Page 26 of Stunts and Sparks

The best thing Cole could probably ever say about himself was that he was good in a crisis. All his trivial thoughts about other things were quickly shuffled to a back burner, and he had the single-minded drive to keep Heather safe. There was no way any kind of kidnapping gang or organized criminals or whatever they were would be able to track Cole and Heather while Cole was managing their movements.

The first thing they did after checking out of the motel was to switch cars again. Cole explained that they would be doing this regularly to make them harder to track. Then they went to the bank and took out several weeks’ worth of cash, however much they would need to survive day to day, so they wouldn’t have to use their bank cards. Lastly, he took both of them to a friend, who he knew was capable of making extremely convincing fake identifications for both of them. His friend had served with Cole in the military, which was why Cole trusted him enough to put their safety in his hands.

“Kevin!” he said when his friend opened the door and immediately gave him half an embrace. “It’s good to see you, man.”

“What are you doing out this way?” Kevin asked.

Cole’s friend Kevin was a big guy. Much of his muscle had softened after years out of the military, but he was no less strong for it. The man was a tank. No one would dare try to bring him down. Despite all that, he’d devoted himself to learning the art of violence-free, petty crime. He did a bit of hacking here and there, but he specialized in making fake driver’s licenses, usually for older teens who wanted to get into bars with their college friends. His work was top notch, though, and right now, Cole was grateful to have him for a friend.

“We need your help,” Cole said.

“We?”

Cole stepped aside to reveal Heather, who was still standing behind him. “Through no fault of her own, my girl here has gotten herself into some trouble. This is Heather. Heather, this is my old friend Kevin.”

Heather reached out to shake Kevin’s hand, but he pulled her in for a quick hug. “Cole’s friends are my friends,” he said.

“Thank you so much.” Heather shook his hand and smiled at him as Kevin invited both of them into his home.

“So what do the two of you need from me?” he asked.

“Just a couple of driver’s licenses,” Cole answered. “Good enough to get us a rental and a room. We’re not going abroad or anything.”

“Understood.” Kevin nodded. “Timeline?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Got it. And is this a need-to-know story?”

“For now,” Cole said. “It’s nothing nefarious. We’re just hiding from some people who want to hurt us until the authorities can sort them out.”

Kevin didn’t ask any more questions, and Cole was grateful. There was no question in his mind that his old friend would be willing to help him. Of course, Cole meant to pay, but if he really needed it, he knew Kevin would help him free of charge. That was just the way the guy was.

He worked fast, and Cole was so pleased with the way his friend treated Heather. He had a great sense of humor and joked around with her while he had her pose for her picture. The sound of her laughing was music to Cole’s ears. The last couple days had been a whirlwind of fear and confusion, and Heather’s laugh left him with some hope that she might actually be able to recover from this.

They ate a quick lunch while Kevin processed their driver’s licenses. He had expedited the process as best he could so they could be on their way. It would take hours, but Kevin made them perfectly comfortable in his loft apartment. While he waited, Cole researched new hotels and called around from Kevin’s cellphone. It was good to have friends in times like this. That was one thing his time in the military had given him that Cole hadn’t anticipated — strong, lasting connections with those who served alongside him.

The last thing Cole did before they left was to order a pizza from a place close to where they would be staying. Stupidly, hehad forgotten that he had only cash, and the pizza place wanted payment in advance.

“It’s on me, buddy,” Kevin said, overhearing the conversation.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t—” Cole began, but Kevin interrupted him.

“I insist. Pay me back later. I know you’d do the same for me.”

Saying goodbye to his old friend wasn’t easy, but Cole knew they had to keep on the move. They picked up their pizza on the way to the hotel, and it smelled amazing while they drove. It was almost impossible to resist opening the box and eating a slice right there on the road. When they got to the hotel, Cole was anxious to get into their room.

“There’s been a bit of a mix-up in booking,” the woman behind the counter said when they entered the lobby.

Cole resisted cursing in frustration. “What’s the mix-up?” he asked.

“You booked a double queen. Unfortunately, we don’t actually have one of those available. We can offer a single king if that’s acceptable.”

The woman behind the counter looked so worried that Cole couldn’t help laughing. This seemed to be a recurring theme, as if the universe itself were conspiring to get them together. Well, as far as he was concerned, the universe was playing for his team.

He turned to Heather and said, “What do you think about a single king, babe? Is that going to be a problem for you?”

She grinned back at him. “Long live the king.”

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