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“Not with Cleo. It uses a different satellite. The only negative is that Cleo is programmed to communicate with only three people.”
“Let me guess. Striker, Quasar and Stonewall.”
He chuckled. “Right.”
Putting on his car’s blinkers, he hit the gas and eased around the cargo van, passing them. “Keep your eyes straight ahead, Lennox.”
“What are you doing? I thought we were going to follow them?”
“A couple of times, they intentionally slowed their speed. Had I stayed behind them, they would have become suspicious as to why I didn’t go around them. Since this is a two lane stretch of highway with few cars heading west, we don’t have to tail behind them to keep them within our sights,” Roland said, looking back through the rearview mirror.
“But what if they make a turn off the highway?”
“I’m noting all possible turn offs, so if they do, I’ll be on it. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not.”
It’s not what she’d said, but the way she’d said it that gave him pause—as if she not only believed he would keep her safe, but that she trusted him to know what to do in other crises as well. He couldn’t help but appreciate her confidence in his abilities.
“Ro?”
The sound of Stonewall’s voice grabbed his attention. “Yes, Stonewall.” He then proceeded to bring Stonewall up to speed with what he suspected about the cargo van behind him. “I want you to contact the authorities in this area,” he said, giving Stonewall their location.
“Okay and stay safe.”
“I will and…ah hell.”
“What’s wrong?” Stonewall asked.
“They just turned off the highway,” Roland said, making a U-turn. He was very grateful there were no other cars around.
“You and Lennox need to be careful. Do I need to remind you that you guys are on the run. You can’t do anything that might give away your location. You don’t want the people hunting her down to start looking in the area where you are now.”
Roland glanced over at Lennox. “It’s your call.”
She nodded. “Stonewall,” she said, since he, like Byron had been, was on speaker. “I understand the risk but at least I have Roland protecting me. Those girls have no one. We can’t leave them.”
Roland appreciated Lennox’s selflessness. “Hopefully, the law enforcement in the area will get here and handle it, without us having to make our presence known,” Roland said. “I won’t intervene unless I have to.”
“Okay then. I’ll make sure help is on the way. And I’ll let Joy and the FBI agents know what’s happening,” Stonewall said.
After ending the call, Roland glanced back over at Lennox. He noticed it was getting dark. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. What kind of person would I be if I placed my life above someone else’s? Especially four little girls, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like I told Stonewall, at least I have you protecting me.”
He nodded. She was right. She did have him protecting her. And he’d give his life to keep her safe.
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONGfor Roland to catch up with the van, even though he made a point to stay a fair distance behind them. They had followed the van on a single lane road for a good ten miles. Lennox figured the reason the driver of the van wasn’t aware they were being followed was that it was pitch black outside and Roland had killed the lights. The road they were traveling was made of dirt, uneven and bumpy.
She hadn’t been surprised when Roland had produced night-vision goggles from beneath his seat to help with the driving. Without them, they’d likely have hit a tree or something. Still, even with them, several over-hanging limbs had brushed against the SUV’s windows a few times.
“Where do you think they’re going?” she asked Roland. She had been quiet for the longest time, not wanting to interfere with his concentration in driving the vehicle.
“There’s your answer,” he said.
She leaned forward to look out the windshield and saw a well-lit cabin ahead. The van had come to a stop in frontof it and there was another van already there, waiting. The drivers of both vehicles got out. Both men, dressed in black, were big and menacing. A woman and a man came out of the cabin, just as several more men got out of both vans--she counted seven men in total. “Do you think they’re waiting for someone else to arrive?”
“Not sure, but there’s a reason they met up here. That’s not good for us--we’re blocking the road.”
