Page 84 of Love Undercover
His answer was not a surprise to her. It had to be something along those lines for him to react that way, but just having it confirmed set her stomach writhing.
“Do they know we’re here?” she asked. It was a question that reminded her, absurdly, of something her kindergartners tended to ask—they often assumed she knew what other people knew or were thinking. Like she was a mind-reader.
“I’m not sure they know which room. But they know we’re at this motel.” He met her eyes just before yanking his shirt over his head. “I’m going to have to steal a car.”
She should’ve had some kind of reaction to that. Guilt or something, right? But it was a relief that he had a plan of escape. And at the moment, she didn’t give a flying fig newton about committing crimes if it meant they stayed alive.
“Okay.”
He spun to survey the room for anything else they might have brought in and still needed, and she did the same. She had so little in the first place that there wasn’t anything for her to leave behind. And certainly not anything she needed or could lead the men to them.
As a unit, they moved toward the door, though he swept his hand out for her to stay behind him. She didn’t miss the gun he held in his other hand, pointed toward the floor as he eased the door open a fraction of an inch.
“Move quickly, and stay right behind me.” He looked back at her. “Where’s your shirt?”
She looked down at herself in just her pants and bra and held her hands up.
His mouth twisted to the side. “We’ll get the extra one I have once we’re on the road.”
As if she cared at this moment whether she went out in public like this. It was not different than wearing a swimsuit top. And it was early enough in the morning not many people would likelysee her. But she snatched the discarded robe from the floor and slipped it on. It was as good as it would get.
He gestured for her to follow as he led them outside, his gaze sweeping back and forth.
She crept along behind him, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hear any instructions he gave her, so she tuned in extra tight to him, trying not to scan for whoever he’d seen that spooked him. She didn’t know what she was looking for anyway.
He chose a car that didn’t have any outstanding features, but that was probably intentional. It was older, beat up, and likely didn’t have a car alarm that he would trip.
“Keep an eye out while I boost the car,” he instructed as they crouched beside the driver’s side door.
She nodded, not having the wherewithal to ask what she was looking for. Probably nefarious types who appeared to be looking for someone—namely them. But no one was near their side of the parking lot at the moment.
“Sadie,” he hissed, and she jerked around to see him already climbing into the front seat, tossing a long wire into the back. It must have been what he’d used to unlock it.
She crept around to the passenger side as he pulled the lock up with his fingers. The interior smelled of stale fast food and marijuana smoke. That skunk-broccoli combo was unmistakable.
Chase gave no indication he’d noticed as he threw the duffel into the back and pulled the cables under the steering wheel to hot-wire the car, which he did in short order.
She stared at him as he sat up, pulling the door closed and looking almost comically large in the small sedan.
He must have felt her eyes on him. “My dad was a criminal, remember?”
He didn’t wait for her response as he backed out of the parking spot, barely stopping at the entrance to the street, and gunned it to get in front of an oncoming vehicle.
She wanted to hold onto something to steady herself and her nerves, but she was too afraid to touch anything. How reliable would this rattling vehicle be in the long run?
Sadie twisted in her seat to look behind them. Had the guys seen them leave?
“We’ll have to switch cars again.”
She jerked to look at Chase, taking in the sharp edges of his face in profile. He looked too relaxed, too comfortable with this life. And she suddenly wondered how much this had affected him, how much it would carry over into real life.
“And by switch, you mean steal, right?” Her voice sounded small, diminished by the anxiety winding her up into a tight ball.
If they made it out of this, would he have the chance to get out of this life? Would he want to? Could he even live a normal life again?
Chase’s eyes shifted from the road to the rearview, and his foot pressed more heavily on the gas pedal, making her heart rate accelerate in proportion.
“They’re following?”
