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“There might be another truck ahead of us. They’ll pick a deserted area to pull out in front of us, trapping us between the two vehicles.”
She sucked in a breath. “What would we do?”
“I’ve had training in evasive and defensive driving, and I’m pretty good. But if there are two vehicles, I’d rather deal with them one at a time.”
There was nothing but farm fields and small tracts of trees along this road, broken only by the occasional farmhouse. “What… what are you going to do?”
“I won’t know until I find a spot I like,” he said. His gaze switched from the windshield to the rearview mirror. Back to the windshield. “Open Maps on your phone and see if there are any parks around here. Places we could pull off the road and not be seen.”
“On it,” she said, pulling up her Maps app with hands that shook a little. After a few minutes, she said, “There’s a state park about ten miles away. The road into it is twisty, and there are places to pull off. Picnic areas, maybe. The road ends at a lake.”
“Any side roads once you’re in the park?” Cody asked.
“Hard to tell,” she said. “But there might be. There are lines that could either be hiking paths or smaller roads.”
“Thanks, Sierra,” he said, glancing over at her with a tiny smile. “We’ll drive into the park. Make them come to us instead of waiting to be trapped.”
Sierra’s heart thundered as she watched the truck keeping a steady distance behind them. The park was getting closer, and her heart began to pound. What if there were five people in that truck? Two against five weren’t very good odds.
“Reach behind you to the case on the floor behind my seat,” Cody said as they got within a mile of the park. “Pull that case up to the front seat.”
She reached behind and found the soft leather bag. Grabbing the handle, she tugged it into the front seat, then set it on the floor at her feet.
“Good,” Cody said. “Open it up.”
She unzipped it and spread the sides open. On top of what looked like his clothes sat a handgun. Big. Black. Dangerous-looking.
“See the gun?” he asked.
“Hard to miss it,” she said, staring at the weapon. Of course he was armed.Duh. He was a bodyguard. But the gun on top of his clothes highlighted how different his life was from hers. In his suitcase, on top of his clothes, he kept a gun. As if it was a necessity, like toothpaste or contact solution. Routinely packed for any trip.
“Don’t touch it,” he said, his voice sharp. “But keep it where I can get to it quickly.”
“I’ll keep the bag open on the floor,” she said.
“Perfect.”
Glancing at her map, she said, “The entrance to that park is about a mile away on the right.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He didn’t reduce his speed, but he glanced in the rearview mirror again. “Looks as though there’s a slight curve coming up. With any luck, that’ll hide us when we turn into the park.” After another minute, he said, “Brace yourself. Turning quickly.”
Sierra gripped the arm rest with her right hand and put her left hand on the dashboard. She saw the entrance approaching, but Cody didn’t slow down. At the very last minute, he slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel sharply.
The SUV skidded into a turn, fishtailed wildly, then Cody straightened it out and they shot into the park. The trees deepened the darkness, and he sped up until he’d rounded a curve. Then he killed the lights.
“They’ll figure we went in here,” he said as he kept driving. “But they won’t be sure. It’ll take them a few minutes to decide what to do.”
He found a small turnoff that led to a picnic area. There was a single table, a blue port-a-potty and a trash bin. Cody executed a three point turn so his truck was facing toward the entrance road. “Okay,” he said. “Out of the car.”
Sierra opened her car door and stepped into almost total darkness. Night insects buzzed and chattered, and in the distance, a loon called. The eerie sound sent a shiver up her spine.
Cody emerged a few moments later, tucking something into the back of his jeans. “I want you in the woods past that port-a-potty,” Cody said. He trotted over and scanned the area, then motioned her toward him. He was barely visible, but her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she was able to see his dark silhouette.
“Stay here. For now. I’ll be right back.”
He faded into the woods and vanished. No leaves crunched. No twigs crackled. It was as if he’d evaporated into thin air.
A few minutes later he reappeared as silently as he’d disappeared and said, “There’s a big rock surrounded by some fallen trees. I doubt they’ll be able to find you there. Let’s go.”
