and wouldn’t be left behind. It was almost as if the young woman knew Roni would come looking for her to free her. So why run and hide when freedom was being handed to you? The idea was ludicrous.
“FBI! Stop right there.”
Roni paused with her hand on the doorknob to her own freedom. One look at the man barreling down on her and she didn’t get the warm fuzzies. It was a tree trunk of a man, including his thick neck leading up to a shaved head. His hazel eyes glittered with determination, her as the destination.
Ethan had mentioned something about someone setting her up to take the fall. This guy apparently didn’t know.
“I’m not who you want. They’re in the dining room,” she announced.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Roni pulled the door wide and let it slam behind her. She took the stairs two at a time and reached the landing just as the door pulled open above.
“Freeze or I will shoot!”
She didn’t waste the time to check to see if he held a gun on her, but took a right down a long hall. Footsteps behind thudding down the stairs pushed her into a faster run for the door at the end of the hall. Would it be locked?
Roni reached it and sighed heavily when it opened to a multibay garage. She turned the lock and slammed it closed as the FBI man on her tail hit the landing.
He shouted, “Veronica Spencer, you’re under arr—”
Roni whipped around and scanned the ten or so cars before her. She held the key fob up and knew exactly what car it belonged to before she clicked the button to unlock it. The key fob was the most expensive car key ever made. Its dark shiny finish wasn’t a finish at all, but sapphire crystals so the key never scratched.
She passed by five cars, all fast enough to hightail her out of here no problem. The Porsche would have felt right at home, but Maddie chose one even better.
Just ahead sat James Bond’s most favorite car.
Roni’s boots clicked speedily along the clean painted cement as her hand reached out for the door handle of the Aston Martin. But before she opened it, a movement inside stopped her.
Someone waited for her in the backseat.
Roni looked back at the exit, the door handle jangling from the FBI agent trying to break it from the other side. She looked back at the car’s tinted windows. The known for the unknown.
She pulled the door wide, saying, “Who’s in there?”
Slowly a face in the rear seat popped up. The black silky hair gave the answer away before Roni saw the face. “You—you said I could go with you, but if you changed your mind—”
“Maddie! No, of course not.” Roni ran to the garage door and lifted it open. She jumped into the driver’s seat and inserted the key fob into its place. She pushed it through and the car purred to life. “You’re brilliant, Maddie, for coming down here and waiting. I thought I was going to have to go back inside to find you.”
“You would have gone back in? For me?”
“I meant what I said. I’m getting you out of here. Now buckle up. We’re about to fly.”
Tires screeched over the cement as Roni floored the gas pedal and the car raced for the open door. Roni expected a blockade but wasn’t complaining when her view stayed free and clear. She picked up speed and took the sharp right as if the car drove a straight line. So smooth, she reflected.
“You picked a great car, Ma—”
A man jumped in front of the speeding car, causing Roni to slam on the brakes, jackknifing it into a screeching side skid.
The vehicle halted inches from Ethan Gunn.
He banged on the window. “Open up!”
“Get out of my way,” Roni replied.
“Roni, trust me.”
“You said that before, and all you did was cover yourself.”
“I had to, or we’d both be dead.”
“You could have told me you were FBI.”
“No, I couldn’t. I’m undercover. That comes with stipulations, one being secrecy.”
“And let’s not forget you think I’m a criminal,” she shot back.
“I did. I don’t
“FBI! Stop right there.”
Roni paused with her hand on the doorknob to her own freedom. One look at the man barreling down on her and she didn’t get the warm fuzzies. It was a tree trunk of a man, including his thick neck leading up to a shaved head. His hazel eyes glittered with determination, her as the destination.
Ethan had mentioned something about someone setting her up to take the fall. This guy apparently didn’t know.
“I’m not who you want. They’re in the dining room,” she announced.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Roni pulled the door wide and let it slam behind her. She took the stairs two at a time and reached the landing just as the door pulled open above.
“Freeze or I will shoot!”
She didn’t waste the time to check to see if he held a gun on her, but took a right down a long hall. Footsteps behind thudding down the stairs pushed her into a faster run for the door at the end of the hall. Would it be locked?
Roni reached it and sighed heavily when it opened to a multibay garage. She turned the lock and slammed it closed as the FBI man on her tail hit the landing.
He shouted, “Veronica Spencer, you’re under arr—”
Roni whipped around and scanned the ten or so cars before her. She held the key fob up and knew exactly what car it belonged to before she clicked the button to unlock it. The key fob was the most expensive car key ever made. Its dark shiny finish wasn’t a finish at all, but sapphire crystals so the key never scratched.
She passed by five cars, all fast enough to hightail her out of here no problem. The Porsche would have felt right at home, but Maddie chose one even better.
Just ahead sat James Bond’s most favorite car.
Roni’s boots clicked speedily along the clean painted cement as her hand reached out for the door handle of the Aston Martin. But before she opened it, a movement inside stopped her.
Someone waited for her in the backseat.
Roni looked back at the exit, the door handle jangling from the FBI agent trying to break it from the other side. She looked back at the car’s tinted windows. The known for the unknown.
She pulled the door wide, saying, “Who’s in there?”
Slowly a face in the rear seat popped up. The black silky hair gave the answer away before Roni saw the face. “You—you said I could go with you, but if you changed your mind—”
“Maddie! No, of course not.” Roni ran to the garage door and lifted it open. She jumped into the driver’s seat and inserted the key fob into its place. She pushed it through and the car purred to life. “You’re brilliant, Maddie, for coming down here and waiting. I thought I was going to have to go back inside to find you.”
“You would have gone back in? For me?”
“I meant what I said. I’m getting you out of here. Now buckle up. We’re about to fly.”
Tires screeched over the cement as Roni floored the gas pedal and the car raced for the open door. Roni expected a blockade but wasn’t complaining when her view stayed free and clear. She picked up speed and took the sharp right as if the car drove a straight line. So smooth, she reflected.
“You picked a great car, Ma—”
A man jumped in front of the speeding car, causing Roni to slam on the brakes, jackknifing it into a screeching side skid.
The vehicle halted inches from Ethan Gunn.
He banged on the window. “Open up!”
“Get out of my way,” Roni replied.
“Roni, trust me.”
“You said that before, and all you did was cover yourself.”
“I had to, or we’d both be dead.”
“You could have told me you were FBI.”
“No, I couldn’t. I’m undercover. That comes with stipulations, one being secrecy.”
“And let’s not forget you think I’m a criminal,” she shot back.
“I did. I don’t
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