Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Grady mentally reviewed what he’d say to the police officer when they were pulled over. Not that the cop would likely be interested in his side of the story once it became clear Grady had hot-wired the car. Maybe he could call Griff to help explain the situation they were in. Especially since he knew Lauren would want to pay for the owner’s car anyway.
Then the police cruiser whipped past them. He blew out his breath, looking over at Lauren in shock. Shifting his gaze to the rearview mirror, he wondered if the cop would turn around to come at them from behind.
But he didn’t. Instead, the squad disappeared around the bend. Because of the early hour, the red and blue lights still lit up the sky, but eventually, they faded away as well.
“I don’t understand,” Lauren whispered. “Where did he go?”
“No idea.” He flexed his fingers. “I’m just glad he didn’t come after us.”
“Why are we hiding from the police?” Lucy asked. “You told me that if I’m ever scared and alone to run to the closest police officer.”
“We’re not hiding from the police,” Lauren said. Grady arched a brow, because the truth was they absolutely were hiding from the cops because of the stolen car. She turned in her seat to smile at her daughter. “We didn’t want to be stopped because that would take extra time, and we want to get to the new city as soon as possible.”
“But if I’m alone and scared, I should still go to a policeman for help, right?” Lucy asked. Grady realized this must have been a conversation between mother and daughter after Ariel’s abduction.
“Yes, absolutely. The police are the good guys,” Lauren said firmly. “You can always run to them for help.”
“Okay.” Lucy seemed to buy that answer. Then she asked, “Why do we have to go to a new city?”
“You remember Mr. Rex Grayson, right?” Grady caught Lucy’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “He’s arranging for us to have a different car, but we have to get to a city called Madison to pick it up.”
“What’s wrong with this car?” Lucy asked.
“Nothing is wrong, but we borrowed it for a little while, and the owner wants it back.” Lauren’s brow furrowed as she expanded on their fib. “That’s why we asked Mr. Rex for a different car.”
“Okay.” Lucy yawned, then said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Of course she did. Grady swallowed a groan. He should have realized that and had her use the bathroom prior to leaving the cabin. He glanced at Lauren. “We’ll pull off at the next gas station.”
“Sounds good.” Lauren turned to look at Lucy. “Can you hold it for a few minutes?”
The little girl nodded, but the way she squirmed in her seat was not reassuring. Grady didn’t want to have to stop for more clothes if she had an accident. He pushed the speed limit, relieved when he saw they were approaching a small town.
“Almost there,” he said encouragingly.
He slowed and turned into the gas station parking lot. He’d barely gotten the car shifted into park when Lucy had her seatbelt off and was getting out of the car. Lauren pushed out, too, and together they hurried inside. He pulled up to the nearest pump, then followed them inside. He smiled at the attendant and pulled cash from his wallet. “Twenty dollars on pump number two.”
“Got it.” The clerk opened the register, then unlocked the pump. He hurried outside to fill up the tank, hoping the twenty dollars would get them all the way to Madison. When he’d spoken to Rex earlier, he’d mentioned the need for more cash, as well as a clean car, complete with a booster seat for Lucy. Rex had agreed to make the vehicle arrangements and to transfer funds into his account via a cash app. Grady would then need to find a bank to do a withdrawal. The solution wasn’t perfect, he’d rather stay completely off-grid, but with Rex being in Chicago, this was the best they could do.
When he finished filling the tank, he headed back inside. Lucy and Lauren were just coming out of the bathroom. “I don’t see much to eat,” Lauren whispered.
“I know.” This gas station wasn’t as nice as the last one. There wasn’t even fresh coffee available. “Let’s just get out of here.”
Lauren understood he didn’t want to linger. “Come on, Lucy, we need to get back out to the car.”
“But I’m hungry,” Lucy whined as they headed outside.
“We’ll find a place to stop for breakfast soon,” he promised as he opened the back door. “What’s your favorite breakfast meal?”
“Strawberry waffles,” Lucy said without hesitation.
He noticed Lauren wince, but he nodded. “Great, we’ll find a breakfast restaurant that serves strawberry waffles.”
“Yummy,” Lucy said with a wide smile. To her credit, Lauren didn’t protest. There was a time and a place to worry about eating healthy, and being on the run from gunmen was not one of them. His goal was to keep Lucy happy as they made their way across the state.
“You can’t just give her whatever she wants,” Lauren said in a low voice.
He shrugged, glancing at her as he headed back out to the highway. “These are extenuating circumstances.”
