Colt drove. Kate fidgeted in the seat beside him. She alternated between silence and barking directions to Sarah’s friend’s house. Colt reached across the console and grabbed one of her hands. “It’s going to be okay,” he reassured her. Somehow he needed to convince her to let him in further and explain what, exactly, she was running from.

She shot him a dark look.

As Colt drove Kate’s car, all he could think about was the fact that Kate and Sarah were not going to make it far in this run down, piece of crap excuse for a car. And if her life really was in danger, he couldn’t in good conscience let her go off with her four-year-old in a vehicle that might well give out one town over.

Colt brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I really would like to help you.”

“Driving me to get my daughter is helping. It’s giving me time to calm down and think rationally. But as soon as I have her, I’m leaving.” She shot him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Colt, that I dragged you into my very messy life.”

He tightened his left hand around the steering wheel. He didn’t want an apology. He refused to allow her to be sorry for anything that had happened between them.

“You didn’t drag me into anything. I willingly chose to be with you.” Colt reviewed the details of the morning. He thought back to the words of the note, not-so-subtlety calling Kate a rat. How she had reacted to the note and to the phone conversation she’d had immediately after. “Tell me this,” he said. “Are you in witness protection?”

She gazed at him for a couple of beats, then turned and looked out the window. “Take your next right.”

He took that as a ‘yes.’ “So, your name isn’t Kate?”

She laughed. “No.”

“What about Sarah? Is her name her own, or does she have a different identity?”

She turned to Colt and smiled. “No. I named her Sarah.” Her smile faltered. “Look Colt. Don’t ask me any more questions. The less you know the better.”

“I know enough about witness protection. You’re under no obligation to live your life alone forever. You did nothing wrong. And you surely didn’t know someone would discover your identity.”

“I really didn’t. You got me to relax, and for a brief moment I actually thought I could have something more—something with you. But I never intended to bring danger to your life. For that, I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing to me. And stop talking like you’re saying good-bye. You’re not alone, dammit. And you’re not the only person making decisions in this relationship.”

She turned to him again. “Colt. This is not a relationship. We both knew this was nothing more than a two-day fling. We agreed, remember?”

“We’ll see about that after we get you and Sarah to a safe place.”

Kate lifted a finger and pointed ahead. “See the house with the white SUV out front? That’s Sarah’s friend’s house.”

Colt pulled in front of the house.

“Leave the car running,” Kate said.

“Want me to come in with you?”

“No. It’s going to be strange enough. I’ve never brought a man home to meet Sarah. And she’s not going to understand when we don’t return to our house.”

“You go get Sarah.” Colt was going to call Tex and give him a heads up that he might need a little help. “It would help if I knew who left the rat on your front porch.”

She glanced toward the house, then back at Colt. He wanted so badly to make her feel safe.

“I’ll be right back.” She leaned over and touched her lips to his, then pushed the door open and started for the house.

Colt immediately dialed Tex’s number.

“Hey, Filly. What’s up? Didn’t expect to hear from you the rest of your time o—.”

“Tex, I need your help.”

Tex was injured years ago and now served as an analyst for several counter-intelligence units, including Colt’s. He must have heard the urgency in Colt’s voice. “Name it.”

“The woman you guys met last night is in WitSec.” Colt watched as someone answered the front door, and Kate disappeared inside.

“Witness Security? Are you sure?”

“She all but confirmed it. Someone left a dead rat on her porch this morning, the second in as many days. She freaked, called someone, and I heard her ask how someone had broken out of jail yesterday.”

“You think this person who broke out of jail left this rat on her porch?”

“She doesn’t think so, but someone has discovered her identity, and is tied to the guy that escaped prison. See if you can find something for me.”

“I’m on it. Any idea how long she’s been in witness protection?”

“I’m guessing a little over four years.” If she gave Sarah her name, and her name wasn’t changed, he assumed Sarah was born after Kate went into witness protection.

Colt watched the front door. But no movement. “Why is she taking so long?”

“Where are you now?” Tex asked.

“Kate has a daughter. We’re picking her up.”

“Oh, man, you know how to find complications. Oh, wait… I think I have something.”

“What is it?”

“Jake Boone, member of Samael’s Army, an outlaw motorcycle gang out of Lexington, Kentucky, escaped from the infirmary at the Kentucky State Penitentiary late yesterday,” Tex read. “Authorities are on the lookout for a woman who has regularly visited all of the MC members since they were incarcerated four years ago… Holy shit!”

“What is it?” And why wasn’t Kate coming back out?

“This woman is the spitting image of Kate, only older and with darker hair.”

“Send it to me.”

“Done. And I’m sending you a link to an article.” Colt could hear Tex clicking around on his computer. “I remember this. I can’t believe it’s been four years. It was a drug thing. Carfentanil, I think. These idiots were manufacturing a drug that is known mostly as an elephant tranquilizer and testing it out on Lexington’s homeless and prostitutes in tiny quantities to enhance the affects of heroin. Gray Packstone was the ringleader. The woman, whose picture I just sent you, is his mother. His father was also convicted of a slew of charges. Oh… and get this… Charley Packstone, Gray’s twin sister, was killed when police stormed the warehouse where the drugs were being made.”

“Is there a picture of Charley?” Colt asked. Something in his gut told Colt that Charley did not actually die in that raid.

“Let’s see… Here we go. Oh man…”

“It’s Kate, isn’t it?”

“ʼFraid so, buddy.”

“And now these gang members know she’s alive. They’ll kill her.” Colt tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Why isn’t she coming out? I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“Where are you? Want me to send help?”

Colt thought about it. He was watching the house; his eyes scanning every window. A curtain in the front window moved. Someone was watching him. “I might be overreacting, but yes. I’m in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town. I’ll text you the address. Call Wolf. Tell him to grab Abe and whoever is available and get in the car. Tell them to call me when they’re on their way.”

Colt hung up, then, after sending Tex the address, pushed out of the car. Just when he was rounding the vehicle, he heard glass shatter. A single gunshot rang out and hit the passenger door of Kate’s car. Colt instinctively ducked down and took cover behind the vehicle.

He heard screams from female voices inside the house, followed by a man yelling.

He pulled his gun from his ankle holster, but realized quickly that he was at a major disadvantage.

His phone rang. “Wolf, some asshole has Kate trapped inside a house with her four-year-old daughter and at least one other small child and another adult.”

“Did you call the police?”

“Not yet. You do that, I’m going in.”