Cold in the Shadows 5 (30 page)

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A
UDREY SAT IN
the back of the car and stared out the window, trying to forget the last image she had of Gabriel Brightman. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his dark hair, the bright crimson of blood, and the dirty gray of brain matter dripping down the headboard.

She heard Killion unzip his jacket. “I picked up Brightman’s laptop,” he told Parker.

“Good. We’re going to go get you some transportation. Then I’m driving back to DC to open the laptop and see if I can get into Brightman’s files without anyone knowing.”

“You’re leaving us here?” Audrey didn’t like that idea.

“You’ll be safe with Killion.”

She hunched into herself. She didn’t want to be alone with Killion. How could he be her lover one minute and suspect her of murder the next? How could she be so attracted to such a smart-assed, alpha-male who lived amid constant danger and who himself killed with such grim and seemingly casual mastery?

And yet
she
was the one suspected of being the villain? A woman who went out of her way to save anything she damn well could. She hated him, hated his job, hated the fact her life was in ruins. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she refused to cry.

“Can’t you examine the laptop here?” Killion sounded equally thrilled at the idea of being alone with her.

“I could,” said Parker, “but I might need backup and equipment to deflect any counter attack. It’s possible there’ll be nothing more substantial than a Windows firewall, but I don’t want to be taken by surprise or lose valuable evidence by rushing it. Someone was spying on Gabriel Brightman, and they might also be spying on his laptop—this could lead us right back to them.”

Killion grunted.

“Anyway, you’re more than capable of disappearing and protecting Audrey. It’s easier if it’s just the two of you.”

Killion grunted again.

A rough looking roadhouse appeared up ahead, with a line of motorbikes out front and a parking lot full of trucks. Audrey assumed they’d drive past, but Parker pulled in.

“Wait here,” he told them.

Parker got out of the car, and the silence he left behind was deafening.

After a few tense moments, Killion bit out, “I owe you an apology.”

“Which thing in particular are you apologizing for? Attacking me that first night? Accusing me and Gabriel of conspiring to murder and somehow being wrong about us both? Or accusing me of murder—again?” Rage poured through her.

“I’m
not
the one who came after you with a knife. I’m
not
the one who blew Gabriel’s brains all over his bedroom wall.”

Her stomach churned, but she would not throw up. “Just be careful who you point the finger at next. Or better still, pick someone you really don’t like, because they’re likely to get attacked and murdered shortly afterwards.”

He turned in the seat to face her, and his expression was closed down tight. “I’m sorry for all of it, okay? I’m sorry I attacked you that first night. I thought I was doing you a favor by giving you a warning. You were supposed to contact your boss and get the fuck out. That’s what a professional would have done.”

Now it was her fault she wasn’t a professional assassin? “Do you even hear yourself? Who in their right mind would have thought a frog biologist would be a likely candidate to be an assassin?”

He turned away to face the front. His voice was flat. “It made sense at the time. Do you need me on my knees begging forgiveness, maybe groveling in the dirt?” Suddenly there was too much emotion in his voice. “I put you in danger, and I got one of my best friends and Gabriel Brightman killed. I’m a fucking idiot. This is not news to me, but apparently it took you by surprise. Again. Sorry. I fucked up.”

She twisted the gold ring on her pinkie. She may not be a killer or a government operative, but she was smart. Killion was too. She was furious with him, but he was hurting. The two of them fighting wasn’t going to solve anything. “You say they used the poison from my frogs in the lab?”

“Yep.” It was tight as a curse.

“And someone put money into the bank to make it look like me?”

“Only half a million dollars.”

Who would do that? The only connection between her and Gabriel was… “It’s Devon, isn’t it?” He was the only one who made sense.

“He’s my next guess,” Killion agreed. “But we’ve already established I don’t have a good track record on this case. Why the fuck didn’t I just drop it when Frazer told me to?”

She didn’t know who Frazer was, but there was a bigger issue to worry about. She leaned forward and grabbed his arm. “Devon is dating my sister.”

Killion wrapped his fingers over hers and warmth stole through her. She hadn’t realized how cold she was until he touched her.

