Page 88 of Shadow Operative

It made the hissing sound again.

“Gage . . .” Nia’s voice shook.

“Just wait.”

He hoped his bet paid off.

A moment later, the gator lost interest. He lowered himself back onto all fours and strutted away, almost as if it had only wanted to run them off.

Gage’s shoulders relaxed.

That was the last thing he’d expected.

He jumped down and offered a hand to help Nia.

She landed beside him, and they hurried back to the car.

Once they were safely inside, she said, “I think we should go back to my office.”

Gage cast her a side glance as he pulled away from the fishing cabin. “What is that going to prove?”

“Prove? Nothing. But I have the contract there as well as a copy of the patent for the app.”

“That’s risky going back there,” Gage reminded her. “Those guys are probably watching your office building.”

“I know. But I wonder if there could be some answers there. We could be careful.”

Gage knew there were some precautions they could take. But it was still risky.

“If you think that’s a good idea then I’m game,” hefinally said. “Maybe there will be something in there that we missed.”

As they headed back down the road, his thoughts continued to race.

On a whim, he pulled into a department store.

Nia looked up at him in confusion. “Shopping therapy?”

“Not quite.” He let out an airy chuckle. “You’re going to need some new clothes. Plus, the more we can conceal our appearance the better. Maybe pick up a hat. Sunglasses. Something that’s going to make us less obvious.”

“Seems smart.”

“Your hair is pretty unique as well. Maybe pull it back into a bun. It could buy us some time because I’m sure if these guys are still looking for you then they’ll be looking for your long, curly hair.”

“Got it.”

“I have some cash we can use to pay, just in case.” Gage cut the engine. “But let’s not take too much time.”

“I’ve never been a big shopper, so I’ll be quick.”

Gage pulled the keys from the ignition and grabbed the door handle. “Perfect. Then let’s go.”

A half hour later, Nia and Gage had finished shopping and had grabbed some lunch from a fast-food restaurant along the route.

Nia’s hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She worea black ball cap that formed nicely to her head along with sunglasses.

She’d ditched the designer clothes—and by ditched she meant put them in a bag in the back of the car. They were too expensive to throw away. Instead, she wore some jeans with a plain blue top and some tennis shoes.

Gage had also bought another ball cap and a black T-shirt.

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