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His face was a mask of shifting emotions. “ ’Tis naught I wouldnae do tae save ye, Tait. And I dinnae ken Elliot had the backbone tae shoot me in front of all those people. I suspect he’s more of the ‘dark alley with no witnesses’, type. He dinnae scare me half as much as when I saw ye outside the van and realized that stray bullet could just as easily have killed ye. Even worse, I realized ye were goin’ toward the Camaro and I dinnae ken the other man had any reservations about killin’ in public. And ye were handing him the perfect opportunity.” His jaw tightened. “I dinnae ken when I’ve ever been so scared. No’ even when—”
She waited several seconds but he didn’t continue. “Not even when—what?”
He shook his head. “It doesnae matter.”
“I was scared, too,” she admitted, looking out the window, then down at her hands. “I’m terrified of both of those men. I don’t have to tell you that.”
“The other one,” Marcus muttered, his voice thick. “The blonde one. He saw ye well enough. I know it. The crowd kept him from shootin’ at me, but he could’ve fired at you. If he had, there’s no chance he’d have missed.”
“If he had,” she repeated in a whisper as a sudden realization hit her. Folding a leg beneath her, she turned toward Marcus. “You know, I can’t count the times since I left Seattle that they’ve had a chance—a really good chance—to shoot me. Both before and after Evan died. Like when we were at Old Faithful. And they’ve never even tried.”
Chewing her thumbnail, she turned the puzzle over and over in her head. Finally, she turned back to Marcus. “Why would that be? If their purpose is to keep me from testifying, why not just shoot me?”
Marcus nodded at her before shifting his attention back to the road. “I cannae argue that they’ve had more than one opportunity.”
“Then why?” she pressed.
He chewed the corner of his lip. “I cannae ken a reason. Unless,” he gave her a pensive look, “ye know something ye dinnae even realize ye know, or ye have something they want? Or need?”
“That’s impossible,” she cried. “I don’t know anything I haven’t already told the police. And I don’t have anything beyond what I’m wearing.” She held her arms out and grimaced at the clothes she wore. “They can’t possibly be threatened by a pair of dirty jeans. And I’m sure they already have everything from the wreck. There’s simply nothing I could give them or threaten them with, aside from my statement of what little I saw that day.”
She gave him a baffled shrug. “A bullet from a distance would easily fix that. So, what are theyreallyafter?”
Chapter 10
The question hung between them, weighty and unanswered. Tait rubbed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. Maybe if she held very still, her sudden lightheadedness would pass. It had to be fatigue. Despite her unintentional nap, she still felt bone weary.
Her earlier notion of running away, hiding, creating another identity in some long-forgotten place, pulled at her soul. The simple peace of a quiet, anonymous existence was so compelling, it had been slipping into her thoughts more and more. Enough that she needed to give the details more serious consideration. She would. As soon as her mind cleared a little.
A long gurgle and muffled rumble echoed in the van. Horrified, Tait instantly covered her belly with both hands. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, too embarrassed to look at Marcus.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, lass,” Marcus replied. “I should have realized ye’d be hungry. Ye’ve had naught but that apple, this morning. And nothing the night before. When did ye last have an actual meal?”
Tipping her head toward him, she tried to remember. “I don’t know. The last few days have all run together. I guess it was when Evan and I stopped at that diner? So…day before yesterday?”
“By the Saints,” Marcus growled, giving her an exasperated look. “We’ll tend tae that, right now!”
“Now?” Tait noted the thickets of trees on both sides of the road. “Where are we, anyway?” Why hadn’t she noticed the difference in how the sunlight slanted between the trees? “What time is it?”
“I’ll pull off as soon as there’s a safe spot and we’ll dig out the things we bought last night. I dinnae ken exactly where we are at this moment, but after I made a few random diversions through that Canyon Village area ye said tae go to, we’re back on the main road, heading south. And ’tis…” he glanced at his watch. “A wee bit past three.”
Tait sat up, horrified. “I sleptthatlong?”
“Nae harm done, ye were tired. If I’d had need of ashotgun rider, I’d have roused ye,” he grinned. “Dinnae fash. ’Twas fine.”
Tait laid a hand on his thigh. “I’m truly sorry I dragged you into all this!”
He glanced at her, picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm. “I’m no’. And I wish verra muchyewouldnae be.”
“Och! Perfect.” He released her hand and steered the van onto a bumpy narrow lane where a tiny sign read ‘service road’. Grasping the door handle, Tait held on as they jolted over ruts and regrowth to a lane and a string of power poles that ran parallel to the main road, but with fifty yards and a wide swath of trees separating them.
Driving slowly down the road, Marcus picked a spot next to a particularly thick grove of pine trees, parked and turned off the van. “This seems a good spot tae relax, have some food, and rest a bit. Since we can’t see the cars on the main road, they can’t see us either.”
After carefully scanning the area beyond the windows, he moved to the small counter in the back and began pulling out food. “In fact,” he continued, “I think it might be wise tae stay here until dark. ’Twill confuse those two following us—if they still are—or anyone else who might expect us to be further down the road. What do ye think?”
Tait moved from her seat to one of the small benches by the table. “Traveling at night makes sense.”
He handed her bread, cheese, grapes, and a bottle of water. “Ham? Turkey?” he asked holding up two packets of sliced deli meat.
