chapter Six
Jenna crushed Gavin against her thigh, and he squirmed. “How did they find us so fast?”
Cade unzipped his duffel and began shoving items from the shelves into it. “Probably had a GPS on it. Even so, I’m surprised they got here so fast unless they used other people.”
His nonchalance lit a fuse in her belly, and she stomped her foot. “What now? How are we going to get out of here?”
He looked up from his bag, dark brows raised. “I told you. We’re driving out of here, and we’ll have over a half-mile head start on them.”
“There might be a car. There’s no guarantee.”
“With Prospero, there’s always a guarantee.”
“Yeah, always a guarantee that Prospero will ruin my life.”
“You left your purse in the house with all that cash in it.” He had the nerve to shove her from behind. “Go get it. Then we’ll head out.”
Clutching Gavin’s hand, she made for the door.
“Leave Gavin here. You run in and out.” He kicked the door wider. “I’ll keep an eye on you.”
Her gaze scanned the wooded scene beyond, like something out of Currier and Ives but with terrorists coming over the river and through the woods instead of some happy family. “How do we know they’re not watching us right now?”
“They just blew up the helicopter. They’re not ninja warriors. They can’t get here in a nanosecond.”
“Ninja warriors.” Gavin repeated Cade’s words, obviously fascinated with the idea of ninja warriors.
“Okay, but if anything happens, you take Gavin and run.”
“Something will happen if you keep standing here jabbering. Move.”
She spun around and dashed across clearing to the cabin. She stumbled up the steps and grabbed her purse from the back of the chair, pausing for a moment to take in the cozy room with the fire dying in the grate.
This place could’ve meant so much more for her and Cade if this had been a normal reunion. But nothing about her husband was normal. Nothing about her life was normal.
Her sniff turned into a snort and she slammed the door on normal and jogged back to her life.
Cade swung his bulging bag over his shoulder, secured his backpack once more over Jenna’s shoulders and picked up Gavin, who kicked his feet against Cade’s hip. “I know you’re a big guy and would rather walk, but just at the beginning we need to hurry so I’m going to carry you for a while.”
Cade had a smile on his face, but something in his tone brooked no argument, and Gavin recognized the voice of authority, the whine dying in his throat.
“How fast do you think they’re coming?” Jenna squinted into the trees, her eyeballs aching.
“This house is not exactly on a well-worn path from the chopper. Do you remember all the roots and bushes we had to navigate to get here? They have four different directions to choose from. It doesn’t mean they’re going to pick the right one.”
“And what about us? We have three different directions to choose from.”
“Nope. I saw a map in the cabin. I know the direction of the road...and that car.”
Hoisting Gavin onto his back, Cade strode toward a thicket of trees that looked impenetrable.
Jenna hugged her purse to her chest, folding her arms across it. “Do you want me to take the bag while you carry Gavin?”
“The bag is heavier than Gavin and you already have the backpack. I’m good. You just keep up.”
Having Cade here to lead the way and make decisions had taken a weight from her shoulders, but it came with a price. She hadn’t taken orders from anyone in a long time, and it left a bitter taste on her tongue.
She swallowed it. Now was not the time for petty one-upmanship. Cade could keep Gavin safe, and she had to hold on to that and shove her resentment aside.
They zigzagged through the trees, clambering over fallen trunks and dodging patches of ice. Jenna’s breath came out in short spurts, fogging in front of her. Her stomach rumbled and she tripped over the next tree trunk and fell to her knees.
Cade turned and nearly stumbled over her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He bent forward with Gavin clinging to his neck, and hooked his arms beneath hers. He righted and steadied her and for a second she wished she was the one in his arms.
She straightened her spine. “Thanks. Let’s go.”
“We should be at the road soon. You’re probably starving. I know I am.” He tugged at one of Gavin’s legs dangling against his side. “How about you? Still want those eggs?”
“Yes, eggs.”
“Okay, hang on.”
Cade’s legs started pumping again, like pistons, even, steady, strong. Did the man ever show weakness?
He hunched forward and pulled back the low branch of a tree. “There’s the road.”
