The guy’s eyes got big.“Are you serious, man?Sure, no problem.”
Tanner stayed long enough to make sure the guy was really calling, then slipped away toward the park.
And didn’t see Bree there.
Damn it, had she run?He was on his way to getting well and truly angry when she stuck her head out from behind a large tree and gestured frantically for him to come over.He just made it to her, and was about to read her the riot act, when a car—multiplecars—came screeching up behind him, pulling right up on the guy who had called 911.
“What the hell?”Bree’s slender arm grabbed his shirt and yanked him behind the tree with her.
There was no way emergency response could’ve gotten there that fast, less than a minute after the call.And even if they had, they wouldn’t have wasted their time going to the guy on the phone when there was a possibly injured man inside the church.
Tanner peeked out to see the men in suits questioning the 911 caller.Bree was between him and the tree, her back to him, but she wasn’t looking.She already knew who was there.
“Those are the same guys from the alley, right?”
She nodded.
“How did they get there so fast?”Tanner asked.“Are they tracing 911 calls or something?”
“No, it wouldn’t have mattered what number he called.He was flagged because he mentioned the priest in the church.Only a witness would’ve known about the priest.”
Tanner looked again before pulling his head back.“Those men are dangerous.Are they going to hurt that guy?”He couldn’t sit by and let an innocent bystander get hurt.
She shook her head.“Not when they find out someone else asked him to make the call.It won’t take them long to figure out he’s not who they want.You are.”
“Fine.They can have me.I’m law enforcement.I can call in Denver PD backup and we can arrest them.We’ll end this right now.”
She let out a small laugh that held no humor whatsoever.“Those guys are nothing more than hired guns.Arresting them wouldn’t accomplish anything.”
“It would be a start.I’ve got at least one admitting to hurting the priest.”
“If you arrest them, you’ll be bringing danger right to my doorstep.To Christian and Beth’s doorstep.”
He snatched his head back behind the tree as the 911 caller pointed in their general direction.The men in the suits evidently wanted to know who had asked him to make the call.
“We’ve got trouble,” he said.“We’re going to have to run.”
She nodded.“I can keep up.”
She wasn’t lying.They moved from tree to tree, using the natural park coverage for as long as they could.And then they bolted.He heard a shout from behind them, and they pushed faster.
Tanner was in good shape, kept himself physically fit for the job and because it was how he liked to feel.Even with Bree’s assurances, he thought he would have to slow down significantly for her to be able to keep up with him.
He was wrong.
Bree was with him almost step for step.Was actually running faster because her shorter gait meant more steps.She was definitely very much in shape.
They circled back around on the outside of the park, cutting sharply to the left down a crowded avenue.
“If anyone has their phone out, try to keep your face averted,” she panted.“It’s important that they don’t catch your picture.”
“If we don’t want anyone getting us on picture or video, we’re much better off blending in rather than bolting through.”
She stopped running almost immediately.“You’re right.Damn it, you’re right.”
It was like she was mad at herself for breaking a rule she knew about.
They kept moving quickly, but not fast enough to be interesting to any passersby.Tanner glanced over his shoulder and saw two of the men in suits turning down the avenue.They obviously weren’t sure exactly who they were looking for, and their progress was slower because they had to look more closely at everyone.
