Page 73 of Montana Freedom
“Here.” Daniel stepped close and laid his hand on my neck. “I’m going to put this on you.”
In his hand was a small, clear, round sticker that looked like a Band-Aid. It had a little hard circle in the center. “What is it?”
“A tracker.”
Pulling my shirt away from my skin, he placed the sticker right over my shoulder blade. “You really don’t trust them, do you?”
He shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s that I know now not to take any chances. Nothing is guaranteed, and I will do anything, no matter how small, to make sure you come back to me.”
We stared at each other, smiling like idiots, until Liam cleared his throat.
“Earth to the lovebirds.”
Daniel ignored him completely, pulling me down off the tail of the van and kissing me like the world depended on it. “It’s not too late to change your mind,” he whispered against my lips. “We can go home. I’ll cook you dinner, stare at you in thisstunningcolor, and whatever happens after that…”
“I have to do this,” I said. “I’m not going to be the thing that kills you, and I’m quite a fan of being alive myself.”
Daniel sighed. “Well, I’m still going to stare at you in this color. For a few more minutes.”
The shirt I wore was a vibrant blue, and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off me all day. But I wasn’t sure if it was the color or the worry we both shared. Either way, I made a note in my head to buy more things in this shade.
“All right,” Agent Jones said. I jumped, having not noticed them coming back. “Mr. Clark, you and your friends are permitted to stay here with Agent Phillips. You’ll be able to hear and see everything, and there’s no danger of you affecting the surveillance.”
Phillips didn’t look particularly happy about it, but since he wasn’t in charge, it didn’t matter.
“Can you go over it one more time?” I asked.
He nodded. “Phillips, get the earpiece.”
Phillips brushed by me, and I moved closer to Daniel.
“You’re going to walk across town to the intersection of Barnes and Trinity. The store you’re headed for is Cole Computers and More. We’ve already informed the owner what’s going on, and he’s taking a long afternoon break. The door is open, and there’s a sign on the door that reads ‘By Appointment Only.’ That should stop the casual shoppers and give you a reason to send them away if you need to. Obviously, Simon and his men won’t be deterred by a sign. But that’s why I’ll be outside. As soon as you see someone you recognize, head into the back alley where Phillips can pick you up. We’ll take care of the rest.
“Your transmitter.” He pointed to the little earpiece Phillips was holding out to me. “It’s voice-activated. So we’ll hear whatever you say.”
The plan sounded simple enough, but I was uneasy. Not just because I didn’treallywant to do this, but it seemed too simple.
“You’ve done things like this before?”
“Yes.”
I glanced over at Phillips, and he nodded. “More or less.”
Despite the man being a dick, his confirmation made me feel better.
“Guess I better get going, then?”
Jones checked his watch. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Turning to Daniel, I hugged him. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, you will.” He kissed my head and climbed into the van behind me.
Taking a deep breath, I crossed the street in the direction I was meant to go. This morning, I’d looked at a map, so I knew the layout of the town.
“Testing, you can hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Jones said.