“Is the car there?”
“Should be along here somewhere.”
“Maybe someone took it already.”
“We’re going to walk along the side of the road, keeping close to the foliage in case we have to jump back into it.”
Five minutes later, Jenna didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until she saw a small blue car tucked in a turnout around the next bend. Her chest deflated and she almost dropped to her knees.
“Do you think that’s it? Do you think that’s the car?”
“Positive.” Cade pulled the key chain from his pocket and aimed the remote at the car. It blinked to life, flashing its lights once and beeping. Cade bounced Gavin a few times and grinned. “Can I say I told you so?”
“You can say whatever you like.” She quickened her steps. “Just get me out of here.”
Cade popped the trunk of the car and tossed his bag and backpack inside. He swung Gavin from his back. “You did great, kiddo.”
Jenna grabbed Gavin’s hand and led him to the backseat. “I’ll buckle you up. We’ll get you a car seat as soon as we can.”
Gavin settled in and yanked at the seat belt. “Don’t need a car seat.”
“Oh, yes, you do. Don’t get used to this.” She slid into the passenger seat and snapped on her own seat belt.
“Where to?”
“Away.”
Cade cranked on the engine and pulled the little car onto the road. “We get as far away from here as we can. Then we’ll have some breakfast and regroup.”
Jenna looked in the side mirror at the empty road stretching behind them and shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“What? I told you the car would be here.”
“Helicopters blowing up, random cars parked in the bushes, a shed full of—” she fluttered hands “—stuff. Is that a typical day in your life?”
He slid a glance her way before studying the road. “No. It happens now and then. We spend a lot of time on intelligence, analyzing data, tracking people through banking, car registration, medical records. Boring stuff.”
“That’s not working too well for tracking down Zendaris, is it?”
He smacked the steering wheel, his jaw tightening. “He’s smart. He has loyal people surrounding him, and when they cease to be loyal...” He fired an imaginary gun with his fingers.
“What else do you know about him besides the fact that he’s a vicious killer and has no morals?”
“Not much. He’s Greek, comes from a small fishing village on one of the islands. Samos, I think. He left at about age fifteen. Went to Italy. Was involved in some petty crimes there.”
“And immediately graduated to arms dealing?”
“He had a few hiccups on the road, but he’s one of the biggest arms dealers in the world now. We just can’t pin him down.”
“But he can find you.”
“Guess so.”
Jenna slumped in her seat, leaning her head against the window. Would she and Gavin ever be free as long as Zendaris lived? She’d never come close to wishing someone dead, but she wouldn’t shed any tears over Zendaris’s obituary.
Cade traced a line down the side of her neck, and she closed her eyes, soaking in the small gesture. It ended with his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m going to fix this.”
For just a moment, Jenna allowed herself to believe him.
Her gaze flicked to the side mirror. “Do you think they’re following us?”
“They’ll try, but we got a head start on them, and they’re going to have a hard time getting a vehicle onto this road, if they even realize we’re on this road.”
“So we’re safe...for now.” She figured she might as well add the words for him.
“We’re safe and we’re hungry.” Cade checked the rearview mirror. “Right, Gavin?”
“Pancakes.”
“What happened to eggs?”
“Pancakes,” Gavin repeated.
Cade pointed to a gas station out the window. “Looks like we’re heading toward civilization. Pancakes can’t be far behind.”
Another fifty miles down the highway, more gas stations, a few motels and finally a town came into view. And just like Cade had accurately predicted the car waiting for them, he had accurately predicted pancakes in their future.
Maybe he could tell her that she and Gavin would stop running and be right about that, too.
The car careened along the off-ramp past a Native American roadside stand selling blankets and trinkets. “We must be close to Vegas.”
“Other side.” Cade turned into the small parking lot of a diner. “We went southeast. We’re close to the four corners, Colorado to the east of us and New Mexico to the south.”
He parked the car and they made for the restaurant. Jenna peered through the glass door at the crowded dining room. “Do you have a plan beyond breakfast?”
“I always have a plan.” Cade tapped on the window of the restaurant at a flyer advertising a flea market. “Maybe we can pick up a car seat for Gavin here.”
