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Miles flashed a knowing grin. “Hey, no reason she can’t be both, right?”
Marc shook his head, annoyed by his brother’s antics. Girls had generally flocked to Miles instead of him, probably because Marc had always been über-responsible, even back then.
“I’m surprised she didn’t come over to meet me,” Miles continued.
“She twisted her ankle pretty bad,” Marc said. He finished activating the phones then plugged them in, scowling when Miles crossed over to Kari’s room.
“Hi, I’m Miles Callahan,” he heard his brother say. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Kari Danville,” she answered in a bemused tone. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Marc had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from lashing out at his brother. So what if Miles was flirting with Kari? It wasn’t as if Marc was interested in a personal relationship.
Considering her pregnancy and past history with her ex-fiancé, he doubted she was, either.
“Marc didn’t tell me how pretty you are,” Miles said with a wink.
“Then we’re even, since Marc neglected to tell me how much of a flirt you are.”
“I’m not,” Miles protested, putting his hand on his chest in protest.
Yeah, he was. Marc hid a smile as he joined them. “Miles was just leaving, weren’t you?”
His brother cocked an eyebrow in his direction. “Uh, yeah, sure.” Miles grinned. “Do you want me to tell Mom you’ll be there for brunch on Sunday? Or do you think the trial will keep you away?”
Marc narrowed his gaze, giving Miles a warning glare. Since their father’s murder six months ago, they always tried to get together for church service followed by Sunday brunch. Maybe he hadn’t felt God’s presence at church, but he always attended anyway. Their mother and Nan expected it. “Not sure, but either way, I’ll let Mom know my plans. Thanks again for your help.”
“Suit yourself.” Miles threw one last smile over his shoulder at Kari. “Nice to meet you, Kari. Hope I see you again sometime soon.”
Kari didn’t look too impressed. “I doubt it but it’s been nice to meet you, too.”
“Ouch,” Miles muttered, joining Marc in his room. “Shot down in a ball of flames.”
Marc wasn’t about to waste an ounce of pity for his brother. “Your ego will survive. Take down my new number, in case I need some more help.”
Miles jotted down the information, then slipped the scrap of paper into his pocket. “You know, it’s been two years since Jess died. It’s okay to start dating again.”
“What makes you think I haven’t?” Marc countered, having no intention to discuss his personal life, or lack thereof, with anyone. Even his closest brother. “I’ll be in touch, okay?”
“Sure thing.” Miles opened the door and stepped outside, tossing one more parting shot over his shoulder. “Kari’s pretty. I like her.”
I like her, too. But of course, he didn’t say anything of the sort. Instead he closed the door behind his brother and dragged a hand through his hair.
He knew better than to let Miles get to him. At some point in the last few months, each of his siblings had attempted to play matchmaker.
Efforts that had always backfired.
He was too busy with work to have anything leftover for a relationship, anyway. Hadn’t that been the main reason Jessica had cheated on him? Because he was too intense, too serious, too responsible.
The antithesis of fun.
He glanced at his watch, realizing it was almost time to either check out or pay for another night. Considering Kari’s ankle, he thought it was probably better to stay put. They hadn’t been followed here, and it wouldn’t hurt to give her a chance to rest.
The sound of a muffled thud came from her room and he wasted no time in barging over there to see what was going on.
Kari stood on one foot, her injured foot tucked up as if she were a dark-haired stork, staring morosely at the bucket he’d filled with ice a few hours ago. It was lying upside down on the carpet. He ignored the water and bits of ice to reach for her. “Are you all right?”
“You mean other than being a klutz? Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, leaning against him.
“Here, let’s get you back on the bed to elevate your ankle.” He had to fight the urge to lift her into his arms again, making do with anchoring his arm around her waist and helping her close the gap to reach the bed. He found it hard to believe Kari was pregnant, but maybe it was too early for her to show.
He hadn’t suspected Jess was three months along, either.
“I was trying to get more ice for my ankle,” she said, stretching out on the bedspread.
“I’ll get it,” he assured her. “Are you sure you can’t take some ibuprofen?”
“I’m sure.” She tilted her chin stubbornly. “I don’t want to take anything that might harm the baby. Besides, it doesn’t hurt that much.”
He shook his head, knowing that couldn’t be true. The skin around her ankle was not only swollen but beginning to turn back and blue as bruising set in. He’d picked up an elastic bandage from the drugstore, along with her vitamins, but he didn’t want to use it yet. Better to keep icing it, for now.
“You and your brother seem close,” she said as he pressed a towel over the wet spot in the carpet.
He glanced up in surprise. “Yeah, I guess. Miles is just a year younger than me, and there’s two and a half years between him and Mitch.”
“How many brothers do you have?” she asked, her brown gaze curious.
“Four brothers and a baby sister,” he answered, wondering why he was sharing his personal life with her. Maybe because he knew from reading her file that she was all alone in the world. As much as he’d kept to himself over the two years since Jessica’s death, he’d always known his family was a phone call away and would drop anything to help him.
The way Miles just had.
“Six in total,” Kari echoed in awe. “It must be nice to have so many people in your family.”
“Yeah, they’re not nosy, bossy, meddling or annoying at all,” he said drily.
“Sounds wonderful to me,” she said in a soft, wistful voice.
“They are, most of the time,” he agreed, silently acknowledging that he wouldn’t give up his family for anything. They were the reason he’d taken a position here at the Milwaukee branch of the FBI, when there were other, more prestigious places to work.
