Page 14 of Critical Strike

“It’s okay, buddy.” She scratched the magic spot behind his ears.

A loud purr filled the room.

“You like it here?”

After Luke left, she’d taken Khan outside to do his business and seen the sliding glass door in the adjacent room. With that, Khan would be able to go in and out as he pleased.

All it took was telling the guy at the front desk that her room had a musty smell. He’d traded her key, barely looking away from the TV.

After three days trapped in a car, her precious dog-cat was thrilled to have space and freedom.

“We won’t be able to stay long. Sorry. But we’ll find a safe place. Somewhere.” She didn’t know how, but they would.

Claire nestled deeper into the pillows and Khan was finally feeling comfortable. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, they couldn’t stay open.

Bang!

Gasping, Claire sat straight up in bed. Khan hissed, his fluffy tail swishing against her face.

Had that been a gunshot?

“Police.” More banging. “Open the door.”

Not a gunshot, the cops knocking on her door. She felt like all the oxygen had been sucked from the planet.

More banging.

But wait... The voice had been too muffled. The police weren’t at her motel room; they were at the one next door.

Thefirstroom she’d checked into.

That wasn’t good, either. These “police officers” hadn’t gone to the front desk like real ones would. If they had, they’d have known she switched rooms.

That meant they’d gotten her room info via a computer search—theVance Ballardway.

Unless Luke had turned her in.

No, she couldn’t think like that. Not if she wanted to keep it together and not get arrested.

“Ma’am, we’re going to need you to open the door.”

Claire threw the blankets off her legs. She needed to get out of there.

Grabbing Khan, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her small purse with the computer drive. The bit of money she still had was in it, along with her car keys.

Not that she could make it to her car, which sat in the front parking lot.

As quietly as possible, Claire opened the sliding door. Thick woods separated the motel and the interstate. She could hide there.

The loud crack of wood made her cringe. They’d broken the door to the room next door. Muffled male voices barked at each other.

It wouldn’t be long before they figured out that they had the wrong room.

Holding Khan for dear life, Claire bolted for the woods at an angle away from her predators, in case they looked out the window and spotted her.

She ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. Cursing at how much time she spent at a computer instead of getting exercise, she was gasping for breath before she even hit the tree line.

Were they behind her? She didn’t know. She couldn’t hear anything anymore and it was getting dark. The dark would work in her favor.

---