“How does Haven react to your dat—” Colt cut himself off. He had no business prying into her love life.
“I don’t date,” she said.
“At all?” He wanted to delve into that tidbit.
She made a noncommittal noise. “Are you keeping an eye on the black truck four cars back?”
Appreciation of her flared. “I am. It’s keeping its distance, but we need to ditch my truck and find a new ride.”
“Take this next off-ramp,” she said. “There’s a mall about a half mile up the road with a five-story parking structure. We can lose them there.”
At the last second, without signaling, Colt spun the steering wheel, sending the truck across two lanes of traffic. The blare of horns followed them as he shot down the ramp and ran through a red light.
More honking and the screeching of tires behind them had him glancing in the mirror. The black truck had taken the same exit. They were, indeed, being followed.
Racing through traffic like a slot car, he headed to the mall on the left. “Hang on!”
* * *
Maren grabbed hold of both dogs’ collars and braced her feet on the floorboards. Colt drove the truck into oncoming traffic. She held her breath as cars swerved to avoid being hit. Colt drove masterfully as he maneuvered his truck into the large parking structure. Pedestrians dove out of the way.
Maren murmured under her breath, “Please, Lord, no accidents.”
The truck entered the five-story parking structure, and the sudden absence of the June sun had Maren blinking to readjust her eyes to the dim lighting.
In the distance, she heard the blaring of horns. No doubt their pursuers were following the same path they’d just traversed.
Colt raced up two floors of the parking structure, then headed for the last aisle, backed into the very last spot and turned the engine off. “Everybody out. We have to find a new ride before they get to this floor.”
“The fourth floor has a car rental parking lot. We can snag a vehicle there.” Maren’s door wouldn’t open because he’d hugged up against the wall. Grabbing her backpack, she and the dogs scooted across the driver’s seat and out the driver’s-side door, squeezing between the truck and a compact sedan.
Colt leashed Rusk and kept him close while Maren clipped Haven’s lead to her collar.
Keeping to a crouch, they hustled to the staircase and went up to the fourth floor.
When they came out onto the level where the car rental agency had a fleet of minivans, SUVs and sedans, she searched for the lot attendant. She spotted him wiping down a minivan. She gestured to Colt. “There.”
They hustled to the attendant, showed the twentysomething-year-old guy their badges. “We need to commandeer a vehicle. Something big enough for the dogs. Hurry.”
He led them to a metal box with multiple keys dangling from hooks. He grabbed a set and handed them over. “The gray SUV. You’ll explain to my boss, right?”
“Yep,” Colt said. “I’ll make sure you’re in the clear for this.”
The young man stuck his hands in his pocket and watched them run to the SUV.
Colt undid all the locks on the door. With little coaxing, the dogs jumped into the back passenger seat.
Maren opted to let Colt continue to drive and settled in the front passenger seat while he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Headlights coming up the ramp at a fast clip had her heart rate spiking.
“Down!” Colt yelled.
“Down!” Maren repeated.
Both dogs hunched on the floorboard of the back seat. Maren slid down until she was out of view. Colt launched himself sideways so that they were practically cheek to cheek. His nearness sent unexpected awareness fluttering through her. She held herself still as they waited, their breaths mingling.
The slow-moving black truck went past. She didn’t breathe until it rounded the curve and went up to the top floor.