He finished cleaning up the mess, then tossed the towels on the bathroom floor before picking up the empty ice bucket. “I was thinking we should stay here another day,” he said. “Give your ankle some time to rest.”
“No complaints from me.” Kari smiled and he knew his brother was wrong. She wasn’t just pretty.
She was beautiful, especially when she smiled.
“We’re safe here, right?” she added, her brow puckered in a tiny frown.
He pulled himself together. “Yeah, we should be. I’ll get some ice, then go to the lobby to pay for another day.”
“Sounds good.”
He left the motel room and approached the cubicle housing the ice and vending machines. Spending another day here was good for Kari, but not necessarily for investigating the source of the safe house break-in. Although he was fairly sure he’d hear from his boss any minute.
A confrontation he’d rather avoid.
He swept his gaze over the small motel parking lot, taking note of anything out of place. There wasn’t so much as a new car parked in the lot, and the traffic on Highway WW seemed light for a Thursday morning.
Satisfied, he carried the ice bucket back inside. After filling a clean towel with ice chips, he draped it over her ankle.
“Be back in a few minutes,” he said, turning to retrace his steps. When he opened the door, he paused as a dark SUV complete with tinted windows came flying down the freeway exit ramp, going through a red light. Then he caught a glimpse of the barrel of a gun through the open passenger-side window.
No! They needed to move.
Now.
He barged back inside the hotel. “Kari, grab your stuff. We need to get out of here.”
To her credit she didn’t argue. She sat up, tossed the ice pack aside and then grabbed her vitamins. Instead of putting her shoes on, she carried them, wincing as she limped toward him.
He grabbed the laptop computer and his keys. They exited the motel and jumped into the car.
Marc hit the gas and sped out of the parking lot.
Despite his sixty-second head start, he could see the SUV was hot on his tail.
How had they found him? Not through Miles.
His boss? He didn’t want to believe it.
“They’re gaining on us,” Kari whispered, as she struggled to get her left foot into her shoe.
Crack!
The sound of gunfire had him planting his foot to the floor, pushing the car engine as fast as it would go.
Another gunshot echoed and he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
He couldn’t bear the thought of failing Kari and her baby. He had to figure out a way to keep them safe from harm.
Because there was no way he could cope with another death on his conscience.
FOUR (#ud92d1901-6293-5461-9205-e544a9653174)
Clutching the door handle with a white-knuckled grip, Kari tried to keep her head down as she stared in horrified shock at the side mirror and the large black SUV keeping pace behind them.
Dear Lord, keep us safe!
“Call for help,” Marc said in a terse voice.
Tearing her gaze from the mirror, she searched for the new disposable phones his brother had purchased earlier that morning. She grabbed the device and pushed the 9-1-1 digits with trembling fingers.
The phone rang several times before the dispatcher picked up. “What’s your emergency?”
“We’re heading north of the interstate on Highway WW and there’s a black SUV with tinted windows shooting at us.”
“Is anyone injured?”
“Not yet!” Kari sucked in a harsh breath when another crack echoed through the air. Their car skidded for a moment on a slippery spot on the asphalt before Marc wrestled it back on the road. “Hurry!”
“I’m sending squads to your area. Please stay on the line.”
“I’ll try.” She swallowed hard when Marc pulled out his weapon.
“Grab the wheel,” he ordered.
Making a decision between the phone and the car wasn’t that difficult. Kari dropped the device in the center console and grabbed onto the steering wheel with both hands, doing her best to keep it steady. Her heart thundered in her chest as she stared at the recently plowed blacktop highway.
Marc rolled down the window and poked out his head and his gun to return fire.
The gunshot blasts were excruciatingly loud, seeming to reverberate through the vehicle. She winced and struggled to keep the car centered on the road.
Marc ducked back inside and took control of the driving once again. She heard the voice of the 911 operator asking questions so she picked up the phone again.
“Sorry...can you repeat that?” Kari asked.
“I need the name of the closest exit,” the dispatcher said. “I have two Washington County Sheriff’s deputies dispatched to your location but I need to provide more details.”
“We’re driving a dark blue four-door Camry,” she told the woman. She peered through the windshield, trying to find a distinguishing landmark amidst the snow-covered farmer’s fields. “There! We just passed Silver Lake Road.”
“That helps, hang on.”
Kari glanced over at Marc, who was dividing his attention between the road and his rearview mirror. Thankfully, there weren’t too many cars on the road. She stifled a scream as he leaned on the horn, barreling through yet another intersection without hesitation.
“The police will be here soon,” she told him.
“They’d better hurry,” he muttered in a grim tone.
Another gunshot rang out and this time there was an answering thud. Their car swerved sharply as the bullet found its mark.
“We’re hit,” she told the dispatcher. “You have to hurry!”
“My foot is all the way down to the floor,” Marc said, and she didn’t bother to tell him she’d meant for the dispatcher to work faster.
The landscape zipping past the window was making her dizzy, but it still wasn’t fast enough to put more distance between their car and the darkly tinted SUV. Kari didn’t want to think about what would happen if they didn’t find a way to escape the gunmen on their tail.
“Wait a minute, do you hear that?” Marc asked abruptly.
At first she didn’t know what he was talking about, but then she heard it, too. Sirens. Police sirens.
