While Ryan was a good man, he was also a very stubborn one, especially—as it turned out—where Cassie’s safety was concerned. He had almost come unglued when she insisted on stopping at the ranch store in Dalton to get him some new clothes. But she was driving, and he had finally agreed that walking around in a bloodied cop uniform was due to attract attention. The pit stop only took fifteen minutes, and the way Cassie saw it, they had at least an hour before The Wolf could track them again. Bleach in the eyes was not something to be ignored.
Ryan may have conceded the stop for clothing, but he would not give up on the idea that The Wolf had placed a tracking device on her Jeep. And nothing made stubbornness more infuriating than when the other person had a good chance of being right. He was determined that they change vehicles. She wasn’t sure she agreed with his assessment on the tracker, but she had to admit swapping out her Jeep was smart. Red was a rather eye-catching color.
“Exactly where are we going, Ryan?” Cassie asked as she drove the Jeep down Dry Hollow Road on the outskirts of Dalton City. Under different circumstances, the road would have made for a lovely drive as they meandered over rolling hills, past farmhouses decked out in Christmas decor and by snow-covered orchards that flanked the road on both sides.
“I’ll know it when I see it. Look, you need to trust me on this. I know you think what’s happened back at the Ludlow is the Marshals’ fault, but I’ve worked with them before. They wouldn’t leak your location,” he said earnestly. “You were so exhausted you didn’t even phone them until after The Wolf ambushed us at the motel.”
Cassie couldn’t disagree with Ryan’s logic, but it also didn’t explain everything. Like how did The Wolf find her in Bakerton? Until that question was answered, she couldn’t bring herself to trust the Marshals again. Trying to puzzle it out, she said, “The Ludlow was a registered location that I’d go to if I was in trouble. Anyone with access to my file would know that.”
“A marshal would never give up that information. The GPS tracker is the best explanation for The Wolf dogging us.”
While his words about the Marshals fit her own experience with them, her gut warned her they were compromised.
“Let’s not spend the whole drive arguing,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “Where is this place?”
“It should be coming up soon.” Ryan’s casual gaze caught the side-view mirror, and his posture stiffened. “You keep your Jeep well serviced, right?” he asked, manually cranking open the passenger window to adjust the side mirror, sending cold wind whistling through the Jeep.
“Of course.” The tone in Ryan’s voice nailed a spike of fear through Cassie’s heart. She checked the rearview. A gray SUV was approaching fast. With the roads as snowy as they were, no responsible motorist would be driving like that. Cassie pressed her foot harder on the accelerator. “You think it’s The Wolf?”
“Him or one of his teams,” Ryan said, pulling his gun from its holster, his eyes trained on the mirror. “Either way, I don’t think they’re friendlies back there.”
“How many are in the vehicle?” Cassie asked, rounding a corner so fast the Jeep leaned precariously close to going onto two wheels.
Ryan grabbed the plastic Jeep safety handle located above the glove box. “I don’t have a good visual,” he said, twisting in his seat to watch the vehicle come around the corner behind them. “But it looks like one driver and one passenger. If I had to guess, I’d say both males.”
The road straightened out, and Cassie let the engine rev as she punched the gas. A gun fired from the SUV, and a bullet struck her tailgate, making Duke howl from the back seat. Cassie held the Jeep to the road, but the rear of her vehicle fishtailed from the hit, tossing up sprays of snow while they swayed from side to side.
“Duck,” Ryan yelled when another volley of bullets erupted from behind them. Cassie scrunched low over the steering wheel and swung the vehicle around a sloping turn.
“How’s Duke?”
Ryan looked into the back seat, giving the dog a hand command to stay low. “He’s fine,” he said, staring out the rear window. “Come on, Cassie, you’re going to have to drive faster than this. They’re gaining on us.”
“Not helping,” Cassie said, looking in her side mirror and silently praying. Winter driving was not her favorite at the best of times, and in this situation, it only served to magnify her anxiety. Within moments, the SUV could overtake them, and what would she do then?
“Frost heave.”
“What?” Cassie said, drawing her attention back to the road and the large heave that lay in their path. There was no time to brake; they were going way too fast. The nose of the Jeep climbed high into the air, sending a weightless feeling through Cassie’s stomach. Then as quickly as it rose, the Jeep tilted downward. For a second, Cassie thought the vehicle was going to roll end over end, then the front tires hit the pavement with a hard bounce followed by the rear wheels.
“Nice,” Ryan said, giving Cassie an approving nod.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Ryan analyzed their surroundings. “You’re getting close to a T-intersection. It’s just on the other side of this rise. When you get there, you’re going to make a hard left and stay on Dry Hollow Road.”
