frankly that’s what’s bothering me the most,” Nate said. “Maybe you should try being honest with me for once. Before we all end up dead.”
She sucked in a harsh breath as the reality of what he was saying struck home. He was absolutely right. Her attempt to protect him had backfired in a big way.
If there had been two men instead of one, this situation could have ended much differently.
They all might have been killed. Murdered in cold blood.
“You know the identity of the five men you saw that night, don’t you?” Nate asked.
“Not all of them, but yes, I knew one of them besides the cop,” she admitted.
“Who?”
She licked her dry lips. “A man with an important job.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
She forced the words past her constricted throat. “Like the mayor of Brookmont, Tom McAllister.”
“Uncle Tom?” Nate repeated hoarsely. “My uncle Tom?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Nate.” Melissa knew she should have felt better now that the secret was out, but she didn’t.
Because she wasn’t at all sure Nate would believe her. Why would he take her side over his uncle’s? This was exactly the reason she’d left without saying anything to him all those years ago.
She shivered again with fear that chilled her to the bone. These were men who’d tried to discredit her as a drug addict. When that hadn’t worked, they’d set out to kill her. If Nate decided to haul her in to be questioned, there was no telling what might happen. They’d lied before, why not try to frame her again?
Or worse, set up some sort of scheme to have her killed in jail?
A sense of desperate hopelessness pierced her heart. She absolutely needed to find a way to make Nate believe her.
Or risk losing Hailey, forever.
FOUR (#ulink_c2dfe226-8439-594e-b706-737ea824e4db)
Nate didn’t want to believe Melissa’s claim. Ridiculous to think his uncle Tom was part of some big cover-up. Especially something as serious as murder. Tom McAllister was the mayor of Brookmont. Why on earth would he get involved in something criminal?
But there was no denying Melissa was in trouble. He’d been livid when he’d seen the guy slap her across the face. It was clear the guy’s intent was to take Melissa with him, and there was no telling what might have happened if Nate hadn’t got there in time. Thank goodness he’d heard her door shutting behind her when she’d left the motel. It had taken him a few minutes to verify that she was gone.
A few minutes that could have cost her life.
But was it really possible that his uncle Tom was involved?
Nate shook his head helplessly. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and considered his options. Taking Melissa and Hailey straight to his boss was top on his list. Griff was a good, honest cop, and Nate could trust his boss to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
Or he could take Melissa somewhere safe and begin investigating this on his own.
As much as he’d rather do the latter, he knew that it was a better option to take her to his boss. But it was one o’clock in the morning. There wouldn’t be anyone at the sheriff’s department headquarters other than the single dispatcher who manned the graveyard shift.
He reached for his phone and handed it over to Melissa. “Do me a favor and take the battery out of the back so I can’t be traced. And you need to ditch your phone, too.”
She grimaced but did as he asked, dropping both the device and the battery back into the cup holders located in the center console. Then she opened her window and tossed the disposable phone she’d been using.
“Nate, please, you have to believe me,” Melissa said in a low, desperate tone, as if reading his turbulent thoughts. “You asked me why I didn’t come to you after I witnessed the murder. Well, this is the reason. I was afraid your uncle would turn you against me.”
He clenched his jaw so tight his temple ached. “Why would my uncle be involved in covering up a murder?”
“I don’t know,” Melissa insisted, frustration edging her voice. “I wish I had answers for you, but I don’t.”
“Yeah, and isn’t that convenient?” He felt his anger rising and did his best to lower his tone so he wouldn’t disturb Hailey. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me since I saw you on the escalator. Give me one good reason why I should believe you now.”
“Because unfortunately, you were right,” she whispered. “Now that you’ve helped me, I’m afraid you’re in as much danger as I am.”
“Maybe, but I think it’s time I listen to my instincts, which are telling me to hand you over to my boss right now.”
Her eyes widened with fear. “If you do that, they’ll find a way to kill me.” The grim certainty in her tone nagged at him. “Tell me one thing, Nate. How did they find us at that hotel? You said yourself it’s a cop-friendly place. How many cops would know to look for your vehicle there?”
Good question—one that had bothered him from the moment the guy in the black car had grabbed and hit Melissa. It couldn’t be a coincidence that they’d been found so quickly. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Please don’t take me in. Not when there are dirty policemen involved who obviously won’t stop until I’m dead.”
He couldn’t deny the fact that she was in danger. And if corrupt cops were in on this, keeping her safe would be even more difficult. He let out a heavy sigh and continued driving through the night.
Melissa was right. He couldn’t take her in. Not yet.
Not until he knew what they were dealing with.
“Okay, fine,” he agreed in a resigned tone. “But no more lies, Melissa. No more escape attempts, either. We work together from this point forward. Understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. I know this wasn’t at all what you bargained for.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said. In all fairness, she hadn’t dragged him into anything. He was the one who’d recognized her on the escalator. And he was the one who’d followed her through the mall. Shooting and wounding two men hadn’t been part of the initial plan, but he knew that given the same set of circumstances, he’d do it all again without hesitation.
“Maybe not entirely my fault, but I’m concerned that your reputation will suffer if you continue to help me,” she said in a resigned tone.
