Page 11 of Zero Visibility

“It should be coming up soon.” The waitress handed her a to-go-cup. Jen hurriedly dumped her coffee into the cup and paid for the food.

The news continued to discuss the devastating events of the day and Jen’s heart thundered in her chest. She glanced over at the men. Occasionally they looked her way, but mostly they were watching the news feed.

“Here you go.” The waitress handed her a bag containing her food. “Would you like extra syrup and butter?” she asked when Jen started for the door.

“No, that’s okay.” Jen reached for the handle as the news anchorwoman announced the latest events. “This just in. We have a photo of Ben Parker’s wife, Jennifer Parker. She’s believed to be in the Denver area, and part of the conspiracy. If you see this woman, please report her to authorities as soon as possible.”

Terrified, Jen’s stricken gaze stared up at the screen as her DMV photo appeared. Taken five years earlier, it showed a blonder version of herself. Her hair was much shorter, and the photo was terrible, but if anyone paid close attention to her, they’d know she was the woman in the photo.

Her whole body shook. She hurried out of the restaurant but forced herself to walk normally as she crossed the parking lot to her truck.

Hitting the key fob, she slipped inside and started the engine. She put the truck in Drive and headed for the highway. As she passed the front of the restaurant, the men seated inside were watching the screen. She had to wonder, how long before they figured out, she was the woman they were looking for?

Chapter Five

The SUV covered the mountainous terrain easily enough, but it was one of the most treacherous passages Ben had ever traveled.

They made it across the Colorado state line without being detected. A few more hours separated them from rescuing Jen.

“Cell service is still not up,” Ben said as he checked the phone again for the twentieth time. It had gone away sometime over the mountains and was still unavailable. He hadn’t heard from Jen since she’d spotted the car near the ski village though he’d tried dozens of times. He had now reached the frantic stage.

“Nothing here as well. The cell booster isn’t even helping,” Will said. “Let’s try the radio and see if there’s been any new developments.” He switched it on and scanned the channels until they picked up a station that wasn’t all static.

“As we reported earlier, Jennifer Parker, wife of suspected terrorist, Ben Parker, is wanted for questioning for her involvement in the attacks.” The female broadcaster gave an in-depth description of Jen. “Again, if you have any news concerning Jennifer Parker, or any of the terrorists’ whereabouts, call this number.” She gave an eight-hundred number. “And now we take you to New York, where the city still reels from the destruction of one of its beloved landmarks, St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”

Will switched the radio off and swung to Ben. “We’d better get to her before Legion’s goons pick her up.”

The words echoed in his ears and shredded his heart. Because of him, Jen was now a suspect in one of the biggest conspiracies around. As far as he was concerned, they couldn’t get there fast enough. He shifted to where Tegan was seated beside him. "Any safe place come to mind for her to hide out until we get there?” Ben struggled to recall the layout of the area he’d visited a couple of times.

“I’m coming up empty, with the exception of one place. But it will be rough going.” The doubt on Tegan’s face was of little comfort.

“Show me.”

Tegan handed him his phone. “There’s an old silver mining operation a little way from the former Silver Hills ski resort. It hasn’t been in operation in a while, but it’s at the top of a mountain, and judging by the bad weather we just came through, visibility will be next to zero, and it will be a bugger to get there.”

Ben stared at the location. The mountain in question was on the edge of a chain of several ten-thousand-foot mountain ranges. The thought of his wife having to traverse that by herself was terrifying.

Please keep her safe, he prayed.

As if in answer to his prayer, one bar of service popped up on the phone.Let it be enough. Ben dialed Jen’s number. It took several tries before the call went through and she answered.

“Ben, oh thank goodness. I’ve been so scared. They’re showing my photo everywhere.”

More than anything he wished he could be there with her to hold her close. Tell her everything was going to be okay. He did the next best thing. “No one knows you’re in the truck, and your appearance has changed a lot since that photo was taken. I have a new meet location.” He gave her the details. “It’s not ideal, but we can be assured no one will follow us there.”

Jen blew out a weary breath. “I know the place. My parents took me there when I was little. I’ll put the location into the GPS on the phone. I can make it.”

He kept forgetting she was born in Colorado. Lived most of her years here. She’d know how to drive in these conditions better than he. “Good. Keep your phone close. If you run into any problems, or if something looks off, call me right away.”

“I will,” she promised. “But Ben, please hurry. I’m scared and I need you.”

Those words cut him through to his soul. “We’ll be there in a couple hours’ time. Find a place to hide and keep the truck out of sight. Stay safe.”

He started to hang up, but something kept him from it. “Is something else troubling you?” he asked because he had a feeling.

What sounded like a sob escaped. “How did you know?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“I know you. Just tell me,” he begged because he needed to know they weren’t over.

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