Page 92 of Deadly Secrets
Polly nodded. “Do you think he will?”
“Weber is one of The Rev’s disciples,” Roman said with a nod. “He’ll hide him.”
Roman stuck a light on the roof of the Jeep as Brooke climbed in. He handed her an earbud and gave her the quickest lesson in history on how to use the comm. A second later, she heard Polly and Win checking in on theirs.
Her fast beating heart didn’t slow. She’d never been in a car chase, never hunted down a killer in person. Add to that the fact she felt hope, longing, and desire for Roman, even after he’d admitted lying to her.
Was she in love with him?
It was the only explanation and it confused the hell out of her.
She hated feeling confused, especially when she did it to herself.
Shaking away the thoughts about it, she wondered why Roman was letting her come on the chase. Did he really believe she was as competent as the rest of his team? Or did he know her well enough to know she’d be true to her word—even if he purposely left her behind, she’d find a way to tag along.
The temporary Homeland badge and the Glock in her purse didn’t make her an agent. They were tools of the trade, but they were also trappings, giving her a false sense of importance and expertise. She wasn’t a gun-toting law enforcement officer; she was a bookworm more at home unearthing the past than dealing with the present.
Yet, here she was, riding shotgun in Roman’s car, chasing a suspect in a murder. Multiple murders in fact.
He’s going to pay, Jamison, she silently promised the young man. She gripped the arm rest as Roman sped into the night.We’re going to stop him.
And then, we’re going to stop The Reverend.
Lights flashing and siren blaring, they left the downtown area behind, Win, Polly, and Detective Clyffe weaving around cars and blowing through red lights with them. They hit the freeway in short order, Brooke mentally cursing at the extremely low visibility. For all she could tell, the Tahoe could be a few cars in front of them and they couldn’t see it.
Updates came in from Polly and Clyffe, traffic growing heavier as 125 merged into the freeway. “Stay on 54,” Polly said over the comms. “He’s on Jamacha Boulevard, heading into La Pressa.”
The chase continued, through the suburb, people honking as the Jeep cut in and out of traffic. Detective Clyffe had called in backup and now several state police joined in the chase.
But Weber didn’t stop in La Pressa. Before long, Polly reported the Tahoe had been spotted taking a southeast turn onto 94.
“He’s taking us on a wild goose chase,” Brooke said, raising her voice to be heard over the siren.
Roman killed it, his jaw tight. “He’s taking us to the desert.”
Understanding dawned. “The ghost town where he murdered the squatters.Maldito.”
“There’s nothing there,” Roman said, seemingly as much to himself as to her. “Why would he go back to that place?”
Brooke felt a chill. “Maybe thereissomething there. Something we missed.”
“Or it’s a trap,” Polly volunteered over their comms.
And didn’t that make them all feel better?
But there were at least seven of them, counting Clyffe and the state patrol. Still, if The Reverend had all of his disciples there, and they were expecting trouble, a second mass killing might be in the works.
“We need more backup,” Roman said over the comms.
A moment later, Clyffe was patched in. “Three more squads are on the way.”
“So are Thomas and Ronni,” Polly added. “I put out an SOS to the SCVC Taskforce. Thomas said he’ll call Mitch as well.”
Teamwork. While much of Brooke’s life had been spent working alone, she valued teamwork as much as the DTT did. Every dig, every research paper, required help from others.
As they left the city lights behind, the waning moon was still full enough to give them a decent amount of light. The sky seemed larger, hanging like a heavy blanket overhead, dotted with stars.
Oncoming headlights from a few vehicles interrupted their distance viewing, but even when they were flying down the two-lane road with no other traffic, Brooke couldn’t see a black SUV. She didn’t even see any brake lights ahead of them. It was nothing but desert, mountains in the distance, and the two-lane highway.
