Her gaze held his with unwavering certainty. “I used the cash Sloane gave me to pay for our hotel rooms while we were on the road. No one ever questioned the new driver’s license she gave me. And I had money I’d managed to save without Tommy noticing, so I used that to get a different car. I’m pretty sure it’s on its last leg, but it’s at least gotten us this far.”
“That couldn’t have been easy,” he rumbled. “Sneaking money without Tommy’s knowledge, I mean.”
“Nothing about this has been easy.”
No, I don’t suppose it has been.
“Where did you go after Seattle?”
“A little town in Nebraska.” A hint of a smile lifted a corner of her sweet mouth. “I thought we’d be safe there. That we were finally going to befree.Maddie was already making friends with the kids at her new school, and I had a job I really liked. And then…”
Her saddened gaze slid from his, making his chest grow tight with a pang he didn’t understand.
“What happened?”
“Tommy happened,” Allison bit out angrily. “Healwayshappens. It doesn’t matter what I do or where I go, he always manages to find me. First at Liberty House, then Nebraska…now here.” Her frustration became more obvious the longer she spoke. “I mean, it’s freakingChicagofor crying out loud. There are over two million people here, Liam. Twomillion. And it only took him two weeks to find me.”
Two weeks. Far longer than it would have taken Liam.
“Back up a sec,” he directed. “How do you know Tommy’s here, in the city?”
“Earlier this afternoon, I took Maddie to a small, neighborhood park. It’s in a decent neighborhood, not too far from the shelter. I was helping her up the ladder to the slide when I caught a glimpse of two men standing in the grass next to the curb several yards from where we were. I recognized one of them right away. A man named Joseph Cali.”
“But you didn’t actually see Tommy?” He jotted Cali’s name down in his notes.
“No, but Joey is Tommy’s right-hand man. He doesn’t buy a cup of coffee without Tommy’s say so. If he’s here, it’s because he’s with Tommy or?—”
“He was sent here to find you.”
A look of disheartening acceptance flashed across her stunning face. “How did he even find me?”
How, indeed?
“Did either man say anything to you or approach you in any way?”
Allison’s curls swayed with a shake of her head. “I made an excuse to Maddie explaining why we had to leave, and then we hurried to my car. Luckily, we were able to lose ourselves in the sea of other parents and kids.”
“What about after? Did they follow you to the shelter?”
“I don’t think so. I watched my mirrors constantly and took several extra turns, purposely finding routes that were more heavily trafficked which helped us blend in with the other vehicles on the road.”
That a girl.
The woman was clearly well-versed in the art of evasion, which he found both impressive and heartbreaking. No one should be forced to live their life on the run. Especially not a single mother whose only crime—that he knew of so far—was just trying to protect her kid.
“I think I have enough for now.” Liam set the notebook and pen aside and returned his focus on her.
“Oh.” Allison sat up a little straighter. “Okay, so um…how does this all work? Do I need to make an appointment to see you again tomorrow, or…”
“No appointment necessary.” He flashed her a friendly smile. “For tonight, all you need to do is go back to the shelter and be with your daughter. I’ll follow you in my truck, just as a precaution, and when I get home, I’ll use the information you shared to start a deep dive into your husband.” Reaching over, he grabbed his cell from where he’d left it on his desk and opened the contacts app and asked, “What’s your number?”
His thumbs moved quickly over the screen as Allison rattled off the digits to the burner phone she’d been using. When he was finished, he set the device back down and refocused on her.
“I’ll reach out to you in the morning so we can discuss the next step in the plan,” he informed her.
Her round eyes blinked in surprise. “There’s already a plan?”
“It’s a work in progress.” Liam tapped the tip of his index finger to his temple with a wink and a sideways grin.