“A hard left?” Cassie looked down at her speedometer. “At this speed?”
He met her eyes with calm confidence. “Once you reach the top of this hill, slow it down to second gear speeds, then lots of gas. The Jeep is going to start sliding, and you’ll naturally oversteer to compensate. That should send the rear of the Jeep into big pendulum swings.”
Cassie’s heart lodged in her throat as she neared the crest in the road.
“Try to time the drifts of your swing to help you around the bend at the bottom. You’ve got this. I know you do.”
Reaching the top, she stared ominously down at the intersection.
“Keep your foot smooth on the gas pedal,” Ryan said calmly, “and your eyes tracking the road.”
On its descent, the Jeep jostled over compact snow that had washboarded the road, making everything vibrate. It slid sideways, and Cassie braked rhythmically, timing the pendulum-like swings to help her around the tight corner. As they came out of the turn, Ryan whooped with triumph, but Cassie barely heard him. She just hammered the gas pedal, sending them roaring up the next hill.
“They’re still behind us,” Ryan said, looking out the side mirror, “and coming up fast.”
Cassie raced the Jeep as fast as she dared but knew her old vehicle was no match for the SUV. She needed to level the playing field, but she had never driven off the main streets of Dalton before and had no idea where the rutted service roads between orchards led. Any one of them could lead to freedom or bury them chassis-deep in snow. She glanced in her rearview mirror. The SUV was edging dangerously close to her bumper. If it came alongside or rammed the Jeep from behind, they would be done for.
Cassie spared Ryan a glance. “You know any of these side roads?”
“No.” He grimaced, then nodded. “But you’re right. They’re our best shot at getting out of this. If you think you’re going to get stuck in the snow, try to swing the passenger side outward, and I’ll give you cover fire while you run for it.”
“They’ll kill you.” Her heart clenched in her chest.
“No arguing, Cassie,” Ryan said, readying his gun. “Swing the passenger side out, and you run. You don’t stop running until you’re safe. You got it?”
He met her eyes, and the fire she saw within them let her know there was no use in fighting.
“Ryan—”
“You run, Cassie.”
She let out a slow breath. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Up here on the right, six hundred yards.”
Ryan gripped the safety handle in front of him, bracing himself for the hard corner they were about to take. The Jeep slid on ice through the turn, kicking up clouds of snow while they spun. Cassie pumped the brake, then accelerated when she gained control, making the engine growl plaintively.
“They missed the turn,” Ryan called over his shoulder. “Make this baby hustle, Cassie.”
Up the hill, she raced past sheds and around sharp turns, following the well-worn ruts and praying that the track she was on didn’t turn out to be a dead end. So far, she had been fortunate the snow was only a few inches deep, and the dirt road beneath the tires was providing excellent traction. Still, it wouldn’t take long for the SUV to catch up.
“And they’re back,” Ryan said, his eyes glued to the side mirror. A hail of bullets erupted from behind them, shattering the back window.
“Hold on.” Cassie swung the vehicle to the left through a wide path in the orchard.
“What’re you doing?”
“They won’t follow us through here,” Cassie called while she tore through the deep snow. “They’ll get stuck.” It didn’t take long for the heavy white powder to begin caking around her front tires and pushing up over the front bumper onto the hood. Despite the mire, her Jeep trudged on. The engine worked hard but continued to blaze a path through the orchard.
“They’re still behind us,” Ryan said.
Cassie glowered at the rearview. Sure enough, the SUV chased after them. Undeterred by her efforts, it followed in their tracks, refusing to give up and gaining on them.
Frustrated, she pulled her gaze away and watched the path ahead. The trees began narrowing their route, causing branches to scrape down the sides of her vehicle. If it got much tighter, they would have to stop and make a run for it.
The SUV rammed into the back of their vehicle, lurching Cassie forward against her seat belt. Duke let out a small whimper but lay secure on the floor. Cassie accelerated, pushing the engine as the SUV backed off and gathered momentum to hit them again.
“Turn down there,” Ryan said, pointing down an aisle of trees up ahead.
With a quick twist of the wheel, Cassie swung the Jeep, causing a wave of snow, and sped down the hill. The Jeep shimmied and bucked at the quick change in direction, but thankfully pressed on. Relief flooded through her until she looked up ahead. At the end of the row stood a fence with a small gap that led into a pasture. It was going to make for a tight fit, but there was a chance they could make it. She cast a brief glance at Ryan.
“You’ve got this,” he said.
