Chapter Eight

The feel of Claire’s lips and that sexy little breathless moan she made as he kissed her were still in the forefront of Luke’s mind two hours later as he paid for his purchases at a local superstore.

The cashier popped her gum as she scanned his items. Some food for both them and Khan, a change of clothes for the both of them, a brunette wig for Claire, and a prepaid cell phone he could use without worrying about tracing.

Burner phone.

Luke scrubbed a hand over his face. He definitely hadn’t been expecting to need burner phones when this week had started.

If the cashier found his collection unusual in any way, her popping gum never let on to the fact. She looked more bored than anything as she placed each item into the bag after scanning it.

Good. Bored meant she wasn’t paying attention and made him much more forgettable.

She told him his amount. “Card or cash?”

“Cash.” Luke pulled out his wallet and handed her some bills.

This stuff wasn’t cheap. He had enough to cover it, but between paying for last night’s second hotel, gas and all this with cash, he was now officially running low.

Turning away from the cashier as she counted the money and put it in the drawer, he looked out the store’s window. His truck sat close to the front where he could access it easily, Claire’s blonde head tucked low in the window.

He hadn’t wanted to leave her out there with just Khan as protection, but that was a better option than taking a chance on her being recognized in the store. Plus, she was already coming up with some ideas on how to fight back against Ballard.

A smile tugged at Luke’s lips. That big brain of hers. He had no doubt she would figure out how to access the data she needed to prove her innocence.

And he was going to provide her with whatever help she needed.

Taking the bags, he hurried out of the store. Claire sat up straighter when she caught him approaching and gave him a little wave. He smiled but couldn’t stop staring at her lips.

He wanted another kiss. Forget the fact that his arms were full of items that were supposed to help hide them from a law enforcement hunt.

Focus, Patterson.

His focus was something he was usually known for. But something about Claire Wallace blew his focus to hell.

He opened the door and tossed the bags in beside him.

“Are you okay? Any problems?”

He reached over and squeezed her hand before starting the engine. “You’re the one who has her picture all over the news, and you’re worried about me ?”

She shrugged. “I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”

He leaned over and stole a kiss. Just a brief one, afraid that if he let his lips linger, they might start a show right here in the parking lot that would get them arrested for nothing having to do with her fugitive status. He kissed her forehead before he moved back into place and started the truck.

“Did you get everything we need?” Claire asked, putting the plastic bags on the floor near her feet.

He drove out of the parking lot, careful not to draw any attention to them. “Yes. I think you’ll look good as a brunette.”

She made a face. “I guess so. Did you get cat food?”

“Are you kidding? I’m not taking any chances on that cat-dog chasing me down a back alley because I forgot.”

“Good. He can’t keep living on bacon and beef jerky.”

She looked through the bag. “You didn’t use a credit card, right? I should’ve mentioned that before. Ballard is definitely watching for movement on mine. He’s probably watching yours, too.”

“No, I used cash. I always carry a pretty good amount with me—a by-product of growing up so long without any money at all.”

For years he’d tried not to carry so much, refusing to let the past dictate his present. It was his dad who’d finally sat him down and told him that not everything about his past needed to be fought. If carrying cash helped his subconscious be at ease, then carry the damn money.

Fight the real wars, not the cosmetic ones.

She tried on the brown wig. “How do I look?”

He glanced over. “Good. I like your natural look better, but this helps you blend in a little more.”

He didn’t even say anything when his truck smelled like cat food a few minutes later when she cracked open a can for Khan.

But they were going to have to come up with a plan. Driving around increased their chances of being pulled over.

“I think I know what I need to do,” she said after Khan finished eating. “I have the drive with the info that proves Ballard planned to use Gouda for illegal purposes...” She looked out the window, her fingers twisting in Khan’s fur as he settled on her lap. Luke knew that meant she was thinking, so he gave her time.

“Thing is,” she started up again suddenly, “the data can’t be read outside of Passage Digital because of the proprietary coding we use.”

“Can you find a way around that?”

She nodded. “I think I can build a shell program robust enough to extract the information. It won’t be perfect, but it will be proof enough to get the police looking into Ballard and Passage Digital.”

“Okay. That’s good news. What do you need?” Luke bypassed the turn onto the highway in case they needed to stay in town. “Special equipment?”

“No, it’s all coding based. I need a computer that’s on public Wi-Fi, so I can make it more difficult to find where I’m located, with uninterrupted time and nobody else around.”

“How much time?”

She grimaced. “It’s hard to say exactly, but it won’t be short. A few hours.”

“We’ll be too noticeable at a coffeehouse or hotel lobby for that long. We’ll have to break in somewhere.”

“That might bring the cops straight to us.”

It wasn’t a perfect plan. Hell, it wasn’t even a good plan. He would much rather have a few days to scope somewhere out to see if they had alarms or security. Or go somewhere he was familiar with and could protect her more easily.

A location came to mind. One where he’d watched out for her when they were kids.

“How about the Wars Hill library?” He watched for her reaction.

A little smile lit her face. “That would be perfect.”

Of the limited time they’d had together when they were young, a lot of it had been spent there. She’d stayed at the library until closing just about every evening. Book time. Computer time. Avoid the group home time.

Once Luke had discovered where she was disappearing to, he’d begun joining her. At first, he was only looking out for her.

But Claire, who’d read way above her grade level, started recommending books to him. That library, waiting for her to finish on the computer so he could walk her home each day, was where he’d developed a love for reading.

The next time Brax wanted to tease him about staying in with a book on a Friday night instead of going out and having fun, Luke would tell him to blame Claire.

At the next red light, he turned south in the direction of the library. He drove by it often enough to know the building hadn’t changed much. But more importantly, he was familiar with it and would be better able to keep watch there.

“It’s a plan,” he said. “We’ll park a pretty good distance away, get there before it closes, and hide. That’s better than trying to break in.”

He glanced over at her and she smiled at him, her brown hair not right, but still beautiful. “Maybe by this time tomorrow, this can all be over.”