He barely glanced toward the dwelling. “I don’t think using your father’s plane is going to help. It’s bad enough we’re in your car.” He glanced at the rearview, noticing Lucy was still awake and listening. “We’ll switch this car out for something else when it’s daylight. For now, I’m hoping the trip to Wisconsin throws them off.”
“I understand.” She turned to look at Lucy. “Try to get some sleep, sweetie, okay?”
“’Kay.” Lucy yawned and rested her head back against the seat cushion. The plush leather seats were very comfortable, but he didn’t think the booster seat was conducive to resting.
He kept his eye on the traffic behind them. The darkness along with the bright headlights made it impossible to identify specific vehicles by make or model. He debated getting off the interstate to use lesser-known highways, but he wasn’t familiar with the area. Better to stay on the interstate for now, until they crossed the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
“She’s going to need clothes and shoes,” Lauren whispered.
“I know.” He offered a reassuring smile, glancing at Lucy to see she appeared to be asleep. Keeping his voice soft, he added, “We’ll find a place to shop once the stores open.”
“I can’t believe someone shot at the penthouse.” Lauren shivered. He cranked the heat but knew the temperature wasn’t the problem. It was the fear of how they were nearly caught. The crash had been designed to disable the vehicle long enough for the bad guys to grab Lucy. Or Lauren.
Maybe both.
“I think the car that tried to ram us was an SUV,” Lauren murmured. “I only got a quick glance, though. It was dark in color—I can’t say for sure it was black—and had tinted windows.”
He arched a brow. “Good job. You saw more than I did.”
A wry smile tugged the corner of her mouth. “You were busy pretending to be a race car driver.”
That was true enough. His only goal had been to get Lauren and Lucy away unscathed. One thing about this recent turn of events bothered him, though. “There has to be more than one kidnapper involved.”
“What do you mean?” Lauren frowned, then slowly nodded. “The shooter and the driver of the SUV. There wasn’t enough time between the two events to have been done by the same person.”
“Exactly.” He cut a quick glance to the rearview mirror. So far, he was reassured that most of the cars coming up from behind were passing them. Another good reason to stay within the posted speed limit. “We only saw the one masked man in the video, but he likely had someone driving the getaway car.”
She frowned. “I don’t remember the police mentioning two men. Only one.”
“Maybe they decided to keep that bit of info to themselves. Or maybe Ariel was too scared to have noticed the driver.” There were several factors that could have come into play. “But now we know for sure there are two men.”
“We need to call Detective Kramer and Lieutenant Olson. I’m also worried about what Clara might find when she arrives in a few hours.”
“The bad guys will be long gone by then. Hopefully, Clara will call the police.” He glanced at Lauren. “I’m sorry she’ll walk into a mess, but my only goal was to get you and Lucy to safety.”
“I understand.” She grimaced. “I just hope Clara can forgive me.”
He nodded in understanding. He felt bad, but he was convinced Clara would be fine.
“I forgot my phone.” Lauren patted her coat pockets. “I don’t even have any cash.”
He had some cash that Rex had given him. Emergency funds, which he realized was exactly what they’d landed in the middle of. An emergency. Besides, he could get additional cash through Rex if needed. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you don’t have your phone.” He lowered his window and tossed his out. “It’s more important that we stay off-grid.”
“But—” Lauren cut herself off and sighed. “Never mind. You’re right. I’ve never been in a position like this before. It’s a little surreal to be honest.”
“We’ll be fine.” He mentally added replacement phones to the list of things they needed to buy. “Try to get some rest. I’ll let you know when I find a place to stay.”
She glanced at him, then slid down in the seat. “Thank you, Grady.”
He winced, knowing she shouldn’t be thanking him. It was only due to God’s grace that they’d escaped.
Certainly not his dubious expertise.
Grady continued driving, somewhat relieved when they were off the toll road and had crossed into Wisconsin. Toll readers recorded license plates. How much time did they have before the kidnappers found them?
Between getting rid of the Porsche, finding a place to stay, and obtaining additional funds over and above what he had in his pocket, Grady knew they were still living on borrowed time.
And the most frustrating part of all was that they were no closer to figuring out who might be behind these kidnapping attempts.
