Page 67 of Relentless
“Unless we get news on Peter,” Kara added.
Chad nodded. “Unless we get news on Hilton. In the meantime,” he said, his expression filling with sincerity, “enjoy the time as much as you can. You both deserve it.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Consideringthey were in hiding from a killer, the atmosphere in the helicopter flying them to South Lake Tahoe was awfully relaxed. Ethan sat beside her, doing a Sudoku on his phone. Cody had his eyes closed and his legs stretched in front of him, his ankles crossed. Chad also held his phone, although she couldn’t see what he was looking at.
Sabina shifted, drawing Kara’s attention. She had her nose glued to the window as the chopper whisked them over the delta and farmlands between San Francisco and their destination. They hadn’t yet reached the Sierras, and golden hills, dotted with deep green oaks and the occasional delta offshoot, spread below them.
Sabina saw something that made her smile. She reached for Chad then pointed. He leaned over and looked, then laughed.
They had every right to take happiness when and where they could. But in addition to whatever was entertaining her out the window, the prior afternoon had been a productive one. Which always made Sabina happy.
Gina and her contacts were making progress on tying Peter to the trafficking trade. The threads she’d started pulling were beginning to unravel and reveal a story. So far, it looked as though he was an information man rather than a shipper. Peter’s actions were unforgivable in Kara’s mind, but shewasrelieved that he hadn’t been using the aid agency’s resources to traffic actual weapons.
The explosion was still a mystery, but the mechanic promised answers by that afternoon. He’d started work on it the day before, but then a young family had arrived with car trouble. He’d diverted his attention to them so that they could continue their journey to Seattle to visit parents and grandparents. Kara wanted answers, but she didn’t begrudge him helping the family.
And not to be left out of the action, Ava was 95 percent certain that she’d located Peter’s general whereabouts. She believed she’d traced his flight to a private airport just outside Portland. She had a couple more leads to follow but expected to have confirmation by that afternoon.
Kara couldn’t fathom why Peter thought he could get away with going after Astrid. But as she’d never been in his situation, she supposed desperate measures could drive a man to do desperate things. And as far as he knew, HICC didn’tknowwhy the team was being targeted. Only that they were.
Then again, if he were the last man standing, he had to know he’d be the prime suspect. Perhaps he intended to fake an attempt on his own life at some point and throw suspicion off himself, though. If he succeeded in casting himself as a victim, and not a suspect, then there’d be no need to investigate his life. And the reason for his killing spree might never come to light.
Too bad for him, HICC wasn’t that trusting or gullible.
Across from her, Tia suddenly straightened, drawing everyone’s attention and ending Kara’s musing into the mind of a killer. Cody nudged her, but she held up a finger as she scrolled through something on her phone. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed with every second she read.
When she finished, she rested the phone on her thigh and took three deep breaths. “I’m going to fucking kill her,” she said, her voice echoing through the headphones they all wore.
“What?” Cody asked, holding his hand out for her phone.
Tia hesitated, then handed it over. Cody’s reaction mirrored Tia’s, minus the swearing. Although his knuckles turned so white from gripping the phone that Kara was surprised it didn’t break.
Without a word, Cody handed the device to Ethan, and she leaned against him to read over his shoulder.
An article from a popular infotainment rag filled the screen. Kara didn’t need to read it to know the subject, though. The photo at the top—one of her and Cody dancing after the San Diego concert—and the headline “Swapping Sisters?” told her all she needed to know.
She scanned the contents but didn’t pay much attention. It was filled with lies, and no one who mattered would believe it. But what the articlemeantreverberated through her.
“He’ll know where I am now,” Kara said. Ethan handed the phone over to Chad and Sabina then wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Her sister and brother-in-law scanned the article. Then Sabina raised her gaze, but not to Kara. “We have to put a stop to this,” she said, directing her comment to Cody. “Me and the team started investigating Alex Bantry yesterday when Kara told us your suspicions.Youshould have told us earlier.”
Tia shot him a look that all but said “I told you so.” Apparently, she was on team HICC, too.
Cody’s jaw clenched, and he looked out the window. “My lawyers can handle it. There’s no need to waste HICC resources.”
Both Kara and Ethan stilled, waiting for Sabina’s and Chad’s reactions. Ethan worked for HICC, but those two decided where the company allocated its resources.
In a move that had both her and Ethan drawing back, Sabina reached over and smacked Cody in the back of the head. “If youeverimply again that you aren’t worth our time or skill, I will personally make you regret it.”
Cody narrowed his eyes at her.
Chad took Sabina’s hand in his. “I’d listen to her, coz. I don’t know half the things she’s capable of, but what I do know is that she’s not someone you want to mess with.”
Unfazed, Cody glared at Sabina. Then, after a beat, he slumped in his seat. “If it’s going to protect my family and remove a viper from my life without inflicting more damage, I’d appreciate anything you can do.”
For a fleeting second, Tia closed her eyes. A move that Kara only noticed because she was watching the woman. Cody’s head of security had been more worried than she’d let on.
