Heedless (The Hellbound Brotherhood #4) - Shannon McKenna Page 0,29

stepped out into the icy air of dawn. The world was fuzzed with frost. The puddles were frozen.

He headed toward the place where the alley intersected with the sidewalk—and saw people through the two corner windows of the diner.

Instinctively, he jerked back behind the wall. He peered around it cautiously.

The guy had his hands cupped, and was staring through the window into the Corner Café, smiling. He looked triumphant.

He didn’t look like one of Kimball’s goons. Youngish, late thirties, early forties, maybe. Chiseled face, square jaw, short hair. Tall, lean, built. Women would probably rate him high in the looks department, if somewhat bland. He looked prosperous, well-groomed. And way too interested in the inside of Demi’s closed restaurant.

Nate heard the sound of car doors opening. Two more men got out of a black late-model Audi, and spoke to the first man in low tones that he couldn’t overhear.

Those two, in contrast, could indeed be Kimball’s men. They had the battle-hardened look of guys who’d spent time in combat zones. But not the first man. And based on their body language, the second two men deferred to the first guy. He was their boss.

That guy couldn’t be Kimball’s man. No one working for Redd Kimball would stand out there on the street, gawking at Demi Vaughan’s restaurant, after everything that had happened recently. Kimball’s crew would be more discreet.

The mystery guy headed down the street, beckoning for the others to follow.

Nate eased out of the alley, taking a moment to memorize the Audi’s license plate number. After cautious interval, he followed them.

Dear Nate.

The pen in Elisa’s hand shook. There were wet spots on the paper, and it was the last sheet of paper she had. She’d packed up the rest of it, along with her pens, charcoal, chalk, paints, into her suitcase, leaving little room for clothes. Fortunately, her wardrobe was not extensive. Just an extra pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, some underwear. A toothbrush, a brush, some toiletries.

Dear Nate. So many things she wanted to say.

None of them were sayable. Not without putting him in deadly danger.

I would have loved to have you for my lover, but it’s not worth watching you die.

I’d prefer that you stay alive, even if I can’t have you for myself.

I like the world better knowing that you’re in it somewhere.

No. She couldn’t. That would just set him off on a hero’s quest. He’d get killed, like Willis.

She had to get to the bus station, on foot, dragging that suitcase across town. She couldn’t even call the town’s single, solitary taxi, since it was driven by Herbie Manz, an elderly Marine buddy of Henry Shaw, Demi’s grandfather. Herbie knew her by name. She’d served him meals, coffee, pie, for months. He would want to know exactly where she was going, and why. So the taxi was not an option.

Demi peered around the edge of the blackout blinds to see if Nate’s car was still parked on the street where he’d left it.

She jerked back from the window with a choked shriek, and found herself doubled over on the ground, her face resting on the futon bed, heart racing. Run, run, run. Go. Now.

That was Gil. Right there, on the street, below her window. Fuck.

She forced herself to get up on trembling, wobbling legs. Move, you idiot. She couldn’t freeze like a goddamn rabbit. No suitcase, then. Just her shoulder bag, to hold her laptop. She could run with that. She steeled herself to peek around the blinds.

First peek: two other men were getting out of Gil’s black Audi, the one he’d just bought right before she ran away. Next peek: the three men were talking together. The next time she steeled herself to look, they were gone. They had left the parked car and disappeared. She had no idea in what direction they had gone.

Oh God. Such a fool. She should have run long ago. She’d left it too late. But whatever. Onward. She had to keep trying.

Elisa pulled the brim of her hat down to shadow her face and slapped on the huge, face-distorting sunglasses she’d picked out at the Walmart in Granger Valley. They gave the world a drab green-brown tint.

She’d never had any illusions about how long her life might last. With facial recog tech and social media and cameras everywhere, it was just a matter of time until Gil tracked her down, in spite of her hat with the LED lights and her sunglasses. Gil had all of