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She had no one to blame for her foolishness but herself. She prayed Jake wouldn’t make trouble for her once the trial was over and he was placed in witness protection.
And if he did? Her stomach knotted painfully. She’d have to find a way to disappear herself. How she’d manage to do that with a newborn baby, she had no clue. She didn’t have money and wasn’t sure how she’d get a decent job without a reference from Trent Gibson.
How much time did she have before she had to worry about Jake? Three months? Six months? Maybe a year at the most.
“Are you hungry?” Steele’s voice broke into her thoughts. “We didn’t eat breakfast. I don’t think it’s smart to miss meals.”
Her stomach churned, but that could be in part due to hunger. “That’s fine.”
“I’ll hit a fast-food place near Timberland Falls,” Brock offered.
“Whatever works.” She wasn’t in a position to be picky. She grimaced, wishing she hadn’t been forced to leave her toiletries behind.
A minor inconvenience, she reminded herself sternly. Staying alive was all that mattered.
True to his word, Brock found a drive-through restaurant. The scent of their egg sandwiches smelled good, stirring her appetite. No doubt God’s way of making sure she ate enough for her baby to thrive.
Five minutes later, they were back on the road. When he pulled into the parking lot of the Timberland Falls Suites, she couldn’t help being impressed. There was a layer of fresh snow covering the trees behind the hotel, and the building looked upscale. It was pretty, like something out of a movie.
Brock parked in front of the main entrance. Steele opened her door, then escorted her inside, bringing their food with him.
The lobby of the hotel was huge, and there was a stone fireplace off to one side. The fire was lit, sending waves of heat toward her. She almost wished she could just sit in front of the fire for the rest of the day but followed Steele and Brock as they headed to their room.
Brock set the computer aside as Steele unpacked their meal. She took off her coat, pulled out the vitamins, then dropped into the closest chair. Steele must have noticed the bottle because he turned to the sink to pour her a glass of water.
“Thanks.” She reached for her breakfast sandwich before remembering to pray. Bowing her head, she said, “Dear Lord Jesus, we are blessed to have this food You’ve provided for us. We are grateful for Your love and protection. Amen.”
“Amen,” Steele and Brock added. She was used to Steele praying, but Brock usually remained silent.
“Who pays for all this?” She waved a hand at the large suite. “I’m feeling guilty over the amount of money we’re going through.”
“Rhy booked it.” Steele shrugged. “I expect he’ll get reimbursed by the department.”
Brock looked a little surprised but didn’t respond. She wondered if Steele had only said that to make her feel better.
She had to force herself to eat. She wanted to believe God was watching over them, but it wasn’t easy.
“I’d like to call my boss,” she said, breaking the silence.
“You’re not working from the hotel, end of story,” Steele said curtly.
She stared at him, reining in her own temper. “I understand your concern, but I only said I needed to talk to my boss. Not log onto the computer system.”
“I still don’t like it,” Steele said, softening his tone.
“Yeah, well, I need to talk to him. He thinks I’ll be working. He needs to know the plan has changed.”
“He’ll figure that out when you don’t do any work,” Steele said.
“These attacks are most likely related to my ex-husband.” She kept her voice mild. “It’s a simple, short phone call.”
Brock watched the interchange between them without interrupting.
“Fine.” Steele reluctantly agreed. “But then we’re going to get rid of your phone. That way, it can’t be tracked.”
Since she’d insinuated his phone had been the source of their being found at City Central, she couldn’t very well argue. Her breakfast sandwich sat like a lump in her stomach. She ate most of it, then pushed it away.
She stood and fished her phone from Steele’s coat pocket. She made the call to Trent, who didn’t answer. She left a very brief message about not being able to work, then disconnected. She tossed the phone onto the table so that it slid to Steele. “Take it. Apparently, I won’t need it.”
