her glass of ice water and left. Sitting back, appearing more relaxed than she had in a long time, she raised her iPhone marginally just enough to scan the place. No one was taking any notice of her at all. She felt very smug and confident because Chase had told her to blend in, make no odd or fast movements, sit relaxed, and pretend to be scrolling through her cell phone. He told her that his cell phone, in certain cities where they could be used, was filled with identification recognition apps of the bad guys, so that as he took a photo of a face, he could run it on the spot to see if he had an ISIS leader or not. She, of course, didn’t have that and didn’t want it, although Chase had suggested that she put Dirk’s face and prison photos on her phone with that app, but she resisted. She didn’t want the energy of her stepbrother anywhere near her in any shape or form. Chase had said he understood.
Just as the waitress brought her meal, she saw two tall, large cowboys enter through the front entrance. A gasp tore from Cari. The waitress was still handing out her food and gave her an odd look.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Uh . . . yes, yes, I’m fine.” She wanted the woman to leave. The two men came in, but the waitress was in her line of vision. Did she see what she thought she saw? No! Impossible! The one without the cowboy hat looked like Dirk! Oh, God! Her heart raced hard in her chest, and she stiffened, and then ordered herself to appear relaxed as the waitress left, giving her full view of the place.
Cari nearly choked as she slowly lifted her head, hopefully unseen and not making a weird move that would draw their attention. Over in the opposite corner of where she sat, the two men slid into a booth. She noted instantly that they sat below the video camera where they could not be photographed. Her stomach clenched. Hard and painful. It was Dirk! It was him! Oh, God, what was she going to do? Her mind raced over so many questions, adrenaline and cortisol flooding her bloodstream. She wanted to run! No! She couldn’t! Chase had warned her about that. Any fast, quick movements would earn her unwanted attention by both those hard-looking men.
Eighty feet separated them from her. The bigger man kept his straw cowboy hat on. She lowered the bill of her cap just enough to hide her face from them. Would Dirk recognize her? She’d cut her hair off, dyed it henna red. He seemed to be completely attentive to the unknown cowboy with him. Who was that other guy? Chase had taught her to look for weapons. They didn’t seem to have any on them.
What was Dirk doing here? She sat there, feeling like a scared rabbit with no defense except to run. Her palms were sweaty and cold. Her sandwich was growing cold in front of her. She had to eat. Taking a bite, she almost felt like throwing up!
EAT. EAT THIS! Pretend you’re relaxed, just one of the patrons. Don’t stand out. Blend in!
Her mind churned. What to do? All she wanted to do was escape!
The cowboy with Dirk was constantly looking around, just like Chase told her to do. If he was with Dirk, then this man was what? A convict? An escapee? Was he a druggie friend of Dirk’s?
Every bite of the sandwich was foul tasting to her. She was so scared out of her mind that Dirk might identify her that all she wanted to do was escape. Chase had told her to take slow, deep breaths. Just pretend nothing was wrong. She had the bill of her cap such that no one could see her full face, and for that, she was grateful. He’d told her the baseball cap, where it was accepted as ordinary headgear, was one of his best disguises.
SLOW DOWN! Stop this! Dirk isn’t looking at you. He’s looking at that other guy!
Every cell in her body screamed: RUN!!!!
She had to think! She kept eating, the cheese sandwich like ping-pong balls being choked down her gullet. Look normal. Act normal. Oh, God, this was so hard! Her admiration for Chase’s job as a sniper went up a thousand notches. Still, as she slid careful looks, she saw Dirk was fully immersed in the cowboy and whatever he was