Page 7 of Owen

“It’s time. You ready?”

Adrenaline coursed through her body as she met his gaze. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They made it to Lemmy’s front door with five minutes to spare.

The place sure seemed long-since closed. The large front window had been smashed and was boarded up. There was a chain and padlock on the front door. The street was empty of pedestrians. It was like they were in a ghost town.

“Should we check the back?” she suggested.

“No.” His tone was flat and decisive.

“If you were by yourself, you would,” she said to which he only nodded. “I’m not some delicate flower, you know.”

“I get that, but I don’t take unnecessary risks.” With her was what he meant.

“So…”

“We wait for ten minutes.” He leaned against the front of the building. It seemed a casual pose, but she didn’t miss how his eyes were constantly scanning the street. “If he doesn’t show, we’re outta here.”

Arguing with him was probably useless, so she set the timer on her phone and waited alongside him. After several minutes, she felt him tense. His attention was focused on an alleyway down the street.

“What is it?”

“Thought I saw movement there. Can’t be sure.” His words were clipped. “Time to go.”

“But we have two minutes left,” she protested, but he already had her hand in his and was pulling her down the street at a rapid pace. They rounded the corner and Owen came to a dead stop, staring at his Jeep.

“Son of a bitch,” he said. All four tires had been slashed. “We need to get out of here.”

FOUR

Owen tightened his grip on Sophie’s hand as he scanned the street around them, looking for a place to hole up. They were way too vulnerable out in the open. “Come on.”

“Your Jeep,” she protested.

“Leave it.” He’d spotted what he wanted fifty feet from their location, and he needed to get them moving. Refuge came in the form of an abandoned storefront with a front door in a recessed alcove. He pulled her into the small space and tucked her behind him.

“What are you thinking?” she whispered from behind him.

“That your drug lieutenant might still be working for Wilson, and this is a trap.” It sure felt like one.

“No, I’m sure—”

“Sure enough to stay out there on the street? Not on my watch.” He’d promised to keep her safe, and he’d do that. First, he had to get them out of there. Somehow. He looked back toward his Jeep. The bastards had even slashed the spare mounted on the back—not that it would have done him any good.

He waited, watching the street for several seconds. No movement. It reminded him of villages he’d seen on missions overseas. Places where the locals didn’t dare show their faces because they knew something was going to go down.

He should never have allowed this trip. Behind him, he could feel Sophie almost vibrating. He knew, even without looking, that it wasn’t fear causing it. No, her tension was because she had questions she was dying to ask. Amazingly, she was keeping them in and doing what he wanted—for now, anyway.

“What next?” she did whisper after about two minutes had passed.

Instead of answering, he physically moved her to the side to evaluate the abandoned business’s door. Looked like the place was a pawn shop at one time. It said something about the area if a pawn shop closed up. Those were usually the last businesses to go.

“We need cover.” He took a tool from his pocket and slipped it into the deadbolt. After a bit of jiggling, he felt it click as the bolt slid over. He did the same to the other lock and shoved open the door, pushing her inside in front of him.

“That was smooth,” she said. “Can you teach me?”

“Can’t believe you don’t already know,” he answered a little absently, focused on evaluating their surroundings. There was a sturdy counter with the entrance to a backroom behind it. He pulled her toward the counter. “Get down and stay down while I check the rest of the store.”

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