Page 54 of Shine On Oklahoma

“What’s going on? You sound upset.”

“Having your father threatened by killers isupsetting. Sue me.” She went outside and down the back stairs.

“Shouldn’t he be free by now? Isn’t that whatyour ruse with the newspaper was supposed to accomplish?”

“Yes, it is, and no, he isn’t. I don’t—” Hervoice broke. Her eyes burned. She hurried around the building towhere someone had parked her ‘Vette, unlocked it. “I don’t know ifhe’s okay. I don’t know if he’s already…”

“You haven’t heard from him,” he said.

“He activated a phone location app. Hoursago, and I had the damn sound off because I was all wrapped up in…”You, was the word she didn’t say. “He wouldn’t have done that if hewasn’t in trouble.”

“So, wait, you know where he is, then.”

“I know where his phone is.”

“Okay, good. Then we’ll go—”

“I’m already going.” She put him on speaker,pulled-out the car’s ashtray drawer, and used it as a phoneholder.

“Alone? Kendra, wait for me. I’m on myway.”

She put the car into reverse and backed outof the spot. “I don’t have time to wait. Any second might be onesecond too long, Dax.” She shifted and drove out of the parking lotand up the curved drive to the road. She hit the pavement, and hisCharger skidded to a stop just before hitting her.

“I’m already here,” he said.

She never slowed down. If anything she wentfaster. But he followed. And the call was still connected. She keptlooking into the rearview mirror. He kept on coming.

She said, “I need you to stop, Dax. Go backto Big Falls.”

“I can’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

He hesitated for long seconds as she caughtgears and picked up speed. “I’m just doing what I feel I have todo, okay? So where are you going? Where does this app thing say hisphone is?”

“About eighty miles east. Hang on.” Sheglanced at the phone while driving, which was stupid, but she hadto see the Share button to tap it. So she did, briefly, and the apptexted Dax the coordinates. “Just in case you can’t keep up.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Kiley smiled very slightly. She’d given intoo easily, and she knew it. She didn’t want her kind of troubletouching Dax any more than it already had. But the truth was, shewas afraid she was going to walk into some cheap motel room orabandoned hovel and find her father with a neat round bullet holehis forehead. The truth was, she felt better knowing Dax was rightbehind her. She’d feel better yet if he was in the car beside her,but she hadn’t dared take the time to switch cars.

She looked in the rearview mirror, saw himbehind her. It felt good. “Thanks, Dax.”

“You’re welcome.”

She sniffled and swallowed, a giant wave ofrelief crashing over her like a breaker over a dry and thirstyshore. And just as quickly it receded and something else came.Something cold and dark. She still had ice water running up anddown her spine. Jack would have to be facing certain death to sendhis location and scare her this badly. And it had already beenhours. She’d had her stupid fight with Dax and subsequent panicattack like an amateur. Caring about people was the stupidest thinga con could do.

And she’d done it. She’d done it in spades.She loved her sister more than she’d ever realized, and she lovedKiley’s cow-eyed husband too. She loved little Diana more thanwords could say and she hadn’t even met her yet.

She loved Dax Russell.

She did. She loved him. Good God, there wasno hope for her now.

She pressed harder on the gas and shedrove.

#

The pulsing blue dot led them to a cheapmotel called the Roadside Lodge. It had two long narrow buildingswith rooms, each with a front door and a back door, and parkingspots outside both. The only car there was a sweet-ass Caddy parkedbehind Room 2. She skidded the ‘Vette to a halt right beside it,dove out of the car and lunged toward the door as Dax’s Chargerstopped behind her, making way too much noise. He was out of itbefore the engine even had time to quit.

---