If Rafe had had his way, they would have stayed together. Instead, Lucy insisted that she and Hannah separate from him. He might not like the idea but he did see the older woman’s logic.
Thor was the giveaway to any observer. Even an untrained eye could tell the big German shepherd was special and his presence painted a bulls-eye on Hannah’s back. That was undoubtedly why Lucy had led her off and found them a hidey hole in shrubbery several hundred yards away while he took up a position behind a trash collection array to wait for backup.
He would have been a lot happier if he’d had his own cell phone so he could keep trying the superintendent’s private line. There had to be information of some kind filtering into the station. The more he knew, the better his chances of success—and survival—would be.
A golf cart with two uniformed security guards in it rounded the corner and approached. Rafe ducked back out of sight and peeked between large trash containers.
The driver stopped the cart. He and his partner got out, drew their guns and approached the abandoned tram. They were so intent on repossessing the stolen transport they only briefly scanned their surroundings then ignored them to inspect the tram. He expected them to leave it parked there and call a forensics team but they didn’t. One of the guards slid behind the wheel while the other returned to the golf cart and they drove off together.
Luck? No. He didn’t believe in luck. He did, however, give credit where it was due so he sent a quick glance into the clouds and smiled. “Thanks.”
If he had been running an investigation into the gunshot on the third floor he would have sent someone back to canvas the area surrounding the recovered tram ASAP. With all the police officers now inside the hospital he figured it was only a matter of time before they did just that. Besides, he wanted, needed, to be near Hannah and her grandmother when their replacement car arrived. They weren’t going to get rid of him. Not now. Not yet. And certainly not after they had been observed in Andy’s room. Fleming already knew who Hannah was and where she and Lucy lived. Deuce was far from stupid. He’d see the connection to law enforcement, put two and two together and find even more incentive to come after them.
Ducking into the shrubbery where he’d last seen the women he expected one of them to answer when he called. “Hannah? Lucy?”
Nothing. Nobody. The old growth was brittle and small pieces had been broken off the hedge. Rafe tried to follow without leaving more signs of passage. Once he was inside the clump of vegetation he could see that it wasn’t as dense as it had looked.
He emerged onto a side street, dusted himself off and checked the nearby area. A small strip mall sat across the street while other medical offices filled in the rest of the space. If he was choosing where to go with Hannah and Thor there would be no question.
Checking for oncoming traffic he stepped off the curb.
Rather than call attention to themselves, Hannah had waited outside while Lucy entered the drugstore to buy supplies. There was no hope of replacing everything they’d lost when the car had been robbed, but at least she’d be able to get the extra phones they needed and perhaps energy bars and something to drink. Hannah’s mouth was dry and she imagined Thor was thirsty, too.
It seemed kind of silly to be worrying about food when their lives were in danger. Then again, there was nothing like eating a little chocolate to make a person feel better.
Thor had been sitting at her side while she stood behind an array of spring flowers displayed on a tall rack. Suddenly she felt him tense, then stand, bristling.
“What is it, boy? What’s wrong?”
The dog took a step in slow motion, as if creeping up on an enemy.
Hannah held him back. Away from Gram and Rafe, with only Thor to defend her, she was very vulnerable.
“This is why wild animals freeze in place when they sense danger,” she muttered, letting her own voice soothe her while she watched the K-9 closely for signs of what their next move should be.
Standing hackles on the shepherd’s neck and shoulders made him look even larger than he was, and he was plenty big. She glanced between the door to the store and open space on the other side of the flower display. Cars were passing slowly, each one bringing a possible enemy closer. Prior encounters with Fleming’s gang led her to believe they would be driving black cars or SUVs. Logic insisted otherwise. Every encounter could be deadly. Every passing car could hold evil personified.
Thor shifted his focus to the left. Hannah’s gaze followed. Was that...? It sure looked like Rafe. Nevertheless, she stayed hidden. When Gram was with them she had a lot less trouble relaxing in the company of the supposed convict. His story gibed with Andy’s and there were plenty of other reasons to believe him, of course. It wasn’t just that. The closest she could describe it was an inner survival instinct. She wanted to trust Rafe completely, really she did.
“Who are you trying to convince?” Hannah whispered to herself. Thor responded by giving her a quick glance before zeroing in on the approaching man and beginning to wag his tail.
Intense relief washed over Hannah like a warm, tropical wave and thanksgiving rippled along her nerves. It was Rafe. And, to her great surprise, she was genuinely happy to see him. So what had become of her caution, her hesitancy? She didn’t know and she didn’t care.
She heard him call, “Lucy? Hannah?” as she brought Thor to heel and stepped into view.
The instant Rafe spotted her his countenance bloomed into joy, complete with a silly grin. He pivoted then jogged toward her.
There was no way Hannah was going to avoid the kind of fond greeting she expected from him. On the contrary, she was so filled with relief and her own happiness she opened her arms to him and accepted his embrace as if they were long-lost friends.
All he said at first was her name. That was enough, particularly since his tone was so gentle. Their hug was easy, too. Although it didn’t last nearly as long as Hannah had hoped, the emotion they shared was clear.
Finally, he set her away, hands on her shoulders. “Hannah. I was afraid I’d lost you.”
Blinking back happy tears she tilted her head toward the store entrance. “Gram saw this place and figured they’d have some of the things she wanted so we came over. We were going to go back for you. I know we were.”
“I hope so.”
“What happened? Did they find the tram?”
