Light from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 3)
Read Light from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 3) Online
Authors: Becki Willis
One
It
was happening again. Someone was following her.
Kenzie
Reese wove through traffic along Interstate 35, putting as much distance as
possible between herself and the blue Chevy. It was nearing rush hour on a
Friday afternoon; soon the highways would be snarled with bumper-to-bumper
traffic. If she was going to give the Chevy the slip, she had to do it now,
while the roads were still manageable.
She
first noticed the car ten minutes ago, when she stopped to pick up payment for
a freelance photography job. The driver yielded to her as she exited the
parking lot, so she offered a friendly wave of thanks. She paid the car little
heed as they both entered the busy freeway. But when she changed lanes and
noticed the Chevy following suit, an uneasy sensation shimmied down her spine.
Kenzie
rolled her shoulders, shaking off the tension gathering there. It was
coincidence, she told herself. No reason to think the driver of the sporty
little Chevy had any ties to the Zaffino mafia or Bernard Franks or the
now-defunct Modern Power; he was just another commuter, weaving his way through
Austin traffic.
But
three lane changes later, and the blue car was still only two vehicles behind.
Kenzie jabbed the touchscreen on her dashboard and waited for her call to
connect.
As
always, she felt a brief stab of guilt when she used the feature on her new
car. No disrespect to Myrtle, her faithful old ride damaged beyond repair in an
accident two and a half months ago, but she already loved this new car. She
especially appreciated the hands-free phone feature, even if it did make her
look like she was talking to herself.
The
analogy sent a shiver over her, reminding her of Bernard Franks and his
ever-present earphones. The Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Harry Lawrence
always appeared to be talking to himself, an amusing contrast to his neat
persona of ultimate efficiency. He hadn’t looked so efficient, though, with the
blood flowing frantically from his body, soaking the ground all around him and
his neat pinstriped suit. At least the bullet hole Texas Ranger Travis Merka
placed in the center of his forehead had been small and neat.
Travis.
Her heart ached, just thinking of the tall, lanky man. He had stolen her heart
nine weeks ago and had carried it away with him when he took a promotion in
East Texas, four hours from Austin. Their romance - if it could even be called
that - was over before it had a chance to properly begin.
Still,
he was the first person she thought to call.
“Lieutenant
Merka.” His deep voice filled her car and warmed her heart, despite the clipped
tones of his barked greeting.
“Travis!”
“Kenzie?”
With just one word, she heard his mood range from pleased to worried. “Is
something wrong?”
She
glanced into her mirror; the car was still there. “Do the Rangers have someone
watching me?” she asked. Travis had originally been assigned the duty, and
followed her for weeks before she even knew it.
“You
refused protection, remember?”
“Yes
I remember. You don’t have to sound so snippy about it.” The man may have
stolen her heart, but he had a unique way of irritating her. They spent most of
their conversations arguing. Although, she had to admit, they had finally
mastered the best part: making up.
“I’m
a little busy here,” he practically growled. “Was there a reason why you
asked?”
“Pardon
me, I didn’t mean to interfere with your important new job.” Her words were
cool. He had only called twice in the one week, five days, and six hours since
he had been gone. Not that she was counting. This was the first and only time
she had called him. “I won’t bother you again.”
She
started to hang up, but she could hear him sigh on the other end of the line.
She pictured him running his hand up the back of his neck, rubbing the neatly
trimmed blond hair at his nape. He was weary; she could hear it in his voice.
“I’m sorry, darlin’.” His voice softened, sliding over her like warm chocolate.
“You’re not bothering me. And I’m sorry I haven’t called but twice since I’ve
been gone. It’s been crazy here. But what’s wrong, darlin’? Why did you ask if
Rangers were following you?”
“Because
someone is. A blue Chevrolet.”
She
heard his sharp intake of breath. “Did you get the license plate number?”
“No,
he’s keeping a car between us for the most part.”
“Maybe
he’s just going in the same direction you are,” he suggested.
“Don’t
patronize me, Travis. I admit I never knew when you were following me, but I’ve
finally got it down. I speed up, they speed up. I change lanes, they change
lanes. The car is definitely following me.”
“Did
you get a look at his face? Anyone you recognize?”
“Male,
mid-thirties, dark hair.”
“You
would notice,” he muttered beneath his breath.
“Don’t
even start,” she bristled. He always accused her of being a flirt. Never mind
that he was right.
“So
where are you?”
“Southbound
35, about three exits away from my apartment.”
“Don’t
go home,” he said sharply. “You should be near the Randolph exit. Can you get
off?”
She
glanced into the mirror, seeing a steady stream of cars behind her. “Maybe,”
she said, but her tone was doubtful.
“There’s
a police station just off the freeway on the left. I want you to go there. Go
in and ask for Sergeant Phillips. He’ll help you.”
“I
don’t need -”
“This
is exactly why you should have gone into WITSEC.” He cut her off. “Right now,
everyone still believes your father has the evidence. They still may try to get
to him through you. No one realizes that we have the files. So until formal
charges are made, you and Makenna may both be in danger.”
“How
much longer, Travis? It’s already been two weeks,” she reminded him testily.
The lane beside her was beginning to stall, but there was a small opening
behind a panel van. If she squeezed her way in, the blue car would be forced to
continue along in the current lane. With a little luck, she could scoot over
one more lane and exit before the Chevy even knew what was happening.
“Captain
Ramirez says two to three weeks at most. It’s a tricky business, charging top
elected officials, a federal judge, members of the mafia, and a powerful
millionaire with fraud and embezzling government funds for the past twenty-odd
years. The hardest part is finding the right people to trust with the intel, who
aren’t already on the payroll for the men we’re trying to take down. It just
takes a little time, darlin’, but we’re getting there,” Travis assured her.
