Page 51 of Safe
He shook his head. “He’s got ‘em, I just don’t know the plates. Where I was, I almost never saw daylight. When I say I was a prisoner in that hotel room, I mean it.”
For the next thirty minutes, I listened as Thomas spilled everything. He told me how Landon scoured the city every night, asking around about Danielle, switching cars four times to stay invisible, throwing money at people for information. Every new detail pissed me off even more.
How did no one spot him?
How did everyone looking for him just…miss him?
But now Landon knew what city she was in. I didn’t have time to let my anger win. I stood without saying a word and stormed out to find Warren.
“Did you get through down there?” I asked Warren.
“Yes, but without a car or license plate, there isn’t much the local PD can do,” he replied.
“He left here yesterday in a black Dodge Charger. No plate info. But he was heading for the airport. Thomas says Landon never let him out of the hotel room.”
Warren nodded. “That’s something, at least. Any sign Danielle’s moved?”
“Thank fuck, they were already in Colorado Springs for whatever fucking reason. I’m hoping that’s far enough away until I can get down there.”
I grabbed my jacket and my car keys as I rushed out of the office. I wasn’t going to give the chief a reason to tell me no.
25. DANIELLE
I’d just woken up but was still dreaming about last night. It was, hands down, the best meal of my life. I’d never been anywhere so fancy before. Alex and I couldn’t have dreamed of affording something like that growing up. Every bite was incredible, but what made it unforgettable was sharing it with the one person I used to think was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Now, I realized he might be the best.
No one had ever treated me like Cody did. He was funny, kind, and considerate. In other words, he was everything Landon never was. He had been so patient and understanding in ways I never thought anyone would be capable of. I was starting to understand what love was supposed to feel like. Was I in love? I wasn’t sure, but this had to be close. I wanted to tell him, but the words would just never come out when I wanted them to. I kept waiting for the perfect moment, half-terrified he might not feel the same.
Cody had gotten a call from Alex, and he seemed on edge. He insisted it was nothing, but I could tell it was bothering him. Now, sitting beside him on the bed, he’d fallen silent, just staring at the TV, holding my hand tight enough that it felt like I was the only thing keeping him anchored.
“Where are we going?” I asked, hoping to break the tension between us.
“It’s a surprise,” Cody offered a faint smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was going to wait until this afternoon, but Alex thought it’d be better for us to go now.”
My lips tightened as I resisted the urge to assume things were being hidden from me.
“Why would Alex think that?”
Cody let out a slow, drawn-out sigh that told me he regretted mentioning Alex. “I can’t lie to you, Danielle. Did you use your credit card at the convenience store?”
My heart sank as the all-too-familiar anxiety I used to feel around Landon began setting in. I’d gotten so comfortable with Cody, I almost forgot why we were here. Had I just risked everything?
Cody must have seen the anxiety building in my eyes as he reached down and squeezed my hand, grounding me back in the moment. “Hey, we’ll figure it out, alright? There’s some good news, too. Remember Thomas? The name from your dream?”
“Yeah?” I managed.
“I don’t know all the details, but they found him.”
“They found him?” A flicker of relief softened my nerves, but the tension in my gut refused to leave. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I ruined everything by letting my guard down. “Did they find Landon?”
“No,” Cody said, hesitating for a moment, “but Thomas told them what he knows, so I don’t want you worrying about it.”
He lifted my hand to his lips in a swift, reverent motion and kissed it. We drove through town, each minute feeling longer than the last as the threat of Landon’s presence lingered at the edges of my thoughts, and for the last few minutes or so of the drive, I had to keep repeating to myself that I was safe with Cody. I trusted him. I needed to.
It wasn’t much longer before we turned into an empty parking lot.
“A zoo?” I asked, baffled at why we were here, of all places.
Cody grinned. “Yep. But the real surprise is inside.” He winked, then strode up to the gate, waving at a security camera perched on the top right corner. The gate swung open with a loud creak, revealing a guard standing on the other side.
