No Place to Hide (3 page)

“That’ll be forty-nine eighty-five. You want a bag?”

“Sure, thanks.”

The entire transaction took less than five minutes since entering the store. It felt like an eternity.

Ian grabbed the bag and walked to the door. Gus kept pace with him. Jackie pushed open the door just as headlights turned into the parking lot. She let out a little gasp. “Rats,” she whispered. She backed up into him and stumbled.

He caught her against him and held her for the split second it took to get her footing. “What now?” he whispered.

“I guess we run.”

10:00 P.M.

Jackie shook off the feeling of being held in Ian’s arms for that brief moment. Her mind registered the sensations and she chalked it up to the high tension running through both of them. With the clerk busy with another customer, she and Ian made their way to the back of the store, Gus a silent shadow right behind them.

Within seconds they slipped out the back exit and found themselves outside near the car they’d parked. She shivered as the cold wind blew across her face, but ignored it and gazed at the landscape behind the gas station. Rocky but wooded.
Think, think.

“They’ll find the car and think we took off through the woods,” he murmured. His fingers crunched the bag.

“Yeah.” She pulled up the edge of her black sweatshirt and jabbed the key through the material of the thin white camisole she wore underneath. The shirt gave way and she ripped off a large chunk. “Come on.”

“You’ve got a plan?”

“For whatever it’s worth.” They slipped a little ways into the
trees, going the opposite direction he thought they should go. “Do you see them?” she asked.

“Not ye—uh, yeah.” The car that had been following them pulled into the spot next to the beat-up sedan. She, Ian, and Gus moved further back into the trees until she could no longer see the parking area.

Car doors slammed and a voice rose. “Find them. Fan out.”

Jackie hung the white cloth on the tree about waist high. “Now move left,” she whispered. “Stay parallel to the parking lot.” He must have understood what she had in mind. He started moving. She stayed beside him. “Go slow, as quiet as you can.”

Thankfully, their pursuers weren’t trying to be very quiet. “Where are they?” She heard one curse. “Hey! Victor, look here.”

Victor. She made a mental note of the name. One of the others must have found the piece of cloth. She tried to listen and figure out how many of them there were, but the voices mingled. She thought three, maybe four.

“Go, go, go,” another ordered. “Don’t lose them.”

She and Ian kept moving. If the men had been thinking, they would have realized she hadn’t been wearing white when they saw her. Hopefully they wouldn’t remember.

Finally, she and Ian reached the edge of the trees that ran along the side of the parking lot. The voices faded. Ian stepped out onto the asphalt and Jackie followed him. Gus stayed right next to Ian, his superb training and absolute trust in Ian clear. She looked back over her shoulder and down toward where the cars were parked. “We need a vehicle.”

“Yeah. One they can’t track this time.”

“I’d have one within minutes if you’d let me call my friends.”

“I’d rather not. I’m sorry, I just don’t know who I can trust at this point.”

“Even trusting me is a stretch, huh?”

He shrugged, regret stamped on his features.

“Right.” She nodded toward the next building. “Let’s get out of here before they figure out we’ve doubled back. Stay in the shadows.”

He nodded, signaled Gus to follow, and led the way. Together they made their way along the back of the buildings parallel to the road. Gravel, broken glass, and other debris littered the area. Ian knelt and tapped behind his right shoulder.

The dog leapt onto his back and Ian rose with a grunt to carry his four-legged friend. His gentle consideration of the animal grabbed at her heart. There was no way he could be guilty of anything related to a terrorist act, could he? She grimaced. Just because he liked animals didn’t mean he wasn’t a terrorist.

They stepped gingerly, careful not to make any noise that might draw curiosity from anyone within hearing distance. “Any sign of them?” he asked, his voice low.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“I think I know where we can get a car.”

She glanced at him. “Where?”

“My brother.”

“That’s not a good idea. They’ll be watching him.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?”

