Page 20 of Cassidy

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice as they darted through one backyard and the next. Cassidy made what appeared to be totally random turns, but he sensed she had a plan. He kept pace beside her, breathing heavily from the exertion. The pain in his head thumped along with the beat of his heart, making it hard to concentrate on staying upright and following Cass.

He knew without being told that this type of thing was not something he’d done on a regular basis. If ever. Cassidy and Rhy had mentioned he was their tech specialist, and there was no denying he was more comfortable behind a desk.

Finally, Cassidy crouched near a large tree in the backyard of a house that was large and expensive looking. He wasn’t sure if there were people inside or not, but he hoped for the latter as he dropped beside her. For a moment, he closed his eyes, grateful for the opportunity to catch his breath. Then he looked around, trying to gauge where they were. Somewhere on the east side, but how far had they gone on foot?

He had no idea.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes betrayed her concern.

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to let her know how badly his head hurt. “I can keep up.”

She gestured to the phone he still held in his hand. “Smart move to bring the phone.”

He grimaced. There had been nothing brilliant about his actions; he hadn’t even realized he’d hung onto it. He passed it to her. “Take it. I suspect we’re going to need it.”

She accepted the phone and slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans. “We need to keep moving. It’s the middle of the day. Someone is bound to see us skulking through backyards.”

“Okay.” He was in no position to argue. “Shouldn’t we call Rhy?”

“Soon. Once we’re in a public place where we can wait for a ride.” She gestured behind them. “We’re not far enough away from the Jeep. We’ve only gone a little over a mile.”

Seriously? It had seemed like far more. “I’ll keep up,” he repeated to reassure her. “I won’t hold you back.”

She flashed a quick smile, which resonated deep within despite their dire circumstances. He must have a screw loose because he should be more concerned with staying alive than focusing on how beautiful Cassidy was. “You’re doing great, Gabe. We’ll get through this.” She cast a sweeping glance around their current location, then added, “Let’s go.”

With a muffled groan, he stood and followed her through the next backyard until they were on a residential street. She set a brisk pace, and he was glad he hadn’t lied about being able to keep up. His long stride helped, and the exertion of covering ground quickly kept the winter chill at bay.

Soon they were on busier streets, and he noticed they were approaching one of the university buildings. “We’re close to the University of Milwaukee,” he said, surprised he recognized it.

“Yes.” She arched a brow. “I attended college here to major in criminal justice, but you went to Madison.”

He tried to remember attending the University of Madison but couldn’t. Not that it mattered. He’d rather remember if he was investigating some case that had gotten him assaulted and dumped in the middle of nowhere.

“That restaurant there should work,” Cassidy said in a low voice. “We’ll call Rhy and see if someone can head out to pick us up.”

The scent of food made him feel hungry. He doubted they’d sticking around, though, so he didn’t say anything.

A blessed warmth washed over them as they stepped inside. “Table for two, please,” Cassidy said.

They were soon seated in a booth lining a wall of windows overlooking the street. There were many pedestrians milling about, and he realized that most of them were students. This was likely the week of final exams, bringing an end to the fall semester.

“What can I get you to drink?” a perky server asked.

“Hot chocolate,” Cassidy said without hesitation.

“Me too, thanks.” He waited for the young woman to leave, before asking, “Are you going to call Rhy?”

“Yes.” She sat back in her seat with a sigh. “He won’t be happy about this. Maybe we should eat lunch first, as long as we’re here.”

“That’s fine with me.” He patted his pocket. “Although I am anxious to look at this external drive.”

“Me too.” Her phone buzzed, and when she pulled it out, she turned to show him Rhy’s name on the screen. “Time’s up,” she said, before lifting the phone to her ear. “Hey, Rhy.”

He knew she couldn’t put the call on speaker as they were in a public place, so he quickly jumped out of his seat to scoot in beside her. He placed his ear near hers so he could listen in.

“Cassidy?” Rhy asked. “What’s this about reports of gunfire in White Gull Bay? Is that where you and Gabe are?”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “We were in White Gull Bay. Shortly after leaving Gabe’s residence, gunfire shattered the rear window of the Jeep, but we’re okay.” She hesitated, then said, “Unfortunately, one of the bullets hit the gas tank. We had to abandon the Jeep and escape on foot. We’re near the UWM campus now, at a restaurant.”

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