There was no room for error. Cassie pointed the Jeep at the hole in the fence and did not back down. She floored the gas pedal, her eyes riveted to the fence. They barreled through the opening, the side mirrors ripping off the Jeep as they went. Cassie looked through the rearview.
The SUV was too wide to pass through the fence. At a high rate of speed, it hit the large post on the passenger side, shearing off the fence rails and launching the vehicle onto its side. The SUV slid, kicking up dirt and snow until it teetered, falling onto its roof. Cassie slowed the Jeep until she saw the two men from the SUV begin to pull themselves out of the vehicle.
“Don’t stop!” Ryan yelled, and Cassie stepped on the gas. Bullets peppered the ground behind them, but at this distance, they were out of range. She spied an open cattle gate and went through it onto an old country back road.
Relieved that they had survived, Cassie reached over and squeezed Ryan’s hand. “I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Neither did I.”
“Where to now?”
“We need to ditch this vehicle and fast. Let me call my buddy and have him meet us.”
Not even a half hour later, Cassie stared at her Jeep in disbelief. It sat in the middle of a Quonset hut on Ryan’s friend’s property while two burly men harvested it for parts. If she weren’t watching it, she wouldn’t have believed how fast they were stripping her vehicle down to the shiny metal. Unable to stomach the sight, Cassie grabbed the black duffel bag and walked out of the hut.
“We didn’t have a choice,” Ryan said, following her out.
A lump rose in her throat. He didn’t understand what that vehicle meant to her. After assuming the identity of Cassie Whitfield, her first purchase had been that bright red Jeep. While it was only a vehicle, it had physically moved her from the darkest point in her life to a town that had given her a colorful new beginning, filled with people she loved. Cassie knew she was acting overly sentimental, but part of her felt she owed the Jeep a better end than this.
“It’s been with me through a lot,” she said and changed the subject. “We’ve been here too long. Where’s this truck your friend promised?”
Ryan gently turned her to face him. With no choice but to stare up into the light blue pools of his eyes, Cassie’s breath caught in her chest. He was a very good-looking man, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore that detail, her heart refused to let her forget it.
“I know that Jeep meant something to you, but Patrick didn’t feel safe driving it with how quickly The Wolf’s men found us after leaving the Ludlow. There simply wasn’t enough time to thoroughly check it for tracking devices,” Ryan said. “The money he makes from selling off the parts will cover the cost of the truck. It’s a good deal, Cassie.”
She looked down, unable to bear the sympathy within his eyes. “I understand,” she said.
“Duke’s in the truck.” Ryan nodded toward their new vehicle that sat a short distance away. “But if you need some time, the boys are about to haul away what’s left of your Jeep. You can take a moment if you need to.”
With a shrug of her shoulder, she shook off his touch. “Better get going,” she said and held out her hand for the new set of keys.
“Cassie—”
“It’s fine, Ryan. Honestly, it’s fine,” she said and began walking toward the truck. Her life was exploding, and no matter what she seemed to do, the losses just kept piling up.
Cassie sidestepped a muddy puddle and unlocked the rear passenger side door. Duke lifted his sleepy head and looked at her, puzzled. She placed the black duffel onto the floor of the truck when Duke stretched up and licked her nose. Startled by his tenderness, Cassie blinked back tears and burrowed her face into his fur. He was simply the best dog ever.
The reality of her situation hit like a tidal wave. Life in Bakerton was over. She was not ever going to see any of her friends again. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Can you tell Sarah that if she wants it, I’ll give her my restaurant. I can sign papers once we get somewhere safe.” Cassie swiped at the dampness on her cheeks. “Tell her I’m sorry that I couldn’t say goodbye.”
Ryan moved closer. Concern etched on his brow. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, stepping back from him too quickly. “I think I do need that moment.”
His lips twisted thoughtfully. “Why don’t you take Duke for a walk?” he said.
Hearing the word walk made Duke’s ears perk up, and before Cassie could respond, he bounced out of the truck, wriggling like an overgrown puppy.
“Well, who could say no to that?” Cassie smiled wanly.
As Ryan bent down to clip the leash to his collar, Duke jumped up playfully and knocked Ryan onto his backside in the mud. Ryan sat stunned, his hands disappearing under the thick muck of the puddle. Duke didn’t miss a beat. He bounded and splashed, pelting Ryan’s face with dirty water.
