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“Maybeisn’t definitive.” But now he had her watching the mirrors, too. After several minutes, she straightened to face forward again. “Were we tailed from Tranquility Lakes?” He’d gone through the familiar security routine before they left.
“No. The roads from there to the interstate are lightly traveled enough to notice one easily. There are two vehicles I’m keeping my eye on. That navy sedan about four cars back. Do you see it?"
When she leaned toward Hayes a little, she caught sight of the vehicle in his side mirror. “Okay. Yes.”
“It seems to keep the same position behind us for a time, and then falls back, and a tan foreign model takes its place.” He shook his head. “That could also happen with the normal ebb and flow of traffic. Nothing to worry about yet.”
But he was concerned enough to keep an eye on it. She remembered the day they’d visited Rivers and the way Hayes had maneuvered their seats at the outdoor restaurant. He’d been right that time when he’d clocked Pollack following them. So, despite his assurances, Reese’s muscles remained spiked with tension.
He took a different exit than usual, and she watched with alarm as the tan vehicle he’d noted turned off, as well. But at the stop sign, it turned the opposite way they did, and Reese allowed herself to relax.
“Which SDPD division are we headed to?”
“Northern. When you have your meet on Monday, we’ll be back at Central, the same one where we met with Gibbons.”
At least there wouldn’t be a chance run-in with the abrasive Usher today. After her visit with Sedgewick, Reese’s tolerance was dangerously low.
It hadn’t improved appreciably an hour later when they left the police station. Reading over the statement had taken only fifteen minutes. But that was after they cooled their heels at the front desk for a half hour for someone to bring the report to them. They had to linger again to retrieve Hayes’s backpack and laptop.
“Forget lunch,” Reese said as they jogged down the wide steps in front of the building. “Let’s hit a bar.”
“I think there’s still a bottle of white in the refrigerator. We can order lunch and drink it on your patio.”
She wrinkled her nose as they headed to the visitors’ lot across from the police station. After the way things had transpired over the last few days, she wasn’t surprised that he was intent on keeping a low profile at the apartment.
They paused at the curb, and waited for traffic to slow enough to use the crosswalk.
When there was a break in the passing cars, Hayes put his hand on the small of her back to guide her across. Awareness flickered from the simple touch. Staying confined with him at home wasn’t exactly the way to douse the attraction that flared so easily in his presence. Not that she’d object if things ignited again. But Reese had little experience with morning afters.
And even less with ongoing relationships.
When they arrived at the lot entrance, he stopped to withdraw the laptop and open the app. He handed her the computer while he took out the remote device—aiming it at the Hyundai.
A loud alert sounded. The app on the laptop screen emitted one, as well, with a flashing icon. She froze for a moment, staring at it.
“Reese! Run!”
She didn’t need a second reminder. Turning on her heel, she slammed the laptop closed with one hand and raced for the drive they’d just walked through. Somewhere behind them, a cell phone rang. Reese hadn’t yet reached the sidewalk before Hayes was at her side. He snagged an arm around her waist to yank her close to him and dove between two vehicles. “Stay down!”
The computer flew from her grip as she was knocked to the gravel, Hayes’s body landing on top of hers with enough force to drive the breath from her lungs. Then an explosion rocked the area. The ground shook beneath her. Debris rained down in a torrent of glass and metal. The acrid scent of smoke filled her lungs. Reese tasted blood, dirt, and grit. The shrill of car alarms and people’s screams added to the chaos, but the sounds seemed to come from a great distance.
She didn’t know how long they remained prone before she heard, “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Hayes pulled her to her feet, his hands taking a rapid physical inventory.
“Yes. No. Ow!” She reared back as his fingers stroked down her arms and over her left wrist. “What happened?”
They rounded the vehicle next to them and stared in the direction of the remains of her Hyundai. Flames engulfed it, shooting into the air and showering an arc of sparks. Hayes ran in the opposite direction toward the street. Disconcerted, she wheeled around as he pulled his cell from his pocket while racing after a navy sedan that sped away, disappearing around the corner.
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“Pretty sure it’s a sprain, but you should still go to the ER for an X-ray.” The paramedic finished wrapping Reese’s wrist with a compression bandage and then fitted it with a cloth sling before tightening the strap to elevate it. “Do you want a pain reliever?”
“I have some in my purse.” She’d spotted it lying some distance away from where Hayes had tackled. Not all that far from his laptop, which looked the worse for wear trapped beneath a twisted piece of metal—part of her vehicle’s front hood. The roadway and the sidewalk were clogged with blue-uniformed police officers. He was conversing with one a few yards away, throwing glances in her direction every minute or so. His shirttails were in shreds. A paramedic had tended a burn and a couple of gashes on his back.
Someone had tried to kill them. The realization circled, but Reese couldn’t quite process it. The rear of her vehicle was still smoldering. Greenley had been murdered hours after she spoke to him. Whoever was behind this obviously wasn’t put off by homicide.
“Any other area that needs treatment?”
She shook her head. Her scraped palms, knees, and forearms had already been cleaned and smeared with antiseptic before bandaging. “Thanks.” She smiled at the man tending her and carefully rose from her seat inside the ambulance. “I’m good.”