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Safe?
For now. On our way soon. Going dark.
No sign of angel falling, but sooner is better. Drive safe. Get in touch when you have analysis done.
Copy that. Stay safe.
Trevor powered the phone off and removed the battery. Analysis meant Aviss had files for him, so he’d have to check his email, but he’d check Sam’s phone first. She had a message from Wiz.
No sign of trouble from your old flame, but you should keep moving.
This is Trevor. On our way soon, going dark.
Copy. Will leave messages if necessary. Consider switching phones. Can load $ from here. Stay alert.
Trevor turned the second phone off and put both in his backpack, sliding the batteries into a separate pocket. He pulled out his laptop and booted it up, connecting to the house internet with the codes Sunny gave him. An email from Aviss was labeled “Bingo.”
Your hunch was right. Found books and retrieved shows with both parties, along with other VIPs. Getting more; actively watching primary. Download the attached and do your magic.
Trevor downloaded the spreadsheets and documents into a new folder. She’d gotten video proof of Sharlene Murphy and Fox/Koslov meeting, along with other mobsters, and they were following Murphy during her so-called vacation. With Koslov dead, those meetings would be extra interesting.
He left the files to download. Since Sam had been right, he pulled his few extra clothes from his backpack and tossed them in the washer. He pulled off his pants and shirt too, shivering slightly in his boxer briefs, and searched the shelves, finding a beach towel.
“What are you doing?” Sam’s voice was high and breathless.
“Getting my clothes clean.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and pulled the underwear off, adding it to the washer. “If we’re taking the time, I’m doing all of it. I recommend you do the same.” Grabbing his bag, he walked away because if she followed his suggestion, he’d be tempted to do more than look. But she hadn’t welcomed his advances, and if they started something, he’d want days, not a few stolen minutes. And a long-term commitment from her. She probably wouldn’t believe that.
Or maybe she didn’t want him at all, a depressing thought he couldn’t afford to dwell on while they might be in danger.
He trotted up the stairs near the front door and entered the first bedroom. The king-size log bed looked inviting, but he had to keep Sam safe. The bathroom held a double sink vanity and a large shower. Locking the door, he turned on the shower and dropped the towel. Using the expensive men’s products in the shower, he cleaned up, enjoying the multiple sprays, then shaved. Wrapping the beach towel around him again, he returned to the laundry room and transferred their clothes to the dryer. Hopefully none of Sam’s stuff was air-dry only because they didn’t have that kind of time. If they had time at all.
Returning upstairs, he opened closets and drawers—he must be in Andreas’s room. The clothes were his size, although too long; Andreas had four inches of height on him. While he wouldn’t normally take someone else’s clothes, hanging out in a towel made him nervous. Dahl wouldn’t miss them, anyway. Sunny, the property manager, probably kept his drawers stocked.
The distressed jeans were cut slimmer than he preferred, but they fit after he folded the hems up. He found a plain cotton long sleeve T-shirt and a fleece jacket that didn’t swamp him, then grabbed a wool hat and two pairs of gloves, too.
Downstairs, the files were still downloading to his laptop, so he went to the laundry room. A hair dryer turned on; Sam wouldn’t be too much longer. He pulled the warm laundry from the dryer and sorted it, shoving his into his backpack. He carried hers upstairs in a basket, but with the hair dryer off, he wasn’t sure which room she was in. “Sam? I’ve got your clothes.”
The door behind him opened, and Sam peered around the door. Her long auburn hair flowed over her bare shoulders and the towel clung to her curves below. “Thanks. You can put it down and I’ll get it in a second.” Her cheeks pinked.
He put the basket down but couldn’t tear his eyes from her. “I stole some clothes from Andreas. Do you want me to look for some that will fit you?” Because he couldn’t push that door open, or they’d never leave. Or she’d slap him into the next day.
“If there are any, they’ll be in here. This is the main suite, and Andreas only has brothers.” She wrinkled her nose. “I doubt I’ll find anything. His mom is gorgeous, but a Viking.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “We should get on the road.”
She scowled. “I’ll be right there.” The door slammed shut.
He never made the right move with Sam. He returned to his laptop; the download had completed, so he disconnected and packed everything into the Jeep. He grabbed the Idaho map book and searched for alternative routes, but it appeared they had to return through Sun Valley or try a dirt road that probably became a hiking trail. Without local information, he wasn’t willing to risk that. He loaded the map book and a case of water bottles into the Jeep, along with some canned soup he found in the back of the pantry. Then he paced, watching the front, back, and side windows.
Footsteps alerted him to Sam’s arrival. He spun, then stared. “Wow.” Black pants hugged her hips and thighs, then tucked into black leather boots. A thin, low cut white top skimmed her curves, and she carried a dark leather jacket along with her backpack and the laundry basket. Heavy makeup emphasized her eyes, and her long dark-dyed hair cascaded over her shoulders in waves, topped with a slouchy gray hat.
She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks pinked again. “Well, if you’re wearing Tom Ford, I’d better look the part. In sloppy sweats, I’d stand out next to you.” She huffed. “Besides, this is probably the only time I’ll ever get to wear Givenchy. Andreas’s mom has expensive tastes and lucky for me, she likes three-quarter length pants.” She looked down and grimaced. “Even so, I had to roll them up and tuck them into the boots, or I’d be tripping over the hems. They’re not practical, or my style, either, but we’ll fit in here.”
Trevor glanced down at his new jeans in disbelief. He’d known they were deliberately distressed but hadn’t bothered to look at anything but the size. He owned a Tom Ford suit only because one of his friends had found it in a second-hand store. “I knew this was fancy clothing, but I didn’t realize just how pricey. I feel bad about taking it now.” He took the laundry basket from her and led the way to the garage. “I’d love to stay and get some sleep, but we need to move. I checked the phone you’ve been using. Wiz thinks we should get a new one, and she can add funds to it.” He pulled the garage door open for Sam, set the alarm, and closed it behind him.
“But how do we tell her the new number without compromising it?” Sam climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep.
Trevor joined her inside, shoving his pistol into a cup holder. He brought the seat forward, then adjusted the mirrors. “I think we can just text her. She’ll figure out who we are pretty quickly. But buying even basic flip phones will deplete our cash fast.” He clicked the garage door opener. No occupied vehicles parked on the street. But they could watch closer to town because they had to go back through Sun Valley. The only alternative appeared sketchy, at best. The Wrangler could probably handle the trail, but he hadn’t done technical off-roading for a long time.
