Chapter4
A generic male voice came through a speaker near Deena’s head, letting them know that the next stop was coming up. Deena looked at Jake, who was holding his phone and watching the screen intently.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for the factory reset to complete.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want my contacts getting out.”
“Okay. Will that stop someone from tracking your phone too?” she whispered.
“No. I’m leaving my phone here.”
As he answered, the rest completed and after a brief check of the contents, he stuffed the thin phone between the leg of the seat and the wall beneath the bench.
“You don’t think that’s a little paranoid?” she asked, still whispering.
“Do you?”
“I guess not.”
“Good. This is our exit. Let’s go.” He jumped up and they left the train, stepping onto the brightly lit DART platform. “I don’t want to take my phone to the dealership and risk someone finding out that’s where we went.”
“Won’t they know pretty quickly? I mean, they’re going to run your credit, right? Can these guys track things like that?”
He smiled at her.
“You’re cute. No. None of that is going to happen. I have a guy.”
“He has a guy,” she muttered, following him at a slightly slower pace.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m exhausted, someone tried to kill me, and I’ve been going since about five last night with no sleep and in heels. Take your pick.”
“We’ll deal with the rest of that soon. I promise.”
“That’s good, because I don’t know how much longer I can take this.”
They got on another bus and exited a few miles later on South Ewing Avenue.
“At least it will take them awhile to figure out which one you went to,” she said, squinting against the sun and the headache she was fighting.
“That’s the idea. There are a lot of smalltime car dealers within a mile of here, and there are other businesses we might try to make use of. If we’re tracked to this bus stop, they’ll have a hard time figuring out where we went.”
He led her through the streets, turning a few times before finally leading her into a dealership’s parking lot. He went around the outside of the building without going in, knocking on a smooth side door and waiting for it to open. A man peeked out seconds later, smiling when he saw Jake.
“I tried to call.”
“I had to ditch the phone,” Jake said, going into the office, Deena right behind him.
“That bad? I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.”
“I need a car, Bob.”
“Done.”
“Without a GPS tracker.”
“Give me a minute,” he said, picking up the phone on his desk and paging someone, then hanging up. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Can you wait to file the paperwork until this all blows over? I don’t want them tracking me.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“You know I owe you one.”
“I appreciate you.”
There was a knock at the door, and a man came in, mechanic’s uniform spotless, hair slicked back, a huge grin on his face. He went to Bob’s desk, leaning over when the man motioned to him, then nodding his head and disappearing out the side door.
“I have an Audi A3 Turbo. Not as flashy as you’re used to, but it blends in around here, and it has a lot of power.”
“Perfect,” Jake said.
“Tank’s full. Do you need any cash?”
“I’ve got that covered, thanks.”
Bob held out his hand, and Jake took it, shaking it, then embracing his friend with his free hand.
“You stay alive, Jake,” Bob said.
Jake nodded.
“That’s the plan.”
“He should be done.”
“He knows to get both units?”
“He does. This isn’t his first rodeo.” Bob slid a large yellow envelope across the desk. “It isn’t mine either.”
“Great. Thanks, Bob,” Jake said, taking the envelope and tucking it into his jacket.
“Anytime.”
Deena smiled weakly at Bob as they left, her head spinning at the quick conversation as Jake led her to the waiting car. The mechanic handed them the keys, and Jake pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket. When the mechanic tried to refuse, Jake stuck it in his shirt pocket.
“You got both?” he asked.
“I did.”
“You never saw me.”
“Understood.”
The mechanic opened the door for Deena, closing it softly after waiting for her to get settled. As they made their way back toward I-35, Deena was shaking her head in disbelief.
“That man just gave you a car,” she said.
“Not really. I’ll pay him when this is all said and done. I’m not really a silver Audi guy, so I’ll probably sell the car when I’m done.”
“I’ll take it,” she teased, surprised when he shrugged.
“Sure. That’s sounds good.”
“I was joking.”
“It’s a fair trade. I saved your life, and I give you a car.” He laughed and winked at her. “I’m just teasing you about that, but if you want the car, it’s yours. I don’t need it.”
“I have a car,” she said, melting into the comfortable seat and watching out the window.
“I’m sorry.”
His hand was on hers.
“What for? This isn’t your fault.”
“It kind of is. I should have tried to kill that man instead of grabbing you, but I thought saving you was the smarter option.”
“Did you have a gun?”
“No.”
“A bigger knife?”
“I didn’t even have a pocket knife.”
“Then, I don’t see how you were going to kill him. He was creepy as all get out. Men like that don’t just die.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“You seem really smart; trying to kill him with your bare hands would have been a dumb move.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
“Where are we going now?”
“I’m going to stop by the bank and get some cash. Once I’ve done that, we’ll pull into one of those coin-operated car washes, and I’ll put the license plates on the car. Maybe it’s a little paranoid, but they have cameras at the bank, and I’m withdrawing the maximum. I don’t want the license plate number on camera.”
“I don’t think you’re being too paranoid.”
“Once the plates are on, we’ll find somewhere to hole up and get some rest. I haven’t been sleeping well since the first attempt on my life, and you look like you could use some sleep.”
“I normally would have some kind of snarky comeback to that, but you’re right. I’m exhausted.”
“Once we’re rested and I can think straight, we’ll figure out our next move.”
“This is you too tired to think straight? Wow. What are you, ex-military or something?”
“It’s a long story,” he said, pulling into the parking lot of the bank and going straight for the drive-thru.
She looked at the clock, shaking her head when she saw what time it was.
“I can’t believe how much has happened in just a few hours.”
“I know.”
“I can’t wait to lay my head down.”
“Are you going to be able to sleep?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to try.”
“I’ll be there.”
He filled out a withdrawal slip, sending it and his license through the little tube and smiling into the camera.
“You don’t have to go in for that?” Deena asked. “I tried to withdraw a thousand dollars once, and I had to go in.”
“The rules are different with different accounts,” he said, thanking the clerk and retrieving his money and license from the tube.
He tossed the envelope to her and drove away from the bank.
“Take some of that and put it in your wallet. I don’t want to risk getting separated and having you stuck.”
“I don’t have my wallet. It’s in my car.”
“You were walking around without a wallet?”
“Yeah,” she said, dreading the next question, but she knew it was coming.
“What were you doing in Victory Park if your car was all the way in the Deep Ellum neighborhood?”
“Don’t ask.”
“I won’t.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll get a wallet when we get some clothes for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me.”
“You keep saying that.”
“It’s the truth. Just let me take care of you, and don’t worry about the money. I have plenty to go around.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Look, I’m not sure how long we can stay in the hotel, but if we can hole up for a day or two while I try to get one of my buddies on this, it would be best. If you can stay on your feet for another hour, I’d like to get a few changes of clothes for both of us, some shoes you can actually run in, and a burner cell phone for you and for me so we can keep in touch if we get separated. That and some food so we don’t have to leave the room would make me feel a lot better about all this. The more we’re out and about, the more likely we’ll be spotted.”
He squeezed her hand.
“I can handle it,” she said. “I just want to get somewhere where I don’t feel like we’re constantly a few minutes ahead of this guy.”
“I agree.”
He exited the highway, stopping behind a deserted business to attach the license plates, then driving on to a shopping center with an Academy store and a grocery store across the street.
Deena took a deep breath, reminding herself that they were almost done, and before she knew it, she would be laying in a nice, comfortable bed, too tired to think about anything but sleep.