Glancing one last time over his shoulder, Nick pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the vehicle with a beep before he opened the passenger door. “Get in.”
She did as he stowed their bags. “How are we going to get out without being seen?”
“Easy,” he assured as he climbed in beside her. “The license plate is registered to the corporation. Vehicle’s new.”
She could smell the pristine leather and off-the-factory-floor parts. “So?”
“The windows are tinted. No one will be able to see us. I’m sure it’s equipped with a sticker to get us out of this garage without having to even roll down a window. The question is, where are we going? What do you know?”
While Nick backed out of the parking spot and the SUV glided down the ramp, she tried to recollect everything she’d done to solve the puzzle Mike had left her. Nick’s big fingers around the steering wheel distracted her. His thumb tapped the leather beneath—the same thumb he’d brushed across her nipple last night. She shivered with forbidden pleasure at the memory.
True to his word, when they reached the exit, the security arm lifted without them having to engage the guard at the exit.
“Sasha?”
His deep voice demanded an answer. She didn’t know what to say. “I’ve been over and over this. He left me a message, and I’m still not sure what it means.”
“Tell me.”
Wringing her hands, Sasha tried to squelch hope from burgeoning again. So many times over the past interminable months, she’d thought she had the answer to this mystery. Failure dashed her every time. She wasn’t sure if she could take it again.
On the other hand, she had no choice. Her future—and her daughter’s—depended on it.
“The day before Mike’s murder, he arranged to have flowers sent to the house on what became the day of his funeral. Inside the envelope was a card that didn’t make any sense and this.” She pulled up a long chain she’d tucked under her shirt with a mysterious key attached.
Nick reached over and slid the key into his palm. She felt the heat of his hand radiating to her chest. A jolt of something more than awareness fluttered through Sasha. It refused to subside, no matter how much she steeled herself against it.
A bump in the road jerked them. His knuckles brushed the swells of her breasts. A gasp slipped out before she could stop the sound.
His stare zipped up to her, and she felt caught. Could he see her heart pounding? Her nipples beading?
Suddenly, he released the key and leaned back into his seat, focused on the dark road ahead. “What did the card say?”
Sasha tried to string two thoughts together. “Um, gibberish, really. Something about it being Han Solo’s turn to stop Darth Vader by finding the ammunition in the Death Star. He even signed the card as Luke Skywalker.”
Frowning, Nick heaved a long sigh. “That sly motherfucker.”
She tensed, searching his pensive face. “Did that make sense to you?”
Nick nodded. “I know where he hid his evidence. Sit back. We’re heading to New Orleans.”
Chapter Six
Near the airport off I-10, Nick checked them into an old motel unlikely to have much in the way of high-tech security. Midnight had just fallen. Despite napping in the car, Sasha looked damn near ready to collapse. Her eyelids drooped. Her shoulders sagged. How long had it been since she’d had a decent night’s sleep? Since she’d felt safe enough to have one?
After he parked around back, in a spot not visible from the road, he pushed his way into the dingy room and glanced back cautiously. No one inhabited the parking lot. No one had followed.
Shouldering his way past Sasha, he drew his gun and prowled around the room, checking every corner and closet. Empty. “Come in. Shut the door. Lock and deadbolt it.”
She did, her gaze skittering over the kitchenette, the loveseat in front of the vintage TV, grimy windows, and crappy carpet. Nick saw the instant she realized the room had one bed. He’d done it to keep her close. And because he’d been a stupid bastard too tempted to pass up the opportunity to hold her, even if all they did was sleep. It had been a long time since he’d just breathed in a female and held her body against his. And he craved the chance to touch this woman.
“Now what?” Sasha made her way into the room, her nervous gaze jerky, her respiration unsteady. “Are we going to the location tonight?”
Nick shook his head. “I need to call Xander for a little help first. I also need to ask you some questions.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“That you think is relevant,” he corrected. “Tell me about the week leading up to Mike’s death. His body was discovered on Friday morning, right?”
