Chapter 7
Despite his height, Dom scrunched down in the seat as much as possible.
He wasn’t sure the headlights belonged to the shooter, but he understood Kendra’s concern.
And when he glimpsed the gun in her hand, his blood ran cold.
They were sitting ducks out there. If the gunman behind the wheel intended to open fire, their chance of getting out alive was next to nothing.
Despair hit hard. If they died there today, they’d never know the truth about who this guy was or why he’d come after them. Or how they kept getting found. And worse, Kendra would lose her life because of him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Not your fault,” she whispered back. “If he opens fire, I’ll do my best to take him down.”
He was tempted to take the gun from her, to do the deed himself, but knew she was likely a better shot than he was.
He was about to risk a glance over the steering wheel when he noticed the lights weren’t as bright as they had been.
He frowned, trying to imagine what might have been happening.
The lights hadn’t abruptly shut off, indicating the gunman was getting out of the truck to investigate.
The brightness slowly faded as if the vehicle was driving away.
Still, he didn’t move. His face was inches from Kendra’s. Another irrational thought hit. He didn’t want to die without kissing her.
Ridiculous to be thinking of such a thing at a time like that. Then again, he’d never faced death like this before. He’d lost his father, but that was different.
Kendra wiggled around to peer up over the dashboard. After a moment, she pushed herself all the way up. “The truck is gone.”
“Good.” Dom unfolded himself from his cramped position. Then he grabbed Kendra’s hand. “Please drop me off and head home to the ranch. I can’t stand the thought of this guy killing you.”
“I can’t stand the idea of this guy killing you either.” She held his gaze, her fingers tightening around his. “I mean it, Dominic. I won’t leave you to face this guy alone.”
He tried to come up with an argument that would change her mind. He was the real target here, not her. Although maybe by now this guy wouldn’t be satisfied unless he took them both out of the picture.
“Your father and my parents were ruthlessly murdered,” Kendra spoke in a low, soft voice. “We’re in this together. I have a feeling that it will take both of us to uncover the truth.” She glanced to the back seat where Smoky was still stretched out asleep. “All three of us,” she amended.
He was touched by her words. Kendra was sweet, kind, and honorable. As he struggled to find the words to tell her how much she meant to him, she released his hand to cup his cheek. Then she leaned in for a kiss.
The brief caress of her mouth against his fried his brain cells. He savored her sweetness, then abruptly broke away when the gas station lights flipped on, bathing them in light.
“I—uh.” He had no clue what to say. He felt like he was in high school again, kissing his girlfriend in the front seat of his truck. Although back then, he would have been the one behind the wheel. Kendra deserved better.
Yet she was the one who’d kissed him. Not the other way around.
“Um . . .” He had no idea what to say.
“I guess we can get gas now.” A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She appeared amused by his discomfort. “But let’s just wait another few minutes. I want to be sure that truck doesn’t turn around and come back.”
The truck. He forced himself to focus on the threat of danger. Not on how much he wanted to kiss Kendra again. “You really think the gunman is driving around searching for us?”
She shrugged. “Why not? For all we know, the guy has my license plate number. If so, we need to rent a vehicle. Or swap license plates with another car.”
“Swapping plates is against the law.” As soon as he uttered the words, he realized how ridiculous they sounded. Better to break the law and remain alive than continue driving around with a target on their back. “But if you think we should make a swap, I’ll figure out a way to get it done.”
“Getting a rental might be better, only because the crate area of the SUV may be too noticeable.” She frowned, then started the car. “Unfortunately, the Sullivan family is well known in the area. Everyone knows we have crates and special features built into our SUVs for our K9s.”
He nodded in understanding. The crate area was distinctive and could be seen from a distance. “Whatever you think is best.”
She shifted into gear and pulled away from the side of the building. “We’ll fill up with gas first since the rental agencies won’t be open for several hours. Then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”
He didn’t argue. His expertise was technology, not figuring out how to hide from a gunman who seemed to find them no matter where they went.
Was it possible this guy had similar computer hacking skills that he did? Dominic knew his knowledge wasn’t unique. A lot of people could do what he did.
