Eight
When their impromptu progress meeting broke up soon after George’s arrival, Felicity made a beeline to Daisy, walking as fast as her sore ankle allowed.
“Can I ask a favor?” Felicity said once she’d caught up with Daisy by the front door.
Daisy nodded.
“Could we use the showers at your gym?” Felicity gestured at her rumpled self. “It’s been a rough night.”
“Of course.” Pulling out her phone, Daisy shot off a text. “There. I’m stopping by the station to see Chris, but my manager knows you’re coming. Just give your names to the guy at the front desk, and he’ll show you where everything is.”
“Thank you.” Felicity’s relief wasn’t feigned. Although it’d only been a little over a day, she felt like it’d been months since her last shower. Besides, she had tech to retrieve so she didn’t hear about it from her sister. Since their mom had committed a felony and taken off, money had been tight.
She waited while Bennett dropped his SUV at Donnie’s Auto Shop and talked briefly with the sleepy-eyed mechanic, whom Felicity assumed was Donnie.
As Bennett climbed into the passenger seat of her car, Felicity asked, “Will he be able to get your windshield replaced soon?”
Bennett dipped his chin. “Three days.”
Patting the steering wheel, she said, “We’ll have to take good care of my baby then. Keep her away from flying bullets and sledgehammers.”
“Sledgehammers?” The corner of Bennett’s mouth lifted in a half smile that was more intriguing than it should’ve been.
“Who knows around here?” So far, the town had surprised them several times—in both good and not so good ways.
Bennett made a sound of agreement as Felicity turned the car in the direction of the gym.
The burly guy at the front desk was quiet but helpful, leading them to the doors of the locker rooms and pointing to a shelf piled with clean towels. Felicity watched him walk back toward the front desk, wondering if something in the mountain air made the guys around here so big and silent.
A nudge on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Bennett’s scowling face.
“What?” she asked, looking around to see what had put him in a bad mood.
Instead of answering, he shoved through the door into the men’s locker room. With a mental shrug, she grabbed a towel and headed into the women’s.
The shower stung scrapes and abrasions she hadn’t even known she’d acquired over the past twenty-four hours, but the hot water still felt amazing. Although the motel owner kicking them out had seemed like terrible luck when it happened, showering in the roomy and sparkling new gym facilities was an improvement over the mildewed ancient bathroom at the Black Bear Inn. Sleeping with Bennett—despite the unpleasant early-morning hail of bullets—had been pleasant too. She paused, her hands stilling in her hair as the water pounded against her head and back. Pleasant didn’t seem like a strong enough descriptor. Nice? Cozy? Safe? Addictive?
She abruptly shut down her musing, scrubbing at her scalp as if she could physically wash away her thoughts. “Head in the game,” she warned herself, knowing that what was turning into a pretty sizeable crush on her stalker turned partner would end badly. “You barely know him.”
The problem was that what she knew about PI B. Green, she liked. A lot.
She finished showering and dressing quickly in the otherwise empty locker room, trying to keep her mind off a certain private investigator who was currently naked just a wall away. Once she focused on the task of retrieving the listening devices, it was easier to shove Bennett to the back of her mind.
Quietly, she pushed open the locker room door, catching it before it could thud shut. Another much larger hand wrapped over hers on the edge of the door, and she jumped before turning her head to meet Bennett’s gaze. After the unruly thoughts about him that’d run wild just minutes before, she couldn’t stop her cheeks from heating.
Hoping he thought her face was still flushed from the heat of the shower, she tilted her head wordlessly toward the office, and he gave a short nod. After holding his hand over hers on the door a half second longer than technically necessary, he released her, and she closed the door silently.
Trying to move as quietly as possible while not appearing to be sneaking around was a feat in itself, but Felicity’d had plenty of opportunities to practice. From the way Bennett glided behind her, looking slightly bored to a casual observer, this wasn’t his first rodeo either.
