Chapter 24

chapter

twenty-four

Gage heard the sirens. Had someone called the police?

He didn’t know who would do that or why. Austin should be gone, and he had no idea about any of this.

Most likely, the sirens were unrelated.

Still, he froze and waited.

Hopefully, the sound had these guys spooked. They knew law enforcement was close. Would they chance sticking around?

Gage didn’t think so.

He turned his head to check on Nia.

Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was okay.

However, the terror in her gaze was enough to make him want to murmur words of comfort.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t chance it.

One slight sound could give them away.

The minutes ticked by in slow motion.

Finally, the sound of footsteps fleeing caught his ear.

Gage’s lungs loosened—just slightly.

This should buy him and Nia some time.

But he still needed to plan his next moves carefully.

Even if Nia had a car in the garage, there was a good chance a tracking device had been placed on it at this point. It wouldn’t be safe to take the vehicle anywhere.

Gage had another idea. It wasn’t his favorite. But in situations like this, he had little choice.

Right now, he wanted to stay alive.

He waited several moments. Then he carefully slid out from beneath the SUV and scanned the parking garage.

He didn’t see the gunmen. They must have fled.

He knelt down. “It’s safe. For now. You can come out.”

She scooted out from beneath the SUV. Dirt and oil smudged her cheeks and clothing. She looked pale—too pale. Her breathing too shallow.

As long as she remained upright, none of that mattered.

Only surviving.

“Come with me.” He grabbed her hand to ensure she moved quickly enough. Then he crept down the line of cars, checking the doors on each one.

“What are you doing?” Nia muttered.

Before he could answer, he found a car with the doors unlocked. Perfect.

“Go around,” he told Nia quietly. “Get inside.”

Her eyes widened. “Is this your car? ”

“No. But you need to get in. We don’t have time to talk right now.” He climbed inside.

He began fiddling with the wires beneath the dash. Finally, Nia scrambled to the other door.

She rushed inside, a jumble of nerves with her jerky motions and shallow breathing. “You’re seriously stealing this car? You don’t think we have enough problems right now?”

He continued hotwiring the vehicle. “Unfortunately, neither of our vehicles are safe to drive.”

“You mean—” Nia didn’t finish her question, but the answer settled in her gaze.

With a pensive expression, she jerked her seatbelt across her chest. “I feel bad taking someone else’s car.”

“We’ll return it. I know it’s not ideal. But . . . there are no other options.”

Finally, the sedan roared to life.

“Stay down low.” Gage pulled on his own seatbelt and hit the accelerator.

He zipped down three levels of the parking garage, looking for any signs of those guys as he did.

So far, so good.

“I know what you did,” Nia blurted beside him.

He craned his neck toward her, her words making no sense. “What?”

He turned toward the exit and waited for her to continue.

Her hand rested on her throat as if it had tightened. “You killed Rob.”

Surprise jarred him. “I didn’t kill Rob. You did. ”

Her eyes widened. “Why would I kill Rob?”

“That’s an excellent question. I’d love to know that answer.”

The two of them glanced at each other, questions floating between them.

What exactly was going on here?

Nia’s heart pounded out of control as she stared at Gage.

He thought she’d killed Rob.

Why would he think that?

A chill swept over her.

Part of her knew she should run. Knew that jumping out of a moving vehicle was safer than going somewhere with Gage.

But another part felt frozen.

Still another part wanted to trust him—wanted to trust someone .

He’d kept her safe from the man trying to kill her.

But was that because he needed something from her?

As the sirens got louder, Gage turned to her. “Look, I didn’t kill Rob. But if we don’t get out of here soon, those guys are going to find us. When they do, they’re going to kill both of us this time.”

Her chill grew frostier. “Those guys? How many are there?”

“Two that I saw.”

Nia stared at him a moment .

Although she had a million questions, she didn’t voice any of them.

Not right now.

She wanted to look Gage in the eye when he answered.

Right now, she needed to let him drive.

“Stay low,” he reminded her as he exited the garage and paused at the street.

Nia crouched in her seat, and Gage tugged his hat down.

Just as the police sped past, he turned right and peeled away from the parking garage.

Where was he taking her?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“Take the battery out of your phone,” he muttered as he accelerated in the opposite direction of the cops.

“What?” She stared at him, wondering why he’d tell her that.

“Just in case someone is tracking you.”

She supposed that was a good point.

Reluctantly, she pulled out her phone and did as he asked. “What about you?”

“My phone is untraceable.”

Her eyes narrowed with thought. “How do you have an untraceable phone?”

Gage didn’t answer.

Nia remained lost in her thoughts as Gage continued to drive out of Miami, out of the suburbs, and away from any signs of life .

The lump in her throat grew larger. This was probably a bad idea.

She knew where this road led.

Gage was taking her to the Everglades, wasn’t he?

The perfect place to dump a body.

Her body?

Maybe.

Nothing felt certain right now.

But Nia prayed she was doing the right thing.