“Not at the moment.” She looked around and shivered. “Does he live near here?”

“About ten miles away.” He paused. “If you don’t want me to call him, what about catching a cab?”

Jackie thought about that. “That’s a pretty big risk. The cab driver might recognize you.”

He looked around. “Let’s find a place to hole up and get that cell phone working, then we can decide.” He set Gus back on
the ground and the dog shook himself, then sat, waiting for his next order.

Jackie shivered again. It was already below freezing. Not even her heavy sweatshirt was doing much to protect her from the wind. “Holing up sounds good.” Traveling far away from the men after them and figuring out what she’d gotten herself into sounded better. But they had to come up with a plan. She thought about finding a pay phone and simply calling her co-workers. She trusted them with her life, but then Ian would decide she couldn’t be trusted and strike out on his own.

And she just couldn’t let him do that.

“Where?” he muttered.

“Someplace that doesn’t have the news streaming on their television.”

He nodded toward a shopping center. “How about the café in that bookstore?”

“All right,” she looked back over her shoulder, “let’s go.”

They hurried down the sidewalk, crossed the street, and went into the warmth of the bookstore. Jackie finally had time to process the vest Gus wore when Ian pulled a leash from his pocket and snapped it onto the dog’s collar. She’d heard Ian point out the vest to the clerk in the convenience store and wondered why Ian would have a service dog. Maybe she’d get a chance to ask soon.

The small café nestled in the corner offered a bit of privacy if they could grab the last booth on the right. “Do you see a television anywhere?”

She glanced around. “No. Let’s just hope no one’s watching the news on their laptops.”

He slid in the seat opposite her and pulled his baseball cap lower. He slipped on the low-powered reading glasses. At Ian’s signal, Gus took up residence under the table and placed his
head on his paws. Ian looked at her over the top of the glasses. “You want some coffee?”

“No, I
need
some coffee.” She set her back to the wall and gazed out over the store, processing it from the distance, formulating a plan. “And make it a double.”

“Where are they?” Gunter shouted, then spewed obscenities as he realized they’d slipped away.

Nick glared. “They don’t have a car, it’s freezing cold out here. Where are they going to go?”

“To a hotel, where else?” Hector said. “Or maybe friends who would take them in and not call the cops on them.”

“Right. To a hotel. Or friends.” Gunter snorted. “That’s what you idiots would do. Obviously they’re smarter than you two.”

Victor Stroebel stared at the men who worked for him. They’d failed him and he should shoot them all, leaving their carcasses for the rats that foraged behind the small gas station. He lit his cigarette and flicked the lighter closed. “Shut up.” Though his words were quiet, they had greater effect than if he’d shouted. The other three men froze and slowly turned to look at him. If he hadn’t been so irritated at the fact that Lockwood was still alive, he might have laughed at the fear he could instill by just being in their presence. They weren’t used to seeing him, as he usually called the shots from behind the scenes. But this was too important. And as soon as they’d outlived their usefulness, they would die, but for now, he needed them—and their fear-induced loyalty.

He drew in a deep breath. “Priority number one. Find out everything you can about Ian Lockwood and his pretty companion, Jackie Sellers. I want to know every single teeny tiny detail about their lives. I want family names and numbers, co-workers,
friends, everything. And then find me something I can use to lure them out into the open.”

“Uh . . . like what, boss?” Gunter asked.

Victor simply looked at the man. “Like a kid or a relative we can snatch and hold for ransom. Or in this case, a trade. Only it won’t be a trade, they all have to die.”

“Right, right. I got it. Okay. We’ll get right on it.” The man paused and anxiety had him nearly twitching.

“What is it, Gunter?” Vic asked as though he had all the patience in the world.

“Um . . . well, should we keep looking for them?”

Idiot. Victor lifted his gun, thankful he’d already placed the suppressor on the end, and shot the man in the forehead.

The other two gaped, backing away in terror.

