“What is it?”
“A pocket.” I didn’t wait for him to instruct me to look inside. When I pulled a set of keys into the light, I felt every drop of blood drain from my face. “What did you say the make of the truck was?”
“A Dodge Ram.”
In the flash of sunlight, I twisted the keyring. It was a rental truck, the make and model still on the tag. One big Dodge Ram. Blue in color.
He wrapped his hand around mine and this time I didn’t try to pull away. “We’ll get answers. You should know Zane could be involved.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the Russian your friends captured in the woods allowed me in on a little secret. Somone wants you back home where you belong.”
“What do you mean?” The moment it dawned on me what he was saying, a series of tingles tickled every muscle. “New York.”
“Exactly.”
“Think of it this way. I’ll be out of your hair for good.”
“Is that what you think I want?”
“That’s the only realistic thing that can happen.”
“No, Fleur. That’s not what will happen. In case you haven’t realized my intentions, let me spell them out for you so we’re very clear.”
“Why don’t you do that?” I barked in return.
He cleared the small town, heading into the great unknown and I found myself holding my breath. He was going to tell me that once he discovered the truth, and maybe used me as bait, he’d dispose of me since I was obviously a traitor like his damn pilot.
“Because I’m not letting you go, Fleur. Not now. Not ever.”
CHAPTER 26
Montgomery
What the hell?
There were two men outside combing the parking lot of the hotel. It was late, after three in the morning. I would have suggested we drive all the way through except the exhaustion of the last four days had finally come to a head. Yet neither one of us had been able to sleep even though I’d given her instructions to rest while I’d kept watch.
After turning off the light near the bed, I returned to my perch. The two men were still moving in a precise pattern around every vehicle. While I had my doubts anyone could discover what we driving, the coincidence of their arrival couldn’t be ignored.
They could be two guys looking for something else. When they returned to a truck, climbing inside, I almost took a deep breath. Except my instinct was working overtime.
“Is something wrong?” Fleur asked with fear in her voice.
“I don’t know yet.” Two minutes passed, one minute longer than it should have taken the bastards to start the engine and leave the area. I waited another two before accepting that we’d been compromised.
I pulled away from the curtain, glancing over my shoulder where Fleur was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Did you contact anyone?” My tone was harsher than I intended it to be, but at this point, we were so fucking closer to getting to New Orleans that I could taste the fucking Cajun food she’d talked about more than once. I pulled the drapes back a second time, staring down at the parking lot.
Given this was the last night in a hotel, we’d splurged. Instead of a cheap roadside motel, we’d stopped at a slightly larger city that had enabled us a better selection of both food and accommodations. However, I didn’t like the view at this point from the fourth story window.
“What are you talking about?” Where my tone had been harsh, hers was timid. A dead giveaway.
There was no time to play games. With three long strides, I had her go bag in my hand.
“Wait. What are you doing?” She jumped up, immediately trying to grab the small duffle from my hand.