“She’ll be fine, and even if she isn’t, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Audrey pulled away. “But she’s my sister.”

“So what?”

“So
what
?”

Killion turned to face her again. “There’s nothing you can do. You and I are both wanted for murder and the first place they’re gonna stake out is your parents’ home and phone lines.”

“We must be able to warn her.”

“And say what? ‘I know the cops said I killed Gabriel Brightman, but it was actually Devon—the guy you’re dating.’ Well, maybe not Devon himself, probably his hired hand because if he has real brains at all he’ll have an airtight fucking alibi!”

Killion’s response grated. Sienna was in danger. Devon could threaten her entire family. “We
have
to do something.”

“We are doing something. We’re regrouping.”

“Feels a hell of a lot like running away,” she said bitterly.

She watched his shoulders stiffen. “There’s nothing you can do, Audrey. Give it up.”

“Do you even have a family?

“Yes,” he bit out. “I have a family.”

“Who you never see.”

“Because I don’t want shit like this to happen to them.” He made it sound like she was the crazy one.

She wrapped her arms around herself and huddled into her seat. “Guess what? That’s not being part of a family. That’s just being part of the same gene pool.”

A knock on her window had her jumping an inch off the seat. Then her door opened and Parker held out a leather jacket and a bike helmet to her. Both were surprisingly heavy. Killion climbed out and stretched as if they hadn’t just eviscerated each other with words.

“Got you a ride,” Parker said. “Cops won’t be looking for you on one of these.”

Killion pulled on a leather jacket with some skull design on the back, followed by a black helmet.

“We’re going to be bikers?” Audrey was aghast. The closest she’d been to a motorcycle was watching
Sons of Anarchy
on DVD.

Parker tossed the keys in the air and Killion snatched them up. “Which bike?”

“The Royal Enfield.”

Killion whistled. “Nice.”

“I’m not getting on that thing,” Audrey told them.

Parker took the jacket from her fingers and held it out. She put her arms through the sleeves. The jacket was a little big and smelled of beer and cigarettes, but it kept out the biting January wind.

“She’s going to need gloves.” Killion pulled on the black leather gloves he’d worn when they’d searched Gabriel’s house earlier.

“I have some in the trunk.” Parker went to the back of the car and rummaged through a gym bag. Handed her some gloves that were way too big for her.

“How’d you get them to part with the bike?” Killion asked as he swung his leg over the saddle of the monstrous bike.

“I offered to pay a guy double what it was worth if I beat him at arm wrestling.”

The roadhouse door opened, and two enormous men walked out.

“That the guy?” asked Killion.

“Yep.” Parker sounded unconcerned as he slipped the helmet over Audrey’s head and tightened the straps.

Sound was muffled inside the helmet. The thing felt strange and unwieldy, like her head might topple from her shoulders.

“Hold onto Killion and mimic how his body moves,” Parker told her, seemingly unconcerned about the three other bikers who’d come out onto the porch. “Don’t fight the movement of the machine.”

Sounded like some crazy metaphor to her.

Killion revved the engine and looked at her. “What’s it gonna be, Aud? You gonna trust me one last time?”

She stared into his blue eyes for a long moment not knowing what she was looking for. But one thing was certain, she couldn’t stay here. She slipped her leg over the back of the saddle, grabbed onto his waist as he immediately pulled away.

She looked over her shoulder and saw some of the bikers approach the man they’d left behind. “What about Alex?” she asked.

“I’d be more worried about any bastard stupid enough to take him on,” he shouted over the blast of the wind. “Alex Parker can take care of himself.”

Chapter Twenty

K
ILLION RODE SOUTHEAST
for several hours, heading toward Tennessee. He took the scenic route toward the Smoky Mountains and kept below the speed limit. There was always the danger of ice, and the last thing he wanted was to drop the bike on a corner. Audrey’s grip hadn’t lessened the entire trip and as much as he enjoyed the feel of her at his back, he was a little worried she was physically fused to him, and he’d never get either of them off the bike.

