Run, Hide - By Carol Ericson Page 0,21
Cade here to lead the way and make decisions had taken a weight from her shoulders, but it came with a price. She hadn’t taken orders from anyone in a long time, and it left a bitter taste on her tongue.
She swallowed it. Now was not the time for petty one-upmanship. Cade could keep Gavin safe, and she had to hold on to that and shove her resentment aside.
They zigzagged through the trees, clambering over fallen trunks and dodging patches of ice. Jenna’s breath came out in short spurts, fogging in front of her. Her stomach rumbled and she tripped over the next tree trunk and fell to her knees.
Cade turned and nearly stumbled over her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He bent forward with Gavin clinging to his neck, and hooked his arms beneath hers. He righted and steadied her and for a second she wished she was the one in his arms.
She straightened her spine. “Thanks. Let’s go.”
“We should be at the road soon. You’re probably starving. I know I am.” He tugged at one of Gavin’s legs dangling against his side. “How about you? Still want those eggs?”
“Yes, eggs.”
“Okay, hang on.”
Cade’s legs started pumping again, like pistons, even, steady, strong. Did the man ever show weakness?
He hunched forward and pulled back the low branch of a tree. “There’s the road.”
“Is the car there?”
“Should be along here somewhere.”
“Maybe someone took it already.”
“We’re going to walk along the side of the road, keeping close to the foliage in case we have to jump back into it.”
Five minutes later, Jenna didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until she saw a small blue car tucked in a turnout around the next bend. Her chest deflated and she almost dropped to her knees.
“Do you think that’s it? Do you think that’s the car?”
“Positive.” Cade pulled the key chain from his pocket and aimed the remote at the car. It blinked to life, flashing its lights once and beeping. Cade bounced Gavin a few times and grinned. “Can I say I told you so?”
“You can say whatever you like.” She quickened her steps. “Just get me out of here.”
Cade popped the trunk of the car and tossed his bag and backpack inside. He swung Gavin from his back. “You did great, kiddo.”
Jenna grabbed Gavin’s hand and led him to the backseat. “I’ll buckle you up. We’ll get you a car seat as soon as we can.”
Gavin settled in and yanked at the seat belt. “Don’t need a car seat.”
“Oh, yes, you do. Don’t get used to this.” She slid into the passenger seat and snapped on her own seat belt.
“Where to?”
“Away.”
Cade cranked on the engine and pulled the little car onto the road. “We get as far away from here as we can. Then we’ll have some breakfast and regroup.”
Jenna looked in the side mirror at the empty road stretching behind them and shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“What? I told you the car would be here.”
“Helicopters blowing up, random cars parked in the bushes, a shed full of—” she fluttered hands “—stuff. Is that a typical day in your life?”
He slid a glance her way before studying the road. “No. It happens now and then. We spend a lot of time on intelligence, analyzing data, tracking people through banking, car registration, medical records. Boring stuff.”
“That’s not working too well for tracking down Zendaris, is it?”
He smacked the steering wheel, his jaw tightening. “He’s smart. He has loyal people surrounding him, and when they cease to be loyal...” He fired an imaginary gun with his fingers.
“What else do you know about him besides the fact that he’s a vicious killer and has no morals?”
“Not much. He’s Greek, comes from a small fishing village on one of the islands. Samos, I think. He left at about age fifteen. Went to Italy. Was involved in some petty crimes there.”
“And immediately graduated to arms dealing?”
“He had a few hiccups on the road, but he’s one of the biggest arms dealers in the world now. We just can’t pin him down.”
“But he can find you.”
“Guess so.”
Jenna slumped in her seat, leaning her head against the window. Would she and Gavin ever be free as long as Zendaris lived? She’d never come close to wishing someone dead, but she wouldn’t shed any tears over Zendaris’s obituary.
Cade traced a line down the side of her neck, and she closed her eyes, soaking in the small gesture. It ended with his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m going to fix this.”
For just a moment,