Never Look Back (13 page)

He put his fingers to his eyes then pointed at him. "Well, that's why you need someone like me. Fresh eyes, eager like a lion, ready to gobble up her prey."

Vladimir chuckled. "What do you propose?"

Constantine leaned his hip on his desk. "I believe we should do this in our own time." He tossed brochures of Albuquerque New Mexico on his desk. "We're both due for a vacation."

Vladimir shook his head. "That's my territory now. Get back to work."

Scowling, Constantine left the room.

From above the rim of his glasses, Vladimir studied the purchases then grinned.

His phone rang. "Yep."

"I believe I found your girl," the caller said in a smooth voice. "I wasn't sure the first time, but saw her again at the Italian restaurant wearing a black dress and she sure looked like the photo you gave me."

"Good job. I'll make sure you get a bonus, Ted." He hanged up and punched in a number.

"Thank you for calling Seasons Travel. How may I direct your call?"

"I need a one way ticket to New Mexico from Anchorage."

"Where in New Mexico, sir?"

"Bluewater Acres." He diverted his gaze outside the window, watching snowflakes fall into the ground. A wicked smile spread across his lips as he imagined what he would do to Dana once he saw her.

The clicking sound of the computer keys overshadowed his thoughts. "You'll need to fly to Albuquerque, and it's about a hundred twenty miles to get to—"

"When is the next flight?"

"Would you prefer a layover in LAX or Arizona?"

"It doesn't matter, just book me the damn flight." He took off his glasses and removed his wallet from his pocket.

"Okay, sir." He overheard typing on a keyboard. "I have one flight leaving at noon and—"

"I'll take that." He gave her his credit card info and waited for her to transmit the confirmation then hanged up. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned. "Dana Simmons, we will finally meet."

Dana was delighted when Sarah showed up at her doorstep and embraced her tight. "You came."

"And I'm early," Sarah said. "Oh, and your package is going to arrive tomorrow."

Swirling around, she burst into a smile. "Yippee." A surge of adrenaline sprinkled upon Dana.

As they climbed into Dana's Beetle, Sarah nudged Dana. Rachel was watching them from her window. "Look how much she envies you."

Dana started the ignition then backed up from the driveway. "Don't pay attention to her. She's a miserable woman."

"Oh, those are the ones you need to
pay attention
to since you don't know what they're capable of."

Shifting gears, Dana stepped on the gas and turned on the radio. "Let's not worry about that today. I can't wait to get my nails done and have a facial."

Sarah grinned. "Same here. I think we should do this once a quarter."

Tapping on her steering wheel, Dana blurted, "Are you kidding me? I used to get mine done once a week."

"Seriously?" Sarah arched her eyebrows. "You sound like a spoiled supermodel," she laughed.

Swallowing hard, Dana remembered she was
Lucy the librarian,
not
Dana the supermodel.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She blinked. "Of course, I'm no supermodel. What I meant was my fantasy would be to have a spa day every week and not worry about cooking, cleaning, laundry, you know… the works."

"Oh, I hear you." Sarah snapped her fingers. "That would be paradise."

Yeah, paradise.

***

Constantine rolled his suitcase outside the airport as Vladimir shook his head. The moon hid beneath the clouds while they strolled to their rented Ford Mustang.

"Remind me again why you needed to come with me?" Vladimir lighted a cigarette.

His cousin plucked the cigarette from his lips. "If you want to concentrate on finding your supermodel, you better quit smoking."

Vladimir combed his fingers through his hair, "You're worst than my mother."

Constantine winked. The cab driver pulled up to the curb then stepped down to put their luggage inside the trunk.

"I don't know why you never learned the art of packing light," Vladimir groaned.

His cousin chuckled. "What would you do without me?"

He smirked and climbed into the car.

"Cheer up," Constantine said. "I got us tickets to the balloon museum and the old town as well. We might find her there."

"You're going to drain me out."

"On the contrary, I'm going to inject some life into you." Constantine laughed. "Have you forgotten that public places are the most convenient locations to commit a crime?"

But Vladimir was wishing he came alone. His younger cousin could be hasty, and his greed often consumed him.

***

Dana and Sarah giggled as they marched back to the car, their nails shimmering against the sun.

Sarah slurped her iced tea and beamed. "I feel like a queen today."

"And we shall rule the kingdom, Queen Sarah," Dana added while she shut the door of her Beetle.

"I wonder what Jake is going to say when he sees you. You're such a lucky woman to be with him,. When his wife died, the single women of Bluewater Acres threw themselves at him, but he spent time raising his daughter."

Dana didn't flinch, she kept her eyes on the road. "I guess I'm lucky."

"How did you two meet anyway?"

Biting her lip, Dana gathered her thoughts. She had to replay the game of charades Agent Collins prepped her. "Um, nothing extraordinary. I was in the area and asked him for directions at the gasoline station."

"Really? What were you doing here?"

Heart pounding, Dana opened the window.

"I mean, I don't know anyone who wants to come to Bluewater Acres."

"I was lost. A friend and I went to Albuquerque for a wedding, and we made the wrong left turn. My friend dared me to ask him out so I gave him my number." She winked, fascinated by how natural a fabricated story could be. "I didn't think he'd call, but I'm glad he did."

"Wow, and who says that ain't extraordinary? Oh, girl, that's better than my story. Ask me how I met Jim."

"How?"

"We were neighbors and walked to school together every day. I hated his guts until one day he kissed me." Sarah giggled, and Dana glanced over to see a tainted blush spread on her face. "And I thought he could be cool."

