17
HE CHECKED HIS WATCH as the police cruiser slid past him.
4:00 a.m.
He’d been in this car—a car he did not own but which was conveniently sitting in a neighbor’s driveway while that neighbor was on vacation—for eight hours.
Everything was quiet, and he’d started planning what it would take to get inside. But then one of the two girl agents who’d been at the church, and the restaurant, walked in.
And didn’t walk out.
The police cars started an hour later. This most recent was the seventh time tonight. All random. All different. No pattern for him to work with.
And there were the other cars. Three of them. All sedans. All with government plates. One made a pass around midnight and then came back by around three. One showed around two. One came by thirty minutes ago.
He hit the steering wheel and cursed.
Years of making nice. Years of smiling and pretending everything was fine. Years of waiting.
And time was running out.
He ran through his options. Her office was a no-go. He’d ruled it out a year ago and then again two weeks ago. Too many people. Too well secured.
He had no plans to become a murderer.
But they couldn’t keep watch on her 24/7. Could they?
No. They could try, but they couldn’t keep her locked down indefinitely.
She had her pitch coming up on Wednesday. There was no way she would miss that. Ivy was smart, but she was also a crusader. The kind of crusader who would refuse to miss an opportunity like that pitch.
He knew how much it meant to her.
And he knew that was his best shot.
If he failed?
He slipped from the car and loped into the dark night. If he failed on Wednesday, things were going to get messy.
18
GIL’S PHONE VIBRATING under his shoulder dragged him from the depths of sleep. His first conscious thought was of Ivy, and he bolted to a sitting position and searched for the phone. His sleep-fogged mind registered the time and the caller, and his body relaxed.
4:30 a.m.
Faith.
He climbed from the bed and answered. “You heading out?”
“Yes.”
“Anything I need to know?”
“Other than that everyone made at least one drive-by during the night?”
“Seriously?” He grabbed a T-shirt, pulled it over his head, and eased from his room.
“They care.”
