Page 23 of Critical Strike

Each step to the exit was a nightmare. Several people glanced at the TV between bites. Had they noticed her? Had anyone called the police?

She leaned into his chest, breathing in his scent.

“That’s right. Just act like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be than cuddled close to me.”

No acting necessary.

She felt his lips against her hair. “We’re going to make it through this,” he repeated before paying and ushering her out the door.

She felt frozen, even though the fall air was mild.

Making it through this seemed impossible now.

Chapter Seven

Luke didn’t waste time getting them out of the parking lot once they were in the truck, but it was all a blur for Claire.

Khan immediately jumped into her lap to get the bacon he could smell through the napkin. She unwrapped it and began to break it into pieces, barely aware of what she was doing.

She watched while he gobbled it up. Hot tears stung her eyes. The days where she and Khan could count on regular meals and the safety of their home were long gone. It could be that they’d never return to their little cottage with the cozy window seat and sunny back porch.

She was well and truly a fugitive now.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered.

Luke’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “It was a smart play on Ballard’s part. Make it so you can’t go to the police. It puts you on the defensive, not to mention legitimizes the reason he’s had police looking for you.”

None of that made her feel any better.

Luke drove, keeping to side roads, his gaze constantly sliding to the rear and side mirrors to check for people following them. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an older-model cell phone.

“Here. I need you to dial a number for me.”

“Whose phone is this?”

“I borrowed it from someone in the diner... When I saw one that didn’t require a pass code, I couldn’t resist. We can’t take a chance on using either of our phones. It could lead Ballard right to us. I’ll make sure it gets returned.”

She shrugged. “You’re probably doing the person a favor so he or she can upgrade.”

She dialed the number he gave her and then pressed the speaker button, handing it back to him. Luke laid the phone on his leg as it rang.

“Gavett.” The voice on the other end was hurried and gruff.

“Officer Gavett. We spoke earlier about a locked computer file? I was wondering if we could talk again.” She noticed Luke was careful not to use either of their names.

There was silence on the other end for a few long moments. She started to worry the officer didn’t know who it was or maybe didn’t care now that she was a fugitive.

“Yes,” Gavett finally said. “I need a few minutes. I’ll call you back on this number.”

He hung up and she looked over at Luke. “Was that a bad sign?”

“Do you mean is he going to try to trace our location? I don’t think so. My brother Weston saved his life when he was on the force.”

The cell phone rang a few minutes later. Luke once again put it on speaker. “Rick?”

“Patterson. I had to leave the office to make this call. Had to find an honest-to-God pay phone, and let me tell you, not many exist anymore.”

Luke’s jaw flexed. “That doesn’t sound like good news. I’m not trying to get you in trouble.”

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