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He hesitated. Oh, no. Whatever plan he and Sergeant Dawson had formulated, she knew she’d hate it.

Brody gazed down into Jenna’s exhausted face. From where he stood, he could hear her stomach gurgling and grumbling for the fourth time.

They were cold, hungry, and so tired he knew he could sleep standing up.

But they couldn’t stop.

If they stopped here, it could be a death sentence for them both. The killers would expect them to be in the first town since they got a flat tire. They’d search the restaurants. The hotels. The bus station, if there was one. Every place that could ease their discomfort also led to danger.

He glanced down at the texts he’d been sending back and forth with Sergeant Dawson.

“Brody? What are we doing?” Jenna asked, her voice quiet.

It broke his heart, hearing this spunky woman sounding so defeated.

“I contacted Sergeant Dawson. He agrees we can’t stop here.”

“Why?” Her eyes swung to a small diner and back to him.

“Because this town is the first place they’ll search for you.” He gestured around them, his arm making an arc. “All of this, they’ll search. And if we stay too long, they’ll find us.”

He gestured for her to follow him. He led her to a small brick store on the main part of town. When they walked around the side, he motioned for her to walk down the steps into a doorway leading to the basement floor of the shop. It was known by the townspeople, but anyone unfamiliar wouldn’t know about it. It was a little darker here. Her features were in the shadows again, but at least he could see her.

“Do you know this town?” Jenna asked him.

He shook his head. “I don’t, but when we passed the town square as we entered, I sent the name to Dawson. He grew up here, it turns out.”

“Well, that helps. So, what did he tell you to do?” Her stomach growled again.

Brody winced. “I told Dawson I needed to get you somewhere that we could hide out until morning. And nothing obvious. So he can’t send a marked cop car here to get us. Nor can he have a known officer come for us. I don’t know how well these killers know the area. If one of them recognizes a cop from Riztown here, he might get suspicious. I also can’t take you anywhere really public here. That includes diners, hotels, gas stations, you get the idea.”

“And going to one of those places could get us killed.” Her voice had gone flat.

“Unfortunate, but yes.” His phone buzzed. He looked at the text. “Great. Dawson has a buddy who bought an old house outside of town and is renovating it to use it for a Bed and Breakfast. The guy’s name is Mason Wallace. He’ll be finishing his shift within fifteen minutes. He’ll be by here to pick us up.”

She blew out a long breath. “As long as there’s no snow inside, and we can eat something tonight, I’ll survive.”

He grinned. “That’s the spirit. I notice you didn’t say anything about mice.”

“Eww. Why’d you have to remind me? I came so close to screaming when that mouse popped and stared at me with its evil little beady eyes.”

He had to swallow a laugh. Although the killers hadn’t made themselves known yet, they would be around this way at some time. They couldn’t relax yet.

Twenty minutes later, a rough motor gunned along. Someone needed a new muffler, he thought. Then the motor stopped near the curb in front of the building where they were hidden.

A door slammed, though the engine still choked and rumbled. Footsteps approached. He listened. Only one person. The person jangled so he had keys or change in his pocket. Possibly both.

“Brody? Brody Carson? It’s Mason. Kenny Dawson’s friend.”

Brody blinked. The competent Sergeant Dawson did not look like a Kenny. He waved Jenna to remain where she was. He needed to prove this was really Mason.

He climbed the stairs. The man in front of him was the exact image of the picture Sergeant Dawson had sent. Dark curly hair under a baseball cap. A carefree smile. He chomped on gum while he waited.

Brody knew this was Dawson’s friend, but he still checked. “What’s the phrase?”

Mason’s eyes widened. “I thought the picture he sent would be enough. Okay. The phrase is, ‘My wife says I’m adorable but trouble.’”

“Yep.” Brody turned back and motioned for Jenna to join them.