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As she tucked her hair beneath it, the woman in the adjacent seat leaned over. “You’re her.”
Tait froze. “I…I beg your pardon?”
“You’re the girl in the picture those men were showing around, asking if anyone had seen you.”
“Ye’re mistaken,” Marcus stated tightly, giving her a pointed look as the bus began moving.
The woman glanced at him, then back at Tait. “Itold them the truth. I hadn’t seen you. But I overheard someone else telling them they’d seen you with a tall, muscular man with long hair, walking in the direction of the tour buses. So, I’m guessing they’ll be looking for both of you, now.”
* * *
Huddlednext to the stranger-turned-protector on the bus seat, Tait kept her eyes on the traffic. As grateful as she was for the brawny Scot and his pledge to protect her, she knew as soon as he realized how dangerous it was to be with her, he’d change his mind. She certainly couldn’t blame him. She was surprised he’d played along this far.
After the woman’s revelation that the men trailing her knew she was on one of the buses, she stiffened with every car that passed, and worried over every one that followed.
As they approached a broad meadow the bus slowed and came to a stop while several buffalo wandered across the road, blocking and backing up traffic.
Panic clogged Tait’s throat and limited her breaths to short painful bursts as the walls of the bus seemed to close in. What had possessed her to agree to get on this death trap? She might as well have climbed into a fishbowl. She stared at the bus doors wondering if she could get through them and out to…to where? There was a river on her left and that great open meadow on her right.
“Och! What magnificent beasts!” Marcus exclaimed, seemingly in awe of the buffalo as they slowly moved around the cars toward the river. “Dinnae ye agree?”
Tait barely managed a nod, her eyes on the cluster of vehicles. Fresh panic swelled with every tourist who jumped from their car with camera and gear. Finally, the bus edged its way through the throng, and they gratefully moved beyond the spectacle.
“Ye’re pale as can be, lass. I ken bein’ caught in that jumble frightened ye, but Ididwatch and saw no sign of those two men.Ifthey’re even following. We dinnae know that they are.”
She shook her head. He couldn’t possibly understand how dangerous they were. Or to what lengths they’d go to get to her. Or that they’d already killed the Marshall escorting her, so they wouldn’t think twice about eliminating a random tourist to get to her.
“Come lass,” he said putting his arm around her to pull her close. “ ’Twill be okay. I promise.”
No, she thought, submitting to his effort to comfort her. Nothing will ever be okay again. She looked up at him, too weary to hide her despair. “You don’t know how much I wish that could be true.”
He held her gaze for several seconds. “I’m sorry. I dinnae mean tae sound so dismissive. ’Twas foolish and inconsiderate of me.” He shifted to face her more fully as he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “But I do promise ye this, Tait Keller. I’ll help ye get wherever ye need tae be. For as long as it takes.”
Shame filled her as she looked at this incredibly kind stranger. He had no idea what he was getting into. What had she been thinking? She had no right to endanger him by getting him so personally involved. As soon as she could get off this bus, she’d slip away from him. The idea terrified her, but she couldn’t let another man lose his life trying to protect her.
Her chin quivered and tears pooled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Pressing her lips in a tight line she laid her head on his shoulder. She’d take whatever comfort the next few minutes offered, already regretting having to leave this man behind. She wished Marcus Beaton had come into her life earlier. Back when she still had hopes and dreams of a normal future.
But it was too late for any of that now. Now all she had was running, hiding, and trying to stay alive.
* * *
“Up!”Marcus urged as soon as the bus came to a stop near Old Faithful Lodge, but Tait was already a step ahead of him. “Stay wi’ the crowd,” he reminded her, releasing his grip on her arm.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry,” she muttered as she squeezed past an elderly couple ahead of her in the aisle, wincing at the woman’s remark about the rudeness of young people these days. It was true, she knew, but hopefully in this case, her inconsiderate actions might save a man’s life.
Hurrying past another gentleman, she finally reached the door and scrambled down the steps before Marcus could reach her. Unable to stop and scan the parking lot for her assailants, she ran for the lodge and the crowds milling around it. Hopefully she could find a place inside to hide, both from the two men chasing her and the man trying to save her from them.
“Tait!” she heard Marcus call after her. But she couldn’t stop. Couldn’t turn around for fear she’d give in to her desire to stay with him. Guilt churned inside her for using him and then abandoning him with no explanation, but this was the only way she could rectify her mistake.
It wasn’t a question ofifthey would find her. It was when, where, and with whom. So despite her earlier weakness when she’d desperately latched onto Marcus, it was imperative that she not involve him any further.
She was truly on her own, and she needed to keep it that way.
Shoving her way through the double glass doors, Tait entered the flow of people coming and going from the lobby, the gift shop, and the doors leading onto the porch overlooking Old Faithful. It wasn’t hard to duck into the crowd and let them usher her back outside, toward the half-circle of benches around the lower side of the geyser.
“It’s supposed to go off insixteenminutes,” a young girl said excitedly to her dad, hopping and skipping beside him as he grasped her hand.
Other voices in a variety of languages floated around Tait, giving her what she knew was a false sense of anonymity. There truly was nowhere to hide. Her only chance was to stay ahead of her pursuers.
