AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cody sighed. “Yeah. Jerry Trotter was in bed with them.”
“Was? Is he dead?” she asked sharply.
“No. He’s in FBI custody. But he’s probably going into WitSec. The witness protection program,” he clarified.
“WitSec is too good for him,” she said, her voice vehement. “He tried to kill Alex. He belongs in prison.”
“The program isn’t a walk in the park,” Cody said. “It’s just a different kind of prison. I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be easy for him. Especially because he had some money in his old life.”
“He had awifewith some money,” Baker said, and he heard the bitterness in her voice. “I never understood why Alex married him. Thank God she divorced him.”
Cody glanced in the rearview mirror again. The dark sedan was still three cars behind him. He studied the traffic signal about a block ahead of him. It had been green for a while. It would be changing soon. He sped up a little and reached the intersection just as it turned yellow. He made a right turn, then sped up again. That dark sedan would be trapped at the light, and he’d make sure he was out of sight before the light turned green.
* * *
Sierra glanced at Cody Parker and saw a muscle in his cheek jump. He was clenching his teeth. Was it because of that sedan that had been three cars behind them?
Before she could ask him, he yanked the steering wheel to the right. The tires screeched as he turned the corner and sped up. After another block, he turned left. Completely out of sight of that sedan.
He wandered through the side streets until they reached Wilmette Avenue, where he turned left and accelerated. She wanted to ask him where they were going, but she could tell he was focused on that sedan and anyone else who might be following them.
When they reached Skokie Highway, he turned right and headed north. No one followed them onto the highway, and his shoulders relaxed a little.
“You think someone besides that dark sedan was following us?” she finally asked him.
He shot her a quick, surprised look. “You noticed that?”
He’d be astonished by what she noticed. “Yeah. The car that stopped me last night was a dark sedan. Impossible to know if it was the same one, but I’m not big on coincidences.”
He blew out a breath. Nodded once. “Yeah, that car was following us. He pulled out of a driveway just as we left your neighborhood, but he was careful to leave a few cars between us. He didn’t merge right away, even though there was a big opening.”
“So what’s our next move?”
“We stay on this and see if anyone else follows us.”
“Okay.” She stared at the buildings flashing past outside her window until they merged onto I-94. As they drove past the berms that protected the Chicago Botanic Garden, she turned and studied the traffic behind them. “Have you noticed anything?”
“No,” he said. “I haven’t. But they’re back there. They’re not going to give up so easily.” He glanced over at her, then looked back at the road. “They’ll follow with something completely different from that plain, dark sedan. A pickup truck, maybe. Or a white SUV. I know you’re watching, too, so don’t bother with dark sedans. It’ll be something completely different.”
“And you know that because…?”
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Baker.” He glanced at her again, and she could swear he almost smiled. “Sounds like it’s not your first rodeo, either.”
“No, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve ridden a horse.” She tried to keep from smiling as she spoke.
“Doesn’t look like you’ve missed a beat. Keep an eye on that side view mirror.”
In a little more than an hour, Cody turned off the expressway, following the signs for the Milwaukee airport. Were they flying somewhere?
No. He was following the rental car return signs.
Before they drove onto the ramp into the rental return building, Cody pulled over and drew out his phone. Tapped a contact number. After a moment, he said, “This is Parker. You need to take a vacation. I’ll deposit the money in your account.”
He waited for a long moment, as if listening. Finally said, “No idea how long. Prep the house for a week, with the usual stuff. I’ll let you know if it needs to be longer.” After another pause, he said, “Thanks,” and disconnected the call.
She glanced over at Parker, but he apparently didn’t notice. He pulled back onto the ramp and continued into the rental return building.
A half-hour later, they drove out of the airport in a black SUV. She glanced at him as they got back onto I-94 heading north. “Why black?” she asked. “I thought silver was the most common color car on the road.”
