“Great.” I leaned back in my chair. “He’ll kill us after all.”
“I can protect you both.” Anderson glanced between us. “Put you in a safe house.”
“He found our last one,” I snapped, bitter. “He’ll find this one.”
“Look,” Anderson said, leaning forward. “You’ll be guarded twenty-four-seven. By agentsnotunder Arnaud’s pay. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Magnus stared at the ceiling. “What does Washington have that we want? Nada. Zilch. Jade and I, we can look after ourselves. Her old man gave her money. Maybe we can fly to an unmapped beach someplace, catch a tan.”
“DeLario has people everywhere,” Anderson declared, sitting back. “TSA, airports, Border Patrol. He’ll find you.”
I chuckled. “Make your copies, Mr. Anderson. I want my computer back. I think Magnus and I can find a beach that his old man can’t find on a map.”
***
“Is that what you want to do?” Magnus asked from behind the Jeep’s steering wheel. “Fly someplace until Arnaud’s been arrested?”
“Why not? I’m hungry. Let’s find a steak place.”
“After all those donuts you ate?”
“Gawd, don’t remind me. I think I’ve got a sugar rush going on.”
“I know how you can work that off,” he commented with a naughty grin.
I ignored his suggestion, gazing at the busy traffic rushing past. “We can’t leave until the feds have finished picking our brains apart. Anderson wants us back tomorrow morning.”
“Where do you want to go?” he asked, steering the Jeep around a slower vehicle. “When we do leave?”
“An uninhabited island in the Pacific.”
“And survive on coconuts? I’d like a place with a few restaurants at least. I’ve heard Greece is fantastic to visit.”
“Okay. Lots of islands and restaurants there.”
“That was easy. With the entire world to search, Arnaud will likely be arrested before he finds us.”
“What if he escapes and flies away?” I glanced at Magnus. “Will he still try to find us?”
“I doubt it,” he answered slowly. “He wouldn’t have his resources.”
“He’ll have his money.”
Magnus clicked his tongue. “Let’s not be too pessimistic. He’ll be the one running, always looking over his shoulder.”
Traffic slowed for a construction zone, forcing us to slow as well. Heavy machinery lumbered up and down the freshly laid blacktop as workers in hard hats spread new, nasty smelling asphalt along the roadway. A flagman stepped into our path with a stop sign, forcing not just us but the vehicle beside us to halt.
Absently, thinking of Arnaud and his long reach, I watched as a big dump truck drove across in front of us. “Could he be on the run already?” I mused. “He doesn’t know where we are, where we went. He must have guessed we’d turn to the feds eventually.”
“That’s a possibility,” Magnus agreed. “Remember he’s also OCD and egotistical. He may believe no one can touch him with his high connections.”
“That’s true.” I sighed. “The governor may extend certain protections.”
“Right.”
The flagman stepped to the side of the road, waving traffic on. Magnus slowly drove into the intersection, the other vehicle to my right. Movement to Magnus’s left caught my attention, and I turned my head toward it. Instantly, panic and adrenaline raced through my blood. I thought I screamedlook out,but I couldn’t be sure.
The massive rolling machine that flattened asphalt plowed into Magnus’s side of the Jeep.
