Hunted (18 page)

Then I caught the very real and tantalizing aroma of coffee brewing. Neither Matt nor I had made it to the kitchen yet. That meant we’d awakened either my grandmother or Sharon. Guilt warred with gratitude. I was sorry either of them was up so early but I was glad it meant I wouldn’t have to wait any longer for that first mug of coffee.

The sight that greeted us as we entered the kitchen brought a smile to my face. Sharon, looking rumpled and still more than half-asleep, stood in front of the coffee maker, one hand braced against the countertop. The other hand held a mug and I swear she was muttering to the coffeemaker, all but begging it to brew quicker. Since I completely understood what drove her to behavior non-coffee drinkers would think insane, I moved to her side and took the mug from her before it could slip from her fingers.

“Go back to bed,” I said when she looked at me, ready to protest the fact I’d taken away the safest method of getting coffee from the pot to her mouth.

“Can’t. I’m awake.” She rubbed her eyes with her fists and then smiled before reaching for her mug. “Why are you two up and dressed?” Concern furrowed her brow.

“Danny called. They’ve grabbed up the trackers. We’re going to go take a look at their room and van,” Matt answered. As he did, he led his sister to the table and helped her into a chair. Watching them, it was easy to guess he’d done just that numerous times before. Of course, she’d probably returned the favor. “I want you to stay here until we get back.”

“All right.” She stared up at him for a moment and then looked at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Danny, Teresa and the others have taken the trackers somewhere safe, but we don’t know if they had time to set anything in motion. We’ve been assuming they were the only ones in the area, but we don’t know that for sure. So no taking chances until we find out, one way or the other.”

If Sharon’s eyes went wide with surprise, my expression probably mirrored hers. I hadn’t thought about the possibility there might be others in the area--and I should have. It would be just like Jennings to do something like that. He wouldn’t want to risk his best chance at getting to me in years to just one team. Even if he hadn’t initially sent a second team, there was every reason to think he might have after our conversation last night.

“Is Danny all right?” she asked quickly.

I smiled as a blush touched her cheeks before she realized what she’d asked and ducked her head. I’d been so focused on my own problems--and on the changes in my life, not the least of which was Matt--that I hadn’t realized there was anything going on between Sharon and Danny. From the way Matt arched one eyebrow, it was a pretty sure bet he hadn’t either.

“He’s fine,” I assured her before her brother could ask the questions I saw reflected in his expression.

“I mean it, kid. I want you to stay here until we get back. The same goes for Irene.”

My grandmother might not like it, but I had to agree with him. Jennings was many things, including a fool, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d know one sure way to hurt me would be to strike out at my grandmother.

“All right. Just keep me in the loop.” Sharon smiled in appreciation as I poured coffee into her mug.

“We will,” I promised before handing Matt his mug.

Ten minutes later, we pulled out of the driveway, Matt behind the wheel of the Mustang. He’d put the time to good use. He’d given Sharon a list of other clan leaders he wanted her or my grandmother talking to before the morning was over. They were to do whatever it took to get them to our clan meeting that weekend. He told her which ones to tell the whole story to, including our suspicions about Jennings.  When I commented that I had a feeling Grandma had already made at least a few of the calls, Matt had nodded. So I wasn’t the only one who thought that’s what she’d been up to last night when she retired for the evening. Matt had then called others from the pride to come keep an eye on the house. If anyone came within a block of the house, we’d know it. Hopefully that would be enough to keep both Grandma and Sharon safe.

Funny, sitting next to Matt as he guided the car out of the neighborhood, I wasn’t afraid. Even though I’d assured him several times over the last few days that I was no longer afraid of Jennings, that had been a lie. Part of me had known it. I’d been conditioned to fear the man and what he might do should he ever get his hands on me. Knowing Matt and the others would do whatever they could to protect me had helped, but it hadn’t completely dispelled the fear. It couldn’t, not when I knew that the moment Jennings realized I was an alpha, he’d intensify his efforts to “bring me back into the fold”. But now, having taken the step of actually confronting him myself--even if only over the phone--the fear that had been a part of me for so long was gone. Oh, I wasn’t so foolish as to think it wouldn’t return. But, for the moment at least, anger and determination to finally make him pay for all he’d done filled me.

