Page 54 of Veil of Silence

Nora twisted slightly in her seat for a better look.

Austin turned onto a four-lane road lined with gas stations and fast-food restaurants. The SUV stayed with them, creeping closer until only one vehicle separated them.

Austin could make out nothing through its windshield except the dark shape of the driver.

“Do you recognize the SUV?” he asked.

Her gaze shot to the mirror, and she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

The light ahead turned yellow. Austin slowed rather than trying to beat it. The car between them accelerated through the intersection, but the SUV stopped.

Directly behind them.

Austin watched it in the mirror. The driver sat motionless, face hidden behind the reflection on the windshield.

When the light changed, Austin turned left into a fire station. The SUV followed.

He’d chosen the fire station lot because it offered people, cameras, and more than one way out.

The SUV didn’t take any of them.

Nora’s hand remained curled around the strap of her purse. “Do you think it has something to do with the studio?”

“Maybe. Or my dad. Or Preston.” Each possibility was worse than the last. “Too many options right now.”

Austin stayed along the edge of the lot. Several firefighters inside the building stopped to stare. Good. Witnesses.

The SUV paused near the entrance.

Austin waited to see what this guy’s next move would be.

Chapter

Nineteen

Austin watched as the SUV remained near the entrance.

Beside him, Nora angled the side mirror a fraction more. “I can see part of the plate. Seven, two . . . maybe a three.” She leaned closer, trying to catch another character before the vehicle shifted position. “The last letter might be K.”

Austin repeated the characters silently, locking them into his memory. Three digits and a possible letter weren’t much, but they were more than he’d had thirty seconds ago.

The SUV suddenly dropped back. Before Nora could get a clearer look, the driver cut hard across the parking lot and accelerated toward the exit, tires squealing as the vehicle shot through the turn.

Austin watched the gray SUV peel away. Every instinct told him to follow, but instinct wasn’t the only thing he had to consider.

There was also Nora’s safety to keep in mind.

Nora twisted to keep the exit in view. “Should we follow?”

“No.” Austin kept watching the road where the SUV had vanished. Chasing an unknown driver without backup would have been reckless under the best circumstances, and he wasn’t willing to do it with Nora beside him.

She turned back toward him. “You’re an FBI agent.”

“I’m an FBI agent on bereavement leave, driving my personal vehicle with no backup.” Austin glanced at her before returning his attention to the exit. “And I have a civilian in the passenger seat.”

“That sounds less impressive.” Nora tried for her usual dry tone, but her fingers remained wrapped tightly around her seat belt.

“It’s supposed to.” Austin put his vehicle in Park and drew in a deep breath.