Page 25 of The Veteran
My heart leaped. “Have you found them?”
“No, but men matching their descriptions robbed a gas station an hour ago. Hanson is on his way to the scene as we speak. He’ll check the security footage and confirm whether it’s our guys.”
“Where?” I asked, desperate for information. “Were they armed?”
“Near Miller Meadow.”
Tension eased from his shoulders. They weren’t too close to Maple.
“The attendant said they had a gun,” Joanna continued. “He didn’t know whether it was loaded, but he didn’t want to find out, so he gave them everything in the till and called it in as soon as they were gone.”
“Smart man.” I hated to think what might have happened if he’d resisted. These guys had already shown they didn’t mind playing dirty.
“He was lucky.”
I rolled my eyes. Joanna wasn’t one to give credit unless she was absolutely certain it was due.
“Have you had any trouble?” she asked.
“Not recently. Hopefully they haven’t been able to track us this time.”
“Good.” A voice in the background called her name, but she ignored them. “Let me know if that changes and keep your heads down.”
“We will. Hopefully this robbery will be a useful lead.”
She sighed. “That would be too easy.”
I was inclined to agree. “Keep in touch.”
A beep signaled that she’d ended the call. I slid the phone into my pocket and headed inside to give Sage the news. She wasn’t going to be thrilled to know we’d be stuck here for longer. Neither was I, although a small part of me liked the idea of having this time with her. Her roommate’s death, and the subsequent slipup where Getty and Baker had nearly found her, had given me an excuse to be near her. I knew I shouldn’t complicate things, but keeping my distance wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Not when my heart knew it wanted Sage, and the damn organ didn’t care about logic.
SAGE
On Friday, after being cooped up inside for an entire day, I was desperate to stretch my legs. Even with good company, there were only so many card games we could play with just two of us, and I got the definite sense that Kade didn’t want to talk more about his past. The few times I’d asked, he’d brushed me off, so I’d decided to just let him have whatever space he needed.
“Hey, can we go into town today?” I asked as Kade stood to wash his breakfast dishes. I sipped my green smoothie, wishing I’d thought to buy pineapple to give it a pleasant tang.
Kade frowned. “Do you mean Maple, or Chicago?”
“Maple. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.”
He rubbed his stubbled jaw. “It’s dangerous to leave the safe house.”
“But wouldn’t they have made a move if they knew where we were?” I asked, appealing to his sense of reason.
“Not necessarily. They could be lulling us into a false sense of security so we’ll make ourselves vulnerable,” he pointed out.
I pulled a face. I hadn’t thought of that. “Do you really think they’d be willing to waste time when they know the cops are looking for them and that their photos are all over the news?”
He continued to the kitchen and I padded after him, hovering in the doorway while he washed and dried his bowl.
“I’m not sure,” he said, turning to face me. “But I’d rather not take the risk.”
“Please.” I pressed my palms together and pleaded with my eyes. “I’ll do everything you say, and I could carry a gun. I’m licensed, remember?” I didn’t like having a weapon on me, but I also knew the real world didn’t always allow me to indulge my ideals.
He sighed. “I have a spare you could use.”
“So, we can go?” I wanted to bounce with excitement at the thought of getting out of the cottage, but the idea of taking a gun sobered me.