“Duke,” Ryan groaned, “stop it, buddy.” But the dog had been cooped up for most of the day and was eager to play. His front paws came up onto Ryan’s shoulders, and he began licking the splatters from his master’s face. Being no small dog, he came close to bowling Ryan over into the mud again. Laughing, Ryan pushed the dog off and looked up at Cassie with sparkling eyes. “I could use a hand,” he said, reaching his muddied fingers toward her.
She took an amused step back. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so,” she said. Duke buried his nose in the mud, snorted and then rolled gleefully, causing a spray of water that Cassie narrowly avoided.
Ryan grabbed ahold of a long stick and waved it in the air. “Hey, buddy,” he said, gaining Duke’s attention. The dog, spying what Ryan held, began vibrating with excitement. “Go fetch.” And with that, Ryan threw the stick as far as he could down the road. Duke took off like a shot after it, sending a hail of mud across Ryan’s face. “Yuck.” He grimaced, wiping his cheek with the arm of his hoodie.
Covering her lips, Cassie couldn’t help but laugh. “Enjoying your shower?”
“Immensely,” he said, lifting his hand toward her again. “So, are you going to help a guy out or what?”
Ominously, Cassie stared at the offering and then at him, not trusting the grin he was trying to suppress.
“I’ll behave. I promise,” he said, innocently. “Please?”
With a skeptical sigh, Cassie stepped forward and reached down, helping Ryan up to his full height. Suddenly, her feet slipped toward him in the mud, and they crashed together, his arms locking around her for stability. The laughter between them evaporated. She looked up into his penetrating eyes, eyes that no longer sheltered suspicion. Cassie’s heart raced, her gaze dropping to his lips as he drew her closer. Her head tilted slightly when something sharp poked the back of her calf.
Duke nudged her again with his stick, eager for her to throw it.
Cassie shook her head and stepped out of Ryan’s hold. What was she doing? This couldn’t happen, not now, not when she was running for her life. Duke dropped the stick at her feet, and she reached down to pat his soft furry head. Thank the Lord for Duke. A few more seconds and she would have kissed Ryan, and that would have complicated everything. She dared to look up and found Ryan’s eyes glued to hers with questions that she didn’t want to answer.
Hastily, Cassie grabbed the wet leash from Ryan’s hand. “Come on, Duke,” she said, her hands slightly trembling as she clipped the leash onto the dog’s collar. Before she could say or do anything more that she would regret, Cassie strode off down the dirt road without a backward glance.
When she returned twenty minutes later, Ryan was sitting on the end of the tailgate in fresh clothes, and she sheepishly hopped up beside him. On her walk, she had rehearsed all the reasons why getting involved with him again was a mistake. But now, sitting beside him, all those words vanished. The sunset had stolen the last of the day’s warmth, and she rubbed her hands together, blowing on them, trying to think of what to say.
“Good walk?” Ryan asked, breaking the strained silence.
“Yeah. Look, about earlier...”
“Cassie, don’t,” he said.
“Don’t what?”
“I’m pretty sure I know what you’re going to say. Let’s just let it be what it was—a leftover spark from another time.”
Disappointment washed over her, and Cassie found herself surprised by it. She should be grateful that she didn’t have to have an awkward conversation, and yet she wasn’t. Nothing made sense.
Ryan slid off the back of the truck and stood facing her. “Why don’t I get this guy cleaned up while you change out of those muddy clothes,” he said.
She looked down at her dirty coat and jeans before casually nodding in agreement. When Cassie returned, Duke sat on the tailgate, his eyes sparkling while Ryan tucked the dog’s food dishes into the truck box.
Why did she suddenly feel like an eighth-grader whose friend had exposed her first crush to the class? This was silly. “We should get going,” Cassie said, suddenly eager to put as much distance as she could between herself and this place. Cassie took Duke’s leash and tapped her thigh. Duke hopped down obediently, and Cassie was careful to keep the leash tight to avoid another mud puddle mishap. While she tucked Duke into the truck’s back seat, she felt Ryan come up behind her. Her stomach fluttered with nerves. “I was thinking we could head to Los Angeles,” Cassie said, not turning around. “It’s a big city. A good place for me to disappear.”
Ryan said nothing. She closed the rear door, her heart beating quickly.
“While you were gone on your walk, I phoned my former partner at the FBI.”
Cassie whipped around to face him. “You what?”
“Just hear me out,” Ryan said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
The last thing she wanted to do was listen. What was Ryan thinking? He had no business making a plan and getting other people involved without talking to her first. She didn’t need another person to get hurt because of her.
“Kate is a solid agent,” Ryan stated.
“I’m sure she is.”
“She has excellent connections with the US Marshals Service.”
