Chapter 9
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Grady mentally reviewed what he’d say to the police officer when they were pulled over.
Not that the cop would likely be interested in his side of the story once it became clear Grady had hot-wired the car.
Maybe he could call Griff to help explain the situation they were in.
Especially since he knew Lauren would want to pay for the owner’s car anyway.
Then the police cruiser whipped past them. He blew out his breath, looking over at Lauren in shock. Shifting his gaze to the rearview mirror, he wondered if the cop would turn around to come at them from behind.
But he didn’t. Instead, the squad disappeared around the bend. Because of the early hour, the red and blue lights still lit up the sky, but eventually, they faded away as well.
“I don’t understand,” Lauren whispered. “Where did he go?”
“No idea.” He flexed his fingers. “I’m just glad he didn’t come after us.”
“Why are we hiding from the police?” Lucy asked. “You told me that if I’m ever scared and alone to run to the closest police officer.”
“We’re not hiding from the police,” Lauren said.
Grady arched a brow, because the truth was they absolutely were hiding from the cops because of the stolen car.
She turned in her seat to smile at her daughter.
“We didn’t want to be stopped because that would take extra time, and we want to get to the new city as soon as possible. ”
“But if I’m alone and scared, I should still go to a policeman for help, right?” Lucy asked. Grady realized this must have been a conversation between mother and daughter after Ariel’s abduction.
“Yes, absolutely. The police are the good guys,” Lauren said firmly. “You can always run to them for help.”
“Okay.” Lucy seemed to buy that answer. Then she asked, “Why do we have to go to a new city?”
“You remember Mr. Rex Grayson, right?” Grady caught Lucy’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “He’s arranging for us to have a different car, but we have to get to a city called Madison to pick it up.”
“What’s wrong with this car?” Lucy asked.
“Nothing is wrong, but we borrowed it for a little while, and the owner wants it back.” Lauren’s brow furrowed as she expanded on their fib. “That’s why we asked Mr. Rex for a different car.”
“Okay.” Lucy yawned, then said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Of course she did. Grady swallowed a groan. He should have realized that and had her use the bathroom prior to leaving the cabin. He glanced at Lauren. “We’ll pull off at the next gas station.”
“Sounds good.” Lauren turned to look at Lucy. “Can you hold it for a few minutes?”
The little girl nodded, but the way she squirmed in her seat was not reassuring. Grady didn’t want to have to stop for more clothes if she had an accident. He pushed the speed limit, relieved when he saw they were approaching a small town.
“Almost there,” he said encouragingly.
He slowed and turned into the gas station parking lot.
He’d barely gotten the car shifted into park when Lucy had her seatbelt off and was getting out of the car.
Lauren pushed out, too, and together they hurried inside.
He pulled up to the nearest pump, then followed them inside.
He smiled at the attendant and pulled cash from his wallet. “Twenty dollars on pump number two.”
“Got it.” The clerk opened the register, then unlocked the pump.
He hurried outside to fill up the tank, hoping the twenty dollars would get them all the way to Madison.
When he’d spoken to Rex earlier, he’d mentioned the need for more cash, as well as a clean car, complete with a booster seat for Lucy.
Rex had agreed to make the vehicle arrangements and to transfer funds into his account via a cash app.
Grady would then need to find a bank to do a withdrawal.
The solution wasn’t perfect, he’d rather stay completely off-grid, but with Rex being in Chicago, this was the best they could do.
When he finished filling the tank, he headed back inside. Lucy and Lauren were just coming out of the bathroom. “I don’t see much to eat,” Lauren whispered.
“I know.” This gas station wasn’t as nice as the last one. There wasn’t even fresh coffee available. “Let’s just get out of here.”
Lauren understood he didn’t want to linger. “Come on, Lucy, we need to get back out to the car.”
“But I’m hungry,” Lucy whined as they headed outside.
“We’ll find a place to stop for breakfast soon,” he promised as he opened the back door. “What’s your favorite breakfast meal?”
“Strawberry waffles,” Lucy said without hesitation.
He noticed Lauren wince, but he nodded. “Great, we’ll find a breakfast restaurant that serves strawberry waffles.”
“Yummy,” Lucy said with a wide smile. To her credit, Lauren didn’t protest. There was a time and a place to worry about eating healthy, and being on the run from gunmen was not one of them. His goal was to keep Lucy happy as they made their way across the state.
