Page 28 of The Witness

“My mom—” Sabrina dug in her heels.

“Is right here.” Minerva, with Oscar-worthy timing, swept into the room and engulfed her daughter in a hug. “Be safe.”

Safe,the word reverberated in my ears, and I affirmed my commitment to Sabrina. Hunting, arresting, killing, or whatever Smith and his spy contacts had planned for Sandoval wasn’t my mission. Sabrina’s safety was.

“And you too.” Minerva held out her hand for a split second before changing her mind and wrapping me in a hug as well. “I like the hair.” She whispered before letting me go. I smiled. Moms always like a man with a fresh shave and a haircut.

“You and ‘Gigi’ need to get moving.” Smith indicated the conference room door.

“Don’t forget the sunglasses,” Quinn reminded Sabrina as we stepped into the hallway.

Sabrina busied herself digging into the handbag for the movie star-esque shades. I took her elbow, guiding her down the hall, into the main office at a leisurely pace. The door into the reception area opened, and two FBI agents and Sydney entered. I squeezed Sabrina’s arm reassuringly when she faltered at the sight.

“This way.” We stepped around the cubicle where Simon sat, his fingers clicking away on a computer keyboard, to make wayfor the agents and the loudly protesting Sydney. I caught the wordsmiscarriage of justiceas they passed and stifled a grin.

Moments later, we pushed out the front doors and I led Sabrina to Gigi’s sky-blue Porsche Cayman. I pulled open the passenger door and helped Sabrina inside. The huge sunglasses totally hid her expression and, most importantly, her green eyes.

I slammed her door shut and exhaled. Almost there. I hustled to the driver’s side and tried to slide behind the wheel of the car, smashing my knees on the steering wheel. My muttered curse couldn’t be helped. I reached for the electronic seat controls and waited impatiently as the seat silently glided as far back as it would go. Better.

“John Smith knew this would happen. That’s why he had Kira do all this. I’m amazed he didn’t have someone come outside and adjust the seat for you.” She waved a hand at her bleached hair, borrowed clothes, and luxury car. It was apparent she was awestruck, and it niggled my pride.

“Smith always has a plan. And a backup plan. And a contingency plan. I bet he had seven other ideas for how to get us out of the building, but generally his first plan is the best. And he only shares information on a need-to-know basis. He believes in compartmentalizing.” I pushed the button to start the car and adjusted the rear-view mirror. Crashing a hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar car was not on today’s agenda.

“Compartmentalizing?” She tipped down the oversized glasses to look at me. “That’s one word for it, I guess.”

It was disconcerting to see Gigi and hear Sabrina.

“It sounds better than gifting him with godlike abilities of foresight.” I shrugged and pulled out of the parking spot.

Sabrina’s bark of laughter caught me off guard, and I tapped the brake pedal. “You okay?”

“Sure. No. Shit, I don’t know. At this point it’s laugh or cry, right?” She rolled her lips over her teeth and bit down like she was trying to hold everything inside her.

I patted her leg in sympathy. The skin was smooth and warm and not what I should be focused on. I withdrew my hand and gripped the leather-wrapped steering wheel.

“One last checkpoint.” I jutted my chin at the pair of FBI agents waiting by the parking lot exit.

“Let’s be honest, this is just the beginning.”

I didn’t have a reply, at least not one that would make her feel better.

I pulled to a stop next to a guy in an FBI windbreaker and rolled down my window.

“IDs, please?”

Sabrina dug out Gigi’s ID and I passed it, along with my driver's license, to the man. The agent’s eyes widened when he scanned Gigi’s card. That was all the confirmation I needed. We were golden. I took the IDs back from the FBI agent.

I glanced at Sabrina and gave her a broad smile that she returned. We’d done it. She squeezed my arm and for a millisecond we were more like two teenagers breaking curfew than adults on the run from an FBI warrant. Damn, if only this were the end, not the beginning of this mess.

I resisted the urge to burn rubber as I accelerated out of the Smith Agency driveway and into traffic. We didn’t have very far to go to get to Gigi’s house.

“Gigi Mills.” Sabrina read the name on the ID I’d returned to her and whistled.

“You know of her?” I winced at the slightly ridiculous question. After the Moment in Time Gala jewelry heist, most of Miami knew of her.

“More like I know of them. She and Alexander are at the top of every guest list in Miami. Billionaires and philanthropists. I heard he’s going to run for president.”

“Alexander would never. He doesn’t need to.” The man oozed power from his pores like mere mortals oozed sweat in August. He’d never live under the magnifying glass of the presidency.

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