Chapter 11
Hearing the news about turning herself in to the police chilled Bryn to the bone. This was it. She was going to jail for the rest of her life.
“Let’s go.” Micah’s voice was terse. “We need to get out of here.”
“Sam, do you know anything about the data center project?” She glanced at her friend. “Anything hinky?”
“Hinky how?” Sam looked genuinely confused. “It’s a data center. There are literally hundreds of them across the country.”
“I know. I just thought I’d check.” She tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “Thanks anyway.”
“Give us a head start before you call the police,” Micah said, as he steered her away from the apartment doorway.
“I won’t call them,” Sam said. “I don’t care what Richard says, there’s no way Bryn is involved in this.”
The way Sam defended her warmed her heart. It was the exact opposite of the conversation they’d had with Gwen. It was nice to know that at least one person at the company didn’t think she was a cold-blooded killer.
“Thanks, Sam.” She hurried down the hall toward the stairs. By the time they reached the first-floor lobby area, she expected to see a dozen police cars outside.
The area was clear, but she didn’t relax.
“Stay behind me,” Micah said in a low voice.
She managed a nod and followed him outside. Traffic was still light, and they were able to cross the street and make it to the SUV without difficulty.
Once they were safely inside the rental SUV, she rolled her tense shoulders. “I can’t believe Richard had the nerve to stand up there at the podium alongside the police chief, urging me to turn myself in.” She glanced at Micah. “He’s the one the police should be investigating, not me.”
“I know.” Micah’s expression was grim. “He’s not stupid, he made sure to cover his tracks.”
“Yeah, by implicating me.” She couldn’t hide her bitter tone. The thought of going to jail for something Richard did was terrifying. How bad would prison be? The stories and movies on television made it seem awful. Would she be intimidated by the other prisoners? Physically assaulted?
She shivered and tried not to think the worst.
Micah drove in silence for several minutes. She soon realized he was heading out of the city. “You’re not taking me to the police station?”
“No.” He reached over to touch her knee. “I’m not going to let Richard railroad you into jail.”
As much as she appreciated his support, she couldn’t bear the thought of Micah throwing his life away for her. “We can’t just disappear.”
“Sure, we can.” He squeezed her knee, then released it. “I have a friend who knows a guy who does fake IDs. Passports are more difficult to fake, but anything is doable with enough money.”
On some level, it was almost comical to be having this conversation. Fake IDs and passports? Leaving the country to what, hide in some remote place in Europe or somewhere else?
“No, Micah. I don’t think running away is the answer.” She had to push the words through her tight throat because the truth was that the idea of leaving the country held a definite appeal. She truly didn’t want to go to jail. She didn’t want to pay that steep price for Richard’s crimes.
But she wasn’t convinced that constantly looking over her shoulder, living in fear of being caught, was a better option.
She doubted law enforcement would just give up because she dropped off the radar.
And going with Micah would only drag him further into her nightmare.
He’d go to jail, too, for aiding and abetting a fugitive.
“It’s our best option.” Micah didn’t seem to share her concerns. “We’ll cover our tracks enough that they’ll never find us.”
She shot him a frustrated look. “Don’t I have a say in this? Or are you planning to kidnap me to force me to go along with your plan?”
He glanced at her in surprise. “What? No, of course I’m not going to kidnap you.”
She suddenly felt exhausted. She didn’t want to fight with Micah. She turned to look behind them, watching as the capital building grew smaller behind them. It was probably the last time she’d see it.
The thought was depressing.
“Trust me, okay?” He held out his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she placed her palm against his. “We’re going to find a place to call Di.”
“Di?” For some reason, she was surprised to hear his friend was a woman. He’d said he wasn’t seeing anyone, but maybe he secretly cared for Di. “Who is she?”
“She’s another one of Grayson’s Guardians.” When she frowned in confusion, he added, “We both work for Captain Rex Grayson, along with several other former army soldiers. You met her at Tommy’s funeral.”
