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“Family.” Jace’s expression clouded a minute. “Yeah, I can see how you’d trust your family.”
The bitterness in his remark startled her out of her mood. “You can’t? You never did talk about yours.”
“My family isn’t trustworthy or someone you’d turn to in an emergency. Call him. I’m hitting the shower.”
He grabbed clothing and toiletries and headed into the bathroom. Kara called her uncle, who was happy to loan her the cabin. When she hung up, she kept wondering what Jace meant by that remark.
Jace was up at dawn, but in the other bed, Kara still peacefully slumbered. He made coffee in the little pot the motel provided. Tasted like old dishwater, but coffee was coffee.
Less than an hour later, they went to the motel lobby for breakfast. Basic, but decent, and the coffee here was stronger and more flavorful. Jace ate quickly, glad she did the same, and they filled their cups to bring more coffee back to the room.
While Kara showered again, he sat outside. He knew what she was going through—saw it in other victims. Showering to wash away the stench of their attackers, scrubbing their bodies to rid themselves of scent and memory. His stomach roiled as he thought about what might have happened if Kara hadn’t struck Lance and gotten away.
Clouds thick with rain hung in the sky, promising an afternoon downpour. Humidity hovered in the air, thick as a wet blanket. Jace sipped coffee, watching sleepy people making their way to the lobby for the free breakfast. His mind whirled with thoughts, trying to make sense of what happened.
Slowly, it seemed the puzzle pieces were falling into place. Problem was, he couldn’t see the big picture—what it all meant.
Big Mike had seemed very interested in Kara when he caught Jace in bed with her. Lance seemed interested in her. Why?
All his instincts went on overdrive. What if they’d targeted her store for a different reason?
What if Kara herself was the target? But why? Her store, yeah, she had inventory worth stealing. Lance attacking her made no sense.
Did Marcus want Kara, and if so, for what purpose?
He texted Rafe his thoughts, then asked Darkling to dig into his ex’s history, her parents, anything that might be seen as a red flag and raise Lance’s interest.
Rafe called him. “Jace, where are you?”
“Hotel in Georgia. All you need to know. We’re headed soon to the mountains and cell service is dicey.”
“I need a location.”
“I’ll let you know when we get there.” He glanced at the parking lot and the travelers packing their minivans and cars to get on the road, hustling children and dogs into the vehicles. “Let me know soon as Darkling has anything on Kara. I’ll question her from this end. There has be to a nexus in all this and Kara is it, but why is she the center of it?”
A thunderous roar of motorcycles punctured the air. Jace glanced at the road and froze.
“Gotta go.”
Not taking chances. Too many bikes sent his instincts on full alert. He hung up and sprinted inside. Kara was combing out her hair, but thankfully, had dressed.
“Let’s go.”
Kara blinked. “What’s wrong? I was going to grab us another cup of coffee from the lobby.”
“We’ll get coffee on the road.”
He didn’t want to alarm her, cause another panic. Jace grabbed their cases and tossed them into the back of the SUV. He herded her into the vehicle as the bikes rolled into the parking lot. Heart pounding, he watched them park near the motel entrance and dismount, then swagger into the lobby.
Another five minutes and Kara would have been inside, getting that second java for them.
They were DP. He recognized Big Mike’s Harley with the ape handlebars, as well as the leather jackets the men wore. Ten of them at least.
They might be headed north to bail out Lance, or visit.
Could be a coincidence they were here.
Jace didn’t believe in coincidences. He started the vehicle and went left instead of right out of the motel parking lot. Back road by the motel should suffice.
