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“It’s one of them. Silver, white, gray, black. They all take turns. I chose black because it’s harder to see at night. Easier to camouflage.”
“Camouflage? Like in trees? Are wecamping?” Dread swept over her. She’d been kidnapped when she was twelve and hidden at a campsite deep in the woods. She’d been rescued after three days but had hated camping ever since.
Even being deep in the woods made her edgy. Tense.
She’d sworn she’d never be helpless again, and she hadn’t been. But now? Cody Parker was in charge of what she did. Where she went. And that wasnota comfortable place to be.
She took a deep breath. Another, then noticed Cody staring at her. She pulled herself together and managed to keep her face expressionless.
After a long moment, Cody asked, “Not a big fan of sleeping on the ground?”
She shrugged one shoulder but clenched her teeth at the thought of camping again. Forcing herself to relax, she said, “I can do whatever I have to do. But given a choice? No, I wouldn’t choose camping.”
“You’re in luck, then. We’re going to a farm.”
“You own a farm?” She studied him, surprised. “You don’t seem like a farmer.”
“I’m not. A former colleague owns it, and I rent it out occasionally. A favor from friend to friend.”
Sierra glanced at Cody again. “Interesting arrangement.”
“Works for both of us.”
He didn’t say anything more, so she probed a little. “What kind of farm is it? Dairy? Beef? Corn?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“And how long will that be?”
He glanced at his watch. “A couple of hours.”
“Okay.” They were passing what looked like Milwaukee suburbs, and she continued studying the cars behind them. After about forty-five minutes, he exited the expressway and began driving west.
No one followed them off the interstate. After they’d gone around several curves and past several roads, they turned right. Drawing a deep breath, she relaxed into the seat. No one would be able to guess which road they’d taken. No one would be able to follow them to their final destination.
Now that she didn’t need to be alert, an almost-sleepless night caught up with her. Her eyes fluttered closed, and although she struggled to keep them open, she lost the battle. The next thing she remembered was someone shaking her shoulder. “Wake up, Baker. We’re here.”
Chapter 4
Cody glanced at Sierra as he rolled to a stop in front of the garage. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up straight in the seat, looking around. She cataloged everything -- the garage and the shed. The house. The barn. The plowed fields behind it. The pig sty attached to the barn, and the handful of cows grazing in the pasture behind it. Her gaze moved to the large chicken coop on the opposite side of the barn from the pig sty, and the fenced-in vegetable garden beside it. Looked like Laila had just planted tomatoes.
He’d bet Sierra’d be able to draw a map of every feature on the farm.
He reached for a small backpack he’d tossed onto the back seat and removed a garage door opener. Pressed the button and the door slowly heaved itself up. The sheet metal in the door gave it a lot of extra weight, but the extra minute or two opening and closing the door was worth the protection.
Inside the dimly-lit garage, Cody climbed out of the SUV and opened the rear lift gate. Removed Sierra’s go bag, tote bag and his own, smaller backpack. Hoisted them onto his shoulders, then waited while Sierra examined the interior of the garage.
There was nothing to see. Just the usual detritus that accumulated in garages. A couple of bicycles on hooks in the wall. Cabinets on the front wall that held rags, cans of oil and the tools necessary for car repairs. A long extension ladder, also on hooks in the wall. A couple of snow shovels. Stalls on one side of the structure.
Finally, apparently satisfied, Sierra walked out of the garage and studied the house. Freshly painted, the white gleamed in the sunlight. Laila had planted pansies in the hanging pots on the long front porch, and the two wooden chairs sat where they’d always been, on the far right side. Even from here, Cody could see the faint green moss growing on them. No one ever sat in those chairs. They stood in front of the living room windows, and if moved, they’d set off an eardrum-bursting siren.
“It looks like a farmhouse,” Sierra finally said. “The kind you see in pictures.”
“That’s because itisa farmhouse.” Cody strode toward the front door, and he felt the heat from Sierra’s body. She stuck close, just as she’d done when they walked from her house to his car.
She was an alert, aware subject. The ideal client. And he wanted to know why.
Setting the backpacks on the porch, he dug his house keys out of the front pocket of the backpack and inserted one in the lock. Opened the door and stepped inside, tapping the code into the alarm box just inside the door.