Swerving to the right, Dana laughed. "A kiss can change everything."

"Tell me about it. I was love-struck after that day. I couldn't even look at him, and he thought I got angry that he kissed me."

"Boys." Dana sighed. "They can be so clueless at times." Her thoughts shifted to Jake, probably the only man who didn't seem clueless. But she had to remind herself not to get too close.

***

Vladimir waited in his car rental, staring at Sarah Winter's house. He let Constantine visit the balloon museum by himself. This had to be done alone. The white picket fence surrounded by pink roses gave light to the faded paint of the ranch-style home. Vladimir had surveyed the area earlier that afternoon, and nobody was home except for the golden retriever that slept in the front lawn.

Glancing at his watch, Vladimir turned on the timer and gave a wry smile.

Moments later, a UPS truck pulled over the curb. A man slipped out of the car carrying a box.

Scrutinizing the area, Vladimir bolted out of his car and approached him.

The driver greeted him. "I'm looking for Sarah Winters."

"Let me take that for my wife. She needs to stop shopping. When I told her that her clothes can't fit inside her closet, she asked me if she can have mine." He shared a laugh with the driver.

"My wife is the same. She claims she has nothing to wear when she has outfits she's never touched." He handed Vladimir the delivery receipt for his signature.

Vladimir signed Jim Winters' name. "Thanks."

The driver jumped in his delivery truck and rolled down the window. "I hope she doesn't return the items and order again," he chuckled.

"They always find the perfect excuse to buy more clothes."

"Tell me about it." The driver waved and sped off.

Clutching the box, Vladimir strode to his car and laid it on the passenger seat while he waited. "Oh, you poor supermodel. You just couldn't resist splurging on stylish outfits."

He stripped the tape and pulled out four black and white dresses. Closing his eyes, he sniffed the clothing and imagined what it would be to undress Dana Simmons. He couldn't deny she was gorgeous.

A car drove by, and he snapped back to reality.

He was about to go down, when his cell phone rang. "Yeah."

A man with a raspy voice spoke. "That real estate guy you were telling me about from Seattle doesn't exist. Somebody's on the lookout for you."

Vladimir pressed his lips together. "I know."

"What are we going to do?"

"Like we always do. We blend in, remain calm, and do the merry-go-round." After a brief pause, he asked, "How's Marcy?"

"The usual."

He grinned. "I think you'll be interested to know that I found her daughter."

***

That morning, Dana still felt giddy after her spa day with Sarah. Dana cracked the eggs on the frying pan when the phone rang.

"Hey, Lucy, it's your lucky day. Your package arrived. Do you wanna swing by before going to work, or do you want me to take it with me to the library?"

Dana's heart leaped from her chest. "I thought it was going to arrive tomorrow. I'll be there in twenty minutes. I can't wait to try them on."

"I'll be waiting."

Humming, Dana hung up and set the table for three. She got the hang of serving bacon, eggs, and toast to Molly and Jake while she enjoyed fresh fruits. Dana sniffed the morning dew, knowing minutes from now she would be trying on new outfits. This was the highlight of her day—actually the highlight of her month.

A strange tune intruded her thoughts. Dana approached the counter where her purse laid and heard the faint sound again. She dug inside and removed her cell phone. Her heart went awry like spoiled broth as she flipped open the phone.

"What do you think you're doing ordering clothes from the Internet with your debit card?"

"I-I—"

"Meet me at the Shell gas station downtown in ten minutes." U.S. Marshall Collins raised his voice. "Leave everything behind and make sure nobody follows you."

"But-but—"

"Go."

After turning off the stove, Dana placed their breakfasts on Jake and Molly's plates. This was the last time she would cook for them. Tears cloaked her vision. Just when she was getting used to the way of life in this small town, it was stripped away from her.

She dashed outside the door and rushed to her Beetle. A glance behind revealed Rachel peeping. Dana had no time to think as she backed up from the driveway and drove to town.

U.S. Marshall Collins sat inside a beat down Jeep parked in the corner. Dana parked her car, climbed out, and rushed over. Head down, she stepped inside and ducked her head.

They didn't speak until they were miles away from Bluewater Acres.

"You put yourself at risk, Dana."

Dana refused to apologize. "I didn't come looking for trouble, and I didn't ask to live this way. All I ever wanted was freedom."

"There are other ways to handle this."

 Oh how she hated U.S. Marshall Collins for stealing her life. What would Jake tell Molly when she woke up to discover that she was no longer there? This would be the second time Molly would lose a mother.

"Just so you know, your accounts have been frozen."

"But, that's my money," she yelled.

"Temporarily. I don't understand why you would put yourself at risk, Dana. I heard from Jake that you've been managing well, and now this?"

"You've been keeping tabs on me with Jake?" Dana glared at him. "I spoke to you every day."

U.S. Marshall Collins swerved through a curve, screeching his tires. "I needed to know you were okay. That's my job."

Dana stared out her window. How many other WITSEC victims felt the same way she did? It had more to do than playing disguise. They sabotaged her identity.

"I told you to call me if you need anything." He exited to the freeway.

"I know you have good intentions, but a man like you will never understand a woman's needs."

"Try me." He glanced at her. "I have a twin sister, and she's a girlie girl. For her birthday, I took her shopping and to the beauty salon."

Dana just shook her head.

"It's going to be okay." He patted her shoulder.

Dana forced a smile. She'd play the game. Maybe it would lead her closer to Vladimir. "Where are you taking me? I'm kinda getting used to this. I just have to remind myself not to get attached."