they don’t follow.”
Katie curled up on the seat in a fetal position. “David said that he’d changed the license plate.”
“Yeah, well, they might be curious anyway.”
“David said he thought nobody knew,” she whispered.
Luc was silent for a moment. “I guess he was wrong.”
He kept the Nova traveling at a sedate pace. To Katie, they seemed to creep down the road. She could tell Luc was restraining himself when he really wanted to speed off. But that would have been a dead giveaway.
Dead.
Somebody wanted her dead.
It was a long time before Luc finally relaxed. “I don’t think they followed us. You can sit up now.”
Katie sat and stared at him. He kept his eyes on the road.
“How many times do I have to say that I’m sorry?” he asked softly. Bitterly.
She couldn’t answer because the full reality of her situation had finally hit her. Someone had found her apartment. Someone hated her. Someone wanted to hurt her—to kill her.
This was real.
“Do…” Katie cleared her throat and started again, desperate for some normalcy. Desperate to turn the clock back to this morning. “Do you want me to drive for a while?”
“No.” He paused. “I don’t want to get lost.” It was a feeble attempt at humor.
“Where are we going?”
“New Jersey. It’s going to take a little while to get there. Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
Katie nodded and looked out the window again. Her mind was blank. Numb.
“Katie, go to sleep.”
She smiled a little bit in spite of everything. Definite dictator tendencies.
“It’s not something you can force, you know.” She rested her head on the back of the seat and watched the lights and the darkness slide past the window. She was tired, but there was no way she could sleep. How could anyone sleep when life was so uncertain?
“Luc?” she asked.
“Hmm.”
“What’s going to happen to me now?”
He didn’t answer right away. “You’re coming to my house. You know that.”
“I mean after that.”
“We’ll have to play it by ear.”
He was trying to be evasive, but she couldn’t let him. He probably didn’t want to frighten her, but it was too late for that. She turned away from the window and tried to see his face.
“He’s not going to go away, is he?” she asked.
“Katie—”
“Don’t lie to me.” Her voice rose and she forced herself to calm down. “Please don’t lie to me. I saw his face. I saw his eyes. He already found me. He already had people at my apartment.”
“We’re not sure—”
“Luc!” She straightened and put a hand on his forearm. The muscles tensed under her fingers until they were like steel. “It had to be him. He must have gotten word out somehow.”
“Maybe he had a cell phone he ditched at the quarry,” Luc said reluctantly. “Or it was the lawyer. Maybe even the judge.”
She shuddered. Powerful, well-connected people could be dangerous. If nothing else, her experience with Tom had taught her that much. “Tell me the truth,” she said. “Frankie Silvano is not going away, is he?”
He was quiet a long time. “No,” he finally admitted. “No, most likely he won’t go away.”
“Then this isn’t going to blow over.” She was talking as much to herself as she was to him. “This is long term.”
“Yes. Until we get Frankie, you will be at risk.”
Katie nodded and dropped her hand. It was what she had expected him to say, but hearing the words was still a shock. She thought of all of the loose ends, all of the things she wanted to do, needed to do, all of her responsibilities. She was supposed to help her boss prepare for a presentation to the board of directors on Wednesday. Kato was due for his inspection. Her parents’ thirty-sixth wedding anniversary was coming up. Her baby sister Fiona might actually get a college degree at the end of the fall semester. Melanie had asked her if she’d wanted to go shopping in Philadelphia. So many little things…
“My
Katie curled up on the seat in a fetal position. “David said that he’d changed the license plate.”
“Yeah, well, they might be curious anyway.”
“David said he thought nobody knew,” she whispered.
Luc was silent for a moment. “I guess he was wrong.”
He kept the Nova traveling at a sedate pace. To Katie, they seemed to creep down the road. She could tell Luc was restraining himself when he really wanted to speed off. But that would have been a dead giveaway.
Dead.
Somebody wanted her dead.
It was a long time before Luc finally relaxed. “I don’t think they followed us. You can sit up now.”
Katie sat and stared at him. He kept his eyes on the road.
“How many times do I have to say that I’m sorry?” he asked softly. Bitterly.
She couldn’t answer because the full reality of her situation had finally hit her. Someone had found her apartment. Someone hated her. Someone wanted to hurt her—to kill her.
This was real.
“Do…” Katie cleared her throat and started again, desperate for some normalcy. Desperate to turn the clock back to this morning. “Do you want me to drive for a while?”
“No.” He paused. “I don’t want to get lost.” It was a feeble attempt at humor.
“Where are we going?”
“New Jersey. It’s going to take a little while to get there. Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
Katie nodded and looked out the window again. Her mind was blank. Numb.
“Katie, go to sleep.”
She smiled a little bit in spite of everything. Definite dictator tendencies.
“It’s not something you can force, you know.” She rested her head on the back of the seat and watched the lights and the darkness slide past the window. She was tired, but there was no way she could sleep. How could anyone sleep when life was so uncertain?
“Luc?” she asked.
“Hmm.”
“What’s going to happen to me now?”
He didn’t answer right away. “You’re coming to my house. You know that.”
“I mean after that.”
“We’ll have to play it by ear.”
He was trying to be evasive, but she couldn’t let him. He probably didn’t want to frighten her, but it was too late for that. She turned away from the window and tried to see his face.
“He’s not going to go away, is he?” she asked.
“Katie—”
“Don’t lie to me.” Her voice rose and she forced herself to calm down. “Please don’t lie to me. I saw his face. I saw his eyes. He already found me. He already had people at my apartment.”
“We’re not sure—”
“Luc!” She straightened and put a hand on his forearm. The muscles tensed under her fingers until they were like steel. “It had to be him. He must have gotten word out somehow.”
“Maybe he had a cell phone he ditched at the quarry,” Luc said reluctantly. “Or it was the lawyer. Maybe even the judge.”
She shuddered. Powerful, well-connected people could be dangerous. If nothing else, her experience with Tom had taught her that much. “Tell me the truth,” she said. “Frankie Silvano is not going away, is he?”
He was quiet a long time. “No,” he finally admitted. “No, most likely he won’t go away.”
“Then this isn’t going to blow over.” She was talking as much to herself as she was to him. “This is long term.”
“Yes. Until we get Frankie, you will be at risk.”
Katie nodded and dropped her hand. It was what she had expected him to say, but hearing the words was still a shock. She thought of all of the loose ends, all of the things she wanted to do, needed to do, all of her responsibilities. She was supposed to help her boss prepare for a presentation to the board of directors on Wednesday. Kato was due for his inspection. Her parents’ thirty-sixth wedding anniversary was coming up. Her baby sister Fiona might actually get a college degree at the end of the fall semester. Melanie had asked her if she’d wanted to go shopping in Philadelphia. So many little things…
“My
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