Watch Your Back (12 page)

They’d left Stevie’s house in two vehicles. She and Cordelia were with JD. Paige had picked up Clay, Alec, and Emma in her old pickup truck as Clay’s truck – now riddled with bullet holes – had been towed away.

They’d parted ways, Clay and Paige taking Emma to her hotel and Stevie and JD supposedly headed toward the safe house Hyatt had arranged, she and Cordelia in the backseat. Her daughter was buckled in, but Stevie wasn’t. Gun in hand, she sat as close to Cordelia as she could without sitting on top of her.

Cordelia clutched her favorite stuffed bunny, a gift Paul had bought her before he’d been killed. Her daughter couldn’t sleep without it. Stevie hadn’t thought to bring it with them, but Clay had made sure her daughter had packed whatever she needed to sleep.

After he left her sitting at her kitchen table, he’d been on the phone non-stop, planning. The only thing she’d had to do was to tell her family not to worry. And not to try to find them.

Wherever it was that they were going. Clay hadn’t told her, which was infuriating. But logical. He hadn’t said it out loud, so no one would know except him.

What the fucking hell am I doing?
How had he talked her into this? Into trusting him? He’d given her those sad dark eyes of his, flexed his pecs to distract her, pushed the mommy guilt button . . . 
Whoa. Stop right there
.

He hadn’t done any of those things. His eyes had been sad, because
he’d
been sad. The flexing of the pecs was something Stevie had noticed because he’d been sitting at her table without a shirt the whole time and what woman with a pulse wouldn’t notice?

And he’d never pushed the mommy guilt button. Not once.

He’d told her the truth. As much as it hurt, he’d told her the honest truth. And used logic.

Normally she liked logic. Respected it. But not when it was being used to bend her will. And not when she was in the wrong. As she had been.

She pressed a kiss to Cordelia’s head. Her daughter had been in pain and Stevie hadn’t understood. Hadn’t seen what her own child needed. ‘I love you, baby,’ she whispered.

‘I love you, too, Mommy. Don’t be afraid. It’ll all be fine.’

‘I know, honey. It will be.’

‘I asked Mr Maynard to get you a black cane,’ Cordelia said. ‘I think the sparkly one is pretty, but not safe. Somebody could see you coming from far away.’

Stevie found she could still smile. ‘You are a smart girl, you know that?’

Cordelia’s sweet smile was a balm to her heart. ‘When this is over, can I see the horses?’

Stevie laughed softly. Canny kid. ‘You are your daddy’s daughter. He could charm the song out of a bird. But then he’d give it right back, because he’d feel bad for the bird.’

Cordelia fingered the locket around her throat. ‘Uncle JD, I have the locket you gave me.’ JD’s gift for Cordelia’s graduation from kindergarten, the locket held a photo of her dad’s face. ‘Mr Maynard said I should take anything I couldn’t sleep without.’

Stevie thought of the backpack next to her feet. Clay had said the same thing to her and she’d had less than five minutes to consider what those things would be. Practical things. Precious things. Irreplaceable things. Her computer. Paul’s favorite sweatshirt that she’d never washed and still bore the faintest hint of his scent. Her son’s stuffed bear. She’d stood in the bedroom she’d shared with Paul, nearly frozen for three of those five minutes, trying to decide what to take. The final two minutes she’d spent searching for the things she’d ended up packing.

It had taken Cordelia less than thirty seconds. She’d grabbed the stuffed bunny and the locket Emma had needed to fasten around her neck. Stevie’s hands had been shaking too badly to manage the clasp.

JD looked at them in the rearview mirror. ‘That’s good, honey. You have your dad in the locket, right there with you.’

‘And you, too. I took my picture out of the other side and put yours in there. I can see me anytime. So . . . where are we going?’

‘Somewhere safe, Cordy. That’s all I know,’ he said soberly, but his voice held suppressed laughter. Cordelia was very good at worming information out of people.

‘I don’t know,’ Stevie said before Cordelia could turn the question on her. ‘Truly. No idea.’

Cordelia’s frustrated sigh echoed Stevie’s feelings exactly.

JD’s car was silent after that, the drone of the engine nearly putting Stevie to sleep. After driving in circles for the better part of an hour, he’d turned off onto a particularly lonely road, close to the airport, but far from the main highway.

Headlights behind them had Stevie tensing. She tightened her grip on her gun, her heart taking off at a gallop when a red SUV pulled from a side road in front of them.

They were hemmed in.

‘Relax, Stevie,’ JD said softly. ‘All part of the plan.’