It was still early enough that the gym was quiet, but she knew that wouldn’t last. Already, there were a couple people walking through the front door and a small line checking in at the desk. Felicity let her gaze slide past the gym patrons indifferently, checking for familiar faces or anyone who seemed interested in her and Bennett, but no one stood out to her. The manager at the desk had his back to them, so Felicity made her way through the weight room with a casual stride that masked her sense of urgency.
“Hey!” a male voice called out, breaking the sleepy quiet of the gym.
She fought down the urge to jump and glanced with studied indifference over her shoulder. The caller was heading toward a woman doing bench presses who finished the set she was on before sitting up and smiling at the man approaching her. They started talking, and Felicity covered the last few feet to the office door.
As she grabbed the knob, she prayed to the breaking and entering gods, sending up a silent thank you when the handle turned easily. Reaching back, she grabbed Bennett’s hand and hauled him into the office with her.
The setup from the murder club meeting was the same as it’d been the evening before, and Felicity made a beeline to her chair, retrieving the bug from where she’d stuck it on the upper inner back right leg. As she held it up triumphantly, she saw Bennett collect his own electronic device from between the wall and the back of a picture frame.
“Nice spot,” she whispered almost soundlessly, and he looked pleased as he pocketed the bug. She moved to follow him out the door when they both froze.
The doorknob was turning.
Bennett turned and grasped her upper arms, twisting Felicity around until her back was against the wall with his considerable bulk pressing against her front. She was confused for the split second it took for the door to open, not sure what Bennett’s intent was. Sure, there’d been a lot of bullets flying around them lately, but she doubted that whoever was coming into the office was going to try to harm her physically. He gave her a meaningful look, as if asking permission. Assuming that he was checking if it was okay that he’d pushed her up against the wall, she nodded.
Then his lips crashed down on hers, and her thoughts stopped completely.
She froze, barely aware that the door swung wide and that someone else was in the room with them. All she could focus on was the press of his mouth on hers, the heat and hardness of him trapping her against the wall, as well as the shocking softness of his lips. Her own parted automatically, and he deepened the kiss in response. It turned from a mannequin fake embrace to something real and intense and incredible.
“Oh sorry!” The words yanked Felicity out of her kiss-induced daze, and she jerked back from Bennett. His mouth followed her at first, but then he seemed to recall himself, and he retreated.
Blinking lust-shocked eyes, Felicity looked blankly at Daisy and an unfamiliar man, both of whom looked equal parts amused, surprised, and bewildered.
“Oh!” Felicity didn’t have to feign her shock—or her embarrassment—as she scrambled to come up with a reason for them to be in Daisy’s office. So that’s what Bennett had been silently asking. “Sorry! We were just… This is all new, and… Um, we didn’t mean to…”
Daisy finally took pity on her. “Don’t worry. I get it. Chris has pulled me into a random room or two.”
The uniformed guy next to her—who must be Chris, her deputy sheriff husband—looked at Daisy with a mix of humor and heat that made Felicity think the other woman would be pulled into another random room in the near future.
“Sorry,” Felicity said again, sheepish now as she extricated herself from Bennett’s hold. “The gym just got busy, so we…” She shrugged, still feeling flustered by the whole thing. Although she didn’t want to admit it, the kiss was the main reason she was a babbling mess. The threat of getting caught retrieving listening devices wasn’t even an issue at the moment.
“I get it.” Daisy waved her hand as if dismissing the whole situation from her mind. “Felicity Pax and Bennett Green, this is Deputy Chris Jennings, my husband and main information source.”
Although Chris winced at the “information source” part, his smile came easily enough as he nodded at both of them. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve been hearing all about you and your…work here.”
Bennett raised his chin in the universal guy greeting.
“Same,” Felicity said, ignoring the way Chris had paused on the word work , as if he had a whole slew of questions for them. “I appreciate your help with finding the militia’s location.”
Chris made a noncommittal humming sound. “Things seem to have gotten a little riled up over there. We’ll see if I regret passing on that bit of information or if I thank you in the end.”
Unable to hold back a grin, Felicity said with assurance, “Oh, you’ll definitely thank us. I’m sure of it.”
