AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 19
Forty-five minutes later, as the sky lightened in the east, the Subaru skidded sideways again on the snow-packed pavement. Bozeman was less than thirty miles from Livingston, but he’d had to creep up the switchbacks to the top of the pass. Gideon tapped the brake as they eased around what he hoped was the last switchback before they started the descent. Only a flimsy-looking metal barrier separated the road from a steep plunge down a heavily wooded slope.
“Maybe we should have waited until daylight,” Alex muttered.
“As long as we keep going slow, we’ll be fine,” he said. He wished he could reach over and touch her. Reassure her. But instead of comforting Alex, he had to focus every bit of his attention on the road. Gripping the wheel tightly, he hugged the far-left lane, like everyone else. The fiction that a lane choice could prevent disaster was reassuring. He would stay as far away as possible from the dented metal barrier that was all that stood between them and certain death.
The three cars ahead of him slowed to a crawl. Stopped. The car behind him braked too hard and slid toward the barrier. Gideon held his breath until the driver regained control. Crept back into the lane behind Gideon.
Straightening her shoulders, as if girding herself for danger, Alex shifted so she faced him. “How long before they’ll open the pass? Any ideas?”
“Daylight, I’m guessing. Easier to maneuver down that hill once the sun is up. It’ll burn away some of the snow.” The plows had cleared most of the snow, and they’d spread salt on the pavement. But the tiny rings of dark pavement around the salt crystals weren’t nearly enough to make the road safe. If it weren’t for his need to get to the safety of the compound, the itch at the back of his neck that warned of danger, he wouldn’t have left the hotel at all today.
He’d have spent it in bed with Alex. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t have taken much persuading for her to agree.
They sat there for an hour. They talked occasionally, discussing their strategy for the rest of the trip. Which was basically, get to the compound as quickly as possible.
He described it to Alex, and told her about the people who lived there. The activities that filled their down time. The gym where they worked out.
It was long past dawn when the sun peeked over the highest mountain. After another fifteen minutes, the cars in front of them began to move.
“I’m a little nervous about the downhill part,” Alex confessed. She leaned toward the window and stared at the road. “Illinois roads can get plenty icy. I’m used to ice. But downhill? That’s a whole other story.”
“The sun and salt will burn it off pretty quickly. And we’ll go slow until we’re at a lower elevation, where the ice should have already melted.”
Alex reached over and settled her hand on his thigh. Caressed him. “Thank God you’re with me. Looking at these icy roads and knowing Jerry’s somewhere behind me? I’d be tempted to go too fast. And that would be a recipe for disaster.”
He set his hand on top of hers and squeezed, then gripped the steering wheel again. “I’m glad I’m here, too, bae,” he said in a soft voice.
* * *
They’d almost reached the bottom of the mountain when Alex noticed Gideon’s gaze flicking from the windshield to the rearview mirror. When his hands tightened on the steering wheel, she said, “What’s wrong?”
His gaze switched to the rearview mirror again for a beat too long, then he sighed. “I think Jerry’s behind us. He’s ten or more cars back, but that white Benz is hard to miss.”
Anxiety tightened like a band around Alex’s chest, and she drew in a breath. Let it out slowly. “What are we going to do?”
“First thing is cover up your hair,” Gideon said. He jerked his head toward the back seat. “The bag with the clothes and boots we bought in Boughton is back there. Find your hat and put it on.”
“Okay.” She swiveled in the seat, tugging on the seat belt to give herself more room. No way was she taking it off, even for a few moments. There were still occasional patches of ice in the shade, and she wouldn’t take any chances.
Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out a knit hat. Gideon’s. She was about to return it and search for hers, but he shook his head. “That one’s fine. Put it on quickly.”
She pulled it over her head, then stuffed her hair beneath the soft material. Pulled down the sun visor and opened the vanity mirror. Tucked the remaining few tendrils into the hat as well.
Closing the mirror, then the visor, she asked Gideon, “This good?”
“It’s fine. And no one’ll give it a second thought. Half the people in the cars are wearing hats.”
“Okay.”
“Bozeman is about ten miles away. Do you need to stop?”
Alex shook her head vehemently. “I haven’t drunk anything since we got up. I’m good.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Especially if Jerry’s right behind us.”
“He probably thinks you’re driving that red car of yours,” he reminded her. “He also thinks you’re alone in the car. So he shouldn’t pay much attention to two people in a silver Subaru. But I’d rather not stop. Not give him a chance to drive by and see us.”
“I one hundred percent agree with that.” Her voice was a little more vehement that she’d planned. “I don’t want to be anywhere on Jerry’s radar. He’s probably realized I took some money and some other things, and he wouldn’t be in a negotiating mood.”