He didn’t bother pointing out that his reputation had already taken a hit the moment he’d decided to leave the crime scene at the mall.
The way she truly seemed to care about his fate helped ease his anger and frustration at waking up and discovering she’d sneaked away during the night.
“I can’t worry about my reputation,” he said, even though being a cop was important to him. “Hopefully I’ll be able to salvage it once we get to the bottom of this mess.”
“I hope so,” she whispered, resting her head back against the seat. “I truly hope so.”
Nate reached over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, a bit surprised when she responded by tightening her fingers around his and flashing a tentative smile.
They would uncover the truth of the murder Melissa had witnessed twelve years ago.
Because the alternative was too painful to contemplate.
* * *
Melissa stared down at their joined hands for a long moment, humbled by Nate’s forgiveness. He had every right to be angry, but at least he wasn’t taking her to his boss.
She was sorry that she’d inadvertently involved Nate, but she was relieved that she and Hailey weren’t alone. If Nate truly believed her, then maybe they could get to the bottom of this by working together.
The warmth of the car caused her eyelids to droop heavily, but she forced them open. She was going to be Nate’s partner in this, and she needed to stay awake and alert.
Glancing into the backseat, she was glad to see Hailey had fallen asleep.
“Where are we going?” she asked when Nate turned onto a remote country road.
“Another motel. We need somewhere to crash for what’s left of the night,” he said. “But I’m not about to use anyplace I’ve been before.”
She was relieved to hear that, although that meant they might be forced to use a credit card.
She racked her brain for an alternate plan but couldn’t come up with anything better. “I’d offer my father’s house, but I’m sure they have the place staked out, since they found me at the hospital.”
“Yeah, I was thinking of using one of my buddies’ places,” he admitted. “But if they know who I am, it won’t be too hard to find out the names of my friends, and I don’t want to expose any of them or their families to danger.”
She didn’t blame him. She thought about the church friends she’d left back in South Carolina and knew she wouldn’t be willing to put any of them in harm’s way, either.
“There’s a place up ahead,” Nate said, breaking into her thoughts. “It’s small and well off the highway. Should work for our needs.”
“Sounds good.” She hoped and prayed his uniform would convince the motel clerk to let them pay cash rather than leaving an electronic trail.
Nate pulled into a parking space near the lobby, then turned to face her. “It will be easier to request one room, pretending we’re a family. I’ll make sure there are two double beds. You and Hailey can share one, and I’ll crash on the other.”
“All right,” she agreed.
Nate slid out from behind the wheel and then disappeared inside. He returned about fifteen minutes later, a satisfied expression on his face.
“I convinced the clerk to take cash, so we should be safe for now.”
“Great,” she murmured. “I’m exhausted. And sore.”
“You need some ice for your face,” Nate added with a frown.
She was touched by his concern, although a bruise was the least of her concerns. She was just glad they’d escaped anything worse.
He drove up to the door of their room, pulling the suitcase he’d rescued out of the backseat. “We’re in room 5,” he told her.
She unbuckled Hailey from the booster seat and carried her daughter inside. It took her a few minutes to get Hailey out of her winter clothes, but thankfully the little girl didn’t put up a fight. Soon she had her tucked into the bed closest to the wall.
She turned to face Nate and frowned when she noticed he’d brought in Hailey’s child safety seat. “It’s probably better to keep that in the backseat in case we have to leave in a hurry.”
“I’m planning to find someplace to stash my car,” he said. “You and Hailey get some sleep. Don’t wait up for me. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
After everything she’d been through, she wasn’t looking forward to staying in the tiny motel room alone. But of course, hiking through the snow carrying her daughter wasn’t an option, either. “Try not to go too far,” she said.
“I won’t,” Nate promised. The smile that tugged at his mouth reminded her of the way he had looked as a hunky teenager. Too handsome for his own good.
As he let himself out the door, back into the cold winter night, she crossed over to the window, moving the heavy curtain enough to watch him drive away.
Biting back the urge to rush outside and beg him to stay.
* * *
Nate drove around the area, looking for a place to hide his vehicle. The trees were bare of leaves, and anything dark showed up all too easily against the snow-covered ground. Too bad he didn’t have a white car.
After a couple of miles, he found an abandoned farmhouse, complete with a barn that unfortunately looked as if a strong wind would cause it to come tumbling down.
Since it was better than anything else he’d passed, he drove up through the snow to the crooked doors. He got out of the car and pulled them open, then drove inside.
After locking up his vehicle, he closed the barn doors and then broke off a branch from an evergreen tree and used it to obliterate his tire tracks and footprints. Maybe he was being paranoid, but better safe than sorry.
By the time he reached the road, he was sweating beneath his winter jacket. The result of his attempt to hide the location of his car wasn’t perfect, but it should work.
Especially since he was absolutely positive he hadn’t been followed. The road was isolated and empty, which suited him just fine.
Shrugging out of his jacket, he tied it securely around his waist so he could jog the mile back to the motel. Thankfully it was late enough that he could use the center of the highway, where there wasn’t any snow or ice.
