The city lights faded behind them as Bobby merged onto the highway. Deke sat in the passenger seat, not saying a word as he kept his eyes on the mirrors, always vigilant.
She curled into the back seat, arms wrapped around her middle, trying to quiet the tremor that still lived in her hands.
They swapped vehicles three more times, always under cover, and always with people dressed like them. The last time, they changed clothes once more, and then headed out, Bobby telling her it was the last time they’d trade cars.
She settled back, sliding down in the seat, afraid to even look out the window for fear someone would see her.
Then she heard Donovan speak up. “We’re heading east. Your guy back at the casino made it sound like your safe house is west.”
Delaney sat up straighter, leaning forward. “What?”
Bobby blew out a slow breath, but kept driving. “We’re not going to that safe house.”
Her stomach dropped as the marshal ran his hand through his hair. “What do you mean?” she asked.
He met her gaze through the rearview mirror. “Everything we said back there was for anyone listening. We wanted everyone to think we had a predictable destination in mind. The truth is, we’re heading somewhere quieter, somewhere out of the way.”
Her pulse spiked as she sucked in a stuttering breath. “And just where is that?”
“A cabin,” he told her. “Middle of nowhere and isolated.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her head tilting to the side slightly, narrowing her eyes as she stared at him. “A what?”
“It’s a private place. Off radar and owned by someone I trust. Only a handful of people even know it exists.”
Donovan turned and stared at him. “That wasn’t the plan.”
Elvis shrugged. “It’s always been the plan. Just not the one we let everyone hear.”
Delaney stared at him. “You really think Leon was listening in?”
“I think he has eyes somewhere,” he told her, looking at her in the rearview mirror. “After all, he found your partner. I had no intention of giving him a target with cameras and access logs.”
“You lied to me back there.”
He gave a curt nod as he looked back at the road. “I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
“Nope. I didn’t. Wasn’t time.”
“Did the rest of your team know what was happening?”
He glanced at her once more in the mirror. “They did. The decoys are heading to the safe house we mentioned. Hopefully, whoever is watching still believes you’re heading there.”
“I’m impressed,” the marshal said with a slow bob of his head. “Smart move.”
“Well, I’mnotimpressed,” she snapped, anger tightening her body. “You don’t get to decide things for me.”
His shoulders tightened under his shirt, and she saw him flex his grip on the steering wheel. “I did it to keep you alive.”
They drove in silence after that, the highway giving way to narrower roads that curled through stretches of darkened countryside. Pines rose on either side like quiet sentinels, their branches knitting together overhead until even the moonlight struggled to find its way through.
The tires crunched over gravel as Elvis turned onto a dirt road so thin it barely qualified as a road. The headlights cut a pale tunnel through brush and shadow as dust drifted behind them in a soft cloud, settling slowly over weeds and fallen leaves.The road dipped and twisted, uneven from years of rain and neglect, forcing Bobby to slow even more as ruts in the ground pulled at the steering wheel.
Delaney watched it all pass through the windshield, her pulse keeping time with the rhythm of the tires. Every bump reminded her how far they were from anything familiar. Every curve felt like another step away from the world she knew and deeper into whatever waited ahead.
The trees pressed closer here, trunks thick and dark, the forest swallowing sound until even the engine seemed muted. Somewhere in the distance, something moved—an animal, maybe—but it faded as quickly as it came, leaving only the hush of night behind.