The red SUV up ahead slowed and more headlights appeared behind them. The vehicles had come out of that same side road. Two black Escalades overtook them, one on either side of JD’s vehicle. Stevie relaxed then. She recognized the Escalades.

One belonged to Grayson Smith, who worked for the State’s Attorney’s office. He’d been her friend for years. The other belonged to Joseph Carter, Grayson’s brother and a special agent with the FBI. She trusted both men implicitly.

Of course, she’d trusted Silas, too.
So how good are your instincts, really?

No. Not goin’ there
. She forced the self-doubt from her mind. Cordelia needed her alert and aware. Not second-guessing herself. When JD came to a stop, she looked behind them, unsurprised to see Paige’s old pickup truck, Paige behind the wheel and Clay riding shotgun. They were protected on all sides.

The driver got out of the red SUV in front of them and Stevie blinked. In the headlights the man looked . . . different. Like he’d stepped out of an action movie. He had white hair and wore a black leather trenchcoat that flapped in the wind. ‘Who is
that
?’

JD chuckled. ‘Special Agent Deacon Novak. He works for Joseph. I worked with him back in December when you were in the hospital. He’s a character.’ A redheaded woman got out on the passenger side. Both wore tactical body armor and carried automatic rifles. ‘That’s Special Agent Kate Coppola,’ JD added. ‘Joseph trusts them both. So do I.’

‘They mean business,’ Stevie murmured, touched and comforted. And feeling safer.

Joseph got out of the SUV to their left and opened his back passenger door before opening Cordelia’s door. ‘Hey there, Cordy,’ he said. ‘I hear you’ve had an exciting day.’

‘
Tell
me about it,’ she said dramatically, making him smile. ‘Are you going with us?’

‘Nope. But you’re going in my Escalade. It’s got bullet-resistant glass,’ he added to Stevie, ‘as does Grayson’s. Not bullet-proof, but as close as you’re going to get unless you live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.’

‘Then that’s pretty good,’ Stevie said, glad her voice didn’t wobble. ‘Thank you, Joseph.’

‘You know better than to thank me,’ he said roughly. ‘You’ve saved enough lives, Stevie. It’s our turn to help you.’

Stevie knew he spoke of the bullet she’d put in Marina Craig’s head in December. Marina’s next bullet had his fiancée Daphne’s name on it.

He opened his arms to Cordelia. ‘Come on, squirt. Let’s get this party movin’.’

She wrapped his arms around his neck. ‘Is Tasha in there?’

He snorted. ‘Yeah, right. Your mom would hurt me.’

‘Who’s Tasha?’ Stevie asked.

‘Daphne’s dog,’ Cordelia said with a tiny whine. ‘She saves lives, too,’ she added brightly. ‘She saved Ford’s life once. Ask Joseph. He was there.’

‘It’s true,’ Joseph said, giving Cordelia a wink. ‘Dogs are excellent companions for girls.’

‘God, you are
so
your father’s daughter,’ Stevie muttered as she slid out of JD’s back seat. She paused when he rolled down his window. ‘So you did it this way so you could honestly tell Hyatt that I had myself hijacked and you have no idea where I went? Clever. Give Jeremiah a kiss from his godmother. I’ll be by soon to do it in person.’

‘You’d better,’ JD said fiercely.

‘Gotta go. I’ll find a way to contact you when we’re settled.’

The other Escalade lowered its window, revealing Grayson behind the wheel. ‘We’re going to be working on this night and day,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry. We got you.’

‘I can see that. I’m . . .’ She swallowed hard.
Overcome
. ‘Thanks.’

Paige got out of her truck, helped Emma from the backseat, and escorted her to Joseph’s SUV, making Stevie frown. ‘
Emma.
You’re not supposed to be here.’

‘Safer this way,’ Emma said. She climbed up into the front seat, her expression grim. ‘My hotel room was broken into. Everything’s a mess.’

Stevie sucked in a breath. ‘When did this happen?’

‘Sometime this afternoon after two. That’s when housekeeping made up the room.’

All of the worst possible scenarios blew through Stevie’s mind. ‘You could have walked in on them. They would have killed you.’

‘No, I couldn’t, because I didn’t go into the room. Paige did. I’d given her my key because she was going to pack a few of my things.’

Stevie looked at Paige, who nodded. ‘It was a mess,’ she confirmed. ‘Somebody really tossed the place. I called hotel security and Clay called Hyatt to let him know. He’s on it.’

