Wade looked up, expression blank. "Something like that."
"I'm not asking for your service record. Not tonight." Gabe's voice stayed low. Level. "But I need to know Reagan will be safe with you."
"One hundred percent."
"These people are dangerous. They've already killed. If they realize you're not us, if they move on you instead of just following, can you handle it?"
Wade's eyes went cold. The expression of someone who'd handled worse. "Won’t be a problem."
"You've done this before.” Gabe voiced the exact thought Cara had.
Wade didn't confirm or deny. Just held Gabe's stare.
"Okay." Gabe exhaled. "Stick to the plan. Drive to the motel. Make it look real. If things go sideways, get Reagan out and call the police. Don't try to be a hero."
Something almost like amusement crossed Wade's face. "You either."
They returned to the kitchen. Piper looked up from her phone. "Got it. Three and a half minutes of quality argument. I can loop it so it sounds like you're going in circles. Very realistic."
"Okay." Tom checked his watch. "Eleven thirty. We should move into position."
Wade tried on Gabe's FBI jacket. It was too tight across the shoulders but close enough from a distance. Reagan pulled on Cara's green coat. Both pulled on beanies to cover their hair.
While Piper checked that the recording played on Wade’s phone, Tom set up his laptop. "I'll track your location and monitor police scanners. Anything weird, I call it in. Butremember, there aren’t any traffic cams out here. I won’t have any way to see who’s following either you two or Wade and Reagan. Y’all are flying blind."
Wade grunted. “Way I like it.”
Piper handed Wade his phone back. "The recording will play through the speakers. Should sound like you're right there in the car. It would help if you cracked the windows a little," she added.
Reagan hugged Cara. "Be careful."
"You too."
"Okay." Wade's voice was steady. "Let's give them a show."
He and Reagan headed down the stairs from her apartment, their body language tight and rigid, as if they were already arguing.
Tom monitored his laptop. "They're in the vehicle. Engine starting."
Through the window, Cara watched Gabe's rental pull away from the curb.
"Wait for it," Tom murmured.
A dark sedan emerged from the shadows a block away, headlights off, following at a careful distance.
Piper grinned. "It's working."
They waited. Five minutes. Ten. Making sure the tail was solid. and no secondary surveillance hung back.
"Clear," Tom finally said. "You're good to go."
Gabe looked at Cara. "Ready?"
They slipped down the stairs and around the back into the alley where Tom’s truck waited in shadows.
Gabe started the engine, pulling away at an unhurried pace with the headlights off. Haven Cove slept around them, the midnight streets empty. The ocean invisible beyond darkened buildings.
Cara watched the town disappear in the side mirror.
