Nervous jitters made it difficult for Aubree and Wyatt to enjoy breakfast the next morning, and even though they tried to talk about other things, it was pointless. Aubree worried about what she would tell Jason when they met, and then she worried if Scarlett was doing okay. Wyatt worried about both of them. She watched the tension lines crease between his eyes as he chewed a pancake drenched in maple syrup.
“Maybe when this is all over, we could have a real dinner date without anxiety for the main course.” Aubree lifted up a forkful of pancakes and half-smiled.
He grinned. “I think that’s the best thing I’ve heard all morning. Have you ever eaten at the Bluebird Restaurant in Logan?”
“I doubt it. I don’t remember ever going to Logan. We always came to Bear Lake through Idaho.”
“Well, then, that’s where we’ll go. Your mom would love it. I know my parents do.” He took another bite of pancakes and a swig of orange juice. “That’s how we can keep our minds busy today—let’s plan some dates.”
“I’d like you to come with me to visit my mom and see where I grew up.”
“So now we’re talking overnighters, huh?”
Aubree blushed and threw her napkin at Wyatt. “I think the tree house I played in is still semi-sturdy.”
“Hey, that sounds like a deal.” Wyatt flicked the napkin back at Aubree.
She looked at her watch and frowned. “I miss Scarlett so much. She’s probably eating her breakfast and wondering where her mommy is. I hope she’s okay.”
“Why don’t we call on the way?” Wyatt said. “The cell service is unreliable here, but once we’re on the main road it shouldn’t drop the call.”
“In that case, let’s get going.” Aubree finished off the last bite of her pancakes.
They left the campground by ten o’clock. Wyatt made a quick loop in his truck and checked out all the campsites. As they exited Paris Springs, Aubree looked toward the fork in the road. To the left were the ice caves and to the right was the road leading to the small town of Paris, only twenty minutes from their destination.
Wyatt stopped at the fee area and emptied the payment box. While he re-locked the box, Aubree noticed something about fifty yards up the road. She squinted and could see a car blocking the road with the hood up. The sun glinted off the silver Corolla, and Aubree had to shade her eyes against the glare.
She could see a man working on the car and sighed. It was terrible to think, but she didn’t want to get stuck doing car repairs—she wanted to call and check on Scarlett. But the car blocked their exit, and Aubree knew Wyatt would help. She shrugged as he climbed back into the cab. Maybe it would be something simple.
Wyatt put the pickup into gear, and suddenly Aubree remembered something about the brief bit of training she’d received before entering the witness protection program—Don’t accept things for how they appear. Question everything. And so she did. “Wyatt, I don’t think we should go this way. Something’s not right.”
“What do you mean? It looks like that guy’s having some car trouble.” Wyatt pointed and stepped on the gas.
“Just turn left, left!” Aubree shouted.
Wyatt jumped when she shouted and cranked the steering wheel to the left. The momentum made Aubree slide toward the passenger door. She put her hand on the glasss, straightened and then looked over at Wyatt.
His expression had changed from shocked to knowing. “If you don’t want to sit next to me, I don’t have a problem with it. But you should tell me if I smell.” He winked, and Aubree rolled her eyes.
“Keep driving. That’s not why I wanted you to turn left. Really, something doesn’t feel right. If your car breaks down, would you really be working on it in the middle of the road—blocking the only way out of here?”
“I don’t know. People do strange things all the time. Maybe he wanted to make sure someone would stop to help him.”
Aubree glanced back over her shoulder. “Exactly.”
“What? You think the FBI somehow traced you here?” Wyatt said. “That’s impossible.”
Aubree closed her eyes and massaged her temples. “No—I mean, I don’t know. I’m sorry; you must think I’m crazy.”
He patted her leg and winked. “Just paranoid.” He shied away when Aubree playfully slapped his hand. “You know I’m joking. I’m just as worried as you are. Tell you what, why don’t we just drive up to the ice caves? I check up there a couple times a week to make sure there isn’t any vandalism or other problems.”
“Then what should we do if we come back and that car is still there?” Aubree said.
Wyatt rubbed the bit of stubble along his jaw line. “We’ll figure something out.”
“I guess I’m keyed up because the end is in sight.” She put her head in her hands and sighed.
They were halfway to the ice caves when Aubree heard a loud noise, and the pickup jerked to one side.
“What in the world?” Wyatt held tight to the steering wheel and looked behind him. He gasped. Aubree turned to see what the problem was and screamed. The silver Corolla was only twenty yards behind them, and there were two men inside. One of them was pointing something out his window. Wyatt jammed his foot down on the gas pedal, and the truck jumped forward. A shrieking sound and breaking glass sounded right outside. Aubree saw her side mirror explode.
“They have guns!” she screamed, and then she covered her mouth. “Get down. They blew out one of my tires.” Wyatt sank down in his seat. “Get my cell phone and call 911.”
Aubree reached over and unclipped his cell phone from his belt. She punched in the numbers and cried, “There’s no service!” Another shot fired, and glass from the back window of the pickup flew everywhere. Aubree shook glass from her hair and looked at Wyatt. It seemed like they were going in slow motion, but it had only been a couple seconds since they spotted the car.
“You’re bleeding.” She pulled a small piece of glass from his forearm, and he winced.
“This isn’t gonna work. The truck is pulling too hard.” Wyatt reached under his seat and pulled out his holster. He took out his gun and released the safety. “I’m going to stop the truck, and you’ve got to run.”
“No, I can’t,” Aubree cried.
“Run to the ice cave and hide in the cavern I showed you. Call for help on the way. I know there’s some service when you get near the cave—it’s higher ground.” He pushed the button to roll down his window and gripped his gun.
“I can’t—please don’t make me leave.” Her voice was a strained whisper.
“You have to. I’ll try to distract them. Hold on.” He jammed his foot on the gas pedal and swerved to the left hard. The truck spun sideways. Aubree could see out Wyatt’s window. The silver Corolla approached fast. “Run! Go now! I know another hiding place close by,” Wyatt yelled and then pulled the trigger—shots flew from his window. Aubree paused a second to see his second bullet break through the windshield of the car. The Corolla swerved. Aubree held tight to the cell phone and ran.