“Oh. Okay.” She didn’t want to admit she didn’t remember most of the people who’d come to Tommy’s funeral. Her grief over losing her brother had consumed her. Those who had come to pay their respects were nothing more than a blur in her mind.
Except for Tommy’s best friend, Micah.
He took the ramp leading to the interstate.
The sign overhead indicated they were heading south toward Milwaukee.
She wondered where he planned to have this conversation with Di, not that it mattered.
Staring blindly out the window, she tried to think about something other than being arrested for murder while Richard went on with his life.
“Why Milwaukee?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“The Milwaukee airport is bigger than the one in Madison.” He shrugged. “The city is also well outside of Madison’s jurisdiction.”
She grimaced, thinking that if she didn’t turn up soon, the police would ask the FBI for help, which meant jurisdiction wouldn’t matter.
Fifteen minutes later, Micah exited the freeway at a rest stop. There were no gas stations from what she could see, just a large bathroom facility. The off-ramp made a gentle curve and led right back onto the interstate for easy access.
Micah pulled into one of the diagonal parking spots. There was a box truck parked there and one other white car. As he turned off the engine, a family of four came out of the bathrooms and headed toward the white vehicle.
Bryn tugged her hand from his grasp and pushed open her door. “As long as we’re here, I’m going to use the facilities.”
“Me too.” Micah flashed a smile as if this was a nice Sunday outing rather than a hasty attempt to find a place to avoid being seen by the police. “That coffee has worked its way through my system.”
Inside, she found the bathrooms were roomy and clean. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, wondering again how she’d ended up in this mess. How had she become Richard’s scapegoat? Was it simply because she’d dated Damien, or would Richard have pinned this on her regardless?
She had no way of knowing unless he confessed, which obviously wasn’t happening anytime soon. Swallowing a sigh, she turned away. Ruminating over how she’d ended up here wasn’t going to help. There was no point in looking backward. Looking forward was scary enough.
When she emerged from the ladies’ room, she found Micah standing in the lobby area with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Call me back when you get a chance,” he was saying. “We’re going to need those IDs and passports I mentioned earlier.”
She shook her head as he lowered the phone. “I’m still not convinced that’s the best way to handle this.”
“You’d rather go to jail to serve a life sentence for murder?” He arched a brow. “You’re innocent, Bryn.”
“And you said you’d work to prove my innocence.” She turned away, dragging a hand through her hair. “There must be something we can do that doesn’t involve leaving the country illegally and hiding somewhere until the cops catch up to us.”
Micah was silent for a long moment. “Is this your way of saying you don’t want to go with me?”
His wounded tone had her spinning around to face him. “No, that’s not the problem, Micah. I don’t want to see you throw your life away because of me!”
“I’ll do anything for you, Bryn.” His gentle tone warmed her soul.
He took a few steps toward her. She met him more than halfway.
And then she was in his arms, being held tightly against his chest. She buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, breathing in his unique musky scent.
There was no denying how much she cared for him.
How much she was falling in love with him.
Tears pricked her eyes at the unfairness of it all. Not that anyone ever promised that life would be fair. Still, it was wrong to lose her freedom because of someone else’s diabolical actions.
When she sniffled again, pulling herself together with an effort, he leaned back and tipped her head up with a finger under her chin. “Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay.”
She didn’t see how that was possible but tried to nod in agreement. He surprised her by leaning in to kiss her. He probably meant it as a friendly kiss, but their lips brushed, clung, then meshed as the kiss deepened.
Her heart thumped erratically in her chest. Being kissed by Micah was incredible.
So much better than anything she’d shared with Damien.
She was instantly lost in their embrace, her heart wishing this could lead to something more.
It was only when the door opened and someone walked in that they broke apart.
She ducked her head, hoping the red flush in her cheeks wasn’t too noticeable.
Micah’s body tightened as the person who’d come into the building walked past them. When she glanced to the side, her blood congealed in her veins when she saw the state trooper uniform.
A cop! Of all the people to walk into the rest stop, it had to be a cop!
“Easy,” Micah murmured as the officer brushed past them to enter the men’s room. “He didn’t pay any attention to us.”