Head-on was Tanner’s way. And it was one of the things she loved most about him.
But he didn’t. As a matter of fact, the closer they got to Risk Peak, the faster he drove, like he realized that they needed to get the hell out of Dodge quick.
“We won’t have very long before they have an APB out on me. We’ve got to be out of town by then. They’re going to be able to trace things like credit cards and ATMs, and I don’t have that much cash on me.”
“I’ve got everything we need in my apartment. Get me there, give me five minutes, maybe even less, and we can be on the road.”
She’d struggled with the fact that she still had a bug-out bag packed and waiting in the corner of her closet, even though the Organization wasn’t hunting her anymore. She told herself it made her a coward to keepit around, that it encouraged the bad habit of running when she got scared. But she hadn’t been able to force herself to get rid of it.
And now she was glad.
Ten minutes later they were pulling up in front of her apartment.
She handed him the key to her car. “Grab anything useful from in here, and definitely my computer. I’ll meet you at my car in five minutes.”
He looked at her, expression tight. He was still white-knuckling the steering wheel. “You’re running again. I never wanted you to be forced to do that. And now I’m dragging you into breaking the law with me.”
He was about to be arrested for murder, and he was worried abouther.
“We haven’t actually seen the warrant out for your arrest, so technically we’re not breaking any laws yet. Let’s run away for a romantic getaway, just the two of us.” She smiled. This was so much harder for him than it was for her.
He hit his palm against the steering wheel. “Fine. Three days, that’s it. If we haven’t figured out who’s behind it by then, I’m turning myself in, back from ourromantic getaway.”
“Deal.” If they didn’t have any further info in three days, they were in a lot of trouble anyway.
“And when this is over, I’m taking you for arealromantic getaway, off grid, just the two of us.”
She grinned. “Making an honest woman out of me—I like that.”
“Trust me, if I’m not starting a thirty-year prison sentence in the next few months, I plan to make an honest woman out of you in every possible way.”
She only got a second to gape at him before hisfingers twisted in her hair at the nape of her neck—the way he seemed to like to do so much—and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Go get your magic bag of tricks. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Three and a half minutes at my car.” She was out the door without another word.
The bug-out bag was exactly where she’d left it. Thankful for the preparation and evasion skills her mother had instilled in her, even though they’d been so painful at the time, Bree grabbed it. It wasn’t meant for two people, but it would give them a much better head start than law enforcement would be expecting.
Her phone buzzed in her purse. She took it out and looked at it.
Ronnie Kitchens. The deputy who worked with Tanner every day in Risk Peak.
Bree knew better than to answer it. She left the phone on her kitchen table and hefted the large backpack onto her shoulder. They’d be coming here soon looking for her and Tanner.Accidentallyleaving her phone would give credence to their claim that they were on a romantic getaway.
And she would not, under any circumstances, think about Tanner’s comment about making an honest woman out of her. She needed to focus on getting them through this situation and keeping Tanner out of jail.
Not focusing on what it would be like to become Mrs. Bree Dempsey.
She was back out of her car with a few seconds to spare on her three and a half minutes. Tanner was already there, looking more grim. “Ronnie just called me.”
She got in and he started the car. “You didn’t answer, did you?”
“No. I’m sure he wants to know why there’s an arrest warrant with my name on it coming across his desk.”
“He called me, too. I left my phone on the table, so it will just look like I forgot it.”
Tanner handed her his phone. “Do whatever you need to make sure they can’t track me with this.”
She ran her fingers along his old-fashioned flip phone. The fact that he didn’t have a smartphone was what had saved her life a few months ago. She opened the back panel and removed the battery and the SIM card. It was doubtful they could’ve traced it, even as a whole unit, but keeping these pieces separate would definitely stop them.
