But that didn’t mean he was going to let it lie. If there was even the slightest chance of getting his revenge, Buford was going to get it.
He pushed his arms into the sleeves of his shirt, hastily buttoned the thing, and sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes and socks.
No. If Colt was alive, Buford was going to find out.
And he was going to be the one to end him.
Chapter 16
Stalk
Arielle Nygard
“Let’s go,” Sam says in a low and urgent voice as soon as I push open the door from the stairwell into an underground parking garage beneath the mall. “We have to hurry.”
I tug off the baseball cap I wore for the trip to the mall, releasing my red hair with a shake. Austin is wearing his favorite hoodie, with Spiderman emblazoned on the front and the hood tied tightly under his chin. I’m not very good at sneaking around, but I’ve done the best I can to keep from being recognized. Even so, I feel like everyone is watching me.
“I think someone spotted us,” I say, slightly winded from the walk down the flights of stairs.
Sam takes my hand and leads me to Tim’s sedan. He’s in Tim’s LVPD shirt and sweats, with a baseball cap and sunglasses; and it occurs to me that they’re pretty similar in shape and size. Yet oddly, Sam makes it look so much more appealing. I just hope nobody else notices the difference. To the casual observer, this needs to look like a casual outing. If Buford’s men are onto us, we’re hoping they’ll think it’s just Tim taking me and Austin out in the car. I don’t know if it’s convincing enough, and I’m sure Sam can see the fear on my face. I know he shares it.
“Those guys see like hawks, and I swear there’s one on every street corner,” he says, confirming my suspicions. “But when you’re trying to avoid notice, it can feel like everyone sees you. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” I settle Austin in the back seat and loosen the hoodie’s drawstring a bit. “Ready for an adventure?” Sam asks Austin. He responds by slapping his open palms on his thighs. “Sounds like a yes to me,” Sam says.
I get in the front passenger seat, dropping my handbag at my feet. “Was Tim able to get the money from the safe deposit box?” Sam asks as he gets behind the wheel. I pat the bag.
“Yip, it’s all here,” I say.
He lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank heavens. That will make things much easier.” He holds out an envelope to me. I take it and pull out the contents. Two brand new passports. I open the first one. There’s my picture, but it’s not my name.
“Josephine Ellis,” I say out loud, testing the words.
“Is it okay?” There’s a note of apprehension in Sam’s voice. “I thought Josie for short.”
“I like it,” I say with a smile. I open the second booklet.
“I kept Austin’s name. I wasn’t sure if he would respond to a new one. But he’s an Ellis now.”
“That’s probably for the best.” My son has been unusually cooperative over the last couple of days. I really thought that this much disruption to his life would send him into a tailspin, but I swear he’s actually enjoying himself. “And who are you going to be?”
“Well...” Sam hands me his new passport. “This wasn’t the way I wanted to ask you.” I flip it open. The name above his picture reads ‘Jack Ellis’. I look up and spot a diamond ring sitting inside a small velvet box. “Will you marry me?”
My eyes swim with tears, and I raise my hands to my mouth in surprise. “Oh, Sam! Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” He reaches for my left hand and slides the ring into place. Then he leans forward and kisses me gently.
“We’ll do it properly when things settle down, but I thought it would be easier if we traveled as a family.” He holds out his palm on which rest two gold wedding bands. I take the larger one and place it on his left ring finger. He slips the smaller one down my finger to nestle next to the engagement ring. I stare at my hand for a long second, letting the reality of what we’ve done sink in. Then I smile. Despite the bizarreness of the situation, it feels right.
“I love you... Jack.” The name sounds strange, but I’ll get used to it.
“I love you too, Josie.” Sam turns to the back seat. “And I love you, Austin.” My heart melts. “Okay, we’ve got a plane to catch. Shall we get going?” Austin slaps his thighs again in agreement. Sam turns to me. “I love your red hair, but it’s too noticeable.”
I sigh and reach for the cap. “I know.” I twist the long strands up on top of my head and secure them underneath the cap. I add a pair of dark, oversized sunglasses for good measure.
“Better?”
“I can hardly recognize you,” Sam says with a wide smile. He puts the car into gear and backs out of the parking space. We wind our way up to ground level and out into light traffic. The airport is a good thirty-minute drive, even in the middle of the day. Sam drives carefully, obeying the traffic rules to avoid catching anyone’s attention. I keep my head down, staring at my new rings. The trip goes smoothly for fifteen minutes when Sam suddenly makes an unexpected right turn.
“What’s going on?”
“I think we’ve picked up a tail.” I glance at the side mirror and see a large SUV three cars behind us turn right as well. “Damn it!” Sam swears under his breath.
