“What do you think?” Mild amusement tinged his voice.
“I think you’ve got more than one disposable phone on you and Ky’s going to know the numbers of those the same way he knew the other one.” She considered for a moment. “How you coordinated the numbers and got them to him could be through too many possible methods for me to guess, but you can’t have bought that many disposable phones.”
He didn’t answer.
Miffed, she continued. “So if I go with my extensive knowledge gained by watching the occasional police procedural show, the disposable phones are to prevent anyone tracing our location with the GPS. Which is why you had me leave my smartphone back at Hope’s Crossing Kennels.”
Brandon nodded, his gaze on the road ahead of them. “Exactly. And, granted, tossing the disposable phone out the window was on the dramatic side, but I did toss it hard enough to break it when it hit the asphalt. With any luck, somebody will run it over, too. I’ve got enough to cover us for the next few days. So we won’t be completely unreachable but a lot harder to track down.”
Sophie leaned her chin on her knee. “And, yes, I’m somewhat concerned about you littering.”
He chuckled. “I’ll arrange some community service to help clean up a park in penance after we get through all of this.”
“Do you think I will?” Listening to Ky, the progress on the investigation didn’t sound encouraging. What if they never found the man who was trying to kill her? Mrs. Seong had told her about a new crime show on television that covered stalkers and the way those people hunted down the focus of their obsession until they eventually killed them.
It was possible she had a stalker. Elisa had been able to get free of one only a few months ago.
“We’ll take things one day at a time.” It was strangely comforting the way Brandon didn’t give her reassurances. Maybe other people would’ve wanted to hear that it would be all right. Or some ladies might want to hear Brandon tell them he’d keep them safe. His quiet, solemn voice colored with dark secrets and tempered with sincerity was certainly everything any romantic hero should have. But she didn’t want him to over promise or, worse, lie. “You should get some rest. Sleep, Sophie. I’m here.”
Chapter Twelve
We’re here.” Brandon put the SUV into park and slid out the driver’s side. “Hang tight while I see if they can accommodate an early check-in.”
He walked around the side of the SUV and let Haydn out. He walked Haydn around the SUV once and left the dog sitting next to it with a single command: “Bewaken.”
They’d driven through the night. Sophie had napped on and off along the way, tired but too wound up to sleep for long. Every time she’d awakened, though, there’d been Brandon driving. She’d asked a few times if he was okay, and each time he’d reassured her he was awake and fine to keep going.
They stopped twice at rest stops.
He’d walked her to the rest stop with Haydn at his side, then he and the German Shepherd Dog had checked over the SUV before letting her in again. Her new cat had protested once or twice along the way. Brandon had even experimentally taken her out of the carrier at a rest stop with a makeshift leash for her collar.
She hadn’t run, thank goodness, and she had taken the opportunity to actually do her business. It’d surprised both Sophie and Brandon.
Super convenient.
At this point, though, it’d been a while since the last rest stop, and Sophie was ready to get out. Her stomach turned, queasy. Normally motion sickness wasn’t an issue, but sitting sideways across the backseat on the winding roads they’d driven in the past hour getting to wherever they were had been rough.
The back of the SUV opened. She hadn’t even seen Brandon return, but it had to be him. No one else would’ve gotten past Haydn without a huge fight. And Sophie had seen Brandon’s dogs, dogs meant to serve as military working dogs. They could put up a real defense.
“Haydn, over.” Brandon gave her a grin as she craned her neck to see him over the back of the seat. “Just another couple of minutes while we head to the cabin.”
He closed the back and came around to the driver’s side. Seated, he started up the SUV again and put it into drive.
“Our cabin has privacy, about a quarter of a mile away from the main house. There’s a lot of heavy woods in between, but it’s walkable along this road.” Brandon was in a good mood. “I think you’ll like it.”