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“We need a grocery store, right?” Sam glanced at him. “We passed one on the way in. Are we headed north or south?”
“Good question. If we’ve got a choice, I’d rather go north. There’s lots of forest we can hide in, and we can get back to the Bitterroots. But there aren’t many alternative routes. We’d be stuck on the highway.” At the main intersection in town, he took the highway south. “We’d be stuck on the highway going south for a while too.” At the small grocery, he turned and searched for a parking spot. Fortunately, it was off season, but that also meant they were easier to spot. And there were still a lot of people around who didn’t look like tourists. Sun Valley had a lot of money, and that attracted those looking to profit, including the mob. He parked a block from the store and slid the pistol into the back of his jeans before getting out.
He stepped to the sidewalk, but Sam got out before he could open her door. In the tiny grocery, they stuck to buying basics, but even ramen noodles were expensive in the resort town. A phone would have wiped them out. The clerk wrinkled her nose when Trevor handed her cash but wished them a good day on their way out. Trevor kept his face turned down and wished he’d put on a ball cap, rather than a beanie.
Safely inside the Jeep, Trevor wound through the town’s streets, watching for a tail. He should have left Sam in the Jeep because someone could have tagged the vehicle and he wouldn’t know. Despite the nap on the plane, he was dangerously tired. They had to put some miles between them and Sun Valley, then find a remote campsite and get some real rest.
Then he had to dig through Koslov’s financial records, looking for the tie to Marcus City Bank. Without that connection, getting legal access to the bank’s records would be impossible, and they needed to obey the law for charges to stick. Hopefully Aviss had gotten these records legally, although if he could find the right information, they could work around an illegal source. But it made conviction trickier. Aviss knew that; she’d do everything by the book. Or have a very good reason for breaking the rules, like a person in danger.
At the highway, he turned north. If they were followed, he’d have a harder time throwing off pursuit. But he could get off the main road sooner, find a campsite, check the vehicle for tags and bugs, then get some sleep. Going south meant fewer places to hide. “Sam, can you grab the Idaho map book and find us someplace to camp? I think the Forest Service Campgrounds are closed, but a trailhead should have a toilet, which I’m sure you’d prefer.” He passed a campground sign, but it was closed.
Sam unbelted and dug through his backpack, plopping back in her seat with the large map book in her lap. By the time she found the right page, they’d passed two more closed campgrounds. Her finger traced the page. “Take a left on Baker Creek. It’s just past a hot spring. Too bad we can’t stop there.”
Trevor laughed. “Yeah, not a good idea.” Sam in a tiny bikini would be torture. He turned where she indicated and found the primitive campground, right on a creek. “This is nice. It would be better to be off the road farther, but I think it will do for now.” He pulled into the site with the thickest tree cover. “We could probably drive across the creek if we had to, although I’m not sure where we’d go from there.”
Sam opened her door. “I’d rather not. Let’s get this thing set up while there’s plenty of daylight.”
“Good idea.” Trevor opened his door, stood on the door frame, and flipped the rooftop tent latches on his side. “Look for air tags or unexplained pieces of plastic. I have no reason to doubt Andreas, but his family could have added a tracker to his vehicle.”
A metallic snick let him know Sam had undone her side of the tent, too. Following the directions, they popped it up and got the ladder in place. Sam climbed inside, and he handed the mattresses, sleeping bags, and inflatable pillows to her.
“Give me my bag, too, please, so I can change out of the fancy clothes. We’ll stand out in the designer stuff.” Sam smiled down at him.
“Sure.” Taking it from the backseat, he lifted the heavy bag. “After you change, put your bag back in the Jeep, but keep a pair of shoes up there, so if we need to move fast, we can. Barefoot is no fun.”
“Got it.” Material rustled. “I think if we deflate the mattress pads and pillows, we should be able to close the tent with the bags and pads inside.”
“Good to know.” Trevor stepped off the ladder. “Let me know if you need help.” He grabbed a garbage bag from the back and put it on the dirt under the Jeep. Then he slid underneath the vehicle and looked for odd protrusions, add-ons, or antennas. He didn’t find any, but he wasn’t an expert, and he didn’t have a frequency detector. He’d add it to the list of devices for his next bug-out bag.
Grabbing his backpack and a camping chair from the Jeep, he found a pleasant spot with a view of the road. He’d dig into the documents Aviss sent him until he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Unless he found real evidence quickly, that should bore him to tears, and he’d be able to sleep, even with Sam next to him.
He glanced around the area but didn’t see Sam. Dropping his things, he returned to the Jeep and stepped up the ladder. Sam was curled up on a sleeping bag, hood over her head shading her eyes, deeply asleep. He’d join her, but he’d just lie there, wishing for more than he deserved.
Dropping back to the ground, he opened the chair, then his laptop, and brought up the first spreadsheet. The sooner he found evidence, the sooner they could safely return. And the sooner Sam would disappear from his life.
Chapter thirteen
The bed shook, startling Sam awake. An earthquake? A faint greenish glow near the tent’s doorway lightened the night. She shivered in the chilly air and checked her watch. Not that late; only eleven-thirty.
“Sorry, Sam, didn’t mean to wake you.” Trevor sighed. “But even with stiff springs, rooftop tents move when you climb the ladder.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep earlier.” Her body let her know she couldn’t stay in the warm sleeping bag. “Before you get settled, I need to make a pit stop.” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “And brush my teeth.”
“Sure.” The platform rocked. “Come on down.”
She turned and felt for the ladder rung with her toe. She hadn’t even taken her shoes off, just collapsed on top of the sleeping bag, exhausted. Light flared below, helping her find the ladder. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Trevor, dressed in sweats, held up a solar lantern and the toiletry kit. “Here you are. Just put the kit in the Jeep when you’re done. Don’t lock it because if we need to move, we’ll want to leave fast, and there’s no one out here.”
She took the lantern and kit. “Got it.” After she used the toilet and brushed her teeth, she placed the kit in the car. Trevor leaned against the driver’s side of the Jeep. “You could have gone to sleep.”
He shook his head. “I want the side near the ladder.” He held out his hand for the lantern. “Go on up. By the way, a lot of these tents have small lights built into them.”
She’d been too tired to look earlier, but that explained the green shine inside the tent. “There are glowing strips near the door.” After climbing up, she turned and took her shoes off, placing them at the bottom of the tent near her feet. Then she got in the sleeping bag, shivering against the chilly material. It would warm up soon.
The platform rocked and Trevor climbed inside. He shoved the solar lantern into a mesh net pocket at the top of the tent and took off his left shoe. Opening his sleeping bag, he threw back the top and climbed in, leaving his right prosthetic leg outside. He zipped the door shut, then ran his fingers across the top. “Yup, those strips are small lights.” When he pressed, the area above the zipper glowed white. He turned off the solar lantern and the tent light.
Sam blinked in the sudden darkness, a soft greenish glow gradually resolving. “Seems like the designers thought of everything.”