Victor shoved the weapon into the back of his waistband. “Where are you going?” They froze. “Get in the car.” They scrambled to obey. Victor climbed in the back. “Now what have you learned tonight, boys?” Neither man volunteered an answer. “I’m waiting.”

“I’ll tell you what I learned, boss,” Hector said, his voice not quite steady.

“What’s that, son?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Victor smiled.

10:30 P.M.

Jackie walked over to Ian, who stood in line to order. “I’ll be right back.”

His gaze bored into hers. “Where are you going?”

“The ladies’ room.” She handed him the phone still in the package. “While I’m there, could you get this thing working and charging? There’s a plug right near the table.”

“Okay.”

“But don’t make any calls yet, all right?”

Confusion knit his brows together. She could see the protest hovering on his lips.

“Just please? You’re asking an awful lot of me by not going to the cops and telling them what’s going on, so humor me, okay?”

He gave her a long stare. She shifted, but didn’t look away. Finally he nodded and lowered his voice. “You’re not going to turn me in?”

“Ian, if I was going to do that, we wouldn’t be here right now.” But she didn’t want him making any calls until she had a plan. And while one was in the process of forming, it wasn’t fully developed yet.

He sighed. “All right.”

“Just don’t sit where someone looking in can see you.”

“Right.”

She pulled her gaze away from him and took note of the layout of the store as she made her way to the ladies’ room. Once inside, she kept her eyes down and head averted. One other person stood at the sink washing her hands. Jackie slipped into the nearest stall and hung the backpack on a hook. She took the baseball cap from her head and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, then threaded the mass through the opening of the ball cap.

She heard the other occupant leave. After finishing her business, she stepped out of the stall, washed her hands, then exited the restroom. With a glance around to make sure no one was watching her with any real interest, she strolled down the aisle and slipped into position near the Employees Only door. With careful deliberation, she perused the books on the nearby shelf.

It cost her about a ten-minute wait, but her patience finally paid off. She just hoped Ian was still waiting on her and hadn’t decided she’d turned him in. She got the information she needed and made her way back to the booth, pulling off the backpack and sliding in opposite Ian, where he had two cups of coffee and two pizzas waiting. “Okay, I know you want to call your brother, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

He stiffened. “Why not?”

“Think about it. The first people law enforcement are going to contact are your relatives, checking anyone who’d be willing to harbor a fugitive.”

He went quiet and shoved his wallet back into his pocket, picked up one of the two cups of coffee he’d placed on the table, and took a sip. Jackie took note of the phone charging just like she’d asked.

She reached for the coffee. “Thanks.”

“Sure.”

After a big sip that burned all the way down, she placed her cup on the table and reached for one of the pizzas. “Smart.”

“What?”

“Getting food while we can.”

“Oh. I was just hungry and didn’t want to eat in front of you.”

She nodded to his pizza box. “Didn’t want to share either, I take it.”

He finished off his second piece in just about as many seconds. “No way.”

“You always were stingy when it came to your food.”

He snickered, but his mirth didn’t reach his eyes. “And you were always a mooch. I learned my lesson early on to get you your own food.”

Jackie finished half the pizza and pushed the box away from her. He looked at the remaining half.

“You going to eat that?”

“Now who’s the mooch?” she teased. She slid the food in front of him.

He got started on her half and she got up to throw the other box away. All the while, her eyes never rested. She let them slide over the faces of the people nearest her. Then back to Ian.

He had his attention focused on the window while he chewed. His forehead creased and she couldn’t help wonder if he was seeing anything other than his internal thoughts.

Standing near the trash can, Jackie stuck her hand into the pocket of her sweatshirt and wrapped her fingers around her personal cell phone. She debated. A quick call or a short text would bring help.

And probably the people tracking them. If her face was already on the evening news, she had no doubt they had the ability to ping her phone.

