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Chapter 3
“Everything about you is my business right now,” he shot back.
“Not my go-bag.” She stared at him, not backing down at all. “Are you going to grill me about my bag, or are we leaving?”
“That’s it?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Two minutes and you’re ready to disappear?”
“That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?” She scowled at him and hefted the backpack onto her shoulders in one fluid motion. “Are we going somewhere it’s still cold? Will I need a heavy jacket?”
“No,” he managed to say. “If you need one, there’ll be jackets there.”
“Okay. Are we taking my car? Or do you have one?”
“Not your car,” he said. “Whoever is after you knows your car. We’ll take mine, then swap it out when I’m sure we’re not being followed.”
He stared at her, still stunned by how little it took for her to be ready to leave her life behind on a moment’s notice. Why would anyone live like that unless they had secrets to hide?
He was a curious man. And when something didn’t add up, he needed to know why. While they were hiding out, he’d work on the mystery of Sierra Baker.
She’d narrowed her eyes at him while he mulled what was going on with her. But when he met her gaze again, she said, “Got it,” and headed for the front door. She opened it, but before she could step outside, he grabbed one of the backpack straps and yanked her backward.
She stumbled but managed to right herself. Turning around, scowling, she said, “What the hell was that?”
“First lesson,” he said, pleased he’d ruffled her calm demeanor. He’d never met such a self-contained, composed woman and wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. He needed to know her secrets. “I go first. Always. To make sure it’s safe.”
She drew a deep, shuddering breath. Nodded once. “Fine.” She gestured toward the door. “Go ahead.”
“Not until I check you out.” He pulled out a small black box with a tiny antenna and switched it on. There was a faint humming sound initially, then it became silent. He passed it over her, checking her arms, legs, torso, back and head. Then he checked all her luggage. Heard no warnings. No lights flashed.
Finally he nodded. “You’re clean. No one’s tracking you or listening to you.” He turned off the device and slid it into his jacket pocket. Then, without glancing at her again, he opened the storm door and stepped onto the small porch. No cars on the street. No traffic. He stilled, listening, but heard nothing but ordinary, expected noises. Finally he opened the storm door. “Come out but stay behind me. Make sure your door is locked.”
Even though he’d turned back to the street immediately, he could practically hear her roll her eyes. The key squeaked in the lock, then the storm door closed with a quiet snick.
Cody rested his hand on the grip of his gun, holstered at his hip beneath his jacket. Took one last look at the street and started down the steps. When he looked back after he reached the sidewalk, she was right behind him. Close enough that her purse would hit him in the ass if she allowed it to swing freely. As if she knew the drill.
Had she had close protection before?
He wanted to ask but couldn’t do that right now. Swiveling his head continuously, watching all sides and glancing over his shoulder every few moments, he led her to the silver Camry he’d rented last night. Opened the trunk and tossed in the backpack she handed him, followed by her computer bag. Her knuckles whitened on the tote bag, making it clear she wasn’t giving it up. Then he opened the passenger door and she slid onto the seat.
Less than two minutes after they’d left the house, he was pulling away from the curb. He glanced in the rearview mirror every few seconds but saw no cars behind him. He waited longer than necessary to turn onto the busy road that led away from her subdivision, and just as he was turning, a car pulled out of a driveway on Sierra’s street. A dark sedan. He hadn’t seen anyone in that car when he’d escorted Sierra out of her house.
Once they were moving with the traffic, he took a deep breath. Glanced in the side mirrors and rearview regularly, looking for cars staying behind him.
Sierra finally broke the silence. “If the Bratva wants me, wouldn’t they have been watching my house?”
“I would think so,” Cody said, keeping an eye on that dark sedan. It was three cars behind him, going slower than the speed limit. “Or maybe they’vebeenwatching you and think they know your schedule.” He glanced over at her and found her studying the side view mirror. “I’m guessing you have a pretty set routine.”
“I usually vary the times I leave the house and come home, but the last couple of weeks I haven’t been able to do that. I go to work early and come home late. Make the occasional stop at the grocery store. That’s about it.”
Why did she vary the times she left home and came back? Something to talk about later.
For the time being, he asked, “Since your partner took off?”
“Yeah.” She turned to study him. “You know about that?”
“Of course I do. My boss told me all about Alex and her situation. And how it’s connected to you.”
“It’s Alex’s ex-husband, isn’t it?” she asked. “That’s the connection with the Bratva.”
