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“You’re a real Santa.” Bending forward, she held the registration up to the little light from the glove box. “Gary Lockhart. He lives in Barnhill, Vermont.”
“I’ll have someone contact him when we drop the car off at the train station.”
“He’ll still report the truck as stolen. What if we get pulled over before we get to the station?”
“Then I guess we get booked for car theft, but we won’t be in jail for long. It helps to have friends in high places, and we’re still not on the FBI’s radar.” He tapped the radio. “Music? Or do you want to sleep?”
“I slept all day. You must think I’m a slug or something.” She rubbed her finger across her teeth. “I could use a toothbrush, though.”
“I don’t think you’re a slug, but our sleep patterns are kind of messed up. That can make you tired no matter how much sleep you get.”
She hit the volume button on the radio. “Crank it up.”
Static filled the cab of the truck, so he tried a few other stations. “Nothing but classical coming in. You wanna listen to that?”
“Sure, if it doesn’t drive you crazy.”
He set the station and put the volume on low for background music. “How are you feeling? Any irritation of your eyes or throat from that smoke?”
“I’m okay.” She brushed his forearm. “I noticed the hair on your arms got singed. Are you okay?”
Her touch gave him a thrill. He’d been ready to make love to her all over again when they woke up, but Tempest treated them to fireworks of another kind. And it had to be Tempest. No other organization would’ve been able to compromise a Prospero safe house. Had agents been sent to destroy all of the safe houses they’d discovered, or did they know he and Claire were in Vermont?
He flicked at the burnt hair on his arm. “I hadn’t noticed. There were several fires in the living room when I went to retrieve my laptop and bag.”
“Thank God you were able to get them and they weren’t destroyed.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Is that the money bag in the back?”
“The money and the weapon bag, so along with the laptop, I got all the essentials out of there.” He captured her fingers and brought them to his lips. “And the most essential item of all—you.”
Sighing, she scrunched down in her seat. “It’s a good thing we did sleep in today. If we’d been in that living room, we could’ve been injured.”
“The way that living room looked? There’s no doubt.”
She swept some dirt from her jeans and then brushed her hands together. “Whoever killed the director must know who you are now and must know that I’m with you. That firebombing proves that, doesn’t it?”
“I agree. I doubt that anyone is after me for any other reason.”
“I led them to you.”
“Or I led them to you. Does it matter?”
“What I’m wondering is if Spencer went through all the trouble to set me up in the eyes of the FBI, why is he trying to kill me now?”
“It’s easier.” He squeezed her knee. “Sorry, but it’s easier for him to have you killed than to have the FBI bring you in for questioning and start answering all kinds of uncomfortable questions. That is, if those were really FBI agents at the bank.”
Her knee bounced beneath his hand. “You mentioned that before. How long has that suspicion been swirling through your brain?”
“Since that Tempest agent tried to abduct you from the station in Philly. If someone really wanted to set you up, those would’ve been FBI agents waiting for us at the station, not some guy with a gun in the ladies’ room. Also, your name was never mentioned in the papers, never mentioned in connection with Hamid.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse. At least I don’t need to fear getting recognized at the train station or walking down the street.” She sat up and grabbed the edge of the dashboard. “That also means I can call Ethan again without the Chadwicks wondering what’s going on, right?”
“Were they expecting your call? You said they had him out all day for snowboarding.”
