* * *
Suzie had never slept so soundly. She had no memory of Stunner putting her in the truck or of them leaving the house. But she found herself three hours out of Cambridge by the time she woke.
She climbed over the center console and into the passenger’s seat. As she snapped her seatbelt she glanced at Stunner. He’d been unfailingly kind, but he’d closed himself off like he used to. It was funny that she thought of it like that. “Like he used to” meant before the last two weeks. She’d gotten used to him sharing everything on his mind. She loved it.
Now, he was still affectionate -- he’d hardly let go of her hand since she’d settled herself -- but he hadn’t offered information. She’d refrained from asking because she trusted him to let her know what she needed to know.
He stopped when he realized she was awake, but only long enough for her to pee beside the road. She protested loudly, but he calmly told her they couldn’t risk stopping anywhere there were cameras. Naturally, she’d demanded to know why, but he’d just said he’d explain later. She’d huffed and muttered but had done her business and climbed back in the truck, and they were off again.
Once on the way, he’d explained that they were in danger but didn’t know all the particulars. She got the feeling that was the strict truth, but that there were layers he was omitting. Still, she trusted him to do what needed to be done to protect them both.
To pass the time, she’d taken out her laptop to get some work done. Thanks to the little Internet hotspot Data had put together for her, she had decent Internet access. She worked for about two hours before a message popped up on her screen.
D Bonez: Stay on the DL. Stand by.
Data. Telling her to keep quiet and stand by? What the hell? She almost said something to Stunner, but he didn’t look like he could take any more. He still reached over occasionally to rub her knee or put his hand around the back of her neck to knead her muscles gently, but he really looked like he was at a breaking point. A few minutes later Data contacted her again.
D Bonez: Sending encryption to your hotspot. Log on and follow the breadcrumbs.
She acknowledged and did as he told her. The message she retrieved chilled her to the bone. Someone was stalking Stunner. Not her. Whatever it was, was personal. And highly sophisticated. Together, Data and his wife, Zora, had managed to find some information but not enough to lead to a source. By them bringing Suzie in on the work, she knew they’d reached the end of anything they could do. She knew from experience that they’d likely used Giovanni, too. They were concerned and, really, anybody this intent on keeping hidden wasn’t up to anything good. By giving this to Suzie, they acknowledged that they knew she’d keep digging until she figured it out. No matter what.
So she started digging through the dark web. Double checking the work already done and using it to form her own leads.
A few hours later, they met up with Bohannon, Sword, Viper, and Trucker. Or rather, it was more like she and Stunner never stopped and the other four turned around on the interstate and caught up to them. And that was it. Until that mad dash from Cambridge to Somerset, Suzie had never understood the term “hard driving.” Hard driving was basically going as fast as they dared without getting noticed by the cops, and not stopping the entire trip. Even gas for the truck and bikes had been hauled with them in gas cans Trucker had in the bed of his truck.
And still she worked.
Through it all, Suzie did as she was told and clung as tightly as she dared to Stunner when she could while she worked. Every time she reached for him, she knew she clasped him tighter and tighter. She had the feeling he was slipping away from her, and she had no idea why.
“You good, baby?” The question caught her off guard. He hadn’t spoken much during the entire trip, but he clung to her hand as hard as she did to him.
“Not really. What’s happening, Stunner?” They were about fifteen minutes from the clubhouse and safety, and she was no closer to finding who was watching Stunner than she had been ten or so hours earlier. This was a conversation they should have had hours ago, but she’d wanted to give him every opportunity to do this on his own. Before they had to face the others, however, she had to get this out.
“I told you all I know.”
“I’ve known you a long time. That’s the first time you’ve ever truly lied to me.” It hurt, and she didn’t hide it from him. She thought she understood, but it didn’t make it any less painful.
He didn’t wince. The old Stunner she’d always known was back. Closed off as ever.
“We’re almost home. You’ll be safe there.”
“I’m safe with you, Stunner,” she said, backing up and trying again from a different angel. “No one, not even my dad, could protect me better than you. We’re a team. Right?”
“Yes,” was all he said.
“You’ve got to meet me halfway. I can take anything you tell me, but you’ve got to tell me all of it. Now. Before we have to face my father.”
“I’ve got this. That’s all you need to know.”
Desperate, she decided to take the plunge. “Data gave me access to something he, Zora, and Giovanni have been working on.
