Page 12 of Scot on the Run

Ian was having fun. It was sobering to realize that even though he enjoyed his life for the most part, rarely could he identify his days as fun. Yet with Bella at his side, determined to protect his identity, he felt like a kid again.

Suddenly, she barked out a warning. “Hold on.”

Just in time, he grabbed the door handle. The hard left turn as they abruptly exited the main road sent his shoulder banging against the doorframe. What the hell? Bella let off on the gas only a fraction in order to maneuver the Jeep over and around dangerous potholes on the rutted, dirt and gravel track.

“Where are we going?” He had to raise his voice to be heard. Though dusk was closing in, there was still plenty of light for anyone following them to spot the Jeep.

“There’s a house up here. Deserted. I’ll explain in a minute. Do you see anybody on the highway?”

He craned his neck. Far in the distance, from the same direction he and Bella had come, a navy sedan appeared over a rise. Though the car was still a long distance away, it looked like the same one they had seen at the restaurant. “I think that’s them. Can you cut the headlights?”

“Good idea.”

With the Jeep now running in the near dark, they had to go much slower. Even so, there was little chance the reporters would spot them way up here. The track was steep. As they pulled around behind a small, forlorn cottage and Bella cut the engine, Ian realized they were halfway up the hillside.

In the sudden silence, he could hear his heart beating in his ears. “We’d better get out and see if they’re heading our way.”

Bella nodded. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes.”

She seemed tense, her expression harried.

He put a hand on her forearm. “It’s okay,” he said. “I can’t outrun them forever.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” she said, climbing out of the Jeep. “They’re maggots, bottom feeders, scum of the earth.”

Ian laughed. “Good Lord, Bella. They’re only trying to do their job.”

She whirled to face him. “Then why did you run the first time?”

It was a very good question and one he wasn’t ready to answer. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s take a peek.”

Carefully, they leaned around the corner of the house and scanned the highway. The navy car was much closer now. Ian held his breath as it pulled even with the wretched, narrow lane and then flew right on by.

Bella exhaled audibly. “Thank goodness.”

“We’re not out of the woods,” he cautioned. “If they think we’ve given them the slip, they may double back.”

“I doubt it. C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go inside and warm up.”

There was a storm on the way, and the air was heavy and moist. “Don’t you think it’s locked?” he said dubiously. He didn’t want to add breaking and entering to his reputation.

Bella laughed softly, the sound hitting him gut deep. “It is. Yes. But I know where the key is hidden.”

She was as good as her word. In moments they were inside. Unfortunately, the electricity was not in working order. Ian flipped a switch to no avail. “Now what?”

“We build a fire. We couldn’t have turned on the lights anyway, not if we wanted to maintain our hiding place.”

“True.” He helped her pile logs and rolled-up newspapers in the grate. Unfortunately, the box of matches on the hearth was damp.

After they tried and failed to get a spark three separate times, Bella groaned, rubbing her arms with her hands. “I thought we could hang out here for a few hours and be all cozy. This wasn’t part of the plan.”

Ian pulled a silver cigarette lighter from his pocket. “This should do the trick,” he said.

Bella gaped, her eyes round in the glow of the sudden flames. “You smoke?”

The tone of the question made it sound as if he kicked puppies or stole money from the church.

“I don’t,” he said mildly. “But if I did, would it be a deal breaker?”

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