Page 39 of Shadow of Fear
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Gritty smoke greeted Dev as he made a final security check outside the cabin, looking past their two SUVs lined up like soldiers in front of the building, Reid and Ryan standing by. Dev would be lying if he said he didn’t have a sense of imminent disaster. Even with four of them on duty, bad things could happen. Very bad if they weren’t careful.
“We good?” Colin asked from behind him.
Dev swallowed away his worry for now and nodded. “We’re good.”
He turned to look at Kinsley. She’d dressed in tightly fitting jeans, short boots, and a pale blue sweater, over which he’d made her put on her Kevlar vest that he insisted she bring from her car. The guys also wore vests just to be sure, but it didn’t seem to give her much comfort.
The opposite really. He supposed it emphasized the risk she was facing, and she was chewing on her lower lip, her gaze fluttering around the area. Dev’s nervous energy probably didn’t help. He was transmitting it, and he needed to let it go to help her take the edge off.
“Just a reminder of the plan,” he said. “You’ll be riding in the SUV with Colin and me. You’ll lie down in the backseat until we get on the road and we’re certain we weren’t followed. I’m sorry if it’s not comfortable, but no sitting up until I tell you.”
“I understand, and don’t worry about me being uncomfortable. I’ll be fine. I’m just so grateful that you all know what to do to offer the best protection possible.”
Dev only hoped they lived up to her expectations.
Colin tapped his foot on the floor. “Let’s get going.”
“Follow me, Kinsley. Colin will be right behind you. Straight into the vehicle and out of sight.” Dev stepped out into the smoke-tinged air, moving at a rapid clip and glancing around to be sure no imminent threat lurked in the shadows and that Kinsley had followed him. Ryan and Reid stood between them, alert to any danger. The vehicle door stood open, and Dev stepped out of the way so Kinsley could slide inside.
She gave him a flash of a nervous smile as she passed by, but it went away as quickly as it appeared. He closed the door behind her, then looked each man in the face to be sure they were onboard with the plan. He got a sharp nod from each of them, so he climbed behind the wheel, and Colin took the passenger seat.
Reid and Ryan got into the decoy vehicle parked in front of Dev’s SUV and pulled out. Dev glanced at the dashboard clock. Just a minute before three. They were right on time. He was eager to go, but he waited for Reid to get onto the road, heading in the opposite direction from the way Dev would take.
His phone rang, the call from Ryan. Dev answered.
“No tail,” Ryan said. “I’ll call again when we hit the switchback so you can take off.”
“Roger that.” Dev ended the call.
Reid was taking a back road that allowed him to circle around and meet up again with Dev in five minutes. Only if he wasn’t followed. If they didn’t pick up a tail, he and Ryan would serve as extra protection for Kinsley.
Dev tapped his foot, expending his nervous energy as the clock ticked down ten minutes. His phone rang, and he quickly accepted the call from Ryan, who gave them the all clear.
Dev glanced back at Kinsley in his rearview mirror. “So far so good with the other guys, and we’re good to go. Colin and I’ll be focused at the beginning to look for a tail, so if you could hold off asking anything that isn’t urgent until I tell you, that would be great.”
She mocked zipping her lips. “I’ll be so quiet you’ll forget I’m back here.”
He was in charge of making sure she got to her apartment alive, and there was no way he’d forget she was in the vehicle. No way he would forget her no matter what.
He put the SUV in gear and passed through the gate to bump onto the road. They hit the pavement, and his pulse kicked up. Took him by surprise. But why? How could it not beat harder? Kinsley was completely exposed now.
They traveled twelve miles, the tires humming on the deserted rural highway. At the switchback he spotted a vehicle’s headlights pointing to the road from the turnoff.
Dev glanced at Colin. “Be alert in case it’s not Reid.”
The vehicle’s lights flashed.
“It’s Reid,” Colin said.
Dev’s phone rang from the dashboard. He tapped the screen to accept the call from Ryan.
“Confirming that it was you who just passed us,” Ryan said.
“Roger that,” Dev said.
“Then we’re falling into place behind you.” Ryan ended the call.
