Chapter Six
Adrenaline flooded his system and sharpened his senses.
Instead of defending himself and Mollie from a sniper, Spence played the role of predator, stalking a less-prepared opponent.
His Ranger training taught him strategy, his time in the field gave him experience and his work with security for the family law firm developed his skills.
He congratulated himself on thinking ahead and having a plan.
“Don’t worry, Mollie.”
“Oh, sure,” she muttered. “Somebody’s following us. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“Ever heard that old saying ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…’”
“‘…shame on me,’” she concluded. “How does that apply?”
“Earlier tonight, our enemy sent a sniper to the airport. Fooled me once. After that, I suspected we might be followed. I’ve taken precautions.”
“Care to share?”
He couldn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice and was tempted to launch into a full-scale explanation of security procedures his team practiced on a regular basis.
Sounded cool but was actually boring. He kept his explanation simple.
“I set up this action with Rossi, who happens to be a top-qualified sharpshooter, black belt in martial arts and defensive driving expert. He’s been following us from the airport.
As soon as he spots the tail, he’ll initiate a tactical vehicular maneuver to divert whoever is tracking us.
It’s Rossi’s job to take them out of the picture so we can proceed to the safe house without being detected. ”
“A tactical vehicular maneuver, huh?”
“Try to say that three times fast.”
“I’m impressed, Spence.”
She seemed satisfied, and he warned her, “Don’t get too relaxed.”
“Why not? What else could happen?”
He shot a glance into the heavens. “Drones.”
While she stared up into the starry night, he activated the hands-free intercom device in his earbud so he could speak directly to Rossi. “Silver sedan. Two cars behind us, I think. It’s hard to tell in the dark.”
“I see him,” Rossi confirmed. “Our second chase car is waiting on River Road.”
“I’ll lure him there and drop out of sight. You take over. Detain the driver and turn him or her over to Agent Jamison for questioning.” Spence grinned at Mollie. “I’m glad to see you fastened your seat belt.”
Nervous, she clung to the strap. “What’s going to happen?”
“Are you familiar with this stretch of road?”
“Actually, I am.” She gave a nod. “The Madrona Hill.”
“Exactly.”
In his opinion, Salem combined the conveniences of a city—being the capital of Oregon and second largest in population at almost two hundred thousand—with the eccentricities of a small town.
Built around the mighty Willamette River and the multitude of streams and creeks that flowed into it, Salem’s streets twisted and turned, dodging through large swathes of forest while navigating gullies, canyons and rolling hills.
At this point, Madrona Street left civilization and plunged into a wooded area with hundred-foot-tall Douglas fir, spruce and black cottonwood trees.
Treetops blocked the moonlight, and the few-and-far-between streetlamps did little to dispel the gloom.
The two-lane road had been carved from a steep descent that swiveled through a series of turns on its way down to the Willamette, which was bordered by the appropriately named River Road.
Spence tapped the accelerator, figuring that his speed would confuse the driver in the silver sedan and cause him or her to follow without thinking.
Though he wanted to create a wide space between the two cars, it wasn’t necessary for him to whip along the route.
But he liked the speed. He was aware of wildlife along this road and hoped he wouldn’t have to do a hit-and-run on Bambi.
Fighting a grin, he checked the speedometer as the Escalade edged past sixty.
Not fast for a straightaway but this road was anything but straight.
Free as a hawk, he flew along these few miles of hairpin curves, reveling in the sensation of speed and the challenge of navigating his heavy-bodied Escalade.
The SUV tilted precariously toward the edge of the road, skidding on the gravel shoulder where there was no guardrail and a drop of about thirty feet.
Not riding on two wheels but close. He cranked the steering wheel and shifted the weight to the opposite side when the road doubled back.
Mollie gave a small gasp.
He swerved again, and she was flung as far as her seat belt would allow.
She coughed and choked.
Handling the Escalade felt like driving a wide-frame truck with a high center of gravity and a magnetic suspension system to create the illusion of safety. Next time he took this route, he’d use the Porsche. A sleek, low coupe that hugged the road.
When they emerged from the forest, he drove south and took the first right into a quiet cul-de-sac where he killed the headlights and looked over at Mollie. Her eyes were as big as cheese pizzas without the red sauce. Her lower lip trembled.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She cleared her throat and raised her chin. She seemed to force herself to speak in a normal voice. “Not a problem.”
“Not fast enough for you?”
“My twin has driven this road at twice the speed.” She exhaled heavily and turned away from him. “She’s kind of a maniac.”
Through his intercom, he heard a report from Rossi. “We have a sedan sandwiched between our two vehicles. The car went north on River Road toward the bridge.”
“Makes sense.” That was why he headed south.
“I activated the police flashers,” Rossi said.
“Keep me posted.”
Spence told Mollie what was going on and waited for the next transmission. He would have preferred to be involved with the capture of the Camry driver and learn the identity of his or her employer. But the number one priority was to get Mollie to the safe house with as little fuss as possible.
He gazed toward her, appreciating her self-control. Reaching across the center console, he took her hand. Though the interior of the Escalade was pleasantly cool, her skin radiated nervous heat. Her fingers twitched. She tried to pull away, but he held on, hoping to ground her.
