Chapter 12 #2
Tabitha carried his bag to her trailer and dumped it beside Major’s, then she set about gathering her own things.
She wanted to be ready to roll out first thing when it was time to take Trista and Marilyn to the airport.
To pass the time, Tabitha spent the rest of the evening texting Major and Cailín, the latter excited to go with Tabitha to the safehouse.
The last text before going to bed was from Major, asking if Tabitha would stop at the grocery store on the way so that Craig would stop bemoaning the fact that they didn’t have a cook.
That was the problem with safehouses; it was every man or woman for themselves.
Tabitha and Major both loved to cook, but if they showed Craig their skills in the kitchen, he would expect them to cater to him at every meal. Sigh.
The next morning, Tabitha took Major’s, Craig’s, and her bags to the SUV.
She then parked it closer to the guard shack before escorting Trista and Marilyn.
The sun hadn’t thought of coming up when they left, and the movie set was a ghost town with everyone still asleep.
Well, almost everyone, as Tabitha could hear a couple of people talking in hushed tones.
Even with her shifter hearing, she couldn’t make out the words.
Once safely in the vehicle, she kept her eye on the guard as she pulled away.
It wasn’t until she was turning at the end of the row that she saw him on his phone.
He may have been calling his wife, then again, he might be alerting someone that she was leaving the park.
She had already asked Cailín to go with her, so at the edge of the parking lot, Tabitha stopped long enough to text Cailín with her suspicions instead of sending the message through her Bluetooth.
She didn’t want to scare her two passengers.
The drive from Stone Mountain to the Atlanta airport was roughly forty-five minutes if they didn’t run into bad traffic, but this was Atlanta.
Bad traffic was synonymous with the city.
Tabitha kept an eye behind them for anyone following.
She wouldn’t put it past Sarah to try and sneak her way to where Craig was.
Almost an hour later, Tabitha pulled up to the curb at the Delta departures and popped the hatch, getting out of the SUV to help with the women’s bags. Trista gave Tabitha a hug. “It was a pleasure working with you. If you ever want to try your hand at being a stunt double, just let me know.”
“I appreciate that, but my job is plenty exciting. Good luck with the new film. Marilyn, take care.”
The women took their luggage and disappeared into the terminal.
Tabitha had to wait to merge with oncoming traffic, then she was off.
Instead of heading directly to the safehouse, she drove to Solaralun, Luna and Solara’s Wicca shop.
Not that she needed to see Luna, but she wanted to ensure she wasn’t being followed.
Cailín had agreed to meet her there with the device that detected trackers as well as other supplies they might need, like bulletproof vests.
The male Gargoyles were impervious to bullets; the females weren’t so lucky.
Neither was Major. Even though the government had cracked down on weapons used by civilians, they were still out there.
All of Tabitha’s coworkers had permits considering their line of work, but she didn’t carry one on her person, but she did keep one in her vehicle.
She and Cailín had their bracelets that Luna created.
They could call up any weapon of their choice through magic.
Solaralun wasn’t open this early, so Tabitha and Cailín had the parking lot to themselves. “Any trouble?” Cailín asked.
“Not that I could detect, but I want to be sure.”
Cailín opened a case and removed a small device, running it over Tabitha’s SUV. “All clear. Since I had time after you texted last night, I went shopping so you don’t have to on the way. Papa asked what I was doing, and he helped cook several meals that only have to be reheated.”
“Your papa is the best.” Tabitha adored Trevor.
Tessa had shared many stories about the quirky man from when they first met.
The two were kindred spirits in that Tessa had been the first baby successfully cloned, and Trevor was a clone of his brother, Travis.
Trevor’s younger years hadn’t been easy, but he’d met his mate, Jasper, and all that changed.
Back then, Trevor worked in the morgue with Tabitha’s Uncle Dante, who took Trevor under his wing and helped the human flourish.
Jasper was Cailín’s older brother, but he and Trevor had the paperwork drawn up to adopt her after bringing her back from Ireland as a toddler.
“That he is. You head out, and I’ll keep a little distance between us, just in case.”
“Sounds good.” Tabitha was ready to see her hottie, even if they were hiding out in Bumfuck, Georgia.
From what she had researched the night before, Wilkey was one of those small towns that hadn’t bounced back from the apocalypse in the early 2000s.
In its heyday, it had boasted almost fifteen hundred residents.
Not the best place to remain hidden for long since everyone knew everyone else, but now that it was all but abandoned, it was the perfect area to keep someone safe.
At least for a few days. It would allow Major, Tabitha, and Cailín to notice anyone coming and going.
It was close to several state parks, and if needed, they could spirit Craig away and hide him out in the forest. Tabitha hoped it didn’t come to that because Craig was a needy jerk on the best of days.
She could just hear him complaining about sleeping in a tent.
Tabitha appreciated Cailín acting as a buffer.
It allowed her to let Major know she was on her way without worrying she was missing strange cars that could be following.
The GPS alerted that she was five miles from the turn-off, and Tabitha blew out a breath.
Almost there. Then her phone rang. Cailín was calling. Shit.
“Please don’t tell me we have company,” she said instead of answering with hello.
“It could be nothing, but I’m not taking any chances. There’s a blue pickup that caught up to me a few miles back. I’m going to take the exit for the falls and see if they follow me. If not, then I’ll get right back on the highway. Stay on the line.”
