Page 7 of Fatal Conspiracy

“What if those guys show up?” she asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice.

“If you see a black Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot, keep going,” he said. “Otherwise, it should be fine for the few minutes you’ll be gone. I still have my wallet, so I’ll grab some water and be on the lookout for you. How long will it take to grab the equipment?”

“Fifteen minutes tops. Kieran knows I need to return to Duluth quickly.” When the gas station came into view, she signaled right and turned in, pulling off to the side of the building that was shrouded in darkness. “What if I don’t return?” she asked as he cracked the door.

“I’d understand and wish you all the best in life, Alayah. Thanks for helping me get this far. I don’t know who those guys are or what they want, but at least you gave me a fighting chance to stay alive long enough to find out. The only way to do that is to return to my cabin.”

Before she could say another word, he carefully closed the door behind him and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

THE DARK HELPEDhide his busted-up face, but Derek knew walking into the store would make it harder to cover. Hewas grateful he’d still been wearing his ball cap when he got jumped. At least he could keep his head down, but just in case, he already had a lie on the tip of his tongue. As long as the store clerk didn’t decide to call the cops, he’d be fine.

He waited for Alayah to back out and disappear before he walked toward the store. What were the chances that the one person he’d run across on a dark highway would be her? He didn’t think the odds were high, yet it had happened, and he’d been grateful the face staring back at him had been friendly. He noticed the clerk turn and walk toward the back of the store, so he slid through the door and headed toward the sign that read Restrooms. He was grateful the door locked, preventing anyone from walking in on him. He set the first-aid kit down on the sink and took stock of his face. It was bad, but not as bad as he expected. The ice pack must have slowed the swelling because he could almost see out of his eye again. He used paper towels and warm water to clean the blood off his face and lip. Once the blood was gone, he could tell his nose wasn’t broken. It was swollen and tender, but another hour of ice should take care of that. He’d get a bag from the vending machine to use on the way back to the cabin once Alayah picked him up.

If she picked him up.

He wouldn’t blame her if she kept driving straight out of town. There was no reason to get herself or her employer mixed up in whatever this was. Sure, she worked for a security firm, but that didn’t mean they wanted the kind of trouble he was facing, whatever that trouble might be. If she didn’t return in thirty minutes, he’d get a room at the hotel in town and call Hugo. He should be warned that someone was after company files, and hopefully, he’d send someone out to pick him up.

A hint of a smile cracked his lips when he thought abouthow he’d much rather ride back to Duluth with Alayah than Hugo. She was sharp, assessing and intelligent, as evidenced by their conversation in the car. She was beautiful, though he suspected she’d downplay the compliment should he offer it. While she was sharp, assessing, and intelligent, she didn’t seem to have a lot of self-confidence. He could tell by the way she’d hesitated when talking to him in the car. Then again, maybe she was hesitant because she had just picked up a man she didn’t know, who looked like he had gone ten rounds in the ring.Assuming anything else makes you an ass, Derek Benjamin, and that was the last thing he wanted to be when it came to Alayah Heath. She intrigued him, but unfortunately for him, their paths had likely crossed at the wrong time in life and he would never get the chance to know her better.

After repacking the first-aid kit and dumping his garbage, he checked his watch. She’d been gone five minutes, so he had ten more minutes to kill before deciding what to do for the evening. He longed for a soft pillow and more pain meds, but that would have to wait. What he really needed was to get back to his cabin and see what was left for him to grab. He sent up a silent prayer his attackers hadn’t burned the place down just to spite him. The jump drive with the app on it wasn’t the only one, but he didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands either. He had to get it before he did anything else.

He headed for the fountain machine and filled a bag with ice, holding it to his nose and lip for a fast shot of relief. The television in the corner drew his eye and he squinted to read the headline on the screen: Hugo Victor Dies at Local Convention Center. More at 10:00.

Derek blinked twice as he walked closer to the television. The time in the corner said 9:59, so he stood transfixeduntil the newscaster came on to report the breaking news. Since the volume was low, he had to read the subtitles.