“You can’t just give her whatever she wants,” Lauren said in a low voice.
He shrugged, glancing at her as he headed back out to the highway. “These are extenuating circumstances.”
She sighed. “I know.”
The early morning hour worked to their advantage. After the cop had passed them, red and blue lights flashing, there hadn’t been much traffic. He was relieved, as it was easy enough to spot a potential tail when they were alone on the highway.
Yet he also knew that would change as the sun came up and citizens headed out to work. He kept a wary eye on the road behind them in case the gas station clerk had noticed their stolen car and reported it. An unlikely scenario, but he couldn’t relax until he knew they’d gotten the new rental.
Big cities like Chicago and Milwaukee had police cameras mounted on key intersections for the sole purpose of reading license plates to identify stolen vehicles. But smaller towns did not. Madison was the state capital, so he was pretty sure they had the camera technology.
Would his black electrical tape help hide them as they entered Madison? He hoped so.
“Looks like there’s a family restaurant up ahead,” Lauren said, breaking into his thoughts.
He nodded. “That works.” He caught Lucy’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Ready for breakfast?”
“Yes.” Lucy looked happy to hear they were stopping soon.
They’d made good time since leaving the gas station.
Yet with dawn rising on the horizon, the traffic around them increased.
He didn’t see how anyone could have followed them, but he looked at every dark SUV with suspicion.
Soon, they approached a small town by the name of Wild Prairie located about seven miles outside Madison.
He wasn’t sure if the rental car agency would open early, so they might as well linger here at the restaurant for at least an hour or two before rushing into the city.
If their stolen car triggered those police cameras, which he thought was highly likely, they wouldn’t have much time before the cops were on them.
“We’re here, Lucy. Keep in mind, they may not have strawberry waffles,” Lauren warned as he exited the highway and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. “You may have to have pancakes or plain waffles instead.”
“They will.” Lucy didn’t sound concerned. “Ariel and I love eating strawberry waffles.”
Lauren rolled her eyes as she unclipped her seatbelt. Grady had the impression Lauren hadn’t realized what sorts of foods Lucy ate while spending time at her friend’s house.
He pushed out of the car and quickly rounded the front to stay close. He scanned the area but didn’t see anything unusual.
So far, so good, he thought grimly as he held the door open for Lauren and Lucy.
The tantalizing aroma of coffee greeted them upon entering the restaurant.
A sign indicated they should seat themselves, so he chose a booth near the back.
There weren’t many patrons at this hour, the dining room was wide open.
He positioned himself so he could see both the main entrance and the side hallway where the restrooms were located.
A young woman came with menus and three water glasses a minute later. “Good morning, my name is Dee, I’ll be your server. Would anyone like coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please,” he and Lauren answered at the same time. Dee smiled, and Grady knew she assumed they were a family.
That was what Lauren had wanted, right? A pretend fiancé? He told himself not to think about how wealthy Lauren was.
“Mom, can I have chocolate milk?” Lucy asked. Grady could tell by Lauren’s narrowed expression that Lucy was pushing the limits of her patience. “Please?”
Lauren sighed and relented. “Fine. One glass of chocolate milk, please.”
“Coming right up.” Dee filled their coffee mugs, then left to fetch the milk.
Cradling the mug in his hands, he eyed Lauren as he took a sip of the strong brew. “We may be here a while.”
She nodded in understanding and opened the menu. “Lucy, they have blueberry pancakes and waffles. Not strawberry.”
“I like blueberries,” Lucy said with enthusiasm. “Can we ask for whipped cream on the waffles?”
“We’ll see.” Lauren reached for her coffee and lowered her voice. “Grady, are we okay money-wise?”
“Yep.” They were running low, but they only needed enough cash to get them through the next couple of hours. He smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Order whatever you like.”
She nodded and looked back down at the menu. When Dee returned with Lucy’s chocolate milk, they placed their order. He went with a farmer’s omelet while she had two eggs over easy with toast. Lucy was ecstatic to have her blueberry waffles with whipped cream.
He finished his coffee, then stood. “I’m going back outside to get the computer.”
“Okay.” Lauren turned her attention to Lucy. “Save some of your chocolate milk for when your meal arrives.”