Page 4 of Caught
“Don’t worry about her car. Worry about her life. If you care about my sister—”
“What are you implying?” His voice was hot and hard.
“Dude.”
“Sorry. I’m edgy about ….” He could hardly tell Omar he was edgy because he’d slept with Leilah, and she’d given him the cold shoulder afterward. “I’m just edgy in general,” he finished lamely.
“I get it. Of course, you’re on edge. Who wouldn’t be? But no matter how much you want to go chasing leads, you need to bring my sister in so we can do this as a team. I’m counting on you to take care of her, man.”
“I know that.”
“Good. Go back to the campsite and sit tight until Trent gets there. That’s all you need to do. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. Stay frosty.”
Ryan ended the call and checked the time again. He should hurry if he wanted to stop Leilah from buying a car.
Do I want to stop her?
No, not really.
2
Leilah had popped the hood on an unimpressive sedan. It looked like what it was: a twenty-year-old workhorse. Nothing special. In this case, looks were deceiving. The bland utilitarian exterior hid the heart of a lioness. The 2004 Volvo sedan was an R model with a turbo, inline five-cylinder engine with three hundred horsepower. She finished her inspection, closed the hood, and opened the doors. If any of the salesmen were watching from the window, she didn’t want them to know she knew how special the car was.
“It’s a decent car, isn’t it?” a voice said behind her.
She backed out of the interior, closed the door, and turned around. “It’s okay. I don’t love the gray.”
The woman stuck out her hand. “Holly Milton. It’s titanium gray pearl. But, yeah, not the most exciting color.”
“You work here?”
“Yep, only woman on the lot, so I thought I’d come out here and save you from those guys.” She jerked her head toward the trailer and the unseen men within it.
Leilah didn’t need saving, but she grinned. “Appreciate it.”
“So you’re looking for a daily driver?”
“Something like that,” Leilah responded vaguely. “There’s a lot of miles on this one.”
Holly pulled up an app on her phone. “A hundred and twenty-two, which might seem high, but it’s been a well-maintained car.”
“Little old lady only drove to church on Sundays?” Leilah asked mockingly.
“Not quite,” Holly answered. “The owner did a lot of his own maintenance, but he kept really detailed logs, digital. I can show you right here on my phone.”
Leilah glanced at the sheet on the window. “How much wiggle room is there on the sticker price?”
Ryan had given her half of the bankroll, but she didn’t intend to spend more than two or three thousand dollars if she could avoid it.
“Some wiggle room. Let’s take it out, see how it feels.”
Leilah considered this for a moment. She could drive anything, but it would be nice to make sure the sedan handled well. She wasn’t sure how she was going to close this transaction without handing over her driver’s license anyway. So eventually, this woman would know who she was. But unless Holly Milton was a racing fan, it wouldn’t mean anything to her.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
