Chapter 10
Sometime between the slalom home from the bank and the arrival of the men from HERO Force, Joanne had lost complete control of the situation. “How do we know they won’t just follow us again?” she asked.
Mac paced the length of the kitchen with sure, steady steps. “Friend of mine runs the local state police barracks. He’s setting us up with a roadblock at the entrance to the thruway.”
The front door opened and one of the SEALs walked in. Jo thought his name was Champion, but they all seemed to have nicknames and she was thoroughly confused. “There’s nothing on the Porsche. No transponder, no anything,” he said.
“Search their belongings,” ordered Mac, the kids moving faster than Jo had ever seen them move, bringing their duffel bags for the man to inspect.
Joanne turned to Sloan. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind if we take the RV?”
“Thirty-two feet of freedom has never been more necessary. She’d do anything for you. You know that.”
Her heart squeezed with emotion. Evelyn Nowak had been more like a mother than Joanne’s real mom had ever been, and truth be told, she’d missed Sloan’s mom terribly over the years. The idea that she would bend over backwards to help her and her kids nearly broke her fragile composure.
Mac stopped in front of them. “You’re sure this is what you want to do? Not too late to change your mind and go to the police.”
They’d been discussing this for hours, both before Mac and his team arrived and after.
Jo had limited options. Try to find the money and return it to its rightful owner, go to the authorities, or do as she’d originally planned and run away.
While that was her favorite option, she could see the wisdom in looking for the money first, and with Sloan and HERO Force on her side, there was actually a chance she’d find it.
Already, their computer guy was working on tracing David’s accounts and searching for others, but so far, he hadn’t found any money. “I’m afraid to go back there. I keep seeing my house all torn up, knowing someone was in there.”
“You’ll have me there with you, and the other men nearby,” said Sloan. “And you won’t need to go home. They can search your house without you being there. You can show us all the places David hung out and we can look for clues.”
She nodded. It sounded like a simple enough plan, but inherently dangerous, and she wondered if she’d ever sleep again. “I know. We’ve been through it all. I’m just worried.”
“There’s nothing in here,” said Champion. “I’d like to take your cell phones apart, any other devices.
Jo handed hers over, as did April. Fiona held up her beloved iPad.
The poor kids, they must be at least as frightened as she was, yet they were holding up like champs.
While she didn’t tell them their lives had been threatened, she did come clean about the man who wanted back the money Daddy had borrowed.
“It’s going to be okay, guys,” she said with more certainty than she felt.
April walked to her and opened her arms, the rare hug making Jo feel there was hope for them yet.
The last year with April had been difficult, with the girl becoming more defiant and argumentative.
She could only hope their current ordeal would bring them closer together instead of further apart, and the hug was a step in the right direction.
“Nothing in here, either,” said Champion. “Could be some kind of tracking software, though.”
Sloan nodded. “We need to destroy the phones.”
“My ’Pad, too?” asked Fiona, her bottom lip sticking out.
“Yes, sweetie, I’m sorry.” He squatted down in front of her.
“We need to make sure we stay safe, and there could be something on there that puts us in danger.” The little girl nodded, her face a mixture of resolute acceptance and quivering loss, and Sloan knew he had to buy her another iPad at the earliest opportunity.
“It’s time,” said Mac.
Champion got on his phone. “Chop, they’re coming out to load the RV.” He’d been watching the house from the road to make sure no one else did the same.
“Won’t take long,” said Sloan. “All we’ve got is one bag each and a mangy ol’ husky.”
Jo nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t make fun of my dog.”
Sloan met her stare, intensity flashing in their depths before he grinned. “Who would have thought one day I’d ever choose a Winnebago over a Porsche?”
“I know, right? I call shotgun.”
“You’re my official copilot. You’d better ride shotgun.”
She smiled, suddenly noticing all eyes were on Sloan and her.
Mac had stopped pacing and stood with his head cocked, Champion was openly staring, and all three kids looked like they were watching a pig fly across the sky.
Her cheeks heated, and she pushed off the counter.
“Okay, kids, let’s get this show on the road. ”