He was touched by her words. Kendra was sweet, kind, and honorable. As he struggled to find the words to tell her how much she meant to him, she released his hand to cup his cheek. Then she leaned in for a kiss.
The brief caress of her mouth against his fried his brain cells. He savored her sweetness, then abruptly broke away when the gas station lights flipped on, bathing them in light.
“I—uh.” He had no clue what to say. He felt like he was in high school again, kissing his girlfriend in the front seat of his truck. Although back then, he would have been the one behind the wheel. Kendra deserved better.
Yet she was the one who’d kissed him. Not the other way around.
“Um . . .” He had no idea what to say.
“I guess we can get gas now.” A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She appeared amused by his discomfort. “But let’s just wait another few minutes. I want to be sure that truck doesn’t turn around and come back.”
The truck. He forced himself to focus on the threat of danger. Not on how much he wanted to kiss Kendra again. “You really think the gunman is driving around searching for us?”
She shrugged. “Why not? For all we know, the guy has my license plate number. If so, we need to rent a vehicle. Or swap license plates with another car.”
“Swapping plates is against the law.” As soon as he uttered the words, he realized how ridiculous they sounded. Better to break the law and remain alive than continue driving around with a target on their back. “But if you think we should make a swap, I’ll figure out a way to get it done.”
“Getting a rental might be better, only because the crate area of the SUV may be too noticeable.” She frowned, then started the car. “Unfortunately, the Sullivan family is well known in the area. Everyone knows we have crates and special features built into our SUVs for our K9s.”
He nodded in understanding. The crate area was distinctive and could be seen from a distance. “Whatever you think is best.”
She shifted into gear and pulled away from the side of the building. “We’ll fill up with gas first since the rental agencies won’t be open for several hours. Then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”
He didn’t argue. His expertise was technology, not figuring out how to hide from a gunman who seemed to find them no matter where they went.
Was it possible this guy had similar computer hacking skills that he did? Dominic knew his knowledge wasn’t unique. A lot of people could do what he did.
The thought nagged at him as Kendra pulled up to a gas pump. He pushed out of the passenger seat, relieved for the opportunity to stretch his legs. Hunching his shoulders against the cold, he strode into the station/convenience store to prepay. Removing a couple of twenty-dollar bills from his pocket, he slid them across the counter. “Please release pump number four.”
“Got it.” The clerk pushed a button. “Go ahead.”
Dom quickly headed back outside. Kendra was already out of the vehicle with the gas nozzle tucked into her fuel tank. He stepped forward. “I’ll do this. Get back inside where it’s warm.”
She shrugged. “Thanks, I’ll let Smoky out.”
He watched as she told the fluffy dog to get busy. Then he grinned as the K9 jumped into the snowbank, seemingly eager to romp and play.
Maybe he should get a dog once this nightmare was over. He worked from home most of the time, so there was no reason he shouldn’t have a pet.
When the gas tank was full, he replaced the nozzle and headed back inside. Kendra and Smoky accompanied him.
“Do you have gas station video surveillance?” Kendra asked.
The clerk frowned. “Yeah, but you don’t look like a Cody police officer.”
“I’m not, but I can ask them to head over here if necessary. Burt Jones and Sergeant Tom Howell are friends of the Sullivan family.” Kendra gestured to the pumps outside. “Does your camera record all night? Or just during the hours you’re open? We’re interested in seeing the video from the past thirty minutes or so.”
“It’s on all night.” The clerk pushed the couple dollars in change for the gas toward Dominic. “But I’m not supposed to give the video out to anyone but the police.”
“Great, I’ll call them.” Kendra reached into her pocket for her phone.
“Okay, okay.” The clerk threw up his hands. “Since you’re a Sullivan, I’ll show you the video.”
Dom was surprised the guy gave in to Kendra’s request. Apparently, her family was next to royalty in this city. He doubted the gunman had taken the Sullivan notoriety into the equation when he’d targeted them.
“Here’s the video.” The clerk turned the screen so they could see it. He was impressed the video was so readily available. “You want to see the past thirty minutes or so, right?”
“Correct.” Kendra leaned in as the clerk backed up the video and hit play.
