Page 24
“You’re thinking really hard over there. Maybe you should try and get some sleep.” Brody’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts. Strange, how soothing it was.
“I’m too wired to sleep.” She shoved her strange reaction to his voice away, uncomfortable with the simmering attraction muddling her mind. “I’ve been going through the people I know trying to narrow down the possible leaks.”
“How’s that going for you?”
“Not well. I think Andy at my job might be someone to look into. He doesn’t really care for me and actively worked against my getting hired. I’m also wondering if I know anyone from my church or my neighborhood who might be involved. But no one leaps out at me.”
Brody scratched a hand through his dark hair. “We’ll keep thinking. I don’t want to make a straight line to your grandmother. But we do have to stop so I can rest.”
“I can drive for a few minutes.” She hated driving at night, but they might not have a choice.
“I think I’ll take you up on that. I need to rest my eyes. At least for an hour or two.” He yawned.
“Just give me a heads up when you want to switch.” She glanced out at the passing landscape. The moon glittered on the falling snow. It was gorgeous and deadly. She’d never view winter the same after tonight. “I want to know more about my birth family. My parents. I know I don’t have any siblings. You said my grandmother had no other family. But first, I think I need to know more about Andrea Brewer. I can’t help thinking that if we find out how her Jenna died, and how she ended up with me, we’ll find something that will link to the killer chasing me now.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. You might be on to something. You had a full-time nanny. And the family had security.”
She furrowed her brow. “A nanny? Security? Why wouldn’t my family be looking after me?”
She’d grown up surrounded by Zane and her parents. The idea of growing up in the care of servants didn’t appeal to her.
“Honestly, I don’t know all of it.” Brody responded. “I know your mom was sick for a time. So maybe the nanny was supposed to be only while she healed. I don’t know. But your grandmother said your safety was a priority but they obviously didn’t have all the facts.”
Jenna’s pulse pounded in her ears. “She thinks it was an inside job. And you agree.”
His gaze flicked to her for just an instant. “I do.”
Silence blanketed the inside of the vehicle. A few minutes later, he jabbed his finger toward the gauges in front of him. “We’re low on fuel. Keep an eye out for a gas station.”
Fifteen minutes later, she saw the lights surrounding several pumps. “There. On the right.”
“Good. We’ll gas up. Use the restroom. But we need to move fast.”
She nodded. It looked like an oasis in a cornfield. They were in a long rural stretch. It would be miles before they hit another gas station. They needed to take advantage of it now.
The moment he stopped the car, she unbuckled and left the vehicle. She speed-walked into the station to use the restroom. Every step sent another spike of unease down her spine. The spot between her shoulder blades tingled. She twitched, expecting a bullet to hit her at any moment. By the time she reached the building, her breath puffed in front of her face in short, quick bursts.
She hurried into the restroom. No one else was there. She breathed easier but didn’t allow herself to slow down. When she exited, she peered around the door for a second, making sure no one else lingered in the lighted hall near the restrooms and the trucker shower station.
Satisfied that she was alone, she strode to the food portion of the gas station. A man stood at the counter talking with the clerk, his back to her. His overly loud voice echoed in the room. He was asking about a girl.
Her. She knew it.
She couldn’t see his face, nor did she recognize him. But some instincts told her he meant trouble. When she heard his description of her, she didn’t wait to hear more. Whoever he was, he meant to harm her.
How had he found them so fast? She ducked behind the aisles and slid out the back exit, the one on the other side, away from the gas pumps. A small silver SUV idled next to the food mart.
The stolen car. The one someone had been killed for.
She ran the rest of the way. When she rounded the side of the building, she sprinted to the SUV.
“Go!” She hurled herself into the passenger side.
Brody tossed her a startled glance. He didn’t ask questions. He snatched his receipt from the pump and jumped behind the wheel. She buckled in. The engine roared to life and the SUV lurched forward.
A man ran from the station, aiming a gun and popping off a shot. The bullet thunked against the back door. He aimed again. This time, the shot went wild and clinked the sign at the exit.
The man dashed across the parking toward their fleeing vehicle. Brody didn’t slow down.
