“We’d never leave you alone here in the dark,” Summer said. “Louie and Mac are looking after Sam. We’re good waiting with you.”
While her expression remained serious, his sister’s blue eyes twinkled with mischief. Josh groaned again even as he admitted he deserved Summer’s teasing. He and Dillon had interfered in her romantic life from the moment their parents had given Summer permission to date.
The riff from his phone—the first few bars of theJawstheme song—stopped the conversation.
“Hello.”
“It’s Ashley,” a tremulous voice said. “My car died.”
“Where are you?” Josh demanded. “We’ll come and get you.”
Ashley rattled off the address, although it meant nothing to him.
“We’ll be there soon. Are you off the road?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Hang tight. Keep the doors locked. Ashley, I’m with my sister and her husband. We’re in a black SUV.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Give me a sec to tell Nikolai where to find you, then we’ll talk. You stay on the line.”
“Yes.” This time she sounded a fraction more confident.
“Where are we going?” Nikolai asked.
“I’m on Ruru Road. Do you know it?”
“No, but we’ll find it with GPS,” Josh said.
They piled in the SUV.
“Got it,” Summer said after inputting their destination. “We’ll be around ten minutes.”
“Did you hear that, Ash? We’ll be with you in ten minutes. Is there anyone nearby?”
“No. A few cars but no pedestrians. I was driving, and suddenly, the car stopped responding. It was fine during the drive to the meeting.”
Josh listened with approval. Good, she was steadier now. He’d keep her talking, distract her. “How did your meeting go? Do you normally go by yourself?”
“The meeting went well. There was one guy who asked a strange question, but other than that, it was a regular gathering where I discussed our policies with a Q and A afterward.”
“What was the strange question? Did you recognize the guy?”
“He asked about secrets. Everyone seemed confused, but no, he wasn’t familiar. He acted as if I should know him or at least understand what he meant.”
“Description?”
“A long black coat. A beanie covered his hair. I didn’t see what color it was because of the hat. A black beard. Tall. Over six-feet, I’d say.”
“Did you see him after the meeting?”
“No, he disappeared. I never saw him leave the hall.”
“What is your schedule? I have a few clothes, but I’ll have to buy more while I’m up here. My sister tells me I mustn’t embarrass you.”
“Most of the meetings are in halls, so tidy jeans and a nice shirt and jacket are fine. Oh, I have a breakfast meeting with the local business owners. Next week, I have a meeting with the other Labor candidates in Wellington.”
