Page 34 of Fear of Flames
“No. You were supposed to be home, tucked in bed right now.”
She sighed, turning toward the window.
Fletch continued, “I have a reservation at a hotel outside Peoria under another name. It’s best to travel at night and sleep during the day.”
“How do you know this?”
“Common sense. There’s another vehicle waiting near the hotel. We’ll take off in that after we get a few hours’ sleep.” He pulled the car back onto the highway. “We should lie low. If that trooper thought he recognized you, that could mean that IMPD or Iron Falls has an APB out on you.”
Michelle turned toward him, her lips agape. “You have reservations in another name? This is insane. How many names do you have? Who are you? What do you do?”
“The same thing your parents did.” He exhaled.
Michelle tried to see beyond the car windows, yet the conversation inside the car was too intense to leave even in thought. “You’re telling me that my parents were some kind of spies.” She laughed. “That’s impossible.”
“I can’t tell you any more. Not yet.” His lips curled. “All I can ask is that you trust me.” He reached toward her, laying his palm upward.
She looked at him skeptically. “Did my parents trust you?”
“Denny did. I never knew Tracy.”
Michelle took a deep breath before she laid her hand in his larger one and closed her fingers around his. “I trust you.”
His smile shone in his black eyes as his inked fingers encased hers. “Then we’re in this together.”
It wasn’t a question, and Michelle wasn’t sure what this was, but at the moment, her decision felt right. “I guess we are.”
A few miles later Fletch took the exit and pulled the car into a space near a large truck stop. “Stay in the car.”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
His nostrils flared as he reached into the back seat and grabbed his stocking cap. “Put this on. We need to alter your appearance. Your hair is memorable, and we don’t know about the APB yet.”
Michelle pulled the cap over her hair. Using the mirror on the back of the visor, she shoved rogue orange curls under the material and turned toward Fletch and lifted an eyebrow. “Is this sufficient?”
He cupped her cheeks, bringing their faces close. “Listen to me. This isn’t a game. The goal is to go unnoticed.”
“Not a problem. I’m mostly unnoticed.”
Fletch shook his head. “That’s not true.” He nodded toward her bag. “Do you have sunglasses?”
“Seriously? The sun isn’t up.”
“Do you?” His voice was sterner than a second before.
She dug down into her bag, finding a pair of sunglasses. “Yes, sir.”
“Keep your head down. Go straight to the bathroom and back out. Don’t shop or talk to anyone.”
She wanted to argue that she wasn’t a child and didn’t need all the warnings. Yet her age was irrelevant when it came to whatever they were doing. Fletch was right; this wasn’t a game. “Just so you know, you’re freaking me out.”
“Good.” He opened the driver’s door, got out, and walked around the car.
As Michelle got out of the car, she heard him curse. “What’s the matter?”
“The cop was right. I need to find out if they have a flat repair kit and get some air in this tire.”
Keeping her face down and stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat, Michelle entered the truck stop through the large glass doors and quickly scanned the interior. At this early hour, it was still relatively busy. There was a mother with three children near the donuts, an older woman near the coffee, and a man at the counter buying a pack of cigarettes. Michelle did a double take, making sure he wasn’t her assailant from the night before.
