It was then that I realized making it to Arizona would be harder than I thought. Especially since we were trapped on a train with the men who were hunting us.
31
JUDAH
Friday, June 6 | 1:03 p.m.
Ikissed Amelia on the head and strolled back to the roomette as she went off to order something to eat, only to stop dead in my tracks at the sight of two familiar faces.
Jeremiah and Al stood at the end of the car, looking around like they were completely and utterly lost.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I turned, dipped back into the bathroom, and locked the door behind me as they started my way. They might not recognize Amelia, but they’d sure as hell recognize me.
I knew leaving from Chicago would be a risk, but the train was the best option for getting to Vegas with as little of a trail as possible. Hopefully, since the train didn’t actually go to Nevada, they’d lose our trail once we disembarked.
That was, if we didn’t get made before then.
We had twenty-eight hours left in the trip to Arizona. Twenty-eight hours trapped on a train with killers.
I started working through all the possibilities. The next stop was Kansas City. Renting a car was out of the question. For one, I didn’t have a credit card. Two, rental cars were easily trackable, thanks to the recovery software that the companies installed to be able to find their vehicles in a pinch. That meant anyone else could track the cars if they were savvy enough.
I could hot-wire a car, but that would put local police on our tail. I didn’t want this to turn into a chase. We could lay low until Cole could get resources out to us, but if he was on a job for the firm he worked for, there was no telling how long that could be.
I pressed my ear to the door, listening for their voices.
“Ay—” Al said, though I couldn’t tell who he was talking to. “We’re looking for a buddy of ours—Jude Graham. We—uh—wanna sit together.” He must have been talking to one of the staff members.
The problem was, if they checked the passenger manifest, there would be no Jude Graham.
“He’s a—uh—big guy,” Jeremiah said. “Real tall. Long hair. Lots’a tattoos.”
The staff member huffed in annoyance. “Gentlemen, we have a full train today. Please take the seats that are listed on your tickets.” And, with that, she walked away.
Jeremiah and Al lowered their voices, discussing their plan at a decibel I couldn’t make out. Their footsteps faded as they headed deeper into the train.
I said a silent prayer that Amelia was staying alert to her surroundings as I slipped out of the bathroom. If I could get us into our room and lock the door, we’d be fine. We’d just have to stay out of sight for the rest of the trip.
Familiar footsteps echoed behind me. Then two more sets joined in. I glanced behind me just long enough to see Amelia wearing a terrified look as Jeremiah and Al did a double take and turned to follow her back toward me.
I made a split-second decision and dipped into a narrow closet where passengers had stored things like strollers and guitars. The moment Amelia passed close enough, I grabbed her hand, yanked her in, and pulled the bifold door closed.
I clapped my hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and pressed a finger to my lips. “Shhhhh.”
The moment she realized it was me, Amelia nodded and I pulled my hand away.
“What are you doing?” she mouthed.
I tipped my head toward the door. “I know them.”
Her eyes went wide. “Were they the guys who searched the cabin?”
“No.” What I didn’t say was that if John Valentine had sent his inner circle to hunt me down, this was no longer simply about getting Amelia back and tying up the loose ends of her and her brother.
It was about taking us out.
All of us.
