what I mean.”
Sighing, I thought about what my other options were. Every motel in the goddamn surrounding states would be targeted. If I needed to hide out until I knew everything that was going on, it would have to be entirely off the grid. I snapped the keys from his hand, shaking my head. “I still don’t like this.”
“Of course you don’t. You rarely ask for a damn thing. Just do this. Here’s the address, including two different ways of getting there in case you need to get out quick. I’ve listed the store I mentioned. You can get gas as well as ammunition if you need it, food and clothing.” He shifted his head toward the open door to the hidden room and smirked. “Course, I don’t think firepower is an issue.”
I chuckled and took a sip of my drink. I moved into the room, selecting a second burner phone. It might be necessary to make contact with him as a last resort. The bastards had been watching me for at least two weeks. That meant two weeks where they’d learned my routine. No. the more I thought about it, the more I realized that staying in the house even overnight wasn’t in my best interest.
Travis moved to stand over me as I programmed both, adding the respective numbers into the system. “You think of everything, dude.”
“A requirement in my line of work. I need you to take this, but keep it secured. Keep a watch on what happens. Only call me if something significant happens.”
“Like what?”
“Trust me, you’ll know. If you have any sign of trouble, get the hell out of town for a minimum of two weeks and don’t fuck with me on this.”
A snarl curling on his upper lip, he snagged and shoved the phone into his pocket. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have a closet full of weapons myself. Not as impressive, but enough to hold my own.”
“I have no doubt. Keep an eye out for anyone asking questions, including about Chloe Kingstrom.”
“The girl?”
I nodded. “She works at the diner across the street from you and she’s a student of mine.”
“Jesus. Okay, buddy. I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”
Another beep and I bristled, moving quickly into the room. Another car. One moving in without lights. I immediately turned on the infrared and watched.
“Jesus. Two of them,” Travis huffed from behind me.
“I’m going to say this once. Get out. I’ll disarm the system and you’re going out the back. Snake your way around to your vehicle and get out. Don’t use your lights until absolutely necessary. You understand?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
As I flipped off the security, he patted me on the shoulder. “Go. Now.”
“Take care of yourself, buddy.”
Travis wasted no time doing what I asked. I snapped the security in place then moved into full throttle mode, yanking the bags and moving to the garage, tossing them in the backseat. There was no time to get any clothes. When I turned around, Chloe stood staring at me, her entire body trembling.
“What’s going on?” she asked, remaining where she was.
“We’re leaving.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Come with me.” As I approached, she backed away, acting as if she was going to run.
“No!”
I snagged her arm, yanking her against me, the force hard enough it knocked the wind out of her. “Listen to me, Chloe. I don’t have time to fuck around with this. There are two men about to break in through that door. If they do, there is a good chance I won’t be able to save your life. You must trust me. We are leaving.”
She nodded several times, her eyes opening wide, but she didn’t fight me as I dragged her down the hall and into the garage, shoving her into the backseat of another vehicle. “I don’t…” she muttered then stopped.
“Keep down and I mean it, Chloe. This ain’t gonna be pretty.” I jumped into the driver’s seat, immediately starting the engine, pulling one of the weapons into my hand. I checked all the gauges then opened the door, pressing down on the accelerator. As I roared off, my gut told me that the bastards were within yards of the house.
Fuck.
As I screeched down the driveway, the first shot was taken, the slight ping pissing me off.
Chloe yelped from the back but remained hugging the seat. I swept my eyes from the rearview mirror to both side mirrors, able to see a slight shadow as the second asshole took a shot. “Hold