And I liked the way it made me feel. I was alive for the first time in years. Vengeance might be a dish best served cold, but a little righteous anger didn’t hurt a bit.

Half an hour later, Matt parked the car. Danny had been right. The motel unit the trackers had rented was not only as far from the office as possible, but was on the backside of the building, out of sight of the access road. The only vehicles in sight were a black panel van with Texas plates and the small sticker on the bumper identifying it as a rental, an ancient white Impala that looked like it hadn’t been moved in at least a month and a silver Toyota I assumed was Danny’s.

“Well, they certainly made our job easier,” Matt commented as he slid the transmission into park and looked around.

I nodded. I’d stayed at motels like this before. You could rent a room by the day, week or month. They were popular with workers who moved from job to job. But, glancing around, seeing the general state of disrepair this one was in, I doubted that I’d ever have willingly stayed here. I do have a few standards and not sleeping with cockroaches, or worse, was high on the list. But I knew why the trackers had chosen it, or at least I had a pretty good idea. This was the sort of place where no one would ask questions about why they were coming and going at odd times or why three men were staying in the same room. Of course, those same folks who wouldn’t ask those questions wouldn’t ask why we were now there and that was very, very good.

Still, we didn’t waste any time getting out of the car and hurrying across the parking lot, just in case someone did decide to become curious.

We found Danny standing just inside the room. He was busy taking pictures and documenting everything. As we waited for him to finish, I looked around, more than a little surprised by how well-ordered the room was. The beds were made but there were signs of someone sitting or lying on top of the covers. Almost straight across from the front door was what could euphemistically be called a dressing room. Basically it was a mini-alcove with a yellowing countertop and single sink. From where I stood I could see the requisite coffeemaker and what looked like three shaving kits.  Nothing, at least so far, to indicate the three weren’t anything more than businessmen here for work.

Curiosity had me moving to the levered closet doors just inside the room. Hopefully the closet held something to tie the three to Jennings.

“Finn, wait.”

There was just enough command in Danny’s voice to have me turn to him in question. Before I could say anything, he tossed me a pair of what looked like surgical gloves. I caught them and looked at him in question.

“Glove up.”

“Why?” Surely he wasn’t thinking about taking the trackers through the justice system.

“No, I haven’t lost my mind and decided to arrest those bastards.” Now he grinned. Clearly my thoughts had been written on my expression. “But I have taken a few precautions to protect us. I managed to get a search warrant--all nicely sealed so prying eyes can’t get to it--for this room and the van. That way, if anyone staying here does suddenly grow a conscience and calls the local cops, we have reason to be here. That means we have to look like we are following standard procedure.”

I had to give it to him. I wouldn’t have thought of that. Of course, all I wanted was to tear the room apart. I wanted--no, I needed--to find something tangible linking the three to Jennings. I didn’t want anything to keep me from that.

“Good thinking,” Matt said as he took a pair of gloves from his friend. Then he moved to my side, his expression concerned. “You okay?” he asked softly.

“Yeah.” Well, not really. I was on the verge of starting to tear the room apart and I would if we didn’t find something and soon. “Tell us what you want us to do, Danny.” Maybe if he did, I could concentrate on a particular task and not lose it.

“Check the closet, Finn. Look in their pockets, but be careful. You don’t know what they might have stuffed in them. Check the insides of any shoes there might be. Basically, look everywhere, feel the linings of any clothes, that sort of thing.”

I nodded and opened the closet doors. There wasn’t much there for three men. A couple of pairs of running shoes were tossed inside. On the shelf were two backpacks. Hanging from the rod was a single garment bag. Much as I wanted to rip into the backpacks, I started at the bottom, telling myself to take my time and not miss anything.

