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“But…”
Gideon interrupted him. “Twelve hours. Or you won’t hear from me again. I’ll move on to my next job.”
“Fine,” Trotter said, his voice sulky. “But you better get it done fast.”
“It’ll be done when it’s done,” Gideon replied. “I told you that last night.”
Trotter began to speak, but Gideon disconnected the phone. Dropped it into the cup holder beside him.
What had a successful, attractive woman like Alex Conway seen in that loser?
* * *
At two that afternoon, after paying cash for a used Subaru Forester, Alex returned to her room. She hadn’t unpacked anything the night before, so she was ready to go. But she needed to call Sierra first.
Dialing her partner’s cell, it only rang twice before Sierra picked up. “Alex? You okay?”
Alex drew in a deep breath. “No, actually. I’m not. But I will be.” She told Sierra what had happened when she’d returned home the night before, and Sierra sucked in a breath.
“What? That asshole hired a hitman? To kill you?”
“Yeah,” Alex said, swallowing the lump of fear in her throat. “I heard Jerry’s plan loud and clear. So I took off. Not going to tell you where I am, or where I’m going. But I need a couple of favors.”
“Anything,” Sierra said.
“That divorce petition? Can you do that immediately? And can you find a judge who knows me and try to get it pushed through right away? You can tell him or her that Jerry is a danger to me.”
“Absolutely I can do that. I’ll draw it up this afternoon and head over to the courthouse. Not going to say anything about the hitman, though. Too lurid. The kind of thing that’d become the latest hot gossip.”
“Good,” Alex said, blowing out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “See if you can get it done in under a week. Three or four days, if possible.”
“Probably can do that if I stress the physical danger part.”
“Thanks, Sierra,” Alex said. “I owe you. Big time.”
“Not at all. You’d do the same for me. Speaking of which, I took your mug to the state lab. Found the tech who has a crush on me. Asked him to put a rush on it and get back to me ASAP, and he promised he would.”
“I feel fine today, but call me as soon as you hear. If you get it fast enough, that might be enough to speed up the divorce.”
“Will do,” Sierra said. “Keep in touch. And let me know when you’re somewhere safe.”
“I will,” Alex promised, then ended the call.
At two-thirty, Alex walked out of the Minneapolis hotel with her tote bag slung over her shoulder, dragging the suitcase behind her. She’d chosen the door at the end of the hall in order to avoid the desk clerk. She’d mapped out a route to Fargo, and she needed to keep moving. She was pretty confident the hitman hadn’t followed her here -- how could he? She was the only one who’d known her destination. She’d told the kid at the car rental place she was headed to Milwaukee.
She’d paid cash in advance for two nights here. But she was antsy, and she wanted to get away. She’d stop at a mall first, though, and pick up a purse. The tote held all her stuff, but it was cumbersome. Awkward. If she had to run, it would slow her down.
Standing at the door, Alex scanned the parking lot, looking for familiar cars. Or a car where someone was sitting inside. Saw nothing.
But it felt as if someone was watching her. Again. A chill rippled down her spine.
She’d felt that way earlier, when she’d bought the car from Shelby. She’d dismissed it then -- assumed it was Shelby scanning the parking lot for her.
Her hand shook as she unlocked the door and slid into the Subaru. It was four years old, but in good condition. And it was a safe car, according to Consumer Reports. For an extra two hundred bucks, Shelby’d left her license plates on. Just until Alex got to New Hampshire, she’d assured Shelby.
She adjusted the seat and the mirrors. Made sure she knew where all the controls were located. Then, drawing a deep breath, she scanned the parking lot once more. Saw no one in a car, so she drove away from the hotel toward the mall just off the interstate.
As she merged onto the expressway, she scanned the cars behind her. Too many to keep track of, but she’d keep watching. Pay attention to any cars she saw too often.
