Chelsey slid in first, moving awkwardly with her hands cuffed behind her back. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but her pale features were a clear indication of her bone-deep fear.
He wasn’t thrilled with the situation, either. But he felt certain the lieutenant would have to think this through. After all, JT knew about the two of them being in his custody. The lieutenant couldn’t just shoot them and dump their bodies off in the forest somewhere.
Could he?
He slid in beside Chelsey, the interior of the vehicle stifling hot as the sun beat down through the windows. The lieutenant slammed the door and got in behind the wheel.
Goldberg didn’t say anything as he eased into traffic, leaving their SUV behind.
Chelsey was squirming in her seat next to him. “You okay?” he whispered.
She nodded but didn’t stop moving around. After a long moment she pulled one arm from around her back, gently brushing against his arm with her hand.
He didn’t change his facial expression, even though he was secretly thrilled she’d managed to get one of her hands free of the cuffs. JT hadn’t cuffed her hands as tightly as his, a rookie mistake.
Chelsey’s being free didn’t help much. Without a weapon, or his hands being free, their ability to escape the burly lieutenant unscathed was not looking good.
EIGHTEEN
Chelsey kept her hands low, so that the big cop wouldn’t notice she’d managed to get one wrist free.
Not that being uncuffed was much help. What could they do from the back of a squad car? Especially when the doors couldn’t be opened from the inside.
“I told you to run,” Duncan whispered.
She ignored him. Running and leaving him behind wasn’t an option. If this was going to end—she swallowed hard—then so be it. She chose to believe in God’s plan, and maybe being here with Duncan would make it easier for both of them.
Remembering the bobby pins in her hair, she lowered her head, and eased her left wrist up high enough to pull two from her curls. Was it possible they could use them to unlock Duncan’s cuffs?
Without saying anything, she pressed the bobby pins against his hand so he’d know she had them. He didn’t so much as glance at her, keeping his gaze on the cop behind the wheel, but he shifted just enough that she could access the cuffs.
Still, it was an impossible task considering she couldn’t see what she was doing and needed to make it seem as if her wrists were still together. Thankfully, for whatever reason, the lieutenant didn’t look at them, his attention focused on the road.
Was he right now trying to find a place to silence the two of them forever?
Chelsey swallowed hard and prayed that God would give her and Duncan the strength and courage they needed to get through this.
The squad car slowed and the lieutenant pulled off the main thoroughfare onto a winding dirt road. Chelsey tensed, sensing this was not good.
“Where are you taking us?” Duncan asked. “Shouldn’t you be taking two people suspected for killing a cop to the precinct to be booked?”
“Shut up,” Goldberg growled.
Duncan shifted again, giving her better access to his cuffed wrists. She realized his conversation was a diversion from her attempt to free him.
“I wasn’t kidding about the federal marshals,” Duncan said. “When we end up missing and/or dead, they’re going to know someone within the police department was involved. Even the not-so-bright JT will put two and two together to come up with four.”
The lieutenant didn’t respond. The squad car jostled side to side as the road grew more uneven. Chelsey bumped against Duncan, still working the bobby pin in the keyhole of the handcuffs.
Somehow, the rocking motion of the squad car along with her efforts caused the lock to spring open. She wanted to smile and shout with joy when Duncan’s wrists came apart but managed to keep her expression impassive.
A minor victory, because they weren’t out of this mess, not by a mile. The cop was armed and they weren’t.
“Travis Wolfe is going to throw you under the bus,” Duncan said as he gently took the bobby pin from her fingers. “You know very well he’ll do whatever is necessary to save his own skin. Millionaires are not cut out for prison. Killing us isn’t going to stop the avalanche of evidence the feds have against him. In fact, if you were smart, you’d take the money you’ve squirreled away and get out of town before anyone else realizes you’ve been working for him.”
“I said shut up!” The sudden shout from the lieutenant startled her so badly, she was glad she didn’t have the bobby pins, or she’d have dropped them. Risking a glance down to his hands, she could see that Duncan still had the two bobby pins, straightened into thin spears.
Hardly a lethal weapon, but better than nothing.
“Okay, fine, have it your way.” Duncan glanced over with a grim expression. She could tell there was a lot he wanted to say but couldn’t.
She felt the same way.
The squad car jerked to an abrupt halt. She tensed, then quickly followed Duncan’s lead by placing her hands behind her back in an effort to hide the fact she was free.
The large man climbed out of the squad car and opened Duncan’s door. “Get out.”
Duncan turned in his seat, swinging his legs out of the car. As he braced himself to stand, she heard the sound of a car engine.
From there, things happened fast. The lieutenant glanced over to see who was driving on the road as Duncan launched himself from the squad car, shoving at the cop with his unbound wrists, the bobby pin stabbing near the lieutenant’s eye.
The big cop screamed in pain and the sound of a gunshot
