Chapter Nineteen
CAM
I felt like I was walking on clouds by the time I left the office with Mars.
According to the paperwork Captain Sorensen had me sign, I was completely off the hook for all my past deeds including auto theft.
To top it all off, my mother was safe and hopefully, with the information I’d provided, the FBI would be able to take Josiah down once and for all.
The only thing holding them back might be if their computer techie couldn’t hack into the Ferrari’s onboard computer but judging by how confident everyone had been in Special Agent Burgess, it looked good.
I felt like a million bucks as I climbed into Mars’ borrowed Camaro.
I reached over and took his hand as soon as he was in the car, and when he looked over at me, I smiled. “Thank you, Mars. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.”
He grinned at me, then leaned forward and softly kissed my lips. When he pulled away, a shiver ran through me. The man was so potent, he always had that effect on me.
“Ya should feel worlds better now, luv. It isn’t every day you get a new lease on life. Now you just have to look forward to your future.”
I gnawed on my lower lip, thinking about his statement as butterflies filled my insides.
Mars started the car, but I waited until we’d pulled out into the sunlight to voice my concern.
“That could be a problem, Mars.” He glanced over at me as he drove through the parking lot, stopping at the end of the driveway to wait for traffic.
“Why’s that, Cam?”
I let go of his hand and ran lines down my jeans with my thumbnail as I looked away. “I’m not good at anything, Mars.”
“What? Course, ya are.”
“No, really. I don’t have any skills. I barely graduated high school and the only thing I ever did well was—” I dragged my gaze back to the window where I watched the traffic as he pulled out onto Wilshire Boulevard, heading east.
“What?”
I harrumphed. “Steal things. I’m twenty-six years old and it’s the only thing I was ever good at…stealing things.”
He was quiet a few seconds before he shook his head. “That’s not true.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean ya take wonderful care of ya mum. You’re dedicated and steady for a young bloke.
The world’s ya oyster. You can train for all sorts of things.
The ‘usband of one of the guys on our team—Rex—‘is ‘usband just started veterinary college and ‘e’s your age. Ya just ‘ave to find a job doing something that’s a passion of yours.” He checked the rearview mirror and changed lanes.
I was desperate to change the subject I’d started. Talking about my lack of education always made me feel like a total idiot. “Where are you headed anyway? The hotel is back there.” I pointed behind us.
He smiled over at me. “I thought I’d take ya for lunch at a little out of the way place I really like. We should be okay. Unless ya ‘ave a burning desire to go right back to the ‘otel.”
I vigorously shook my head. “No way. I’d love to go to lunch, Mars.”
“Okay, no changing the subject this time, Cam,” he said. “What are ya passions?”
I wanted to tell him the only thing I was passionate about lately had been making love to him, but I couldn’t exactly say that. I smiled at the thought of him naked, and he glanced over just in time to catch me. He grinned.
“There. Ya thought of something already. What are you passionate about?” He checked the rearview mirror again, and this time I caught the slight frown cross his features.
“I guess I’m passionate about cars. I wouldn’t mind learning more about racing, though, there can’t be much money in it.”
He flicked a look in the rearview mirror again, changing lanes immediately.
I turned to look behind us, not noticing anything obvious.
When I turned back, he said with a serious expression, “I think if you’re good enough, even racing pays, Cam.
I ‘ave a few friends ‘oo drive on the racing circuit. I could introduce ya if you’d like. Is that what gets ya juices flowing?”
I studied his face, noting the strain around his mouth, the tension he was trying to hide from me while carrying on a seemingly random conversation about my future.
“What’s wrong? You keep looking in the rearview mirror.
Don’t tell me it’s nothing because I know you well enough by now, to sense it, even if it wasn’t written all over your face. ”
He smirked, not looking at me, but checking the mirror again. He sighed and flicked a quick glance at me before turning back to the road. “We’re being followed.”
My heart sank as he picked up his phone and hit speed dial, putting it to his ear without even looking at it.
“Candy, we’re being followed.” He paused for just a second.
“That’s it…we’re on Wilshire, going east.” He paused again.
“Ya got it? Okay, boss. We’ll watch for ya.
” He disconnected the phone, setting it in the cup holder, and taking my hand.
