Addy pushed out of the chair and rested her hand on her sidearm worn under the jacket. He understood her actions. Knowing she was packing gave her more confidence in facing her foe. At least it did for him. Even if this foe packed a weapon that could take them all out in one fell swoop.
They moved to the end of the hallway, where Mack pulled open the door for the loading dock. Vehicle exhaust along with the biting cold hit him. He could easily imagine the place bustling with workers, but the only person he saw was the dock supervisor, who gave him a nod of acknowledgment.
Kiley bounded out of the back of a large delivery truck and stepped to the side to surveil the area. She turned and waved them on.
Mack took Addy’s arm and hurried her into the back of the truck. “The floor is going to have to do.”
“No problem.” She sat and drew up her legs.
Mack didn’t want to sit, putting himself in a vulnerable position, but he would be visible through the windshield if he stood. No way he would give Razo any hint that this wasn’t a normal delivery truck.
Mack squatted next to Addy and looked up at Kiley. “Let’s get this thing moving.”
“On it.” She marched out the back, and the lock clicked into place. She climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s roll.”
Sean shifted into gear, and the big truck rumbled forward. Mack wished he could see outside. Instead, he just had to trust that his teammates had things under control. Not something Mack was very good at doing when Addy’s life was on the line.
“Update,” he demanded.
Kiley was sharing her attention between the windshield and side mirror. “We’re clear.”
“Sean?”
“She’s right,” he said. “We’re clear.”
Fine. Things were going well. Still, Mack wouldn’t relax. Not until they had Addy in the safe house. Then he was going to have to figure out a way to try to convince her to stay there. No way his heart could handle another round of racing at the speed it now pounded in his chest.
He waited until he could wait no more, then asked for another update.
“I promise to tell you if someone shows up on our tail,” Kiley said.
Sean looked in the rearview mirror. “Me too, so you can quit asking.”
Mack clamped his mouth closed and rode in silence, the tension nearly his undoing, but before long they were on their way out of town.
“I’m going to make a few turns just to be sure we’re alone,” Sean announced.
“Good plan.” Mack shifted as the truck took a sharp left.
Addy rested a hand on his knee. “My turn to tell you to relax.”
At her touch, he nearly jumped out of his skin. The shock even trumped his adrenaline, but he worked hard to give her a smile in return. “Adrenaline.”
“Oh, I get it, but we’re in the clear now.”
They rolled around two additional corners.
“She’s right,” Kiley said. “We’re good.”
“Don’t let your guard down,” Mack warned.
“Not planning on it.” In the side mirror, he saw her roll her eyes.
If Mack were in their shoes, he wouldn’t appreciate all this backseat driving. He needed to back off. And he did, but the moment Sean stopped at the safe house, Mack leapt to his feet.
“Check it out, Kiley,” he demanded.
As she slid out of the truck, Mack stood to face the back door and rested his hand on his weapon. Thoughts of what would happen if they’d been followed pinged through his head like a tennis ball volley. He shook his head to stop them.