His repressive cop look was ruined by the way his lips wanted to twitch into a smile. “We’ll see,” he just repeated before giving Daisy a kiss on the cheek and a much more serious look. “Please stay away from the militia’s compound and any trigger-happy Simpsonites today, sweetheart.”
“Of course,” Daisy said, her wide-eyed expression almost too innocent for comfort. “I don’t know why you’d even need to say that. Safety is my middle name.”
With a snort that managed to be both amused and loving, he gave her another kiss—this one on the lips—and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Felicity said, suddenly aware that she and Bennett were still in Daisy’s office uninvited. “We’re heading out if you two were going to…talk.” Aaaand now I’ve made things awkward again , she thought, feeling her cheeks heat. She’d blushed more on this short trip to Simpson than she had during the rest of her adult life. Grabbing Bennett’s hand, she towed him past Chris out the door, calling over her shoulder, “Sorry again! Bye! Thanks for the showers!”
“Wait!” It was Daisy stopping them this time. “Do you need to use my office for research? I’ll be stuck at the front desk all day after my manager leaves at eight, so you’re welcome to this.” She spread her arms wide, indicating the entire office space.
“Thank you, but I think we’re going to camp out at The Coffee Spot,” Felicity said, realizing that she was still holding Bennett’s hand and that it felt really nice enveloping hers. “We’ve monopolized your office long enough.” The blush was back, so she gave an awkward wave and started pulling Bennett away again. “Thanks again! Bye!”
The weight room had filled up while they’d been busy—her blush flamed hotter—in the office, and everyone turned to watch them leave. Bennett caught up so they were walking side by side, still holding hands. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, and suddenly everything seemed less mortifying and more like an adventure.
Felicity turned her head to smile at him, and he gave her one of his half grins back. Tugging her closer with their linked hands, he leaned way down so he could whisper in her ear.
“Operation Bug Removal successful.”
***
“This isn’t all that much better,” Felicity said quietly, lowering her binoculars to her lap.
“It’s not worse.”
She couldn’t disagree with Bennett there. “True. At least from here, we can get a good look at the traffic coming and going.” She glanced around at the surrounding area and couldn’t hold back an impressed smile. “Plus the views are pretty fantastic.”
Bennett gave a grunt of agreement. They’d decided to try their luck on the other side of the compound during the day this time. The late-afternoon sun lit up the edges of the cliffs and highlighted the clumps of hard grass and shrubs dotting the ground. Even the razor wire surrounding the compound glowed gold, burnishing something inherently ugly with an odd touch of beauty.
Since Bennett’s SUV was getting a new windshield at Donnie’s Auto Shop, they’d parked Felicity’s car in a small copse of scraggly evergreens on a rocky hill a quarter mile from the militia headquarters. It was the only decent stakeout spot they could find after poring over maps for most of the day. Their view of the compound was limited, but they faced the gravel drive leading to the entrance and were close enough to see license plates with the help of her binoculars if they peered through gaps in the greenery.
“Honestly, at this point, I just want to know if Dino is even here.” Felicity pulled her gaze off the entrancing view of the mountains and focused on what she could see of the compound again. “If we’re going to get shot at, we should at least know we might get a bounty at the end of all this.”
Bennett just gave her a raised-eyebrow look, and she lifted her free hand in a small shrug.
“I know,” she admitted. “I have a slight adrenaline addiction. Even so, I don’t want to do dangerous things without a payout.”
Wearing one of those partial smiles that she was starting to look forward to seeing, he opened his mouth to respond but then closed it again. His face returned to seriousness as he gestured toward the compound. “A vehicle’s coming.”
Sure enough, she heard the faint hum of an engine as soon as he said that. Finding a gap in the trees in front of them that was at a good angle to see oncoming cars, Felicity focused her binoculars through the clear space and waited. The engine sound gradually got louder, the echo bouncing off the surrounding cliffs, until the front of an older-model pickup truck came into view.
“Colorado four seven seven boy Adam zebra. I can’t tell the original color. Was that blue at one time?”