He’d hurt her earlier with his reflex accusations, and she’d lashed out at him. He deserved it, and it proved his point about staying away from people he cared about, not that she’d ever admit it. Audrey Lockhart had proven to be surprisingly stubborn in her opinions.

He smiled.

The cold air sliced across his exposed skin, but riding gave him a freedom he relished. He’d always had a thing for classic British bikes. The fact he was enjoying the rush of being on the run from every law enforcement agency in the country with Audrey’s arms wrapped tight around him wasn’t lost on him. It just meant he was more of an idiot than he’d given himself credit for.

They drove past horse farms and cow pastures in the dark. He needed to think this through and figure out his next move, but all his brain was capable of right now was searching for somewhere safe for Audrey to sleep. He could do with a combat nap himself.

In a small town on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park he maneuvered the bike slowly through quiet streets. In summer and fall the roads around here were packed with tourists trying to escape the crowded humanity of the cities.

Instead they brought it with them.

But the scenery was worth it, and he’d spent some of his best summers of his life out here at his grandma’s place. The cottage had been destroyed years ago during a massive storm, and she’d relocated to be nearer her son, his father, out in Arizona.

Audrey’s words about family snapped at him.
Gene pool, my ass
. But she had a point; it had been too long since he’d seen them.

The next town was larger, and he turned off the main street and headed south toward a sign that advertised rental cottages. Up ahead was a large lodge constructed of massive logs. As if sensing a change, Audrey’s arms tightened around him, and the heat trapped between their bodies was more than a balm on this frigid January morning. He stopped the bike and dropped the stand. They sat in silence as dawn broke over the mountains, the trees coming alive in the sunlight, the distinctive blue haze a welcome reminder of happier times.

The bike engine cooled. He shifted, and Audrey finally let him go.

“Stay here,” he told her as he swung his leg over the front of the engine. He didn’t look at her. He was scared he’d see that same mixture of distrust and loathing with which she’d looked at him earlier. The crunch of gravel under his boots sounded loud in the quiet morning as he trudged up to the main building to find the reception desk. A tired-looking young man roused himself from a chair behind the desk.

“How can I help ya?”

“Looking for a cabin for three nights.”

The guy peered around his shoulder to get a look at Audrey. “Nice bike.”

Killion laughed. “Yup. She’s a beauty.” He didn’t know if he was referring to Audrey or the machine—probably both. “Can you help us out? We’re touring. Figured we’d stop and check out the area on our way down to the Keys.”

The young man smiled a gap-tooth smile. “It’s the off-season so we got plenty of openings.”

Killion took off his gloves and pulled out his wallet. He had ID that wouldn’t be flagged in any CIA or FBI database. Worst came to the worst he’d talk to his contact in Seattle and get something made for Audrey, too. His gut clenched because he didn’t want her to have to go on the lam, but right now he wasn’t seeing another way out of this mess. He handed over cash, grateful most bikers weren’t big on credit cards.

“Number seven.” The kid slid a key across the scarred wooden counter and pointed along a side road through the trees. “Take a left. It’s the last cabin on the left. Smaller than the others. Here’s a map of some walks in the area. There’s a scenic waterfall less than a mile away.”

Which would be well and good if he didn’t have one of the FBI’s Most Wanted on the back of his bike. He smiled down at the kid, wondering what his own life would have been like if he’d been content with a simple life. He nodded. “’Preciate the information.”

He headed down the path. Audrey leaned back as he swung his leg over the saddle, the two of them in perfect synchrony as if they’d been doing this for years.

He started up the engine, trying not to wince at the noise, and motored slowly along to the cottage the receptionist had indicated. He parked the bike near the front door and out of sight of anyone walking past. Cut the engine and felt cold mist cling to his skin.

Audrey stumbled off the machine, and he leaped off to help her. He wrapped his arms around her and wished things were different between them. That she didn’t hold herself stiffly away from him. “Okay let’s get you inside.” His voice was rough, gritty. She’d put it down to his long night of driving.

He shuffled her to the door, tempted to pick her up, but she was too remote for that now. She needed some space. She deserved some autonomy.