“This way,” Beau said, although he didn’t need to tell her that since he was already tugging her along again.
She sighed and followed his lead. For now.
When the alley curved around the last of the buildings, she was surprised to see that they were at the parking lot at the beginning of Main Street. She’d never noticed an alley entrance when parking there. The way the trees curved around the buildings back here, they concealed the alley. She imagined that was by design, most likely by the police. Smart.
“Now that we’re alone you can tell me where we’re going,” she said as he pulled her toward a black four-wheel drive pickup that she guessed was his personal vehicle.
He pressed a key fob, unlocking the doors as he stopped by the passenger side. “Chattanooga.”
She hopped up in the truck. “Chattanooga? That’s an hour away, just to reach the city limits. Another half hour on top of that, at least, to get downtown if we’re going to the sheriff’s office. If not, downtown is where all the nicer hotels are located. Isn’t there somewhere else we can stay and still be safe? Somewhere in Mystic Lake?”
“That’s plan B. I prefer plan A, getting you the heck out of Dodge.”
He shut the door before she could ask about plan B. Once he was in the driver’s seat with his backpack on the floor behind them, he started the truck and backed out of the parking space. Soon they were on the narrow road that would wind themthrough the mountains for over an hour before they’d arrive at what lay on the other side: Chattanooga.
She rubbed her hands across her arms, looking at the thick, dark woods crowding in on the road from either side. She’d always loved this long, beautiful drive when she’d gone in or out of town. The glimpses of rock-strewn creeks and the occasional waterfall visible through gaps in the trees were breathtaking, as were the green valleys below when they came into view. But none of those sights gave her pleasure right now. Instead, they made her uncomfortably aware of how isolated and empty this road was at this time of day with most people at work.
“Beau?”
“Hmm?”
“If you’re truly worried that the gunmen who attacked us at your house will come after us, then why are we out here all by ourselves on such an isolated road? Aren’t you worried they could follow us and overtake us?”
“No one’s going to catch us by surprise out here. There are live camera feeds at our police station that show the entrances to this road both from Mystic Lake and from the Chattanooga side. I had those cameras put up after some trouble we had last year. And Collier confirmed earlier that there was no one out here before we started out. If he sees anyone turn onto the road from either side and doesn’t recognize them as a local, he’ll let me know so we can avoid them.”
“Avoid them? There aren’t any exits, just turnouts for sightseers to pull off the shoulder to take pictures of the valley below and the mountains. How would we avoid them?”
“There are a few spots only the locals know about where we could hide if we have to. But that won’t be necessary. In addition to those cameras to warn us, I’ve got a duffel bag behind my seat that I loaded up at my cabin. There’s enough firepower in there to engage a small army. No one’s catching me outgunned again.”
The tension in her began to drain away as relief took its place. “Sounds good.” She checked the time on her cell phone. “As fast as you’re driving, we should be on the outskirts of Chattanooga in another half hour or so. Are we going to the sheriff’s office?”
“Not unless we get desperate for help. I’d prefer to keep you off anyone’s radar and out of the public eye.”
“Then I’ll call ahead, make some hotel reservations somewhere really nice and—”
“No. We’re staying off the grid. We won’t be using our real names or credit cards. No electronic trails. And we won’t be staying somewhere high-profile. That’s exactly where someone looking for a wealthy Covington would expect you to stay and the first place they’d look.”
She grimaced at the idea of where a police chief from a small town with an even smaller budget might set them up. Staying at some bug-infested motel wasn’t on her bucket list. “I hope you have some fake IDs and credit cards or a lot of cash. I’m fresh out of all of that.”
“I’ll manage.”
She stared at him in surprise. “The chief of police has a fake ID?”
“Former chief. And any ID I have is absolutely legally obtained as a sanctioned alias to be used in an emergency. Today definitely qualifies as an emergency.”
“Sanctioned? By who?”
He winked. “Me.”
She was so thrown off by the unexpected wink that it took a moment for her pulse to stop racing, and for what he’d said to sink in. “This is enlightening. Former Chief Beau Dawson is a budding criminal with a ready-made alias for so-called emergencies. Is there anything else shady I should know about you?”
The sudden silence had her regretting teasing him. Her research had her confident he’d never willingly do anything illegal. He had probably set up a doing-business-as identity that allowed him to legally use an alias, much like authors used pen names. It reinforced what she already knew, that he was smart and prepared.
“Beau? What happened when you chased after the gunmen in the woods?”
He sat silent for a long time. Obviously he wasn’t going to answer. She sighed and looked out her side window, watching the thick, dark forest zipping past as they barreled down the road.
“Later,” he finally said. “I’ll tell you what happened once we’re off this road and holed up somewhere.”