Bennett was silent for only a few seconds before saying, “1982 Ford F150, registered to Cobra Jones.”
“Cold.” Felicity peered through the binoculars, trying to see past the sun glare on the windshield to the driver and passenger inside. “They take his militia and his pickup? That’s a country song just waiting to be written right there.”
Bennett gave a cough of what sounded like laughter before saying in a serious tone, “We need to look more closely at what happened to Jones.”
“Agreed.” The truck was almost directly in front of their hiding spot, and she saw into the cab. “Clint Possible Murderer Yarran’s driving.” His passenger turned his head to look out the side window, giving her a direct view of his face. Her heartbeat jumped in anticipation. “And none other than Dino Fletcher’s riding shotgun.”
As soon as the faded pickup passed their hidden parking spot, continuing toward the county road, Felicity started her car. Caution warred with the need to speed after her quarry as she eased the tires over the rocky stretch that connected their overlook to the logging road they came in on.
Bennett tapped on his phone. “This’ll take us to Moose Peak Road, six miles southeast of where Clint and Dino will emerge.”
“Whose road is shorter?” Felicity asked, resisting the urge to bounce her left leg up and down. She loved this—the chase, the potential of capturing her skip. Having Bennett there with her just seemed to enhance the adrenaline rush. “Any chance we’ll catch up with them?”
“About the same.” He flicked across his screen, and she saw various maps flash by. “Drive fast.”
Felicity grinned. “Happily.”
With a spray of gravel, she gunned the car around the first curve, rocketing between boulders and pine trees until she braked hard before a hairpin turn. The car swung around and took off again like a slingshot, and Felicity couldn’t hold back an exultant laugh. She shot Bennett a sideways glance, expecting to see terror on his face—or at least a hint of fear—but he was fully immersed in the information on his phone. When the car slid on loose gravel as they took the next turn, sending them to the very edge of the cliff, he didn’t even look up, just absently put one hand on the dash to steady himself. The amount of trust he had in her warmed her insides.
They raced downward, whipping around turns and bouncing over frequent ruts and loose rocks. Moose Peak Road came into view too soon, before Felicity was ready to quit her roller coaster of a drive.
“Left,” Bennett said before she could even ask.
After a perfunctory check for traffic, she cranked the steering wheel to the left. The tires spun in the gravel for a moment before finding traction and shooting the car forward. The narrow dirt road stretched before them, empty of any traffic that Felicity could see. Noting the mileage on the odometer, she pressed down on the accelerator.
Five and a half miles flew by before she slowed to a more reasonable speed. “Since we didn’t pass them, I’m assuming they turned the other way?”
Bennett gave an affirmative grunt.
“What are the next intersections coming up?” Her mind was working, trying to develop a plan without knowing where Dino was heading. So far, the bare bones of her plan were to find the pickup and then follow it until Clint stopped. At that point, she’d tackle Dino.
“A couple county roads and Highway Nine.”
“Highway Nine.” That was where they were headed, she knew in her gut.
“Probably,” he said, sounding confident, like his gut was telling him the same thing as hers. He gestured to the left. “They came out here.”
“Unless they haven’t gotten here yet.”
Bennett made a sour face. “Wish I’d gotten a tracker on that pickup.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” She couldn’t count the number of times during the endless days of searching that she had wished she’d secretly microchipped her mom. No matter how many times she’d chased after a skip, trying to find a single soul hiding among the billions of people in the world often felt impossible. After her mom used their house as collateral for her bail, Felicity had felt like a bomb was ticking, counting down the seconds until her and her sisters’ lives exploded. “What do you think? Continue or wait a few minutes to see if they’re still on the compound road?”
“Continue.”
Felicity relaxed a little as she pressed harder on the gas pedal. She would’ve considered stopping if Bennett had suggested it, but her leg was already bouncing. She much preferred chasing to lying in wait. Despite her impatience, she forced herself to stay within five miles of the speed limit.
That was why it was extra annoying when red and blue lights lit up her rearview mirror.