“Maybe I can pick up some clothes.” Jenna tugged her jacket around her body. The couple of times she’d packed up and moved, she’d had time to get ready. Her helter-skelter dash from her house in Lovett Peak had been the first time she’d had to put her emergency evacuation plan into action. It had worked pretty well, too, although Zendaris’s men may have been able to stop her if it hadn’t been for Cade and his muscle...car.
Cade swung open the door, and Jenna nudged Gavin in front of her into the packed restaurant. She scanned the room for suspicious-looking people, although she didn’t figure they’d be men in suits and dark glasses. Zendaris hadn’t gotten to his position in the world by surrounding himself with stupid people.
But everyone made mistakes.
Cade hung his arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear. “Relax.”
“Table for three?” A waitress gripping a pot of steaming coffee paused by the door, cocking her head at Cade.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The woman tilted her chin toward a booth by the window. “You can take that table when the busboy clears it.”
Gavin tugged on Jenna’s hand and motioned her down to his level. She ducked and touched her nose to his. “What do you need?”
“I need to go potty.”
“Right. First things first.” She turned to Cade. “I’m going to take Gavin to the restroom.”
“I should probably wash my hands, too. Do you want me to take him to the men’s room?”
Jenna ignored Gavin’s hopeful look. Even at his age, he resented being dragged to the women’s restroom all the time. “Uh, he still needs a little help.”
“And who’s more qualified to help him with guy stuff?” He took Gavin’s other hand, gave one tug and Gavin dropped her hand as if a she had a trick buzzer in it.
Gavin galloped beside this stranger he’d met only yesterday, under less-than-ideal circumstances, and Jenna followed them to the restrooms with a lump in her throat.
Bracing her hands on the vanity, she hunched over the sink, taking stock of her reflection. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, and she had a smudge of dirt on one cheek. How long had that been there?
Leave it to a man to miss the important things and dwell on stuff like blowing up helicopters and locating getaway cars.
She cranked on the faucet and scrubbed her hands. Holding her hair back with one hand, she splashed warm water on her face with the other, rubbing at the spot on her cheek.
If she put any makeup on at this point, she’d be sending all the wrong signals to Cade. And what kinds of signals did she want to send him? How long would they be on the run together?
She pawed through her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick. She swiped the dark pink color across her lips and smacked them twice.
She could handle whatever he threw her way.
Entering the dining room, she spotted Cade and Gavin already sitting at the booth—on the same side of the table. They had their noses buried in their menus, two dark heads bent side by side.
She slid into the booth across from them. “What looks good?”
Gavin slapped the plastic menu on the table and jabbed his finger at a picture of pancakes with dollops of whipped cream on them in the shape of a happy face. “Pancakes.”
“Really?” She wrinkled her nose. “Since when do we eat whipped cream for breakfast?”
Cade raised his menu to cover his face. “Don’t look at me. I’m having a breakfast burrito. Your mom knows best, Gavin.”
Gavin’s lower lip trembled and Jenna felt as if she’d just shot down the Easter bunny. Who was she to nix whipped cream after what she’d just put her son through?
She blew a kiss to Gavin. “Are you getting those with chocolate chips?”
He nodded and bounced in his seat.
Cade peered at her over the top of his menu. “When you go all out, you go all out.”
“Hey, if you can’t have whipped cream when you’re on the...road, when can you have whipped cream?”
The waitress came back and plopped a coloring book and crayons on the table in front of Gavin and took their order.
Jenna wrapped her hands around her coffee cup and inhaled the rich aroma from the steam curling up to her nose. “One sip of this and I might feel halfway human again.”
Cade downed his orange juice in a couple of gulps and shoved the small glass to the edge of the table. “You did an amazing job back there in Lovett Peak. I was too late, and you handled yourself well.”
“I’m not sure what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come along in that car. They’d put the word out that I had something to do with—” she glanced at Gavin, his tongue lodged in the corner of his mouth as he scribbled red across the page “—Marti. D-do you think I’m wanted or whatever?”
