The trailing vehicle got within a car length away. Anna remained steadfast, keeping the Glock trained at the light that shone in through the back window.
“I’m not liking this,” Anna said.
I glanced to the rearview mirror. The truck swerved to the other lane on the driver’s side and punched it. Anna faced forward in her seat, then turned toward the window next to her.
I checked the side-view mirror, watching the SUV pass by alongside us. It looked to be a Ford Explorer. “Don’t fire. It’s not them.”
“Are you sure?” Cindy asked, her voice thick with worry as her body pressed against the passenger side door.
“Yeah. They had a brown truck, not an SUV,” I answered.
The Explorer sped past us. The passenger side windows had a dark tint to the glass, hindering our view of the occupants. They continued on down the highway, pushing past seventy with ease. I slowed down a bit, allowing the Explorer to put some distance between us.
“That could’ve been interesting,” Anna said, working her way toward the middle of the bench seat in the back. “They came pretty close to receiving a few rounds through the windshield.”
I breathed a bit easier, but kept a vigilant watch out just to be on the safe side. “Yeah. Not sure where they’re heading in such a hurry.”
Cindy sighed, then rubbed her trembling hand over her face. She whimpered, then pressed the back of her hand under her nose.
“You okay over there?” I asked, looking at her.
Cindy removed her hand. “I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life wondering if they’re coming for me or Bryce. I don’t think they’re going to just cut their losses and let us be, and I’m not so sure that I can handle that sort of stressful lifestyle.”
“What are you saying, then?” I lifted my brow, curious to see what she was getting at.
“What if I tracked down whatever it is they want and gave it to them. They would leave us alone then, right?” Cindy glanced to me, then Anna, seeking validation. “I mean, at that point, they’d have no reason to bother with us anymore.”
“Well, aside from the fact that you know what they look like, they kidnapped you, and killed your husband. That’s more than enough grounds for them to want to keep you quiet,” Anna said without missing a beat. “I mean, it could work.”
The life drained from Cindy’s face.
“Really?” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Anna.
She shrugged. “Listen. All I’m saying is that even if you do locate whatever it is they’re looking for, they may not let you go after giving it to them, so you need to keep that in mind. Besides, how are you going to track down something that you have no knowledge of?”
Cindy chewed on Anna’s words for a few moments. “William’s old partner, Jessie, might know about it. He mentioned some weeks back about speaking with him about some work opportunities. I thought it might’ve been a legit job. Now, I’m not so sure.”
I held up my hand, stopping her for a moment. “Slow down for a second. Do you know if these people know about Jessie? I think it’s safe to assume that they do if they nabbed your husband.”
Cindy shrugged. “I’m not sure if they do or not. I don’t recall William mentioning Jessie to them back at that dreadful house, but everything happened so fast that I could’ve heard him speak about it and not remember. The whole thing has me frazzled pretty good.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s find some place to lay low. Figure everything out,” I said. “You can mull this over a bit more and make sure it’s what you really want to do. These sorts of people are not to be toyed with. The deeper in you get involved, the greater the risk. More so than what you’ve already dealt with.”
Anna parroted my response with a tilt of her head.
“Who exactly are you two?” Cindy looked at me, then back to Anna. “You talk as if you’ve had dealings with such people before.”
Anna glanced to the rearview mirror at me, then looked away.
“We’ve had our fair share of run–ins with these sorts of folks,” I answered after a few seconds of awkward silence. “Do you know of any other place that we can stop in the city to figure things out?”
Cindy shook her head. “Not really. Just my house, but you said it isn’t safe to go there.”
“I have a place we might be able to use,” Anna said, rubbing the crown of Shadow’s head. “A motel on the north side of the city. Off the main highway.”
“Oh. You do?” I peered in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah. It’s one that I’ve used a number of times when I’ve come to Salt Lake for work.” Anna scratched behind Shadow’s ear. “It’s never crowded and is good for lying low.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged Salt Lake as a frequent destination for you,” I said.
“You go where there’s work,” Anna replied.
“What sort of work do you do?” Cindy asked, looking back toward her.
“Let’s just say that I track people down that are hard to find,” Anna replied. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s the general idea.”
“Sounds like,” Cindy said. “You don’t look old enough to be doing such things, if I’m being honest.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Anna replied. “But sometimes it’s a good thing. People tend to underestimate women who look small and meager. Big surprise when they find out that they’re wrong.”
The tears racing down Cindy’s cheeks had slowed to a trickle. She wiped them away with her hand. “I’m not sure how I can repay either of you for what you