‘But what were they . . .’ The rest of the question stuck in Stevie’s throat because she knew what they’d been looking for. Who they’d been looking for. ‘You, Emma. They wanted you, because you could lead them to me. You were with me in the restaurant and now you’re a target, too. You have to get out of here. You have to go home.’

Emma was trembling, but the glint in her eyes indicated it was from anger along with the fear. ‘I’m safer here, for now.’

Clay hadn’t pushed the mommy-guilt button on her, but Stevie was more than comfortable pushing it on Emma. ‘Then what about your kids? Are
they
safer?’

‘Yes, they are. If someone searched my room, they might be watching me at the airports, expecting me to go home. If I do, I’ll lead them straight to my kids. Nobody knows where they are right now except their grandparents and Christopher. My parents’ Disney hotel reservations and Christopher’s travel plans were on my laptop, but the thieves didn’t get it because I didn’t bring it with me. I promised Christopher a no-work vacation when I got to Vegas, so I left it at home. I’ve notified the police in our neighborhood in Florida. Our house was untouched. I had a friend go in and get my laptop from there.’

‘She’s also hired a private security firm to guard her family,’ Paige said. ‘But her kids are pretty untraceable. Your friend is a smart cookie, Stevie.’

And stubborn to the core, Stevie knew. ‘Emma, I am so sorry all this happened.’

Emma twisted in the seat to pin her with a glare. ‘This is
not
your fault. Do not make me say it again, or I’ll hurt you.’

Stevie took one look at her tiny friend and rolled her eyes. ‘As if.’

‘Don’t dis the doc,’ Paige said. ‘Girl’s got some skills. I’ll see that you get some clothes, Emma. And I’ll pick up your husband from the airport tomorrow. Don’t worry.’ She caught Cordelia’s eye and bowed. ‘I’ll be expecting you back in class next week. Okay?’

‘Yes, Sensei Holden,’ Cordelia said respectfully.

Paige leaned into the Escalade. ‘VCET found the red Chevy,’ she said in a low murmur.

Stevie frowned again. VCET was the Violent Crimes Enforcement Team, an FBI/BPD joint task force, led by Joseph Carter. ‘When did they take the case?’

‘Probably while you were in the ER.’ Paige frowned back. ‘Which is when you should have called us. We would have been there for you.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Stevie said, dropping her eyes. ‘I should have. I wasn’t thinking.’

‘I know. You get attacked and your brain fritzes. I thought Hyatt told you about VCET.’

‘He should have, but he didn’t. Nobody’s told me anything. Which is not okay.’

Paige shrugged. ‘They’re trying to take care of you, trying to make sure they don’t upset you further. It’s making them stingy with the information. I disagree with their tactics.’

‘So do I.’ And she’d confront Clay about it whenever they got to wherever the hell it was they were going. ‘Where did they find the red Chevy?’

‘About twenty miles from your house, along a side road.’ Paige winced a little. ‘Burned.’

‘Shit.’ Any forensic evidence went up in smoke.

‘I know.’ Paige looked over her shoulder. ‘Clay’s coming. You can yell at him about keeping secrets from you later.’

‘I will. Thanks, Paige. I appreciate it.’

Clay got behind the wheel of Joseph’s Escalade and their little convoy began to move, all the vehicles turning around, jockeying for position so that their SUV was again in the center. ‘What’s the plan, Clay?’ Stevie asked firmly.

‘We drive until we get there. We catch the bad guys. We stay alive. The end.’

‘Funny. You need to stop keeping information from me for my own good. Please.’

‘Fine. We’re going east. I’ve got a safe place for us to hide Cordelia and plan our next steps. It’s located in a little town on the Eastern Shore you’ve probably never heard of. The property is accessible by land via one gravel road and by sea via a single dock.’

‘Defendable,’ she murmured.

‘That’s the idea.’

‘Who owns it?’ she asked.

He hesitated. ‘My father.’

Stevie blinked, surprised. She’d never heard Clay speak of his family. ‘And your mother?’

‘She died,’ he said quietly. ‘A few years ago.’

‘She liked yellow flowers,’ Cordelia whispered. ‘Mr Maynard bought some to put on her grave. But he didn’t get to.’

Because somebody shot at us in my front yard
, Stevie thought, the flowers Cordelia had held now making a lot more sense. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said and he shrugged.

‘Happens.’ He cleared his throat. ‘As for the rest of the plan, most immediately, when we get to the main road, we separate. Paige will return to Emma’s hotel. She’ll stay in the room in case whoever tossed it comes back, hoping to find you there.’