It wasn’t like Atkins was an uncommon name. The influx of memories that accompanied its mention had no business being there, especially not when Harper’s focus should be elsewhere.
Something waswrong. She could feel it in her gut, and she’d learned to trust that over the years. It had steered her away from bad situations before, including ‘well-meaning’ strangers trying to get a strung out eighteen-year-old into their car by promising food, money, or whatever else they thought would be tempting. The only reason she’d believed it when Patricia offered something similar was because that feelingwasn’tthere.
But it wasn’t directed at Maya. Though she’d clearly been hiding something, she seemed even more frustrated about that than Harper.
Whatever was wrong here might have Maya at the heart of it, but she wasn’t the source. Instead, itwas tied to some intangibleotherhiding just out of sight.
Headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. By their rapid approach, the driver was in a hurry, and Harper eased towards the bank to allow for easier overtaking.
But instead of driving past, the car fell in behind them. Then the darkness gave way to the flashing glow of red and blue lights.
Nell looked over her shoulder. “Where did they come from? And why? You weren’t even speeding.”
She started fiddling with her seatbelt. Harper almost reacted the same way. Almost pressed down on the accelerator, as though her beat-up sedan could ever outrun a police car.
There was probably a justified reason for them being pulled over. Broken taillight, or an oil leak, or something else innocuous. But despite that, a knot still formed in her stomach.
“It might just be a routine stop.” Patricia put her hand on Nell’s knee. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll be off in no time.”
They’d all had run-ins with cops, rarely to their benefit, but Nell had the most experience. Back in Shreveport, it had taken months to get a restraining order on that dickhead ex of hers, with her being berated basically every time she went to the station. The second they heard what she did for a living, most of the officers stopped taking her seriously.
More evidence of Harper being unable to make good decisions. Kieran being a cop should have been red flag number one.
The police siren let off a single hoot. Nell flinched, and Patricia looked over at Harper, brows furrowing.
Taking a deep breath, Harper pulled over. The cop car followed, stopping a few feet away from her back bumper, and a uniformed man and woman stepped out. They eyed the trees along the roadside, with the woman muttering into her radio, while the man approached Harper’s car.
“Morning, ladies,” he said once the window had rolled down. “Quite the hour to be out for a drive.”
Harper narrowed her eyes. She’d never known a cop to make small talk for benevolent reasons.
The guy also seemed familiar, but the darkness and still-flashing police lights made it difficult to make out his features.
“We’re going on a day trip,” Harper said. “It’s a long drive, so we wanted to get an early start.”
“Day trip, huh?” The cop grinned, his teeth reflecting the red and blue lights behind him. “Where to? Must be somewhere exciting for you to be up this early.”
“I prefer not to say.”
“Do you, now?” The man took a sharp breath through his nose, as though sniffing the air. He made a gesture at the door. “Turn off the car and step outside, please.”
Nell reached for Patricia’s hand. Harper didn’t take her eyes off the cop.
“And why do I need to do that?”
“You were swerving. Driving under the influence is a crime, if you weren’t aware. I need to make sure you’re not a danger to other motorists.”
“I’m not drunk. And I wasn’t swerving either.” Harper’s tone turned biting. “We didn’t do anything wrong, and we’re needed elsewhere. Unless you want to charge me with something, I’d like to get going.”
Another set of headlights appeared behind them. Seconds later, a police cruiser rolled past, parking right in front of her car.
“You’re not being accused of anything, Ms. Montgomery.” The man didn’t even glance at the two other cops who’d gotten out of the newly arrived vehicle. “I just need to make sure that everyone’s staying safe. So please. Step out of the car.”
The new officers joined their colleague, eyeing the tree line and resting their hands on their gun holsters.
They were tense. Nervous, even. And as worrying as that was in isolation, the short distance between the front of her sedan and the police cruiser resulted in another, far more insidious realization.
They were boxed in.
