Chapter Sixty-Eight
Bree
I was too nervous to sit down, so I dumped out the entire contents of the manila folder. The rickety card table swayed as I leaned my hands on it. In the pile of paperwork, I found tickets from an arena farther south, insurance cards with our new names, and the registration for the RV.
“Do you think we’re supposed to practice these signatures?” I asked Nathan.
He stood at the door, listening intently. “Probably.”
“Your name’s going to be Tom,” I said.
Nathan snorted but didn’t say anything else. He pressed his ear to the door again and listened. Barely perceptible nods of his head meant that Nathan was counting.
Whatever he was doing, he couldn’t tell me anything about it. I believed him completely when he said the room was bugged.
“I’m Matilda, but you’re going to have to call me Matty because that name is so old-fashioned,” I said.
He smiled but didn’t respond.
I held up two wristbands. “Apparently, you’re into deep sea fishing. These prove we were on a boat called the Outcaster.”
Nathan nodded. “I could get into deep sea fishing.”
“Hank, please. We’re supposed to be practicing our new identities,” I said.
Nathan sighed and joined me at the table. “Looks easy enough. Tom and Matilda. He’s got a business card. Tom’s a concrete pourer from Minnesota.”
“Let me guess, Matilda is a housewife. These cartel guys are chauvinists,” I said.
The hard rap on the door made us both jump. Then there was the rattle of a key and the door finally swung open. The bodyguard loomed in the doorway and nodded for us to join him in the hallway.
The man with the laptop was there with two white envelopes. “Your passports and your driver’s licenses. If you have any questions, now’s your chance. He wasn’t kidding when he said you’d be quizzed on your new identities in the morning.”
Nathan took the envelopes and handed me mine with a significant look. He wanted me to distract the two men while he did something.
My heart skipped a few beats. What could he be planning? The bodyguard was the size of a mountain and a heavy gun rode in a holster under his arm. The hallway was long and narrow. There was no escape.
Still, I had to help him. “I have a few questions.”
I gave the man with the laptop my best smile and sauntered past him to lean against the opposite wall of the hallway. I waved the man over to stand next to me. The bodyguard frowned and shifted to keep an eye on us.
“I can’t change your name or place of birth,” the man said.
I laughed and laid my hand on his arm. “No, I don’t care about that. But, this is all really overwhelming. What happens if we get caught?”
The bodyguard crossed his arms over his chest and frowned down on me. “Don’t get caught.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you have muscles the size of a Mack truck.” I gave him a flirty smile. “But what am I supposed to do if border security finds all the cocaine?”
“The boss explained it all already,” the bodyguard said.
The man with the laptop moved to stand in front of the bodyguard, both their backs to Nathan. He shifted and turned back toward the door to our room.
“Yeah, I remember him talking about lawyers. But what if we get in a car accident? You can’t tell me that’s never happened. What if I panic and step on the gas instead of the brake?” I asked.
I didn’t know how much longer I could hold the men’s attention. I lifted my curly hair off my neck and fanned myself.
The man with the laptop let his gaze drop to my gaping shirt. The bodyguard kept his eyes on me but his expression was stony. “Drive safe,” was all he said.
I looped my arm through the laptop man’s free arm and pulled him toward me. “Please. I just want to know the best thing to do.”
The bodyguard stepped forward as we drew away from him. One frown from him had the laptop man extricating himself from my grasp.
“Come on,” he told his giant companion. “At least tell her about the man who accidentally rammed right into a police car.”
A flicker of a smile crossed the bodyguard’s lips. “Moron. The air bags deployed in a cloud of cocaine. The driver had to be treated for an overdose.”
I giggled. “Guess babbling high on coke is one way to avoid a serious interrogation.”
Nathan left the door and slipped back into our room. I prayed he would be done soon because my heart almost gave out every time the men’s eyes moved.
The man with the laptop appreciated the little shimmy I added to my giggle. “Probably a good idea if you drive. I’d be distracted with you next to me.”
Just then the bodyguard snapped to his full height and turned around. Nathan was there, leaning against the doorjamb with a bored but defiant look on his face.
“You know what I find distracting?” Nathan asked. “Getting locked up overnight.”
The bodyguard took my arm and flung me back toward Nathan. “Be happy you’re not in separate rooms.”
“Was that a threat?” Nathan left me and lunged toward the big bodyguard.
The two men tested each other out with a few hard shoves. Nathan was being purposefully clumsy, and I couldn’t imagine why. I clapped my hands over my mouth and tried not to scream. What was Nathan thinking, provoking the bodyguard?
“No! Stop! He’s got a gun.” I caught myself just before I called out Nathan’s real name.
Nathan released what appeared to be an ineffectual hold on the bodyguard. He turned to me with a wink.
Nathan wound his arm protectively around my waist. “So, we’re supposed to just starve to death?”
I bounced to get everyone’s attention. “I could cook something. There was a full kitchen in that RV.”
The bodyguard shook his head and reached into his pocket. “Granola bars. You’ll survive.”
Nathan snatched the granola bars and strolled back into the room. “I guess you’re right. For the amount of money this job pays, we can handle one night.”
“Memorize your identities or they might hold you an extra day,” the man with the laptop added helpfully.
The bodyguard shoved him out of the way and shut the door. We waited until we heard the lock click into place, and then sat down together on one of the low cots.
In the silence, Nathan unwrapped his granola bar and took a huge bite. He chewed it slowly and then gestured for me to do the same.
“I’m not hungry,” I said.
“Who knows when we’ll get to eat again? I’m pretty sure the itinerary did not include meal times. They expect us to just drive straight through,” Nathan said.
I unwrapped my granola bar slowly and nibbled on one corner. “I don’t care. As long as we get out of here.”
Nathan nodded and leaned back against the wall. “All right, Matilda,” he said with a wink. “Tell me your life story.”
I scowled at Nathan around my granola bar and stood up. I knew I couldn’t ask him what he had been doing. The room was most definitely monitored. I paced back and forth and reminded myself of the one thing I knew for certain.
Nathan was the only man I could trust.