“Yes. Some security personnel showed up and took it away.”
To her delight Rafe stayed very close, their shoulders almost touching. Hannah agreed with his obvious desire for proximity. She kept Thor on a short lead while she spoke quietly. “I’ll be happier once Gram’s contacts bring us wheels but I have no idea where we’ll go from here, do you?”
Rafe was shaking his head. He slipped one arm around her. “Not a clue. I’m hoping I can get through to my superintendent soon. We’re flying blind until we get better intel.”
“And word about Andy’s daughter,” Hannah added. “That has to be everybody’s first priority because elapsed time increases the danger to her.”
“True.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “In one way I’m sorry you’re involved, but if you stop and think about it, we do make a pretty good team.”
“You and Gram do,” Hannah said flatly. She leaned into him, feeling intrinsically connected and drawing strength from him in spite of her earlier misgivings. “I’m not that important.”
“Yes, you are. If you and I hadn’t gotten involved in the first place, you could have been eliminated as soon as Deuce was free and we wouldn’t have federal help, either.”
“Surely, the government has its own anti-trafficking forces. Citizens are being transported across state lines and even overseas.”
“They do. And we’re in contact with them, at least my superiors are. The thing is, you and I and Lucy are boots on the ground, so to speak. Because we’re in the thick of things we have different opportunities to break up this particular smuggling ring. It won’t end everything. Nothing short of Armageddon can do that. The way I see it, every bite we take out of the system is a victory.”
“I can’t imagine how scared those young people like Kristy Fellows must be. It’s mind-boggling.”
“Yes, it is.”
Sensing his deepening concern and frustration, Hannah didn’t know what to say, how to soothe him. He was right about the unspeakable horrors of the crime they were fighting. It was so vast, so organized, their job seemed insurmountable. Which it was. That wasn’t the point, was it?
“So, one Deuce Fleming at a time, right? And then another and another. That’s a good thing.”
“Humph. Yeah. Let’s get the first one behind bars before we celebrate, shall we?”
“Of course.”
“Will you be okay if I go inside and look for Lucy? There are a few things I want her to buy for me and she’s the one with the money.”
Hannah risked a slight smile. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re going to dump me for a wealthy cougar?”
“Something like that.” His mouth twitched as if he was repressing a grin of his own.
“Okay. I’ll let you go this time. Just don’t forget to come back for me.”
“Never,” Rafe said soberly, giving her a poignant parting glance. “You’re unforgettable in many ways, Hannah Lassiter.”
Glad he’d left her without saying more or waiting for her to comment, she watched him walk away. A casual observer wouldn’t see anything unusual about him. He was that good at pretending to be carefree and therefore anonymous. She’d called him a chameleon before for good reason. And there lay the conundrum.
Who was he really? Inside all the pretense, what kind of man was Rafe McDowell. For that matter, what was his real name? She doubted it was Rafe. Yes, he was an officer of the law. And, yes, he had been on a covert assignment inside Lyell. That she could accept. The worrisome details now encompassed her personal involvement. As he had said, they needed each other if they hoped to put an end to Fleming’s operations, particularly his human trafficking. She was totally on board for that.
When this assignment ended, however, what would become of him? He’d go on to the next job and then the next, wherever he was sent, meaning his presence in and around St. Louis was temporary, at best. Which meant...?
“Do not fall for him,” Hannah muttered, knowing she was absolutely right and suspecting it was already too late.
She shook her head and made a face before adding a cynical, “Yeah, right.”
Locating Lucy in the store wasn’t as easy as Rafe had assumed it would be. Not only was she fairly short, her clothing was nondescript enough for her to blend in with every other regular shopper.
When he finally did spot her he approached quietly. “It would help if you had white hair.”
“Take that up with my DNA,” she said, frowning at him. “Why are you in here?”
“Hospital security picked up the tram. I figured it was better to join you again instead of waiting to be discovered hiding near the hospital. Why? Were you planning to ditch me?”
“Not at all.” Lucy gestured at the shopping cart she was pushing. “I got us some hoodies, new phones and energy bars, flashlights and extra batteries, bottled water and soda pop. What else?”
“Weapons?”
“In a drugstore?”
Rafe nodded. “You could trade those cans for half liters of soda so we’ll have the bottles. Go buy matches. And something flammable to use for wicks.”
“Not very good for defense,” she said.
“Unless we’re stuck somewhere. We need gloves, too.”
“I have latex ones in the cart.”
“Work gloves, too. Hannah’s...our hands may need protecting.”
“I did think of her needs. They don’t have much of a grocery selection in here. No dog food. I already checked.”
“We need to hit a couple of ATMs, too. It’s not sensible for you to be the only one carrying cash.”
“Already thought of that. The car they’re sending us will have new, untraceable credit cards and IDs for all three of us.”
“You included me? How?”
That brought a wry chuckle. “You’re forgetting who I worked for. Big Brother knows everything about everybody.”
“I can’t say that’s too comforting but in this case it’s handy. What else have you done while I was dumpster diving and watching your backs?”
The older woman eyed him up and down. “Not actually diving, I hope. Which reminds me. We need hand sanitizer and wipes.”
“And a first aid kit,” Rafe added. “A big one.”
“The car should be well equipped with things like that,” Lucy said. “I’ll pick up the rest of the stuff and meet you outside. Go protect Hannah.”
“With my life,” Rafe said quietly.
Eyes narrowing and jaw clenching, Lucy nodded and said, “I’m counting on it.”