“Okay,” Luke turned from the bus window and looked at Amelia, who was reapplying the make-up that covered her bruises. “We got a spot of trouble. The dogs seem to have beaten us to town.”

Maybe he was paranoid and maybe he wasn’t. But there were too many guys hanging around, looking like they weren’t looking for someone. And one of them was the guy who’d approached them on the street just before they’d boarded the bus. He seemed to think he was being very discreet behind that newspaper. The guy would recognize him for sure and may already know he belonged to his truck abandoned at the cabin. He frowned, his mind racing. How to get Amelia safely to Dewey, who he hoped was out there waiting.

“We’ll have to get out separately. I’ll go first, try to draw them off you. Leave your jacket off, and reverse the hat. Tuck all your hair under it. Stuff the jacket in your bag, out of sight.” He handed her his beeper. “If I get clear, I’ll beep nine-one-one. Dewey should be waiting not far from the exit.” He described Dewey. “Head straight for him. Pretend you know him. If I send you nine-nine-nine, forget Dewey, get into a stall in the bathroom and stay there until you hear me or see a police badge shoved under the door. Okay?”

She nodded, her face calm but pale. “Will you be all right?”

He looked up from checking his weapon. “They need me to lead them to you.”

It was the second hardest thing he’d ever done, walking away from her. He stepped ahead of a woman about the same age as Amelia. When he stepped down, he turned and offered her his hand. She smiled and thanked him. When she walked inside, he followed her, close enough that it looked like they were together. Like magnets and nails, he noted he was pulling the surveillance inside with him, including the one who’d seen Amelia. So far, so good. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Dewey. Be there, he thought, the relief intense when Dewey answered right away.

“Where are you?”

“Outside, by my car,” Dewey said. “Why?”

“I seemed to have picked up a tail. I need you to get Amelia. She should be in the ladies room.” He didn’t dare look back or draw his tail’s attention to her in any way. He gave him a quick description of her. “Get her out of here.”

“What—”

“No questions. Just do it. If it looks safe, call my beeper and punch in nine-one-one. If it looks dicey or you feel something’s wrong, send a nine-nine-nine, then call the cops and get security in there to keep an eye on her. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Luke rang off, stowing the phone and strolling toward the men’s room. With a thrill of adrenaline, he noted that at least two of them were following him inside. The lady he’d used as a decoy was greeting a husband and kids, leaving the rest of his tail with nothing to do.