Page 62 of Second Chance Savior

“Make sure he can breathe.”

“I’ve got it.” River handed me the shotgun, which I held awkwardly along with the two drinks. “Car’s unlocked. Get in, and I’ll be right there.”

River carried the guy inside the shop. I didn’t want to keep the poor man’s shotgun, so I wiped it down and concealed it beneath some bushes.

River came out a few minutes later, flipping the sign toClosedas he did. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

I was shaking.

“I made sure there were no cameras,” he said as we pulled onto the road. “Not that it matters so much at this point. The police will be here soon. It’s possible your Good Samaritan already told them our plates. We’ll need a new ride.”

“Will this car trace back to Hodge?”

“Don’t worry about him. Hodge wouldn’t be that sloppy. I’m the one who messed up. I should’ve anticipated they might blame me for the attack. What better way to find us than a breathless search for the kidnapped lieutenant governor?”

“And her armed and dangerous ex-Navy SEAL abductor,” I added. A nervous laugh snuck out of me. But I was horrified.

This would be a far bigger story than even the original attack. Media everywhere would be circulating our photos. My wig and River’s sunglasses clearly didn’t cut it.

We were screwed.

River turned onto a tiny road and pulled over, parking beneath the shade of some cottonwood trees. We’d only gone a few miles from the gas station, but we couldn’t afford to stay on the highways anymore. We’d heard sirens in the distance.

“I saw a camping ground about a mile back. I’m going to hike over there and find us a new vehicle. Take the bags out of the trunk, and then I want you to cover this one in branches the best you can. If you hear an engine, get out of sight. I’ll honk three times. That’s how you’ll know it’s me.”

I nodded mutely.

River cupped my face in his hand, thumb stroking my cheek. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Got it.”

His eyes narrowed, and I knew he was worried about me. I was pretty dazed. But I waved him away. “Just hurry.”

I jumped out and grabbed the first fallen branch I could find.

While I worked, my mind chewed on the problem. I’d faced dire situations before. Maybe not so life-threatening, but challenges to the survival of my career? Sure. I’d made it through every time.

We needed a solution.

There was only one I could see.

Some time later, I didn’t know how long, I heard an engine. Then three short honks. I emerged from my hiding place with my bag slung over my chest and carrying his at my side. He got out to take the bags from me.

Before I knew it, we were on the road again. Traveling along the same hard-packed dirt road and heading deeper into the mountains.

I tugged off my wig and tossed it in the back seat. It wasn’t doing me much good. “How long do you think we have until the owner reports this car missing?”

“I’m banking on several hours at least. I chose this 4Runner because it’s an older model, has decent off-roading capability, and had already been unloaded, which means the owner is settled at one of the campsites. Too late in the morning for him to be leaving today. Probably won’t return to the car for a while. Hopefully not until tomorrow. Just in case, I switched out the plates with another in the lot.”

“Makes sense.”

“That’s it? No arguments about how stealing is wrong, Lieutenant Governor?” he joked.

“Exigent circumstances. But we’ll send money to the owner for the inconvenience and any damages. Along with an apology letter.”

“There’s my Charlie. I knew you were still in there.” His elbow nudged me. “You’ll get along well with Genevieve and Owen. They both tend to struggle when it comes to gray areas.”

I was too keyed-up for light-hearted banter. I’d thought things were bad last night, but this?

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