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“I’m not sure.” Maybe he was overreacting. There were plenty of black cars, so seeing one shouldn’t fill him with panic.

Yet he couldn’t afford to ignore his instincts either. He’d been apprehensive about the exfiltration from Afghanistan, and as it turned out, his gut had been right about the danger. “Let’s go. There’s an alley not far from here.”

“Alley?” To her credit, Fiona didn’t balk but kept pace moving swiftly alongside him. He kept her body between his and the buildings they passed, determined to make her a smaller target in case the gunmen were close by.

“Hurry.” He quickened his pace, then practically shoved her into the narrow opening between two buildings. It wasn’t an alley per se, but the opening was too narrow for a vehicle to follow. So narrow, he and Fiona couldn’t walk side by side. He kept her positioned in front of him, his hand firmly planted in the center of her back. “Keep going to the other side, but don’t step out into view, understand?”

“Yes.” Her voice was faint.

Upon reaching the other side of the narrow walkway, he edged past her to peer out at the traffic moving past. He immediately noticed a black SUV but discounted it as a threat when he noticed there was a horse sticker on the windshield, tucked in the lower corner of the passenger side.

There were no other cars that appeared remotely suspicious. He glanced at Fiona, feeling guilty for dragging her away from the restaurant.

“I’m sorry. I thought I saw a threat . . .” He let his voice trail off.

“It’s okay. Better safe than sorry, right?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Doc tried to convince himself that the black car hadn’t contained the gunmen. Yet the car had been going slower than most, the same way it had on the highway when he was checking out the church. And the make and model of the vehicle was the same too.

Yet he couldn’t believe the gunmen could have known they were at the restaurant.

Unless . . . he pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. He didn’t want to ditch his only connection to Rex Grayson and his teammates, but as Fiona said, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He dropped the phone on the concrete and smashed it with the heel of his boot.

It was time to go off-grid.

6

Fiona stared in shock at the pulverized remains of Doc’s phone. Then her gaze clashed with his grim expression. “Was that really necessary?”

“We’ll get replacement devices.” He didn’t look concerned over what looked to be an expensive phone that had been destroyed and left in tiny pieces. She decided there was no reason to second-guess his actions. His soldier skills had kept her safe since she’d awoken dazed and disoriented in his cabin. Her memory nothing but a fog.

Yet there was a tiny voice in the back of her head reminding her that he was one man. Flesh and blood. Vulnerable to a bullet.

She swallowed hard and pushed away from the brick wall of the building. “Now what?”

“You need to stay close.” He poked his head out to scan the road, then took a tentative step out of the narrow alleyway. “Let’s go.”

Fiona wanted to ask where they were headed but wasn’t sure Doc had a specific location in mind. Earlier, she hadn’t been that hungry when he’d mentioned stopping for lunch. Her stomach clenched and rolled, churning with nausea. Would food help her feel better? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t bother mention her discomfort either.

Eating a leisurely lunch wasn’t an option.

Praying again that her memory would return, she stayed as close to Doc as possible. He headed down the street until he reached another intersection. Doc took several turns, backtracking so many times that she lost her sense of direction.

The city should have looked familiar. She had to assume she’d attended the Keeneland Fall races in the past.

And where did she live? How far had she traveled to end up at Doc’s secluded cabin?

She abruptly realized the Derby Suites sign was up ahead. A mixture of surprise and relief hit hard. The sun was making her feel hot and dizzy. Remembering how Doc had mentioned the need to stay hydrated, she licked her suddenly dry lips.

“We can’t stay long,” Doc murmured as he used his key card to access the side entrance to the building. “If they were tracking my phone, they’ll know we have a room here.”

“They can do that?” The thought was mind-boggling. “How?”

“Not sure.” He gave her a sidelong glance, then added, “Could be they ran the property records to get my name. From there, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with money and skill to track my phone.”

She had no idea how to respond to that.