five thousand pounds. Fifteen thousand pounds of munitions of various shapes and sizes.”
Bran clenched his jaw. “Far more than enough for a terror attack.”
“Or to cause a small war,” Jessie added.
Frazier’s gaze turned beseeching. “Please...I’m begging you. If you tell the army what really happened, those men will kill my family.”
“We aren’t ready to tell anyone anything yet,” Bran said.
“And it wouldn’t matter if we did,” Jessie added. “The money in the offshore account still makes my father look guilty. Until we can find out who put it there and prove it was done to frame him, nothing will change.”
“What about the missing weapons?” Frazier asked. “Someone’s got to find them.”
“The army is searching,” Bran said.
“And so are we,” Jessie added. “It’s what my father would have done.”
Bran didn’t correct her, though they were hardly in a position to track down a truckload of stolen chemical weapons—especially since they had no idea who was involved or who they could trust.
But Bran was pretty sure that wouldn’t stop Jessie from trying. And since he had vowed to help her, he was in it till they found a way to make it end.
THIRTEEN
The wind was blowing, the temperature dropped into the thirties by the time Frazier walked them back down the entry hall and opened the front door. Jessie waited while Bran handed the man a card with his cell number on it.
“If you need help, you can reach me here anytime,” Bran said.
“Thank you.” Frazier turned to Jessie. “I’m truly sorry about the colonel. He was a good man. He didn’t deserve what happened.”
“No, he didn’t,” Jessie said.
“I was terrified for my family. I just...I didn’t know what else to do.” Surprised flashed in Frazier’s eyes when Jessie leaned over and hugged him.
“It wasn’t your fault any more than it was my father’s. Whoever planned this—they’re the ones to blame.”
Frazier managed to nod. “Be careful,” he said as they walked out the door.
They were doing their best to stay safe, but they had no idea where the next threat might come from.
They didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“Headlights just came on behind us,” Bran said, as he turned the key in the ignition. “They must have been watching Frazier’s house.”
Jessie shot up in her seat. “Oh, God, you don’t think they’ll hurt Charles’s family?”
“Frazier did what they asked him to. I think they came here looking for us. Probably figured we’d show up to ask questions sooner or later.” Bran’s voice held a steely edge, and what might have been a hint of anticipation.
“You’ve got your seat belt on, right?”
“It’s on,” Jessie managed to say.
The Expedition was a big, heavy vehicle, but it had plenty of power. Bran stepped on the gas and the SUV shot forward so fast Jessie slammed back in her seat. He made several turns, slowing then accelerating, weaving his way out of the subdivision toward the main road, then pouring on the gas as the road widened and stretched out into the darkness.
The headlights stayed doggedly behind them, a little farther back now, but closing the distance.
“Can you tell what kind of vehicle it is?” Jessie asked, her heart racing as she turned to watch the road through the rear window.
“I got a look as it drove under the streetlight. Ford extended cab pickup. Gotta be our friends from the resort.”
“What...what do we do?”
Bran stepped on the gas. “Well, we aren’t going back to the hotel. If we did, they’d find us and we’d just have to move again. Wouldn’t want to do that.” He grinned. “Not when we both enjoy the pool so much.”
Both? She couldn’t miss the implication or the flash of heat that burned in his eyes. Her breath hitched, and her mind shot straight to sex. Then the Expedition sharply swerved, straightened abruptly, and all she could think of were the men trying to kill them.
The chase continued through the outskirts of town into the desert, the pickup’s headlights getting closer. Bran was letting the truck close the distance on purpose, she realized, and her pulse shot up another notch.
“Hold on,” Bran commanded, as if she weren’t already clinging to her armrest with a death grip. The Expedition accelerated, swerved, bounced over a drop-off at the edge of the road and shot out into a field, careening down a dirt track into the pitch-black darkness.
The headlights followed their route, the Expedition leading them farther and farther into the desert, both vehicles flying down the dirt road at a breakneck pace