“Okay, second, you can call me Marti.” Her shimmery pink nails flashed as she navigated a dizzying array of buttons on the dash.
From what Lindsey had seen so far, the woman was beautiful and polished. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, but was probably older if she’d represented one of Todd’s coworkers in his teens, and had grown children of her own. “I’m Lindsey.”
“Todd.”
Marti nodded. “All right then, the next step is to get you to a safe house. I have a vacation rental in Helena that’s currently unoccupied. Will that work for you? It’s a bit of a drive.”
“Absolutely,” Todd said. “I assume you’ll add it to the bill, but if you need me to pay anything—“
“Mr. Steele covered the retainer and rental expenses up front, so don’t worry about that right now.”
One more thing Lindsey would have to settle up with Todd and his boss at some point. Though he looked almost as stunned as she felt.
“We really appreciate your help,” Lindsey said.
“Of course. I’m glad I was available.” Marti adjusted the stereo to an easy R&B playlist on low volume. “If you can wait a couple of hours, there’s food in the house, along with some clothing and first aid supplies.” Her gaze flicked briefly to Todd. “But if you need anything on the way, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you,” Todd said, his back straight, eyes scanning the car, their surroundings, Marti.
The middle seat loomed between him and Lindsey, separating her from the heat and comfort of his body.
As if reading her mind, he took her hand, resting their twined fingers on her thigh. “You okay?”
Not really. She needed more sleep, food, more time alone with him. She might get the first two once they arrived in Helena, but sometime in the next twenty-four hours, she would probably be separated from Todd. Both of them could end up in jail.
The idea hollowed her out. How could she be okay? “Fine,” she said. He had enough to worry about. And, after all, things could be so much worse.
He was with her for now, and for the first time in days, they had a chance to survive, maybe even get someone to listen to their side of the story.
All she had to do was trust. Todd, Kurt, Marti. The FBI.
Sitting next to Lindsey in the warm, pine-scented Porsche, Todd forced himself to relax his grip on her hand. They’d been hurtling toward this moment for days, and suddenly he had to face a future that might not include her. How that had become unthinkable in a matter of days made no sense, but he couldn’t deny it.
Swell timing.
As if he had a choice. Without the bad timing he never would’ve met her in the first place.
To distract himself, he studied Marti. Aside from any physical resemblance, her style reminded him of Steele’s business manager, Tara Fujimoto. Perfectly put together from head to toe, professional but feminine. Todd recognized body armor when he saw it.
Good. They needed a warrior on their side.
He leaned forward. “Doesn’t helping us endanger your law license or whatever? We’re fugitives.”
“As long as I don’t help you commit a new crime, it’s fine.” She glanced back at him. “Especially given that we’re negotiating your surrender.”
“Okay.” If he didn’t trust Marti, they’d be on the run forever. Not that he’d be complacent around her, but he’d go along with her plans as long as it made sense and seemed safe. And Scott trusted her. That counted.
“What kind of law do you practice?” Lindsey asked.
“Criminal. I’m a defense attorney.”
“That sounds hard,” Lindsey said. “Pressure to save the innocent people, knowing you might help some bad ones go free.”
In the rearview mirror, the lawyer’s gaze snapped to Lindsey. “It can be.”
“Why’d you choose it?”
Marti shrugged. “My brother was charged with murdering one of his students at a private high school when I was still in college. It had enough of an impact that I switched from premed to prelaw.”
