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Chapter 14
After a long moment, Gideon said, “The exit for the Dickinson truck stop is coming up.” He pointed to the sign announcing it was a mile away. “Let’s get more supplies before we talk.”
Alex frowned. “Is your case that complicated? We have another mile before we exit.”
“Not particularly complicated. But I’d rather not talk about it while we’re in the truck stop. Where anyone might overhear us.”
Was he being evasive? Or was he just cautious about talking when they weren’t alone? She’d find out after they left the truck stop. “Is that case somehow connected to Jerry and his stupid money laundering scheme?”
She shifted to stare at him. “Is that why you posed at a hit man for Jerry? Were you looking for some information he has?”
The exit had crept up on Alex, and she flicked on the blinker and swerved into the right lane. Drove up the ramp and stopped at the stop sign. Turned left toward the large plaza on the south side of the interstate. “I guess this’ll give you time to figure out your story.”
Gideon’s jaw tightened. “There is no story. There’s just the truth. Which I’ll tell you when we’re back on the road.”
Alex nodded once, sharply. “All right.”
He glanced at her, then away. “You’re not letting up on this, are you?”
“I’m a lawyer, Gideon. That’s what I do. I keep digging until I have all the answers.”
She turned too quickly into the truck stop. The car fishtailed, then straightened out.
They gulped down a quick breakfast at the diner, then grabbed a case of water and more snacks. Some apples and bananas. And more cookies. Less than an hour later, they were back on the road, with Gideon driving.
He nodded at his phone, sitting in one of the cupholders between the seats. “Will you check and see where Jerry is? The phone unlocks with my irises. Hold it up so I can look at it.”
Alex moved the phone close to Gideon’s face, and he stared at it for a moment. It unlocked, and she asked, “What app am I looking for?”
“The icon is a picture of a man running. It’s supposed to look innocuous. Like an app to track your running times. Distances. Tap it and it should bring up Jerry’s location.”
After a moment, Alex said, “He’s about half-way to Boughton.” She swallowed the lump of fear. “Maybe four hours behind us.”
“He’ll stop in Boughton,” Gideon said. “Look for you there, since the motel was the last place you registered on his tracker. That will buy us more time. He’ll see the Russian’s car at the motel, so he’ll know they’re still around. With any luck, he’ll waste some time trying to figure out where they’ve gone.”
Jerry was still way too close. All it would take was an icy spot on the road sending their car into the ditch, and he’d catch them. She took a sharp breath. Let it out slowly. “How soon before we’re at your compound?”
“If the roads are clear, we’re about nine hours away,” he said. “But we still have to go through some high mountain passes. They may not all be cleared yet.”
“And if they’re not cleared?” she asked.
“Then we find another motel. Watch the weather channel and leave as soon as they’re open.”
“And Jerry will have a chance to catch up with us.”
“He has no idea what you’re driving,” Gideon said, his voice calm. Which was good, because she was freaking out about the possibility of being stuck in a motel with Jerry tracking her down. “So he’ll have no idea where we are.” He glanced over at her. “But you know what he’ll be driving.”
Alex nodded sharply. “Yeah. He loves that Mercedes of his. I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of white Mercedes Benz sedans in this part of the country.”
“Trucks are a little more popular here,” he said, his mouth curving up.
“Okay,” Alex said, glancing at the open app again. Jerry hadn’t gotten any closer. But he hadn’t fallen behind, either. “We drive straight through. Stopping only for bathroom breaks.”
“That’s the plan,” Gideon said. He nodded at his phone. “Do you have a phone charger in your purse? If you’re going to keep that app open, we should plug it in to charge it.” He tapped his fingers on the center console. “See if there’s a USB port in there. A lot of the newer cars have them.”
Alex found the charging cord she’d used for her phone and plugged it into the USB port in the console. Saw that the phone was charging and dropped it back into the cup holder.
Then she turned to look at Gideon. “We have a long drive ahead of us. Plenty of time for you to tell me about the case you were working on when everything went to hell.”
