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Chapter 5
Gideon ran out of the hotel as Alex tossed her suitcase into the back of her Forester. Before she could leap into the driver’s seat and take off, he shouted, “Conway.”
She ignored him and opened the driver’s door.
“Wait, Ms. Conway,” he called. “We need to talk.”
She turned to face him, her hand gripping the door. Even from where he stood, he saw her quivering with the need to run.
He stayed twenty feet away, giving her plenty of space. Held up his hands. “I won’t come closer. But did you notice the weather?” He jerked his head toward the leaden sky, heavy with low clouds. Cold air, thick with moisture, blew steadily from the west.
Pulling out his phone, he scanned the weather map. The huge mass of blue heading toward them from the west made him shiver. “It’s going to snow,” he said, holding up his phone to show her the completely blue screen. “A lot.” He calculated how long before that monster storm hit.
Not enough time to get somewhere safe.
Edging closer to the open door, Alex shrugged. “I live in Chicago. I know how to drive in the snow.”
“Yeah?” He studied her Forester. A good car in the snow. But even with its all-wheel drive, it would be overmatched in what was coming. “Have you ever driven in a mountain storm?”
“Not a lot of mountains in Chicago,” she retorted.
She was pissed off that he’d caught her. He didn’t care. He was pissed off, too. “It might be smarter to hole up here,” he said, his voice neutral. “Wait for it to pass before you continue.”
“And be a sitting duck for whoever’s after me?” she said.
“If you can’t drive, neither can he.”
Alex rolled one shoulder. “Feel free to stay here and sip a drink in front of that lobby fireplace. I’m heading out.”
Gideon rocked back on his heels. “It’s not just snow,” he called. “It’s wind, too. Blowing the snow. Cutting the visibility down to zero. You’ll be following two ruts in the snow that you can’t even see.” He gritted his teeth. “It’s not a good idea, Alex.”
Her name rolled off his tongue too readily, and he liked the taste of it in his mouth. He should have called her Conway. Kept it impersonal.
A tiny flicker in her eyes told him she’d heard him. That she knew he was right. But instead of agreeing to stay in Valley City, she jiggled the keys in her hand. “If it gets bad, I’ll find a hotel. Stop for the night.”
“It won’t be that simple,” he said, fighting not to clench his teeth. “There might not be a hotel for miles. In case you didn’t notice, there’s not much in North Dakota besides ranches. Grasslands. A lot of open space.”
She studied him for a long moment. Shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. But I need to get to… where I’m going. I won’t feel safe until I’m there.” She smiled, the first genuine one she’d given him, and it took his breath away. Made him swallow hard. “You must be from southern California. Or the South, where they don’t get snow. Don’t worry, Mr. Wolf. I’ll be fine.”
She slid into her Subaru, started her engine and peeled out of the parking lot.
Sighing, he got into his Ford Taurus and followed her.
The first snowflakes hit Gideon’s windshield two hours later.
It was a lazy snow at first. The flakes fluttered to the ground gently. His windshield wipers kept up, scraping them away as soon as they fell. He knew that wouldn’t last long.
Just like the good snow driver Alex had proclaimed herself to be, she slowed down. Turned on her headlights. Drove more cautiously. Gideon stuck close. It was gonna be a bad storm. He’d been listening to satellite radio and knew the high mountain passes in Montana were already closed. Eventually, when the blowing snow cut the visibility to near zero, the state police would close I-94.
They needed to get off the interstate and find a hotel before they couldn’t.
The strategic move, from his standpoint, was to pass her. Let her think he was leaving her behind. Calculate where she’d stop and get there ahead of her.
Only one problem with that scenario -- he had no idea how long she’d press ahead on the road. If he was behind her, he could help if she spun out. Got stuck.
Alex was a smart woman. She’d realize she needed to stop and find shelter. There weren’t many options in the middle of North Dakota. You had to grab what was available.
But she continued to drive.