“For questioning, maybe. The police have no evidence.”
“She was in my house. I left in a hurry. And they can plant evidence. You should know that.”
“I do.” He ran his thumb along the ridge of her knuckles. “I’m just sorry you do.”
“Don’t be sorry. I had to learn fast, and it’s kept us alive.”
“And happy? What about happiness?”
She jutted out her chin. Did he think she needed him to be happy? That she’d fall apart the minute he left?
“Every time I look at Gavin I’m happy. It’s a different sort of life, but it’s our life.”
“I can see that.” He tapped Gavin on the head. “He’s a great kid—friendly, happy, fearless.”
“Ah, it’s that fearless part you like, isn’t it? A chip off the old block?”
Cade grinned and scratched the sexy stubble on his chin. “With any luck at all, he’ll be an engineer or an accountant. I’d like that, too.”
“Maybe he will do a one-eighty. People do that, don’t they? Choose the opposite path of a parent.”
The grin melted from Cade’s face, and now his stubble gave him a menacing look. “I guess I didn’t. Followed in my old man’s footsteps to a T.”
Jenna’s hand jerked and her coffee sloshed over the rim, splashing her fingers. “What are you talking about? You and your father are complete opposites. You’re responsible and honorable. He wasn’t.”
Cade gazed over her shoulder, his dark eyes clouding over like the sky outside the window. “My father left his family, and so did I.”
His words twisted a knife in her gut. Is that what he believed?
Shame washed across her body like a heat wave. Why shouldn’t he believe that? She’d been flinging the accusations of abandonment at him ever since she’d jumped in his hot rod.
“It’s different.” She dragged the tip of her spoon through the coffee puddling in her saucer. “You didn’t have a choice. You left for our own safety.”
“He didn’t have a choice, either.” His lips twisted.
“Your father was a criminal, Cade. He left you, your brother and your mother because the Feds were closing in on him.”
“Like I said, he didn’t have a choice.”
The waitress interrupted them with a clatter of plates, and Gavin looked up from his coloring to squeal over the whipped cream face on his chocolate chip pancakes. Jenna might have to pay by enduring hyperactive behavior from him until he crashed, but the look on his wide-eyed face was worth it.
Had to grab pleasure where you could find it.
Gavin poked Cade in the shoulder. “Look, look.”
“I see.” Cade suspended one long finger above a dollop of cream. “Can I have some?”
Gavin pointed to the smallest dab of whipped cream. “You can have that one.”
“Thanks.” Cade dipped the tip of his finger into the white puff and sucked it into his mouth. “Yum.”
Gavin attacked his stack of pancakes as if he hadn’t eaten in days, and Cade sliced into his burrito with equal gusto.
Jenna watched them, her fork suspended over her omelet. Even though he hadn’t started life with his father, Gavin shared so many characteristics with Cade—the tilt of his head, the quick smile, the way they both had her wrapped around their fingers.
She sniffed and plunged her fork into her eggs. She’d have to keep her head on straight with these two, but no more blaming Cade for the way fate had played out in their marriage. Their separation had hurt her and she’d wanted to retaliate against Cade, force him to feel her pain. But that wasn’t necessary.
He didn’t need her to leash him to his pain. He felt it all on his own with no prompting from her. He felt it on a deep, visceral level that she’d never contemplated.
Cade had never wanted to be like his father, and now he felt as if he’d made the same mistakes as the man who had left his family when Cade was just ten years old.
She’d have to do better. They’d all suffered, and somehow they’d find a way out—together.
She did a fair amount of justice to her own breakfast and pushed her plate to the center of the table. “You said you had a plan. Care to share it with me?”
“Sure.” Cade picked up a crayon and colored inside the lines of a balloon on the paper. “There’s a Prospero outpost in Arizona. It serves to monitor people crossing the U.S.–Mexican border, keeping an eye out for known terrorists.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “A-are we going to get some help there?”
“They can help you and Gavin.”
Her muscles tensed. “Me and Gavin?”
“They can settle you in a safe location.”
Jenna gripped Cade’s wrist and leaned in close, gritting her teeth. “No.”