But that might not be a bad thing, right? Get them out in the open, have backup waiting on them, and grab them. Then again, their actions screamed power. Did she want to blatantly mess with that? Or perhaps be a bit more subtle?

Jackie tugged at the brim of her own cap and bit her lip while she studied Ian. Subtle wasn’t exactly her forte. She was trained to help people, trained to fight for the underdog. Was he the underdog? Or was he playing her? Her childhood friend wouldn’t, but what about the man he’d become? The man she hadn’t seen in fifteen years?

While she pondered those questions, she made a slow three-sixty, thinking, watching, planning.

An idea in mind, she turned to go back to the table when she saw Ian on the phone. Her blood pressure shot up and she marched over to him. “What are you doing?” she hissed.

He turned his back to her and the others in the area and spoke in a low voice. One so low, she almost couldn’t hear him. She slid back into the booth and leaned closer.

“Hey man, I know you’ve seen the news. I’ve got to keep this short. Basically, I need your car. Can you bring it to me?” He tilted his head and lifted his eyes to meet Jackie’s. She saw a guilty apology there with a hint of defiance. “I know it looks bad, but if I turn myself in, I’m toast.” More listening. “People are trying to kill me and the cops are trying to arrest me. I need your help.” The person on the other end said something else. Ian squeezed his eyes shut and she could see his effort to keep his impatience and frustration in check. “Yes, I think I know why they’re trying to kill me, I just haven’t had a chance to do anything about it yet. Running for my life has kind of brought everything else to a screeching halt.” He paused, then snorted. “No one’s going to fight for me, but me.” His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “It’s been
that way all my life, Terry. Why would you think it’s going to change now?”

Terry. Ian’s brother. She wanted to groan. Instead, she pressed her lips together. He was right. She remembered the skinny, pimply-faced teenager he’d been. He’d definitely had no sense of fashion and he’d been awkward, clumsy, and shy. The bullies had honed in on him like ants on cake at a picnic. And his parents hadn’t done much about it that she recalled.

He nodded. “Great. Great. Thanks.” He paused and listened and Jackie felt the tension in her belly grow. “I don’t want to give the address over the phone, but you remember where we used to go after working out? That’s where we are.” He sucked in a breath. “Thanks, Terry. And make sure no one follows you, okay?”

“He’s coming?” she asked.

“He’ll be here in ten.”

She had a really bad feeling about this. She leaned forward. “Why did you call him without clearing that with me?”

His jaw tensed. “You’re not in charge here, Jackie. You broke into my house, remember? I’m sorry you got caught in the middle, but it’s time for us to part ways.”

“I don’t think you get it, Ian,” she murmured. “Whatever
this
is, it’s bigger than you. You won’t beat it on your own.”

He groaned. “I understand this is what you do for a living—help people. But I feel awful you’re involved. I want you to go to the cops and tell them everything.”

“But, Ian, you’re—”

He held up a hand. “I’m serious.” He swallowed hard. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to end very well and I don’t want to take you down with me. Terry’s going to bring me his car and I’m going to leave. I’m assuming you’ll call someone to pick you up. If you would make sure Terry gets home safe too, I’d appreciate it.”

She stared at him, mouth open, disbelief rendering her speechless. Did he really believe it was going to go down like that? She leaned forward.
Be nice, Jackie. Don’t say something you’ll regret. This
isn’t his line of work. He doesn’t do
this every day. Guard your tongue—
“Don’t start being stupid,” she snapped.

He blinked, then anger glinted. “I’m not being stu—”

“Or a martyr then. There’s no playing nice in this game.” She slapped a hand to the table and tried to loosen the muscles around her jaw when she saw people stop mid-bite to stare at them. She took a deep breath and leaned back. “These people have messed with me now too. Even if I go to the cops at this point, there’s no guarantee they’ll believe me. I’m in this for the long haul. This thing won’t end well if you don’t have some help. Now let me tell you how this is going to work.” She reached for the backpack. “We’re leaving. Now.”