The thought nagged at him as Kendra pulled up to a gas pump.
He pushed out of the passenger seat, relieved for the opportunity to stretch his legs.
Hunching his shoulders against the cold, he strode into the station/convenience store to prepay.
Removing a couple of twenty-dollar bills from his pocket, he slid them across the counter. “Please release pump number four.”
“Got it.” The clerk pushed a button. “Go ahead.”
Dom quickly headed back outside. Kendra was already out of the vehicle with the gas nozzle tucked into her fuel tank. He stepped forward. “I’ll do this. Get back inside where it’s warm.”
She shrugged. “Thanks, I’ll let Smoky out.”
He watched as she told the fluffy dog to get busy. Then he grinned as the K9 jumped into the snowbank, seemingly eager to romp and play.
Maybe he should get a dog once this nightmare was over. He worked from home most of the time, so there was no reason he shouldn’t have a pet.
When the gas tank was full, he replaced the nozzle and headed back inside. Kendra and Smoky accompanied him.
“Do you have gas station video surveillance?” Kendra asked.
The clerk frowned. “Yeah, but you don’t look like a Cody police officer.”
“I’m not, but I can ask them to head over here if necessary.
Burt Jones and Sergeant Tom Howell are friends of the Sullivan family.
” Kendra gestured to the pumps outside. “Does your camera record all night? Or just during the hours you’re open?
We’re interested in seeing the video from the past thirty minutes or so. ”
“It’s on all night.” The clerk pushed the couple dollars in change for the gas toward Dominic. “But I’m not supposed to give the video out to anyone but the police.”
“Great, I’ll call them.” Kendra reached into her pocket for her phone.
“Okay, okay.” The clerk threw up his hands. “Since you’re a Sullivan, I’ll show you the video.”
Dom was surprised the guy gave in to Kendra’s request. Apparently, her family was next to royalty in this city. He doubted the gunman had taken the Sullivan notoriety into the equation when he’d targeted them.
“Here’s the video.” The clerk turned the screen so they could see it. He was impressed the video was so readily available. “You want to see the past thirty minutes or so, right?”
“Correct.” Kendra leaned in as the clerk backed up the video and hit play.
“Do you mind if I manipulate the controls?” Dom didn’t wait for the clerk to respond as he took over the keyboard. He hit the fast-forward button until the headlights came onto the screen. Then he slowed the tape, watching as the large dark truck came into view.
“No front license plate,” Kendra murmured. “They’re not required, but I had hoped that there might be one.”
He continued watching the truck as it slowed to a crawl.
Clearly, the truck had noticed the SUV parked along the building.
If not for Kendra forcing them down out of sight, the guy may have opened fire.
Then the truck increased its speed, continuing down the road.
The angle wasn’t great, so he couldn’t see a rear license plate.
“It’s a GMC Sierra pickup truck.” He released the controls back to the gas station clerk. “I guess that’s more than what we knew before.”
“Yeah.” Kendra smiled at the clerk. “Thanks for sharing that with us.”
“No problem.” The guy furtively glanced around as if his boss might show up at any moment. Then he added, “Your brother Joel and his K9 helped find my cousin’s kid a few months ago. Your family does a lot for our community. I figure this is the least I can do in return.”
“We appreciate your help very much. Thanks again for allowing us to see the video.” Kendra turned toward Dominic.
“Let’s get out of here and find a place to get breakfast. And we should probably let the Cody police know about the make and model of the truck.
The officers on patrol can help keep an eye out for it. ”
“Okay.” He gave the clerk a nod. “Thank you.”
Moments later, they were settled in the SUV. This time, Kendra placed Smoky in the crate area. It occurred to Dominic that if the dog had been back there earlier, the gunman may have realized they were hiding inside.
The near miss hit him hard. As if sensing his mood, Kendra reached over to touch his arm. “God is watching over us, Dom. We’ll be okay.”
“You really believe that.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell by the sincere and intense look in her eyes that she did. “If that’s the case, then why did your parents have to die in that plane crash?”