“Yes.”
He let out a long, low whistle. “Kit, thank you for not doing what I told you.”
“You’re welcome.”
His gaze remained on her until a pink flush crept up her cheeks, and he realized there must be out-and-out admiration in his expression. “How did you know all that?”
“I read a lot.”
“I think I need to renew my library card.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the driving. In reverse. Evel Knievel couldn’t have done better.”
She shrugged, looking away. “Where’s Nico, do you think?”
“If he changed his mind and went back for Simon, he could be dead too. If not, he may be somewhere close. Won’t take him too long to figure out he bypassed our hiding spot, especially if he’s got a tracker on us. Guy has more lives than a cat.”
“But his brother didn’t.”
“No.” They fell silent for a moment.
His pulse still thundered in his ears. They’d just watched a man suffocate. And they’d been moments away from doing the same.
Cullen paced the narrow aisle, distractedly patting Tot as she gummed the strap of the binoculars. “The only item of Annette’s we’ve been carrying is the duffel bag.”
Kit’s eyes went wide. “The lump. I felt a lump when I discovered the envelope. I completely forgot about it with everything that’s happened. You don’t suppose ...”
“Hold her a minute, would you?” Cullen handed off thebaby and snagged the duffel from under the seat where it had settled. He unzipped it and dumped everything out.
“I packed that up carefully,” Kit said, disapprovingly. “You’re making a mess.”
He ignored her and ran his hands over the lining, checking the pockets, turning them inside out.
“Bingo.” He pulled out a small rectangular device for her to see. “It was between the lining and the outer fabric. Explains how they found us at the library too.”
She groaned.
He felt like doing the same.
Nico and his brother had been tracking them the whole time.
SEVENTEEN
“It’s a personal locator beacon.Satellite fed and activated.” He stomped on it with the heel of his boot. Kit opened the door, and he pitched it. The device sailed away onto the slope below, kicking up puffs of ash as it tumbled down.
Without a word, she delivered Tot into his arms and guided the bus back onto the path, bumping along until she found another, wider one that would still maintain their elevation but take them in the opposite direction from the spot where Cullen had tossed the beacon.
“I feel terrible. If I’d remembered it earlier...”
“You were busy trying to keep us all alive. Nico must have had a suspicion Annette was going to bolt, maybe saw her packing the duffel and slipped it in.” He rested his cheek on Tot’s head.
“He was on to her the whole time. She never had a chance.” Kit’s throat closed.
“Yes, she did,” he said quietly. “She met you. You gave her a chance, but it also put you and Tot into the crosshairs.”
“And you.”
