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“When? Are you going to do it instead of sleeping?” He was only half-joking.
She smiled. “I’ve got to pay you back for this tart some way, don’t I?”
Not enough pastries in the entire Cowboy State to earn her assistance. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” He stood and headed for the door.
“Brian,” she said, stopping him. “You should be careful. It’s not often that I’ve seen insulated layers like this.”
He put on his hat. “But you have seen it before?”
She nodded. “The only time I’ve seen double or triple layering like this is when the cartel has been involved. Throw a dirty cop into the mix and this could blow up in your face. Literally. Watch your back out there.”
CHARLIELOCKEDTHEfront door of USD for the night and checked the GPS tracker on her phone again. This evening Seth had spent time in Centennial and Woods Landing-Jelm. Both towns were a thirty-minute drive from Laramie. She recalled Seth had trekked out there three weeks ago when she’d followed him while prepping for Haley. At the time, she hadn’t been concerned with what he was doing, onlywhereandwhen. Now she wished she knew what he was doing out there, but she’d had to relieve Dustin earlier.
The exact addresses were logged in the GPS history. Maybe she could ask Brian to research them.
Now, it appeared that Seth was at the house on Mulberry again.
She had enough sense not to go skulking around the place in the darkness by herself. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t stake it out from down street for a bit. She locked the back door of USD and strode into the parking lot.
As she started up the SUV, which Dustin had agreed to let her hang on to for a couple more days, her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten since noon. On the way to Mulberry, she swung through a drive-through. Ordered a double cheeseburger and fries, but she denied herself the milkshake she was craving in lieu of water.
The warm, hearty smell that permeated the car was divine. She dug french fries from the bag and noshed while she made her way to the house.
The lights were on inside. Out front were two cars behind Seth’s truck that hadn’t been there the last time. Shadows moved behind the drawn curtains. Three, possibly four individuals were inside from what she could see.
There weren’t many cars on the street. Most were parked in driveways.
Charlie chose a spot across the street and two houses down behind a sedan. She set her camera on top of her duffel bag, ready to take pictures if an opportunity presented itself. Biting into the burger, she stayed focused on the house, silently nibbling on her food until there was nothing left.
As she wiped her mouth, the front door opened. Three men strode out, including Olsen.
Chucking the napkin in the paper bag with the rest of her trash, she grabbed her camera and zoomed in on the men. She took pictures of them talking while they walked down the front steps. At the sidewalk, they spoke for a few minutes. The one with close-cropped dark blond hair pointed back to the house. Another glanced at his watch, the one who was balding and had a bit of a belly.
Seth nodded at them and waved goodbye. He started toward his truck.
She got pictures of the license plates of the other men’s vehicles.
Olsen crossed in front of his Chevy into the street. As he grabbed his door handle, he looked down the block. Right at her.
Charlie’s pulse spiked. She lowered the camera.
Had the lens reflected the light from a streetlamp and caught his attention?
His gaze was locked on her, eyes narrowing. Letting go of the door handle, he stalked down the street. Headed straight for her.
She tugged on the bill of her cap to hide her face. Cranking the key in the ignition, she fired up the Jeep. Seth took off in a jog. She threw the SUV in reverse and raced backward, swerving around the corner. On the perpendicular block, she whipped the steering wheel, doing a one-eighty, put the gear in drive and sped off. She glanced in the rearview mirror.
Olsen rounded the bend.
Flooring the accelerator, she made a hard right, running a stop sign, tires screeching.
Her heart pounded wildly, adrenaline flaring hot in her system. That was a close call. Too close. She only hoped that Seth hadn’t gotten the license plate number.
Charlie made a few more sharp turns and checked to be sure she wasn’t followed before slowing down. She stuck to the speed limit, adhering to every traffic rule all the way to Brian’s driveway.
Relief poured through Charlie. Not only to have gotten away from Olsen, but to be at Brian’s. The knowledge she wouldn’t be alone tonight was a comfort.
There was safety in numbers, but more than that, Brian’s concern for her was genuine. Exceeded some loyalty to her cousin. He truly was nice.
