could still feel him staring at her. “I remembered something about it when you were talking.”
“How do you know he had fifty pounds on her? They don’t know who the girl is who wrote the article. She did it anonymously, which is even worse in my opinion. Cowardly.”
“I was speaking generally,” she blustered. She felt a trickle of sweat run down the small of her back. “Usually, men weigh more than women, and they’re stronger. I’ve seen a picture of Jake, and he’s not exactly a small guy.”
“Yeah, fair enough.” Ken’s eyes trailed up to the screen above her head. “Still think it was bullshit, though. Political correctness gone crazy.”
“I’m going to go on break. You want another before I go?”
He waved her away. “Nah, it’s fine. You go ahead. Sorry for getting heated. It’s just things like that just really boil my piss.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’ll be back in twenty.”
She ducked into the break room, a cigarette already in her mouth. She lit it and took a long drag. Her pulse was still racing, and the nicotine made her feel woozy and a little nauseated.
That was close. Too close.
Melrose, New Mexico—198 Miles to Albuquerque
You’re okay, Rebecca told herself, steadying her shaking hands under her armpits. You’re alive. There’s no reason to panic.
Of course, that was a lie.
She didn’t believe Cait’s story about teenagers driving that truck. She knew deep down, at the center of her core, that the truck had come after them deliberately. And as much as she wanted to think it might not be the case, she knew it was her they were after.
She reached down into her bag and switched her phone on. No missed calls. No text messages. Just the lock screen of Patrick’s face pressed against hers, both smiling for the camera. Reception: no service.
They were out of range. If he tried to call now, it would go directly to voicemail. It wouldn’t even ring—he would think that she’d turned off her phone. She could tell him the battery had died, but if he called the home phone and she didn’t pick up there, either . . . No. She had to hope he was asleep in his hotel room. Dead to the world. She breathed out a long, shuddering sigh and shoved the phone back in her bag. She’d keep it on, just in case.
“You waiting for a call?” Cait asked. There was no warmth in her voice.
Rebecca kept her head down. “I just wanted to see if I had any reception,” she said. “I don’t.”
“How long has your phone been switched on?”
“I just turned it on.”
“You sure about that?” Cait’s voice was icy.
“Yes,” she said, as forcefully as she could manage. “I’m sure.”
“There’s a reason I asked you to turn your phone off. Do you understand that reason?”
“I’m not stupid,” Rebecca said. She was hot with shame.
“I’m not saying you’re stupid,” Cait said evenly. “I’m just wondering if you fully appreciate the dangers of the situation.”
“Of course I do,” she snapped.
Cait lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Well, I’m not too sure of that, all things considered.”
Rebecca wanted to slap her. It was Rebecca’s life that was on the line here, not hers. Cait was just a glorified taxi driver with a chip on her shoulder and an ancient Jeep that smelled like the inside of a gym locker. Rebecca should be doing this on her own, not reliant on some stranger’s charity. She hated the fact that she was in this position, hated the fact that she was weak, hated the fact—most of all—that she knew deep down that Cait was right. She was in danger, and she had to be careful. More careful than she’d ever been in her life.
She took a deep breath and arranged her features in her best approximation of contrition. “I’m sorry I turned my phone on,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to make sure no one had tried to contact me. If someone had, they might wonder why I didn’t answer and get suspicious.”
“It’s the middle of the night,” Cait pointed out. “Why would someone be suspicious about you not answering your phone?”
She was like a dog with a bone. Rebecca’s palms began to tingle, something they always did when she was nervous. “I don’t know,” she said carefully. “I guess I just wanted to make sure.”
Cait made a noise that was more like a grunt, and Rebecca saw that she believed her. “Well, just keep it switched