He stared up at her. “Terry will be here shortly.”

“No, Ian.” Weariness hit her. How could she make him understand? “The cops will be here shortly. They probably listened to every word of that conversation you just had with Terry.”

“How? It’s an untraceable phone.”

“But Terry’s isn’t. As soon as you became a person of interest in a terrorist plot, every immediate family member who’s close by—and probably some who aren’t—had their phone tapped. And while you didn’t give the address of the café, all they have to do is follow him.”

He went silent for a brief second, then stood. “I’m an idiot. Let’s go before—”

She looked at him as she slid out of the booth.

Hands curled into fists, he had his eyes on the front door of the store. “Cops,” he said.

She turned her head to see the two uniformed officers stroll
in. Their body language shouted their tension. One went left, one started toward the café. “And there are probably more on the way.” She grabbed his hand. “Walk toward the back of the store and lean into me like you’re listening to something I’m saying.”

He grabbed the bags from the floor and Gus’s leash in one hand, then wrapped his free arm around her shoulder to tuck her up next to him. “And here we go again.”

What had he done? He’d been stupid, that’s what. He and Gus stayed right with Jackie as she weaved in and out of book aisles. He’d meant well and wound up putting them all in danger again. Not just he and Jackie, but now he’d dragged his brother into it. Ian tightened his jaw.

Time to stop being stupid.

She stopped and punched the code in for the Employees Only door and shut it behind them.

“You went to the bathroom, huh?”

She gave him a tight smile. “Yes. And on a scouting mission. For every one way in, always have two ways out.”

“Nice.” She was smart. And right. He needed her. He studied her. She didn’t look too much different than when they were in high school. Bouncy blonde curls, blue eyes that could frost over when angry or reach into your soul when empathizing. Right now, they were hard and determined. She led him to a back room. A conference table sat in the center, surrounded by plush chairs. Another door was in the corner of the room that would lead them to the parking lot.

He pulled the phone from his pocket and dialed Terry’s number.

“I didn’t tell them you were here,” his brother blurted after
half a ring. “I’m in the parking lot. As soon as I turned in, a cruiser did too.” Ian heard the man swallow. “And now they’re coming toward my car. I’ve got to go. Get out of here if you can. I won’t tell them anything, I promise.”

Again Jackie had been right after all. Why wasn’t he surprised? “No. Tell them everything. Be honest and hold nothing back. It’s the best way to avoid getting in—” Ian realized he was talking to dead air.

He looked at Jackie. “What do you want to do?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and he felt remorse nearly bring him to his knees.

“You know what?” he said. “I’m going back to my original plan. You shouldn’t even be involved in this.”

She dropped her hand and looked up. “Well, I am and I’m afraid there’s no going back to any original plan. We’re going with the whatever-works-do-it plan as of right now. And I need you to start thinking because I don’t have one of those at the moment.” She moved to the door, opened it, and looked out.

“I’m not a terrorist. I didn’t betray my country. These guys set me up fast and good, but there’s no reason for me to take you down too. I’ll figure something out. I just know I’m not going to jail for something I didn’t do.”

She shut the door. “It’s clear for now. Let’s go.”

“No. You just tell them I grabbed you and forced you to go with me. Tell them whatever it takes to stay out of trouble, but I’m not involving you anymore.”

“Ian, stop being—”

“Where do you need to go? I’ll take you.” The soft voice to his right sent his heart pounding. Ian jerked around to see a young woman about eighteen years old. She stared at Gus for a moment, then lifted her eyes to meet his.

Jackie moved toward the exit. “Thank you, but we can’t
involve you.” She paused and glanced at the door behind the young woman. “But if you could hold off on telling anyone we were back here, I’d appreciate it.”

The girl stepped in front of Jackie, cutting her off. “I heard what you said. That you were set up. I believe you and I want to help.”

“Why?” Ian whispered.