“Candy is scrambling the team. ’E’s got our location.
” He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. They’ll catch up, luv. ”
I was worried, though. As much as I trusted this man, I’d seen the damage Josiah and the bastards he employed could do.
Still, I knew that Mars would keep me safe.
I could feel it all the way down to my toes.
He continued driving east as the minutes ticked by.
Ahead of us, I could see the signs for the 110 freeway as we approached downtown.
Chinatown signs followed a few miles later.
We’d just passed under the 110 overpass when Mars’ arm shot out across my body as he made a quick lane change.
I lurched forward, and brakes squealed behind us.
“Shite. Sorry, Cam. “E’s trying to come up alongside us. I ‘ave to stay in front of ‘im.” He gunned the engine as I started inwardly freaking out. I’d seen the damage automatic weapons had done to Special Agent Beth Michaels’ car the last time one of these assholes tried passing her.
“Hold on!” He made another lane change, jerking the car back into the lane and hitting the gas. The engine revved again, and I felt the power under the hood as the car sped up again. I was so relieved we were in the Camaro instead of a much heavier car.
“How close do you think your team is?” I could hear the worry in my voice as it shook.
He nodded at his phone. I held it up and facial recognition unlocked it. “Open the nav app on my mobile and tap number one.”
I did as he asked and was instantly looking at a screen showing two glowing red dots, both driving down Wilshire. I held it out to show it to him. He nodded.
“The dot on top is us, the other is my team. They’re about seven miles behind us, but they’ll be using lights and sirens to catch up, so don’t worry, Cam. I only ‘ave to stay ahead of these wankers for a few miles.”
I frowned. It seemed way too dangerous, but I swallowed anyway, knowing Mars was armed and would put his very life on the line to keep me safe.
“I think we should get off the main street, don’t you?
” I turned around and spotted the black, sports car with limo tinted windows following way too close. Mars seemed to debate my words.
He waved at the windshield. “There’s an industrial park about a mile ahead. We’ll ‘ead there. Plenty of places to ‘ide. It’s a big complex.”
I nodded, hating that we had to hide at all but knowing if we faced the same kind of firepower we’d had in Vegas, we’d be at a huge disadvantage. I was also well aware that the last time, Mars hadn’t been the only person armed. This time we were on our own.
He drove for another mile, pulling up to an iron gate surrounding a huge, multi-storied building called Fairborne Industries.
He snatched up his phone and we were out of the car, running for the fence.
He wordlessly bent, threading his fingers together in a stirrup.
I didn’t waste time, stepping into it, and vaulting over the fence.
I’d barely dropped down on the other side before Mars had scaled the fence, joining me a second later.
We ran for the tallest building in the industrial park, getting only about fifty feet away before we heard brakes squealing behind us.
Up close, the building looked abandoned with graffiti marring the walls and windows.
We stopped at a set of solid, double doors with the company’s name on a battered, old sign.
Before I could even blink, Mars had a set of lock picks in his hand and was unlocking a padlock enclosing a chain running through two fancy, brass door handles.
One door sported a deadbolt as well as a FOR LEASE sign.
As Mars picked the padlock, I used my own lockpicks to make quick work of the deadbolt.
The second it was open, we ducked inside.
Mars leaned out and grabbed the chain, losing precious seconds as he refastened the padlock on the inside of the door just as a barrage of gunfire sprayed across both doors.
I flinched, ducking away reflexively as the bullets cracked on the outside of the doors.
He twisted the deadbolt and then grabbed my hand, yanking me after him.
We ran across the floor of an abandoned reception area.
Discarded papers and dust balls the size of small mice blew across the floors as we raced past the reception desk covered with a thick layer of dust. I absently noted the lack of a computer, a monitor, a landline phone, or even a single pen or pencil on the desk itself.
We ran to another set of double doors which were thankfully unlocked and spilled out into a huge three-story space which was absent of anything more than papers, dust balls, and a few boxes.
It had cement floors and several symmetrical, rectangular and square areas on the ground, which were probably the footprints of missing machinery.
A faded, painted sign in calligraphy, stated the wide, open space was the home of Fairborne Industries Inc. Fine Injection Plastic Moldings.