Page 9 of Valor

She understood what he meant. This was the end of the road for them. She wished there was a way to convince Owen to reconsider his options. That he didn’t have to just drop her off and disappear. But a glimpse at his stern profile indicated she’d be wasting her breath.

The truth was, Owen didn’t want to work things out. To turn his back on his criminal ways to walk the straight and narrow path.

Not even for her.

And that was that. Clearly, it was time for her to move on.

When Owen pulled up to the Redwood Motel, she noticed the vacancy sign was on. The place looked run-down, not as bad as the Wild Bill back in Cody where rooms could be rented by the hour, but a close second.

Owen brought the vehicle to a stop near the front door of the lobby. He glanced at her as if expecting to hear a complaint. She held his gaze steadily. “What? I’m ready when you are.”

“Good.” He reached over to kill the engine, then paused. She followed his gaze to see a car slowing down to pull into the motel parking lot. His gaze narrowed, then suddenly he put the car in reverse and stomped on the gas.

She gasped, grabbing the car door for support. A crack of gunfire had her ducking down in the seat.

Owen muttered something harsh under his breath but didn’t let up on the accelerator. He careened backward around the corner of the building. She wanted to look up to see where they were going, but she didn’t dare risk being hit by a bullet.

Owen switched gears and drove the SUV up and over a curb with enough force that she feared they’d tip over. Rather than cry out in alarm, she bit her lip and prayed.

Please Lord Jesus, keep us safe in Your care!

CHAPTERTHREE

Owen’s thoughtswhirled as he drove like a maniac to get away from the motel and the gunman behind the wheel of the black SUV that looked like a clone of the one he was currently driving. How they’d escaped being struck by a bullet was a mystery. Worse, he had no idea how they’d been found. All he knew for sure was that the bad guys were not giving up on their quest to kill him anytime soon.

Why, because he knew too much? Had Domingo Hernandez discovered he was Oliver’s brother and sent these guys to kill him? Or was it possible that one of his law enforcement contacts was dirty? All he knew was that the orders to kill him had to be coming from someone high up as he’d already eliminated two thugs with more coming after him.

There were far too many questions without answers.

Owen forced himself to concentrate on driving, using as many side streets as possible to put distance between them. The town of Greybull wasn’t as large as Cody, and he was worried that they wouldn’t be able to remain hidden for long. Every time he approached an intersection, he half expected to see the SUV coming toward them.

A horrible thought flashed in his mind. What if the bad guys were using the SUV’s GPS system to locate them? He swallowed a curse, knowing he shouldn’t have kept the vehicle for as long as he had. At the time, he’d had little choice but to take the car, as driving the bullet-ridden truck hadn’t been an option. But he should have considered the possibility of the bad guys using the GPS system and ditched it sooner.

Now he had to find another ride.

Spying the Greybull campground, he quickly pulled into the parking lot. There were several other cars there, too, as people were already out and about enjoying the warm weather. Yet even as he checked his options, he realized it wasn’t smart to steal something from the same location where they dumped the SUV. Especially if the bad guys were hot on their tail.

He killed the engine, then glanced at Emily. “Let’s go. I noticed a hardware store back there. We’ll head over on foot.”

“Hardware store?” She looked surprised, then pushed her passenger-side door open without questioning his judgment. Normally, he’d be reassured by her willingness to go along with the plan, but he knew this was only a temporary reprieve. Emily would not be happy once he set about stealing a car.

But maybe that was okay. His actions would make her more likely to agree to part ways very soon.

First, they needed to get to a safe location. Because as things stood now, Emily was in as much danger as he was.

“This way.” He took her hand and headed east. Walking through town in broad daylight was nerve-racking. He kept a keen eye out for a second black SUV, much like the one he’d taken from the dead guy, as they cut through businesses to reach the hardware store.

There were only seven cars in the lot, most of them newer pickup trucks. He needed something older, without the built-in anti-theft devices.

“What are we looking for?” Emily asked in a whisper.

That’s when he spotted it. A much older pickup truck parked near the back of the building, possibly belonging to the owner or one of the workers. He nodded toward the dark-gray vehicle. “That one.”

Emily frowned as he tugged her toward it. He had learned some things along the way, including the fact that some people just didn’t bother locking their cars. Especially out here in small-town Wyoming.

He opened the driver’s side door and ran his fingers beneath the front seat. No keys. Then he checked the glove box half-hoping he’d find a weapon, but all he saw was an empty box of ammo. He searched under the passenger seat as well but only found empty cigarette packs. Finally, he pulled both the driver and passenger sun visors down and quickly caught the keys that fell from the owner’s less than original hiding spot. Relieved he didn’t have to hot-wire the truck, he showed her the key and gestured to the passenger-side door with his chin. “Get in. Time for us to get out of here.”

“Wait, we can’t just steal this poor person’s truck!” Emily’s horrified expression was like a slap to the face. As if she were seeing him for the criminal he really was.

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