Ellie crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t be so pleased with yourself. It’s the least you could do after everything Valerie did for your case.”
“And yours.”
“So true.” Ellie inhaled through her nose and sighed loudly. “Shit.”
“What?”
“I rode with them.”
Agent Lockwood laughed, nodding toward his rental. “I can take you.”
“That’s good, thanks. This day has been far too long. I’m ready for a vacation.”
“You just came back to work.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you always have a punchline?”
“Yes.”
“You’re ridiculous.” She climbed into the passenger seat of the expensive rental and buckled herself in. “How does your partner put up with you?”
“I don’t have a partner.” The engine caught, and Agent Lockwood drove out of the parking garage, heading toward Ellie’s apartment.
“You didn’t ask for directions.”
“I don’t need them.”
Ellie shook her head and leaned back in the luxury seat. “Anything new with my case?”
“Our case,” he corrected. “And not in the past two weeks.”
“What about Jillian’s phone?” She turned so she could study his profile.
His smile slid away as he shook his head. “There’s no sign of it. And it’s been off since Dr. Kingsley used it to lure you to the warehouse.”
“She’s been beside herself about it. There was so much personal information saved on that phone.”
“You learn not to do that.”
Scowling, Ellie stared out the window at the stately homes as they passed. Did the owners know how close they were to evil? Would anyone lose sleep thinking about all the ways human beings hurt each other? Or would they sleep soundly, knowing that Charleston PD was there to protect them from the evil they knew, and even the evil they didn’t?
“I deleted most of the private information I had stored on my phone, and Jillian already has a new phone. We’re both more careful, but even if you only have contacts and phone numbers, there’s enough for the right criminal to use.”
“You have to choose what risks you’re willing to take. It’s a tough line to walk, but we’re all just doing our best.” He pulled up to the curb outside her apartment building. “Would you like me to walk you to your door?”
Shaking her head, she already had her fingers wrapped around the door handle. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will.” He waved once as he drove away, headed to the airport, and on his way home.
Home.
The word held so much meaning, but it was different for everyone. For Ellie, home was a quiet apartment with her roommate and a dog named Sam. And for Valerie, home was a fresh start with the man who’d been her protector. Tonight, they would all be home.
Tomorrow was a brand-new day. But she wouldn’t relax. Couldn’t relax. Not until every one of the players in the enormous operation she’d discovered were caught and no longer a danger.
32
The bright noon sun glinted off the blacktop, warming the last of the chill from the air. Windows rolled down and wind whipping through his hair, he pushed his eighteen-wheeler to the speed limit and sailed through the empty forest. It was too early in May for the occasional tourist to stop on the side of the forest-lined road of the Carolinas to take pictures of deer, and too late in the year for the snowbirds who traveled north each weekend in hopes of catching some late-season snow. It was his favorite time of year, and the empty highway made long haul trucking enjoyable.
“What have we here?” he muttered as he topped one of the many low rises, foot instinctively coming off the gas to slow the rig.
The semi’s engine roared as Matt Loomis shifted into a lower gear. Ahead, a red Nissan Altima sat on the side of the road, trunk and hood open, the hazard lights flashing. But it wasn’t the fire-engine red car that had caught his attention on the empty stretch of Highway 41 North between Huger and Bethera. It was the leggy brunette with red lips and striking blue eyes standing with her thumb out, a wide smile showing off perfectly straight teeth.
Matt slowed, passing the Altima, and pulled onto the shoulder ahead of the car before coming to a complete stop. Before he had the chance to get his door open, the woman slung a backpack over her shoulder, her stride light as she jogged the length of the trailer on the passenger side.
He unlocked the door just as she climbed onto the step and yanked on the handle. “Having car trouble?”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. “I’ve been here for hours. Thank you.”
“Are you traveling alone?”
“Yes. Thank you for rescuing me.”
He nodded, surprised by her eagerness to get into the cab with a stranger. Most of the women he picked up were wary at first, relaxing as they got to know him a little better. But this woman seemed to have no fear—a dangerous quality in today’s world.
“Did you try calling someone? Maybe it’s an easy fix.”
She shook her head and held up her cell phone. “It’s dead. Besides, I can’t afford to get it fixed.”
“I might be able to help.” He twisted toward the storage space behind his seat, where he kept his tools. Before he could grab the black duffle bag, her fingers curled around his forearm. He froze, meeting her eyes, the skin of her palm soft on his bare arm.
“Please. I just want to get out of here. Where are you going?”
“Richmond, Virginia, then on to Louisville, Kentucky.”
“That’s where I’m going.” Giving his arm a squeeze, she lowered her eyelids, pleading, “Can you take me with you?”
His mouth went dry, his nostrils flaring in response. There was nothing he loved more than a damsel in distress, and this woman fit the bill to a T. The sweet smell of freshly washed hair filled the cabin, and her chest heaved with excitement beneath the thin fabric of her shirt.
“Of course,” he managed.
Instead of pulling her hand from his arm so he could drive, he guided
