Page 29 of Don't Let Go

“You first,” McQuade said. “Then I’ll get mine.” Like Locke and Patch, we had our own go bags. I repacked my rifle and made sure to bring ammunition and explosives. The mobile unitwas fully loaded, but I didn’t want to run low before we linked back up with them.

We also had prisoners to interrogate and they were definitely not going anywhere near Patch. When I returned, McQuade flashed me a feral smile before he jogged back inside. I stored my things in the back of the cab, well away from our prisoners under the hatch. He’d lined the back with sleeping bags and wrapped two of them up in the weatherproof ones.

It would keep them alive. Not pleasantly, but then I found it hard to give a damn one way or the other. My phone buzzed. Another alarm had gone off and McQuade came at a run.

“We’ve got more company.”

That was a problem.

“You were right,” I said after McQuade got his things inside and I fired up the truck’s engine. I turned to follow the track into the woods, it bounced us all over the place, but we could cut twenty or thirty miles off the route going this way and stay hidden from air support.

“We pulled two trackers out of her,” McQuade said. “Then the minute we head back toward civilization they were all over us? Had to be some kind of biochemical tracer they were using. Something on her skin that survived showers.”

I grunted. “It’s been over a month.”

“Agreed and I think it’s wearing off. If nothing else, now that we have an idea, we can look at a decon shower. The mobile unit will shield her though.”

Another happy little idea he and Locke had come up with. Shielding the interior in case she was transmitting. I loathed the people after her, they were determined.

Too determined.

They were definitely the kind you killed, not just stopped. Because otherwise they would keep coming back.

“You’re forgetting something,” McQuade said as we bounced down the rutted track to the stream and then back up the other side. There were thumps in the back as our guests rolled around and bounced off the sides.

An explosion echoed behind us. The fireball wasn’t quite visible. Though we did catch sight of the red glow after the third one.

“Timers,” McQuade grunted. “Nice thinking, mate.”

I groaned. “Stop calling me mate.”

Chapter

Nine

PATCH

We’d arrived at the “rendezvous” location earlier. The fact it took hours to even reach the rendezvous location, that was also a couple of states away from where we’d been staying, put my teeth on edge. In the time since we arrived, we hadn’t heard anything from McQuade or Remington. The unease that accompanied that realization was hard to set aside.

Now, we were one of about forty different rigs parked and tucked in for the night leaving little in the way of space in between the vehicles. Though the external lights were on, strategically placed every ten to fourteen feet. The floodlights created their own shadows. The rest area was pretty buttoned down for the night. Every time headlights flashed as a car or truck exited the highway, I leaned forward.

Eventually, I needed to get out of the cab. I could head over to use the facilities, or I could…

“Fallon,” Locke said as he caught my arm and tugged me around. Our breath fogged in the chilly night air and I stared upat Locke. Despite the fact that I didn’t think of myself as a short woman, all three of them towered over me. “Hey…”

He rubbed my biceps, frowning.

“You’re freezing.”

I was? I hadn’t even taken notice of it, my heart kept racing and my stomach bottomed out. I hatedwaiting. Despite the sheer amount of patience my job had demanded of me over the years, I was not a fan of it when I had no control.

None.

I didn’t even have a phone I could call them on and when I asked Locke, he’d merely shaken his head. Radio silence. It wasn’t just for our safety.

“I hate this,” I complained.

“I know,” he murmured. There was something soothing in his voice. Rather than let me go or nudge me back to the rig, he kept rubbing my arms. The contact helped to ground me even as his hands seemed increasingly hotter the longer he touched me. “I wish I could give you answers but the best thing we can do right now is stick to the plan.”

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