Page 94 of Relentless

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Liam’s eyebrows rose when he saw the sign. “Hartman Museum?” He eyed Piper who sat in the passenger seat of his SUV. “Why are we here?”

“If someone listened and watched us in my sitting room, we might have a tail.”

His lips curved. Smart lady. “We do.”

She shuddered. “Can’t say I wanted to hear confirmation of my theory. Anyway, I didn’t want to lead the bad guys to Gavin’s hiding place. The museum grounds are adjacent to the botanical gardens. Gavin and I found a natural passageway through brush and trees leading to the gardens. It’s hard to spot. You have to know where to look. There are many places to disappear on both properties. We can lose the tail while we visit the museum, then go to the gardens.”

He parked in the lot at the back of the museum. Based on the number of cars around the building, he and Piper might be the only visitors to the museum. After sending Trent a text to report the plan, Liam circled the hood and opened Piper’s door. “Good plan, Sunshine.”

“It’s only good if it works.” She led the way toward the museum entrance.

Liam paid the admission price and escorted her inside the quiet building. He glanced around, slowing his steps as he took in the stairs and vaulted ceiling in the entryway. “This looks like someone’s home.”

Piper smiled. “That’s because it was. The founding family built this house. George Hartman’s granddaughter, Emeline, hates the house. Since she’s the last remaining Hartman and has sole possession of the Hartman estate, she sold the building and grounds to the town for a tidy profit and then moved to Key West, Florida.”

Liam whistled. “Beautiful place to live. Pricey, too. Why did she choose Key West?”

“She loves Ernest Hemingway’s work.”

As good a reason as any to move there, he supposed. “Is the museum one of the places you visited often when you lived here?”

She nodded. “I’ve always enjoyed history.” Piper led him on a tour of the large house, pointing out items she thought might be of interest to him. The gleaming weapons displayed in glassed-in cases was fascinating.

“Arthur Hartman was quite a collector,” Liam said as they left the weapons room and wandered down the back stairs to the grounds of the museum.

“Is it a good collection?”

“Oh, yeah. Some of those weapons are antiques and worth several thousand dollars on the open market.”

“I had no idea.”

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Liam wrapped an arm around Piper’s waist and angled himself to place his body between her and the potential threat. “You’re not into weapons. You impressed me with your knowledge of the candles around the museum.”

“I thought it best to learn all about candles since I work in a candle shop. Did you know the first wicked candles were created by the ancient Egyptians by dipping rolled papyrus into tallow or beeswax?”

Liam grinned despite his growing uneasiness, amused by her enthusiasm. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard that.”

When they strolled into a grove of trees, Liam pressed a forefinger to Piper’s lips to ask for silence and guided her deeper into the shadowy coverage. He urged her toward a large tree and nudged her back against its shelter. “Where is the passageway?” he whispered.

She inclined her head to the left. “A quarter of a mile from here. The grounds are pretty extensive.”

“Good. Gives us time to lose our pursuer. Walk where I walk.” Clasping her hand in his, Liam led the way toward the natural tunnel, choosing his steps with care to minimize the sound and tracks.

He lengthened his stride to put enough distance between them and their pursuer to lose him. Liam urged Piper to move faster.

She tugged on his hand and pointed to the dense greenery and stand of trees to the left. Piper moved ahead of him and dropped to her hands and knees. She crawled between a large bush and a jutting boulder.

Huh. If he hadn’t seen her disappear between the two objects, Liam would have missed the gap. He wasn’t sure he could slither through there as easily as Piper.

He glanced over his shoulder. Their pursuer was too close to hunt for another way into the tunnel. If Piper’s plan was to work, he needed to move now.

Liam eased into the opening. Limbs and sticks grasped at his clothes. He frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was leave a trail a two-year-old could follow. Angling his shoulders more and pressing close to the rock, he made his way through the opening and out the other side into the natural tunnel where Piper waited for him.

He caught her arm and guided her deeper into the shadowy interior. When he heard twigs snapping and muffled swearing, Liam nudged Piper to stand with her back to a large tree. He slid the Sig from his holster and held it by his thigh.

The rustling of bushes grew louder. Liam aimed his weapon at the tunnel opening. With his left hand, he reached behind him and drew Piper up against his back, then went motionless.

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