Hugo Victor, age 62, collapsed and died during a tech talk at a local convention center in Duluth. Authorities report the investigation into his death is ongoing.

Derek took a step back as they segued into the life and times of Hugo Victor. His boss wasdead? Why hadn’t anyone called him? Why hadn’t Alayah said anything? Maybe she’d thought he already knew? He pictured his phone, which he’d left plugged into a charger at the cabin. Coverage was spotty in that area, so he never bothered to take it with him when he was on the property. Since he’d been jumped immediately upon his return, he’d never checked it for messages. Had Curtis or one of the other board members tried to reach him? They had full control of the business whenever Hugo was on the road, but surely, he would have reached out to let Derek know what had happened. Or had he thought Derek had still been there and was already aware of his boss’s death, thus wondering why he hadn’t called the office?

A shot of fear filled him at the thought that maybe the beating at his cabin was tied to Hugo’s death. Then again, they didn’t say his death was suspicious, so maybe it was just a coincidence? Derek grabbed two bottles of water from the cooler and a bottle of ibuprofen while on autopilot. Hugo was dead. His heart seized in his chest and he forced the engulfing emotions back. He didn’t have the luxury of falling apart in a gas station in the middle of nowhere when someone was after him. He had to keep his wits about him in case the beating at his cabin was tied to Hugo’s death. They didn’t say how Hugo died, so it might not be connected, but even his concussed brain didn’t believethat. It was connected, and it was his job to figure out how before those guys found him again.

Paying the cashier, who didn’t appear to care that he looked like he’d been in a bar brawl, he noticed the time on the wall clock. Alayah would be back for him any minute—if she returned for him. Something deep inside him said she would because, whether she believed it or not, she was his hero and wouldn’t leave him stranded. She already had one opportunity to do that, but followed her gut instead. When he left the safety of the station to stand in the shadows, he knew she’d do it again.

Thinking back over the events of the night, he hoped his beating and Hugo’s death were an unfortunate coincidence. If they weren’t, he was in far more danger than he’d thought just five minutes ago.

Chapter Five

Alayah had apologized profusely to Kieran for being late. It hadn’t been by much, but she lied that she’d run into some problems on the road. He was new to Secure Watch, and she didn’t want him to think she was wasting his time. He assured her she was fine as he’d run into some problems on the road with wildlife too. She was okay with letting him think the problems she encountered on the road were from wildlife. Telling him she was driving around with a possible murder suspect in the back of her SUV would have gotten her a ticket to Cal’s office without passing go.

Now she was at a crossroads. Did she swing back through the gas station and get Derek, or did she continue driving? The smart answer was to continue driving and pretend she’d never met Derek Benjamin. The problem was that she couldn’t live with herself if Derek was innocent and he got hurt or killed because she was too afraid to help him. She decided to pick him up and drive him to his cabin. From there, he was on his own. Once he was out of her car, she’d make sure to tell him the cops wanted to question him about his boss’s death. No sense opening herself up to a hostage situation. Not that she could get there with the handsome stranger. By all accounts, he was kind, funny and probably a saint to put up with Hugo Victor fora boss. But people often said some of those things about serial killers, too.

Her giggle filled the car. If Derek had laced his boss’s water with antifreeze, he probably wouldn’t have stuck around to see if it worked. As she pulled into the station, Derek emerged from the shadows. Staying low, he slid into the back seat and closed the door. When she glanced up into the rearview mirror, she noticed the look on his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me Hugo is dead?”

She bit her lip as she tried to think of a workable lie. “I thought you knew.”

“You thought I knew and just didn’t bring it up in the twenty minutes we were on the road?”

Rather than speak, she put the car into Reverse and backed out, turning onto the highway. “It seemed like you had bigger fish to fry.”

“How did he die?” he asked, the words desperate to her ears.

“You don’t know?”

“No, how would I know?” he asked, shifting on the seat. “The report on the television said he collapsed and died, and authorities are investigating. Was it a heart attack? He did have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He was also high-strung.”