Page 19 of Fighting for Mallory

“You think they’ll find us this soon?”

“Maybe. I’d rather be prepared than caught by surprise.”

As night fell, a chill permeated the cabin. Luca built a fire and draped a throw blanket around Mallory’s shoulders after she curled up in a recliner. “I’ll make a pot of coffee.”

An alert on Luca’s burner phone sounded, and he froze. “It must be Tex or Hutch.”

He answered the call. To his dismay, Justice’s angry voice exploded in his ear. “Luca Martinelli! What the fuck, man? Since I’ve known you, I’ve counted on you to be calm and rational. Do you have any idea how much trouble you and Mallory are in?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re fugitives!” Justice railed. “Judd Morgan has mobilized a statewide manhunt for you. Photos of you and Mallory have been plastered all over the media. You need to turn yourselves in, Luca. I’ll send Hutch via helicopter to pick up you and Mallory at the cabin. He can be there in a few hours.”

“No. We’ll be gone before he gets here. Mallory isn’t safe, Justice, and you can’t protect her better than I can. We’re not dealing with your garden variety criminals. These people hide in the shadows, and I think their sole purpose is to snatch goodness from this world. If you help us, you’ll become a target, too, and you have a vulnerable wife, two children, and a new baby on the way. They have to come first.”

“Luca, Morgan poses a serious threat.”

“Maybe. But he’s the enemy you can see. He can’t outwit me, Justice. I’m more concerned about the invisible threats.”

“Where are you headed?”

“Don’t know, and that’s the truth. So far, we have a couple of crazy theories and nothing concrete to support them. I’m hoping Tex will have something solid to report soon.”

Luca heard Justice sigh. “Stay safe, brother.”

“I’m trying. Be vigilant, Justice.”

The conversation with Justice left Luca rattled. He’d prided himself on his rationality and analytical mind, but now he couldn’t see the big picture when most of the pieces didn’t fit. As he waited for the coffee to brew, Luca sent Tex a text.

Luca: Anything?

Tex: Captain Yeniel Valentin was an exceptional man and cop. That’s a dead end.

Luca: What now?

Tex: We keep digging. Faith Stoker is investigating Mercado and Tino. She’ll be talking to the prison and anyone who was involved in the original investigation. Tell Mallory to share anything she remembers.

Luca: Copy that.

Tex: You okay?

Luca: For the time being. We’re leaving in the morning.

Tex: Leave tonight.

Luca replied with a thumbs up emoji.

After he slid his phone into his pocket, Luca carried two cups of coffee and a plate of shortbread cookies into the great room. Mallory left the recliner and settled in front of the fire with him.

“I texted Tex. There’s nothing new to report except that Faith Stoker is joining the investigation and following the Mercado and Tino angle. Any information we can forward to her through Tex will be helpful.”

“Okay.”

“He advised that we leave tonight. We should nap for a couple of hours and get back on the road.”

Mallory lifted her gaze from her coffee cup and stared at him. “The road to where, Luca?”

“West Bend, Colorado. Brielle’s in-laws own a cabin there. We’ll have to avoid I-80, so hopefully we can pick up a road map along the way. Since we don’t know how tech savvy these people are, I’d like to stay off our burner phones as much as possible.”

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