The shoes were a bust and the garment bag not much more. There was nothing in the bag other than a few receipts dating back three weeks and clothes. But at least we now knew they’d been in the area at least three weeks. That was more than we’d known a few minutes ago. But it also sent a chill through me because it meant they’d been tracking me longer than I’d realized. Maybe it had taken them time to find me or maybe I’d gotten as sloppy as I’d feared. Either way, it did nothing for my confidence.

Finally, I lifted the backpacks, one at a time, from the top shelf and carried them to the nearest bed. As I did, Matt joined me. He gave a quick shake of his head to let me know he hadn’t found anything useful. Hopefully, I was about to change that.

Carefully, I unzipped the front pocket of the first backpack. Other than a couple of pens and more receipts, it didn’t contain anything of interest. But the inside pocket, oh inside it was a completely different matter.

My heart beat faster and I resisted, barely, the urge to shout for joy at the first thing I pulled out. We had them. We actually had them and they would give us Jennings. There was no doubt about it. Not with this. Not when we had in their own handwriting their notes about how they found me, followed me and planned to kidnap me to take me back to California. The idiots. It was all there in black and white--well, blue and white--but it was there. This was the leverage we needed to get them to implicate Jennings.

And that only assumed that evidence wasn’t present in the laptop still inside the backpack.

“Looks like we hit the mother lode,” Danny commented as he appeared from the bathroom and looked at the contents of the backpacks that were now carefully laid out on the bed. Two laptops, several notepads, a disposable cell phone, photos of me. “Finn, do you recognize this?” He tilted the wastepaper basket he held in one hand so I could see inside. Damn, it just got even better.

“That was my cell phone.” With emphasis on “was”. The flip portion of the phone had been torn away from the base and smashed. Even from where I stood, I could tell someone had done his best to destroy it. Too bad, at least for them, that they hadn’t thought to take it with them when they left.

“Danny, we need to know if there’s anything on the laptops that will help us,” Matt said, voice tight. Worried, I looked up. There could be no mistaking his anger. The trackers ought to be glad they weren’t anywhere near Matt just then. I had a feeling that he’d have killed them, or come close to it, otherwise.

“I can do that. I might not have many talents, but computers and I talk the same language,” I said. “But not here.”

“Agreed.” He nodded once and then seemed to shake himself, as if trying to shake off his anger. “What about the van?” Now he turned to Danny and I waited, wondering if we’d have to search it as well.

“I’ve already taken a look. They didn’t keep much in it. Seems they had most of their stuff in the duffel bags we took from them when we moved in. Teresa has those at the safe house.”

“All right.” Now Matt gave me a grim smile before reaching for my hand. “Let’s pack up the stuff we’re interested in and get it back to the house. We can go over it in more detail there.”

Not about to argue, I started reloading the backpacks. I’d feel better once we were well away from the motel. I’d feel even better after a shower to wash off the filth of the place. Hell, I might even burn my clothes because I wasn’t convinced they weren’t infested with bedbugs and who knew what else. At the very least, they’d be going into the washer for a heavy duty cycle before I’d consider putting them back on.

*     *     *

Showered and changed, I stood in the doorway to the kitchen and breathed deeply. Matt and Sharon had already set things up the way I’d asked before I’d plunged into the shower to wash away the dirt and who knew what else from the motel room. The laptops had been set up, power cords plugged in. There was nothing unusual about all that. The rest of the preparations, however, weren’t quite so run of the mill.

On the way back to the house, Matt had asked if I really could hack into the laptops. Part of me bristled at the question but I’d understood why he asked. He had no way of knowing that I’d also been interested in computers and, if I’d had the money and hadn’t been on the run for so long, would probably have turned into a hacker. Computers and I spoke the same language. Unless the trackers were a lot more technically sophisticated than I expected, I wouldn’t have any trouble not only getting into their laptops but hacking any accounts necessary.

That’s when Matt got a crash course on how easy it is for most people with even a little technological savvy to hack someone else’s accounts. Too many people leave reminders for themselves on their computers about what their passwords are. Then they use the same password for everything. They don’t erase their cookies or browsing histories. In other words, they make it very easy for folks who might not have their best interests at heart to exploit them.