Emily crouched in the bathtub, expecting that at any moment the bathroom door would burst open, the shower curtain yanked aside and strong hands would reach in to haul her off to jail for aiding and abetting an escaped convict.
Fighting panic, she closed her eyes and prayed Zack was a good enough actor to convince the police he was a traveling salesman and that he was alone in the room.
A full minute passed before she calmed down enough to listen to what was going on. The conversation was muffled because the bathroom door was partially closed. But the voices were loud enough for her to make out most of what was being said.
“You’re here alone?” asked an authoritative male voice.
“I’m quite alone. In fact, I was going to be checking out in a few minutes. Is everything all right?”
It took Emily a moment to recognize Zack’s voice. The Irish brogue had been replaced by a Boston inflection.
“There’s an escaped convict in the vicinity,” the male voice said. “We’re canvassing the area. Checking with the ranchers and motel owners and alerting the park rangers.”
“Is this person dangerous?” Zack asked.
“Armed and extremely dangerous. He’s traveling with a woman. She’s a corrections officer we believe is helping him. If you see either of them, use your cell phone to call 911.”
“Of course. I hope you catch them.”
“So do we.”
The door slammed. Emily nearly fainted with relief. She was in the process of stepping out of the shower when Zack walked in. Had the situation not been so potentially threatening, she might have laughed at the sight of him. He looked like a meek bookworm, with his small mustache, spectacles, pinched expression and hunched shoulders. She didn’t know when he’d done it, but he’d even added colored contact lenses. The transformation was truly amazing.
“That was damn close,” he said, the old Zack returning.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“We need transportation.” He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. “I can’t miss that meeting I set up with my contact from MIDNIGHT.”
“How do we get a vehicle?”
“Since we can’t buy one, we’re going to have to borrow one.”
She didn’t like the way he’d used the word bor row. It sounded too much like steal and, with the police hot on their trail, the fastest way to get caught.
“This place is crawling with cops,” she said. “How on earth are we going to steal a car?”
“There’s a service station down the road. I discovered it when I left to use the phone earlier this morning. The service station is closed on Sunday, but they have several cars sitting in the lot, waiting to be serviced.”
“Terrific. We get a car that’s kaput.”
He grinned. “We get a car no one will miss until tomorrow.”
Emily was about to nix the idea when he leaned forward and kissed her. The combination of adrenaline and lust was heady, and she kissed him back. She knew it was risky, reacting to him like this when they were a hairbreadth away from getting caught—or worse. But it was as if he’d put her under some kind of spell. A spell that was going to at the very least ruin her career. At the very worst get her killed.
His eyes clashed with hers when he pulled back. “Hold that thought,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the rear lot in five minutes.”
ZACK CHOSE the four-wheel-drive Jeep with tires the size of boulders and keys in the ignition, and five minutes later he and Emily were on the main road heading north toward the rendezvous point he’d set up with his contact from MIDNIGHT.
The last thing Zack had wanted to do was take Emily with him. There was a good possibility they were walking into an ambush. He’d considered dropping her off at the local sheriff’s office, but he knew she would be no safer in the hands of law enforcement. The Lockdown people had fabricated a story and put out a press release; the police now believed she was an accomplice to murder. There was no safe haven to stash her, so he’d had no choice but to bring her along. He only hoped his decision wouldn’t cost her her life.
Sitting quietly in the passenger seat, Emily was distant, staring out the window as if the snowy landscape beyond held the answers she so desperately needed. Zack wished he could say something to reassure her, but he was fresh out of solutions.
It was the shadows in her eyes that bothered him most.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked when the silence grew oppressive.
“I don’t see how we’re going to win this.” She gave him a long, assessing look. “The police think you’re a killer. They think I’m your accomplice.”
“We’ll get through this.” He reached over and set his hand over hers. “I want you to know, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make sure your name is cleared.”
Lowering her head, she sighed. “I don’t know who I am anymore, Zack.”