Jethro leaned back in his chair. “I’ve told you everything you need to know. My brother is a contract killer who is here in town. Find out who wanted those people dead and trace their movements and money. Fletcher won’t stop on his own.” It was shocking the guy was still working in town, but he apparently had a plan that included Jethro.
Rutherford sighed. “Well, now, there’s the problem.” He leaned over and typed several keys into the laptop, bringing up a twelve-by-twelve cell. “Your brother is back in custody right here in our country.”
Fletcher looked upat the camera.
And smiled.
* * * *
Gemma settled in the truck, letting the heat warm her freezing toes. When she finally was paid she couldbuy new boots.
Jethro drove, his hands relaxed on the steering wheel. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” she said, an invisible knife stabbing behind her left eye. “My interview was pretty short. Scott came in, said you and I were university colleagues, and that I didn’t know anything else about this case. I just kind of nodded.” She shrugged. “I mean, I told them that your brother was in town killing people, but they didn’t ask about my past, so I didn’t volunteer anything.” There was no law against her wearing a wig and colored contacts. “Scott said they’d probably call me back in when they had more information on me.” She sighed.
Jethro flattened his heated hand over hers on her thigh. “We’ll handle Monty together. At the very least I’ll get you and Trudy to another country with new identifications. Once we make sure Fletcher isn’ton your trail.”
“Did the agents believe you at all about Fletcher?” Scott hadn’t told her anything about Jethro’s interview, and the good professor had been surprisingly silent about the entire situation. In fact, he seemed to be in his own world right now, but energy came off him in waves. “Jethro? Did they believe you?”
“No,” Jethro said, taking a left turn toward what appeared to be an industrial area. “They have footage of Fletcher in a jail somewhere, but they wouldn’t say where. My guess is some small town at the other end of the country, and now they’ll send agents to the middle of nowhere, and none of the local police officers will know what they’re talking about, creating even more confusion.” Harsh lights cut through the murk outside the truck, and the windshield wipers worked overtime. “Fletcher is most certainly not in a cell in some small town.”
She bit her lip. “Whereare we going?”
“To my flat,” he said, angling his head to look up at the dark clouds in an even darker sky. “I’d take you home first but time is of the essence, and there are a couple ofitems I need.”
“What items?”
Hedidn’t answer.
Well, then. “I thought we trusted each other?” The man knew everything about her, or mostly anyway. He knew her most frightening secrets.
“We do trust each other.” He turned down a road flanked by looming industrial buildings. “There are some issues I can never discuss. I took vows and truly hate the idea of committing treason.” His teeth flashed in a quick smile. “I have no secrets from you but those that can never be shared.”
She turned and watched the snow attack the truck. It had been too many hours since she’d held her child and her hands felt empty.
“I’ll be quick,” he said, as if reading her thoughts.
Now shedidn’t answer.
He turned the vehicle through an open gate and drove by metal buildings until he reached theone at the end.
She looked up at the imposing structure. “You live here?”
“Apartment on the top floor, garage space on the bottom,” he said. “I’ll pull in, and you can wait in the truck. I’ll just be a minute.” He pressed a button, and one of the two wide garage doors started to open.
Theearth rumbled.
For a breath everything stilled.
“Jethro?” she asked.
He grabbed her and covered her with his body. An explosion rocked the earth, and the truck flew back through the air to smash against another metal building.
They dropped, and the vehicle bounced.
Pain flared through Gemma’s chest from the seat belt and an airbag slowly deflated. Powder hung in the air. She blinked several times. When had the airbag deployed?
Jethro turned toward her, his hands on her biceps. Blood flowed from a cut beneath his right eye.“Are you okay?”
