“What about his family? He’s been concerned.”
“Handled. I met with Cory in person at the institute and informed him of the seriousness of Reed’s situation. He told Reed’s work supervisor that he’s been offered a once in a lifetime recording contract and had to take several weeks off work. This is the cover story for the rest of the family. I asked him to keep the truth to himself, but he’s very concerned about his son’s safety and asked for consistent updates on his wellbeing.”
“He’s secure.”
“That’s all the father needs to know.”
“We’ll head out to Montana today.”
Siren hung up and returned to where Reed was breaking down the tent. He’d already cleaned up the dishes and packed up the food in the cases in the back of the SUV.
“Dom has a contact ready for us in Montana,” she said, helping him fold up the tent. “Your father has been notified of the seriousness of the situation and is covering with the rest of your family and work.”
Reed pursed his lips as he shoved the tent into the bag she held up for him. She could tell he was worried. He didn’t like lying. He didn’t have a dishonest bone in his body. It was something she could tell about him from the moment he walked into Steel Protection.
This entire situation was far outside his comfort zone, and he was having a hard time adjusting. Even after two of his siblings dealt with Crown Mountain sabotage, Reed Bright still wanted to see the good in the world.
She picked up the tent and shoved it into the compartment in the back of the car. Then looked over the campsite to make sure they hadn’t left any traces. Reed had cleaned up well, and there was no real evidence that they’d camped there. “Ready?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t have much of a choice.”
Siren got behind the driver’s seat and started down the mountain. She continued on backroads as long as she could untilthey came out onto I-84 headed east along the Columbia River Gorge.
The massive gray river flowed along one side of the highway and high basalt cliffs cut into the pale blue sky on the other. Railroad tracks wound under the cliffs and a long cargo train chugged passed. Wind battered against the SUV, and Siren gripped the steering wheel, constantly checking for a tail.
This was the main highway out of the mountains, and the potential that they could be recognized was high. She’d put on new plates and patched the bullet holes in her armored car, but the potential was still there.
The landscape was open and the highway exposed, making it a tactical nightmare. But there was no other way to reach the highways heading into Montana if she wanted to make it there any time soon. It was a tradeoff.
Silence stretched between them. She could feel Reed’s anxiety like it was clawing at her skin. There was nothing she wanted more than to soothe him, to kiss him, to hold him against her chest and wrap her legs around him.
Every time those thoughts entered her mind, she had to push them down. Letting herself indulge in those fantasies would distract her like that moment when she was ambushed on the way to the safe house. She would not let that happen again.
She crossed the Columbia River headed north, moving into low scrubland and irrigated farms that dotted the landscape with green. They were even more exposed on this road, but at least they were putting miles between them and Fate Mountain.
They stopped for gas at a truck stop in the Tri-Cities area. She sent Reed into the diner with cash to get them burgers and friesto go while she pumped gas. When he returned with their meals, he offered to drive. When she declined the offer, he seemed offended.
Siren drove into a city park and parked in a spot facing the river. They ate their meals, watching barges chugging along the wide expanse of water. The heat of the day was picking up, and she had to crack the window to keep the interior from heating up too much to be comfortable.
Reed was quiet, eating his food in silence. With each mile they drove, the further they got away from his home and family and all the things that made him who he was.
She finished her meal and tossed the garbage in the take out bag. Reed did the same and offered to throw it out. She watched him walk across the parking lot to a garbage can, the curve of his back and the rise of his ass on full display.
She reached for her gun, reminding herself of her mission. When he climbed back into the car, he had a smudge of ketchup on his lip. Without thinking, she reached out and wiped it away with her thumb and then licked it off. Reed’s eyes widened. She could smell his scent fill the car.
She swore at herself, searching her mind for an explanation for what she’d just done. “You had some ketchup,” she said, turning on the car.
“Uh huh,” he said, strapping on his seat belt.
The tension between them was as taut as a wire, and she knew she was going to have to do something to bring it down. That move had not been it.
“Do you have any of your music with you?” she asked, hoping to break the heavy silence that had settled between them.
“Yeah,” he said, reaching for his backpack. “I have a disc I burned recently.” She’d made him leave his phone at Steel Protection. And her burner was a dumb phone so internet access was limited.
He slipped it into the disc player, and his music filled the car. She listened to his smooth, sensitive voice singing songs he wrote himself and covers that he made his own.
“This is last weekend at the brewery,” he said. “Minus the murder.”
