She needed to start being smart. Otherwise, she was dead.
The cops ushered her to the lobby, and she walked through it with purpose, pretending like she wasn’t fighting the urge to hide behind the artificial ficus plant in the corner. As soon as she pushed through the doors, though, she darted for the closest patch of shadows. The parking area was well lit, the sodium bulbs spotlighting the few cars, including hers, scattered around the lot.
Martin would know what she drove. Logan Jovanovic would be able to pull up her license and registration, so they’d get her plate number and her vehicle description and her address. Logan could probably even put a BOLO out on her, could say anything—that she was wanted for questioning, that she had mental issues, that she was a danger to herself and others—to make it so that any cop in the city could pull her over and bring her to the station for questioning…to be served up on a platter to men who wanted her dead.
As she wiped clammy palms down the sides of her borrowed sweatshirt, Kaylee tried to think. She couldn’t go home, and she couldn’t stay in her car—at least not in the city, and maybe not even the county. How far did Martin’s influence stretch? The tortured man had said that he had a wide reach. Did that mean she wouldn’t be safe anywhere?
Her breaths were short, with an audible gasp at the end of each, and she clamped her jaw, trying to quiet them. A car turned into the lot, its headlights traveling across the building in a slow sweep. Kaylee froze, closing her eyes in an automatic, silly attempt to turn herself invisible.
Panic built in her chest until it was almost painful, pushing at her ribs and screaming at her to run. Her nails dug into her palms as she fisted her hands at her sides. Her eyelids stayed dark, though. When she forced her eyes to open, she saw the car had parked, and someone climbed out of the driver’s side.
Kaylee watched as the woman strode toward a side door and used a key card to let herself in. Only when the door closed with a thud did Kaylee drag in a deep breath, her lungs aching.
She couldn’t stay there. Someone would see her, and then the questions would start. Casting a frantic look around, she hurried along the front of the building, staying in the sparse shadows but still feeling horribly exposed the entire time. The sounds of not-too-distant traffic scraped against her raw nerves. She was used to the city, to the constant noise and movement, but now every sound made her flinch. She knew Martin Jovanovic was already searching for her. It was just a matter of time before he caught her.
Ducking around the corner of the building, she smelled the dumpster before she saw it. Her initial instinct was to move away from the cloying stench of rotting garbage, but she forced herself to slip into the darkness behind the trash bin instead. Kaylee crouched in the shadows, feeling incredibly exposed despite the hulking dumpster in front of her. Fumbling in her purse, she pulled out her cell. Her hands were shaking so badly that it took a few tries before she could tap the right name on her screen.
“Kaylee?” Penny’s voice was rough with sleep. “What’s wrong?”
It was so hard to say anything after what she’d been through.
“Kaylee?” The rising worry in Penny’s tone helped Kaylee push out the words.
“I’m in trouble,” she blurted out, her voice sounding too loud. “I can’t come home.”
“Do you need a ride?” All sleepiness was out of Penny’s voice now, and she sounded like she was in the problem-solving mode she used for her job at the women’s shelter. “Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”
“You can’t.” Her voice broke, and the second word came out soundless. Clearing her throat, Kaylee tried again. “You can’t. I can’t go home.”
“What do you mean?” Under the practical snap was a thread of worry. “Of course you can come home. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll pick you up.”
The thought of Martin or Logan or any of the Jovanovic army spotting Penny helping her sent a fresh surge of panic through Kaylee, and her knees almost buckled. “No! No, Penny. He knows where I live. If he doesn’t now, he will soon. Mom is gone, and I don’t have any other family, so you’re the only one he can use to get to me. Noah might tell him that, not knowing… You need to leave. Go see your mom in Texas, or stay at work for a few days—will they let you do that?”
“Kaylee. You’re scaring me.”
The hitch in Kaylee’s breathing was back, but her mention of Penny’s work sparked an idea. “What would you tell one of your clients if she said she needed to disappear?”
“Oh God, Kaylee…” Penny groaned, fear leaking into her voice. “How bad is it?”