In a low, soothing voice, he asked, “Are you all right, Mollie?”
“I’m beginning to think I made a mistake by coming here.”
He had convinced her to leave Denver and come with him. His fault. He should have given her more time to make her decision. “Would you prefer to stay in WITSEC?”
“Maybe.” She squeezed his hand and searched his face as if she could find the answer in his expression.
“I don’t know if I can go back into the program.
They have a lot of rules. And they might blame me for the sniper who shot their man, even if all this gunplay started when they were in charge. In Denver.”
As he watched, she seemed to retreat into herself, crawling deep into a hole and pulling a cover over her head. He guessed that Mollie had depended on the advice of her twin before she died. And now, her father directed her decisions.
Spence wasn’t trying to take their place. It wasn’t his job to be a substitute for her family. Mollie needed to make up her own mind. “What do you want? What needs to happen for you to feel all right?”
“Hard to say.” She reclaimed her hand and stared out the windshield into a quiet neighborhood with houses still lit and forest towering behind them.
“When I was growing up, I had a steady support system. My dad was mostly out of the picture, but Madison was always there for me. And my cousins, Erin and Bethany.”
“The Four-Leaf Clovers,” he said, remembering the tattoo above her ankle.
“Did you know them? I think Bethany is about your age.”
Everybody at Cloverdell High knew the Clovers—four good-looking women who lived with their great-aunt.
In spite of complicated and tragic events in their early years, they seemed to lead charmed lives with their caretaker providing for them.
“Bethany was the oldest. She’s two years younger than me. Shy and gentle. A quiet beauty.”
“Not like Erin,” Mollie said. “She was boy crazy. That sounds old-fashioned. Do people still say that? Boy crazy?”
He shrugged. “When Erin got herself into trouble, she was usually with your twin, Madison.”
“Their friendship made me jealous,” she admitted. “They were always plotting and giggling. And I was the permanent designated driver. Good old dependable Mollie.”
“I remember you and Madison.” The twins were five years younger than he was.
In teenage years, that was like a generation.
He and his friends considered them to be immature but still pretty.
“I dropped off my youngest brother at his Senior Prom, and I saw you and your sister. You wore a long, soft gown of pastel blue, and Madison had on a short, tight red dress. You looked like an angel and a devil.”
“Except I was the one in the sexy red dress. Madison bet me that I wouldn’t wear it. So I absolutely had to.”
“You don’t like being teased.”
“My sister could always push my buttons.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a fond grin. The memories seemed to calm her down. Her rapid breathing became steadier, and her voice dropped to a gentle tone.
When she relaxed and he glimpsed the complicated woman at her core, he found her more attractive. She was artistic but practical. Gentle but strong. She seemed careless about her appearance, which made her more beautiful. “You’re an interesting woman, Mollie.”
“Me? Not really. Dad says I’m like a Volkswagen bug. Down-to-earth, serviceable and cute. Madison is a Ferrari.”
She was too damn pretty to think of herself as a bug. First chance he got, Spence vowed to buy her a sexy dress and give her a chance to shine.
She exhaled a heavy sigh. “I wonder why Aunt Irma arranged for all of us to be together for the reading of the will.”
“Wish I could tell you.” Spence had taken several meetings with Irma Winchell, but her primary attorney had been his grandfather, Oliver Cameron. He was retired but kept a few of his faithful clients, like Mollie’s great-aunt.
“Maybe she had something special for the three of us to share,” she said. “Or some kind of family secret.”
“You can find out tomorrow at the memorial,” he reminded her. “If you decide to stay for it. If not, I can book you on a charter flight back to Denver or wherever.”
“I’m here,” she said firmly. “I’m not leaving until I have some answers.”
“Glad to hear it.” He was less pleased when she focused her gaze directly at him. Her attitude took on a sharpness that she’d shown only twice before: when she tossed her phone out of the car window and the time when she paid him a dollar to be her attorney.
She mentioned that moment. “I have a question, Spence. You still work for me, right?”
“You paid my retainer.” He nodded carefully, aware that sweet Mollie could easily switch into a devilish red demon. “I’m your bodyguard. I handle your security. And provide legal opinions.”
“I want you to find out who the hell is after me. And why.”
Before he could answer, he heard a transmission from Rossi. “We pulled over the car that was following you. The driver got out of the car.”
Spence informed Mollie. “Rossi has the driver in custody.” To Rossi, he said, “Good work.”
“It’s a woman,” Rossi said.
“What?”
“The driver of the Camry is a woman whose name is Erin Eckhart. Her four-year-old daughter is asleep in her car seat.”
Spence gave Mollie the news. “The person following us was your cousin, Erin.”
“No way.” She bolted upright in the passenger seat.
“And her daughter is with her.”
“I know Erin has a rep for being a troublemaker, but she’d never put her child in danger by driving too fast.”
They didn’t actually know how fast Erin was going. He had punched up the speed on his own, expecting the person following would keep up.
Why was Erin following them? Spence had to consider her a person of interest in their investigation. Or a witness. A suspect.
Mollie glared at him. “I’m sure she has a reasonable explanation.”
Or not.