“I’m not going back into WITSEC,” Cassie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And you’d know that if you’d bothered to ask me.”
“Cassie,” Ryan pleaded, “be logical.”
Be logical. Her eyes narrowed into burning slits. “I’m not going back, and that’s not negotiable.”
“Come on, at least meet with her.”
“I don’t want any more people involved in this, Ryan. Two people are dead, and one is badly injured because of me.”
“That’s not your fault,” he said, trying to sound calm. The rigid line of his jaw told her otherwise. “The Wolf isn’t some neighborhood thug. You, of all people, shouldn’t need reminding of that. You need Kate, and you need the Marshals.”
“I decide what I need. Me,” Cassie said, pointing at herself. “You don’t get to make those choices without talking to me first.”
“WITSEC is your best option.”
She didn’t have time for this argument. Cassie reached into the truck, yanked out her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. She never should have taken him along.
“What are you doing?”
She raised her chin. “We’re not that far from town. Keep the truck, Ryan. It’s the least I can do for all the problems I’ve caused you, but this isn’t going to work.”
“What are you talking about?” he said, stepping in front of her.
“You’ve decided my future without consulting me,” Cassie responded incredulously. “That’s not how partnerships work. That’s not how we work.”
He stared at her, not moving, his lack of a retort speaking a million words. He had overstepped, and watching that realization play across his face took some of the wind out of her temper.
“I’m sorry,” Cassie said, her voice softer. “I am, but this is my future, and I get to choose it.” She rose on her tiptoes and lightly kissed his temple, the smell of him flooding her senses. “I will be okay,” she whispered, unable to stop her fingers from lightly caressing the stubble on his jaw. Surprised by the feelings that swelled within her, Cassie turned from him abruptly and began following the dirt road toward town. This was for the best.
The truck door slammed, and before she knew it, the vehicle’s tires were creaking along the road slowly beside her. Ryan rolled down the window, and Cassie’s spine bristled, her temper flaring back to life. Couldn’t he respect her choices just once?
“Get in the truck.”
“No.”
Ryan gave a loud disgruntled sigh. “I shouldn’t have called Kate without talking to you first.”
“You’re right about that.”
“I’m sorry,” he said earnestly, but Cassie continued to put one foot in front of the other, refusing to truly hear his words. He honked the horn, making her jump.
Slowly, Cassie turned her head toward him, her gaze lethal. “Leave me alone,” she said and resumed walking.
“And then how would I know you were safe? Would you really leave me to wonder for the rest of my life if you’re alive or dead in a ditch somewhere? Don’t go. Not like this.”
His tone pulled at the strings of her heart. Her quick steps faltered until she stood still. She stared up into the darkening sky. God, why did You make men so impossible? Cassie sighed.
“I messed up.”
Gritting her teeth, she could feel her resolve begin to lessen. Her gaze met his, and it was like being caught in the ocean’s undertow. She was consumed with emotion, feeling the deep concern that sat on his face plain as day. Cassie turned away and glowered at the ground.
The truck door opened, and she could feel his presence come up behind her.
“Please,” he said tenderly. “I would really like it if you got in the truck.”
Her shoulders sagged. She couldn’t afford to lose her voice in this journey. “We have to make decisions together.”
“Always.”
Cassie closed her eyes, her thoughts spinning. She didn’t have an exact plan. She didn’t know where she should go or what to do when she got there. Was being with Ryan so bad? At least with him she wasn’t alone, and she had someone to bounce ideas off of. Cassie took a deep breath and gave Ryan a wide berth when she walked back to the truck. She slid into the passenger seat, wondering all the while if she was making a mistake.
Together, they drove off down the bumpy road, twilight moving into darkness. After a while, Cassie broke the silence. “I can’t handle another death on my conscience.”
“I hear you, and I can understand that,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road, “but The Wolf is going to come after us again, and he’s better prepared than we are. I know I approached this wrong, but Kate is one of the FBI’s best. Even if you’re firm on leaving WITSEC, we could use an ally like her on our side.”
Cassie didn’t like it, but she couldn’t deny the truth to his statement. The Wolf excelled at the hunt, and they had very limited resources at their disposal.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Ryan said, sensing her wavering, “but please, don’t let my mistake cost you our best asset.”
Cassie gazed out the passenger window, her wounded pride throbbing. She hated to admit it but having someone with active connections to FBI resources would be a big help. It was hard not to choke on the words, but she spoke them all the same. “Does Kate live far from here?”
“Not too far, about an hour or two. You won’t regret this.” Ryan smiled.
“I sure hope I don’t,” Cassie said, turning on the radio.