Kenzie heard someone speak to him in the background, but she paid no attention
to his muted response as she whipped into the tiny space behind the van. She
cut off a car in the process, earning an angry blast of its horn. She was still
learning the feel of her new brakes and came closer than intended to the bumper
in front of her.
“So
where’s the blue car now? Still behind you?” Travis asked.
Grinning
triumphantly, Kenzie watched the blue Chevy breeze past her, forced to go with
the flow of traffic. “So long, sucker!” She tossed the words in singsong as she
bulldozed her way into the next lane, again amid protests of blaring horns and
angry hand gestures.
“Kenzie?
Why are all those horns honking?” Travis barked.
“Just
a little Austin attitude.”
“Did
you get off the freeway? Is the blue car still behind you? The police station
isn’t far from there.”
“Don’t
need ‘em now,” Kenzie said glibly, taking the exit and turning the opposite
direction from the station. She knew a back way to wind around to the apartment
she shared with her sister.
“What
do you mean, you don’t need them? Go find Sergeant Phillips and tell him what’s
going on.”
Kenzie
grabbed an advertisement circular off her dashboard and began to crinkle it
noisily. “Can you hear that?” she asked. “What is that noise?”
“Kenzie-”
He was growling again. She heard someone call his name in the background, pulling
him away from her. She felt the silence hum with indecision.
“I
know you’re busy and everything is fine now, so I’ll let you go,” she said
quickly. She wasn’t ready to find out how she fared in a tug-of-war against his
new promotion. The truth might be too painful.
“I
really do need to go,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I need to know you’re all
right.”
“I’m
fine. Honestly.” She put as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could muster.
“Kenzie,
go find Sergeant Phillips,” he urged more softly.
“Sorry,
got in the wrong lane and turned the opposite direction. But there’s no sign of
the blue car, so I’m good.”
“At
least call Hardin.”
“There’s
no need to bother him now.”
Someone
called Travis’s name again, this time more urgently. “Kenzie, let me call
WITSEC.”
“No!
I told you, I’m through with running. I moved enough in my childhood to last me
three lifetimes. No Witness Protection.” Her voice was firm. They had argued
over the same issue time and time again, and her answer never wavered.
“I’m
just trying to get you through one lifetime, darlin’.” His voice slipped into a
low, sensual ribbon that wove its way through her soul. The handsome Ranger was
known for cheating during an argument; she would be in the middle of winning a
perfectly good fight, all fired up and confident in her position, when he would
slip in some tenderhearted sentiment that immediately rendered her helpless. It
was a sucker-punch, delivered straight to the heart, and it worked every time.
Even now.
“Kenzie,
I need to know you’re safe,” he pleaded softly. “I’m too far away to keep an
eye on you. It’s killing me, darlin’, knowing I can’t be there for you. Please,
let me protect you the only way I know how. Let me get you into WITSEC.”
Kenzie
drew in a deep breath, fighting the temptation to curl herself around the deep,
warm timbre of his voice. Her foot must have slipped off the brake, because she
slid slightly past the white line before making her turn. “No, Travis.” She
forced her voice to come out strong and even. “You don’t get to say those
things to me. No more cheating. You’re not here because you chose not to be
here.”
“Is
that what you think?” His tone was incredulous.
“Just
stating the obvious.”
Activity
buzzed in the background. “This argument isn’t over,” Travis muttered thickly.
“Yes
it is. Sorry I interrupted you at work. It won’t happen again. Bye, Travis.”
“Kenzie,
wait!”
“Gotta
go. Need both hands on the wheel, after all.” He did not have to know she was
using the hands-free feature. Beneath her breath, she grumbled, “You should
know that. You’re the one who’s such a stickler for the rules.”
Travis
and his rules!
She
fumed as she pressed the ‘end’ button. Wasn’t there a rule somewhere that said
you couldn’t fall in love with someone who was your polar opposite? If there
wasn’t such a rule, there should be. She was going to make one right now.
Unfortunately
for her, Kenzie had always been a rule breaker.
It
would make sense that she fell in love with someone like herself, someone
outgoing and fun, someone with social aspirations. Someone like Craven Shaw,
for instance. But no, her heart had gone and given itself to a solemn and staid
lawman, a man she had nothing in common with. The only things they shared were
bone-melting kisses and the crazy fact that somehow, they each filled an
emptiness in the other’s soul. Their relationship had not gone further than the
kisses, per more of his rules. Travis Merka’s life was dictated by a strict
code of honor, a stiff set of decrees and imaginary lines that dared not be
crossed; Kenzie made her own rules, followed self-taught morals the best she
could, and viewed most lines of discipline as being arbitrary, at best.
“I
hate rules,” she said aloud. “I hate cheaters. And most of all, I hate
changes!” She crested one of Austin’s many hills as she sped her way home.
Perched on the edge of the famed Texas Hill Country, many of the city streets
were a series of crests and valleys. With her standard transmission, old Myrtle
made driving them a real challenge, but her new car took the hills with ease.
Okay, so this was one change she appreciated.
Traveling
down a residential street with little traffic, Kenzie indulged in the thrill of
sailing over the hill faster than the posted speed limit. It felt good to
abandon all her cares and worries to the roller-coaster effect. Knowing her
careless act would irritate Travis and defy his words of caution came as an
added bonus, bringing a mischievous grin to her face.
Seeing
an intersection up ahead, Kenzie curbed her adventurous spirit and pressed on
the brake.
Nothing
happened. Instead of slowing, her speed accelerated as she swooped down the
hill. The stop sign was coming up much too quickly, and still nothing happened
when she stomped on the brakes.