Page 19 of Cassidy

It was too late to ask, as he was already entering the house. She stayed close behind him, her hand resting on her weapon. Without her telling him to, he paused to listen.

Thankfully, there was nothing but silence.

Gabe moved quickly into the kitchen, straight for the freezer. The destruction of his home hadn’t changed overnight; if anything, it looked worse in the daylight. Gabe opened the freezer and rummaged around.

Then he held up a small Styrofoam box. “Found it.”

“Found what? Leftovers?”

“No, this.” He reached for a knife, cut the tape that had held the two portions of the Styrofoam together, and pulled them apart. A small USB drive fell onto the kitchen counter.

“What’s on it?” she asked, her pulse racing. This was exactly the clue they so desperately needed.

“I don’t remember. But let’s get it out of here so I can find out.” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he dropped it into the front pocket of his jeans. “Whoever tossed the place didn’t bother to look in the freezer.”

Which meant he’d put it there specifically to hide it from view. Had Gabe anticipated someone would come after him? She was suddenly desperate to get far away from there.

“Follow me.” She pulled her weapon and led the way out the back, retracing their steps. She half expected to be assaulted by a pair of gunmen, but they made it back to the undercover Jeep without difficulty.

“I’m glad you remembered stashing something in the freezer,” she said, pulling away from the curb. “I forgot to mention that Rhy is getting your phone records too.”

For a moment, Gabe looked panicked, but then he nodded. “That makes sense. I must have contacted someone to start this cascade of events.”

“Exactly.” She drove quickly, anxious to leave the city of White Gull Bay behind.

They had barely cleared the city limits when she noticed a black SUV coming up fast. Cass hit the gas, blowing past the stop sign and speeding through the intersection.

“What’s going on?” Gabe asked.

Before she could answer, a crack of gunfire shattered the rear window.

“Get down!” Using every evasive driving maneuver she’d ever been taught, she wondered what on earth was on that USB drive that was worth killing for.

ChapterFive

Gabe huddled with his head down in the passenger seat as Cassidy wrenched the wheel from side to side, doing her best to shake off the shooter behind them. He hated feeling so helpless. The thumb drive seemed to be burning a hole in his pocket. He had to assume the same person who’d assaulted him had waited for him to arrive at his place to get the very item they’d been looking for.

But why? He didn’t even know what was on the memory stick. He needed to get it plugged into a computer and soon.

“Call 911.” Cassidy dropped the phone into the cupholder. “I should have taken the time to pair it with the Jeep’s computer screen,” she added half under her breath. Her gaze was laser focused on the road and cars around them. He understood she was desperately trying to get away from the shooter while keeping the public safe.

No easy task.

He did as she asked, lifting his head enough to give the dispatcher a location. They were already leaving White Gull Bay, though, so he wasn’t sure which district would even respond.

“We’re passing Duran Street heading south on Lakeshore Drive,” he said, as they paralleled the Lake Michigan shoreline. The lake was quiet and beautiful during wintertime.

“I’ve dispatched officers to your location,” the woman said calmly. “Please stay on the line.”

He was about to set the phone on speaker when their car abruptly slowed. He glanced at Cass who looked grim.

“Gas tank is hit; we’ll need to bail.”

Bail? As in leave the car? He swallowed hard. She was the expert here, not him. “Okay. I’m ready.”

She made a right turn, then hit the brakes. “Hurry,” she said, pushing her driver’s side door open.

He followed suit, jumping out of the passenger seat. He followed Cassidy as she jogged up the road, then cut through a private residence. Trusting her instincts, he stayed close, despite his discomfort at invading people’s privacy by running through their yards.

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