Page 33 of The Scenic Route
“Wait,” Felicity said, suddenly aware that she and Bennett werestillin Daisy’s office uninvited. “We’re heading out if youtwo were going to…talk.”Aaaand now I’ve made things awkward again, she thought, feeling her cheeks heat. She’d blushed more on this short trip to Simpson than she had during the rest of her adult life. Grabbing Bennett’s hand, she towed him past Chris out the door, calling over her shoulder, “Sorry again! Bye! Thanks for the showers!”
“Wait!” It was Daisy stopping them this time. “Do you need to use my office for research? I’ll be stuck at the front desk all day after my manager leaves at eight, so you’re welcome to this.” She spread her arms wide, indicating the entire office space.
“Thank you, but I think we’re going to camp out at The Coffee Spot,” Felicity said, realizing that she was still holding Bennett’s hand and that it felt really nice enveloping hers. “We’ve monopolized your office long enough.” The blush was back, so she gave an awkward wave and started pulling Bennett away again. “Thanks again! Bye!”
The weight room had filled up while they’d been busy—her blush flamed hotter—in the office, and everyone turned to watch them leave. Bennett caught up so they were walking side by side, still holding hands. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, and suddenly everything seemed less mortifying and more like an adventure.
Felicity turned her head to smile at him, and he gave her one of his half grins back. Tugging her closer with their linked hands, he leaned way down so he could whisper in her ear.
“Operation Bug Removal successful.”
***
“This isn’t all that much better,” Felicity said quietly, lowering her binoculars to her lap.
“It’s not worse.”
She couldn’t disagree with Bennett there. “True. At least from here, we can get a good look at the traffic coming and going.” She glanced around at the surrounding area and couldn’t hold back an impressed smile. “Plus the views are pretty fantastic.”
Bennett gave a grunt of agreement. They’d decided to try their luck on the other side of the compound during the day this time. The late-afternoon sun lit up the edges of the cliffs and highlighted the clumps of hard grass and shrubs dotting the ground. Even the razor wire surrounding the compound glowed gold, burnishing something inherently ugly with an odd touch of beauty.
Since Bennett’s SUV was getting a new windshield at Donnie’s Auto Shop, they’d parked Felicity’s car in a small copse of scraggly evergreens on a rocky hill a quarter mile from the militia headquarters. It was the only decent stakeout spot they could find after poring over maps for most of the day. Their view of the compound was limited, but they faced the gravel drive leading to the entrance and were close enough to see license plates with the help of her binoculars if they peered through gaps in the greenery.
“Honestly, at this point, I just want to know if Dino is even here.” Felicity pulled her gaze off the entrancing view of the mountains and focused on what she could see of the compound again. “If we’re going to get shot at, we should at least know we might get a bounty at the end of all this.”
Bennett just gave her a raised-eyebrow look, and she lifted her free hand in a small shrug.
“I know,” she admitted. “I have a slight adrenaline addiction. Even so, I don’t want to do dangerous things without a payout.”
Wearing one of those partial smiles that she was starting to look forward to seeing, he opened his mouth to respond but then closed it again. His face returned to seriousness as he gestured toward the compound. “A vehicle’s coming.”
Sure enough, she heard the faint hum of an engine as soon as he said that. Finding a gap in the trees in front of them that was at a good angle to see oncoming cars, Felicity focused her binoculars through the clear space and waited. The engine sound gradually got louder, the echo bouncing off the surrounding cliffs, until the front of an older-model pickup truck came into view.
“Colorado four seven seven boy Adam zebra. I can’t tell the original color. Was that blue at one time?”
Bennett was silent for only a few seconds before saying, “1982 Ford F150, registered to Cobra Jones.”
“Cold.” Felicity peered through the binoculars, trying to see past the sun glare on the windshield to the driver and passenger inside. “They take his militiaandhis pickup? That’s a country song just waiting to be written right there.”
Bennett gave a cough of what sounded like laughter before saying in a serious tone, “We need to look more closely at what happened to Jones.”
“Agreed.” The truck was almost directly in front of their hiding spot, and she saw into the cab. “Clint Possible MurdererYarran’s driving.” His passenger turned his head to look out the side window, giving her a direct view of his face. Her heartbeat jumped in anticipation. “And none other than Dino Fletcher’s riding shotgun.”
As soon as the faded pickup passed their hidden parking spot, continuing toward the county road, Felicity started her car. Caution warred with the need to speed after her quarry as she eased the tires over the rocky stretch that connected their overlook to the logging road they came in on.
Bennett tapped on his phone. “This’ll take us to Moose Peak Road, six miles southeast of where Clint and Dino will emerge.”
“Whose road is shorter?” Felicity asked, resisting the urge to bounce her left leg up and down. She loved this—the chase, the potential of capturing her skip. Having Bennett there with her just seemed to enhance the adrenaline rush. “Any chance we’ll catch up with them?”
“About the same.” He flicked across his screen, and she saw various maps flash by. “Drive fast.”
Felicity grinned. “Happily.”
With a spray of gravel, she gunned the car around the first curve, rocketing between boulders and pine trees until she braked hard before a hairpin turn. The car swung around and took off again like a slingshot, and Felicity couldn’t hold back an exultant laugh. She shot Bennett a sideways glance, expecting to see terror on his face—or at least a hint of fear—but he was fully immersed in the information on his phone. When the car slid on loose gravel as they took the next turn, sending them to the very edge of the cliff, he didn’t even look up, just absently putone hand on the dash to steady himself. The amount of trust he had in her warmed her insides.
They raced downward, whipping around turns and bouncing over frequent ruts and loose rocks. Moose Peak Road came into view too soon, before Felicity was ready to quit her roller coaster of a drive.
“Left,” Bennett said before she could even ask.