Tabitha checked her mirror. The truck did not take the exit with Cailín.
“I’m going to keep going. I’m not taking any chances either.
” The problem with small towns was that some of them were on long stretches of two-lane highways with few turn-offs.
“When I checked the map last night, I found a super center about ten miles past the turn-off. I’ll pull in the parking lot and see what happens. ”
“I’m right behind you. Well, not right behind you, but… fuck. You know what I mean.”
Tabitha chuckled at her friend, then sobered at the situation.
If these men were after her, would they start shooting?
She pressed the accelerator, wanting to get to the store quicker.
Surely, they wouldn’t open fire in a crowded parking lot.
The truck kept pace with her, but Cailín had caught up by that time. “I don’t like this.”
“Don’t worry. I’m locked and loaded. They fire on you, they’re gonna get a surprise. Fuckers.” Cailín was fearless, but that didn’t mean Tabitha wanted her to get in a shootout.
Like all the Steele Security employees, Tabitha carried a handgun, but she kept hers in the glove compartment.
Her bracelets were capable of turning into any weapon, but if she ever fired her gun at someone, she would have to turn it over to the police.
“Why didn’t I get my gun out of the glovebox? ”
“Because you weren’t expecting trouble. Want me to shoot their tires out?” Cailín sounded too excited at the prospect.
“No. Not yet anyway. Get their license plate number just in case. Okay, here we go.” Tabitha waited until the last second to turn into the lot, tires squealing. The truck kept going with Cailín on their tail.
“Dammit, they’re taking the next entrance. Head toward the back of the building and look for an exit. I’m going to try and cut them off.” Cailín had driven her car instead of one of the bulky company SUVs, so she had better maneuverability.
“No! Your car isn’t bulletproof. You get their license plate and call it in. I’ll lead them away from all these cars.”
“But I’m the one with the gun readily available. Move your ass!” Cailín yelled and laid on her horn. “Shit, Tabby, I’m cut off.”
Tabitha was almost glad for that. She didn’t want Cailín to engage.
Tabitha took the back exit, but instead of turning right toward the main highway, she turned left.
The GPS recalculated, but Tabitha didn’t follow the instructions.
The truck caught up to her, and the driver stuck their hand out the window, pointing a gun at her SUV.
When the bullet pinged her back window, Tabitha ducked, but the glass held.
“Are you hit?” Cailín asked.
“Just the back window. Cailín, call the tag number into the police. I’m headed south on Davis Street.”
“Shit. Okay.”
The line went dead, and Tabitha circled back around toward the highway.
The truck caught up to her, tagging her bumper.
She fishtailed before righting the large vehicle.
She, like all the Goyles her age, had taken defensive and offensive driving when they were younger.
That didn’t mean she wouldn’t wreck given enough pushes.
Why were they trying to wreck her? If they did, she wouldn’t lead them to Craig.
No, but if they incapacitate you, they can try to get the location with force.
Shit. Her beast was right. The truck hit her again, harder this time, and the SUV’s tires skidded on the gravel of the shoulder, turning her sideways.
The shooter pointed his gun at her. Instead of the bullet hitting the window, he aimed for her front tire.
The SUV was equipped with run flats, but he didn’t know that.
The truck hit her once more, this time pushing her toward the shoulder.
Tabitha unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over to grab her handgun from the glove box.
She flipped the safety off as she righted herself.
The SUV came to a stop with the truck still against her door.
Tabitha could either climb across the seats and try to escape the other side or…
The man aimed and shot, her driver’s window protecting her.
Small splinters spread across the glass, which meant they weren’t using regular bullets.
What if the next one managed to break the glass?
Tabitha took a deep breath, hit the power button, and aimed when it was low enough to get a shot off.
The man fired again at the same time, and pain erupted across the side of her face.
Jerking back, Tabitha lay across the console and waited for more bullets to come her way.
When there was nothing but silence, she climbed over the passenger seat and pushed open the door, dropping to the grass.
Tabitha eased her way around the SUV, looking through the back windows toward the truck.
The driver was slumped over his steering wheel, unmoving.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and brakes squealed as a vehicle came to a stop behind her.
Tabitha raised her gun, but Cailín yelled, “It’s me.
” Cailín jumped out of her car, and when she got close enough, she raised her hand toward Tabitha’s head.
Tabitha jerked back before her friend could touch her.
“That’s gonna leave a mark,” Cailín muttered.
“It’s just some glass,” Tabitha assured her, even though blood was pouring down her stinging face. “You oughta see the other guy. Well, maybe not. I need to call Mason. You head to the safehouse, and I’ll meet you there.”
“I’m not leaving you here by yourself. Since I called it in, I can provide support. Moral and otherwise.”
“Yeah, okay. But can you call Mason for me? I’m just going to stand here and…
” Tabitha leaned against her vehicle, wincing at the pain.
As a Goyle, she would heal faster than a human, but all those small cuts stung like a bitch.
While Cailín did as she asked, Tabitha kept an eye on the driver, even though he wasn’t moving.
Her phone rang somewhere in the SUV, but she ignored it.
Then Anthony reached out through their twin bond. “Are you okay? I felt your unease.”
“Yeah. I was being followed. This case is ramping up, but I’ll call you later and tell you all about it.” There was no way she was ruining his time off with Elle by letting him know the truth.