"Hilarious, I'm checking for trackers and to make sure no one has messed with my equipment."
"Baby, your proximity alarm was on."
"I know, but I'm worried. I feel like all we're doing is responding to Jonathon's threats. We need to be getting ahead of him. I feel like we're being watched."
I pull my go bag out, pull out another burner phone, and check my regular phone for messages. Derek called, but I'm going to wait until we get closer to the condo before I call him. I have several missed calls from Greg too.
"Don't call your dad yet," I tell Ana.
I try to pull myself up into the driver's seat but can't without making the pain worse. Duncan walks up behind me and lifts me up. Before he sets me into position, he turns me and kisses me.
"I thought I lost you today. I wouldn't be able to survive that. Since you left me, I've learned how hard my life would be without you. Baby, I don't want to ever lose you," he tells me as he looks into my eyes.
"I know. Seeing that gun pointed at you, all I could think was if you die, they better kill me too," I confess. He hugs me to him, being gentle with my ribs and arm.
"Come on." He turns me into the truck. He helps Ana into the back seat and then climbs into the passenger seat.
"Duncan, do me a favor."
"What?"
"Open that center console and make sure my lock box is secured." I know I'm paranoid, but I really feel like not only am I being watched but that this isn't over.
"Okay. Why is your rifle in the boot instead of in here?"
"The boot? I love how you call the bed of my truck a boot. Isn't a boot a trunk?"
"Yes, the trunk is the boot. Answer my question, why is your rifle in the boot?"
"Oh, that's just my competition rifle and my .50 cal. My SR-25 is in a custom compartment in the back, under where Ana is sitting."
"Oh, baby, you talking firearms turns me on. You have a .50 cal. Bugger me, baby, we're going to a range and playing one of these days."
"Yuck, I'm back here." We all laugh at Ana's statement.
"Okay, little momma, do I need to get you anything special to eat?"
"No, just food." We head to the closest fast-food joint to feed her. We do the drive-thru so we don't have to get out.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
MAYA
We head south, back to DC. We have about an hour left of our drive when my cell goes off. I look at the screen on the dash. Damn it, I wish this motherfucker would go away. I pick up the phone and bypass the Bluetooth so Ana can't hear him.
"Well, you survived I see."
"Ya, dickhead! What do you want?"
"I want my wife, now, you cunt!"
"Now. Now. No name-calling. I put her on a plane heading west."
"Liar, I know she's in the back seat of that fancy truck. Put her on the phone, now, Maya. I'll kill Duncan if you don't. He'd be dead if you hadn’t jumped in front of that bullet. Such self-sacrifice, what ajoke."
"No! So was it you who sent the guy to my gym to try to beat me up?" I signal Duncan to push Ana down in the seat.
I put my finger to my lips so they both stay quiet and activate the Bluetooth. I've started to slow down and merge off the freeway, watching my mirrors. Duncan bristled when I mentioned the attack at the gym. Joshua must not have told him.
