Page 168 of Seven Deadly Sins

Especially since the man was a master at disguises. She quickly turned around and changed. Stuffing her long hair under the wig, then jamming the cap on top was no easy feat. She should’ve cut her hair. It would grow back. Nothing she could do then. “I’ll need help putting the moustache in the right place without a mirror.”

Before gluing the piece above her lip, he lowered his head and kissed her. “Had to do that first. I don’t think I’d enjoy kissing someone with a moustache.” His teeth flashed. “Let’s hurry. I know we have some light here on the road, but that also makes us vulnerable.”

She glanced around and nodded, then felt the hair on her lip. Definitely not something she was used to. She transferred her phone and weapon to the pocket of her overalls. “I’m ready.” Not really, but there was no turning back. They had to finish this.

She squared her shoulders and stepped back into the woods. Every crunch of a leaf or snap of a twig made her cringe. Robert was bound to have guards set out. They’d hear them coming and shout an alarm.

“We’re making too much noise,” she whispered.

“We still have a way to go. We’ll move slower, being more careful where we put our feet once we see light.”

She nodded, although he wasn’t facing her and kept moving forward. When they saw the glimmer of light from a window, they stopped. The back of the compound didn’t have a tall wall yet.

A barbed-wire fence stretched from rebar to rebar. Another straight wire entwined with the barbed. “It’s electric?”

“Yeah, this changes things a bit. Stay here. Let me look around.” He slipped away like a wisp of smoke leaving her to hide behind a tree.

Her heart faltered at every sound. Any second, she expected a shout or a gunshot. When had she become such a scaredy-cat? When she met someone and fell in love, that’s when. It was no longer just her she had to worry about.

She peered around the tree as an armed guard marched along the perimeter of the fence. Again, she expected Liam to be seen and an alarm ring out. When none came, she let herself breathe again.

There. Moving silently from tree to tree and coming toward her was who she hoped was Liam. She sagged against the tree when he joined her.

“I found a way in. You okay?”

“I’ve never been more scared in my life.”

“That’s surprising. You’ve always seemed so tough.”

She swallowed past her dry throat. “I am. Not knowing when or if we’ll be discovered is more frightening than facing an armed lunatic.”

He chuckled. “Come on, chicken. I’ve got you. Stay close and watch where you put your feet.”

Watching the placement of her feet made progress slow. The allotted hour given by Sheila before she reported their absence, had to have passed. Would Chief Donnelly send someone after them, or consider them as more collateral damage if it should come to that? Most likely the latter. She and Liam chose their path when they’d left the van.

~

The relief at seeing Harper still standing where he’d left her had almost made him weak in the knees. He’d had a strong fear she would be gone. Taken while he searched for a way in. Finding a place where they could squeeze in between a shed and the end of the fence had taken longer than he would’ve liked.

When they reached the opening, he put a finger to his lips and pointed to the opening. At her nod, he squeezed through, then waited for her.

They moved through a cluster of RVs and trailers. No lights burned in any of them. One shined from a window in the main house and what looked like a large barn.

A few men stood in the middle of the grounds. It looked to Liam like a shift change of the guards. He pulled Harper into an area light didn’t reach. Once the men were gone, they’d head to the barn and try to blend in. Tomorrow, they’d search for Thompson.

“I want you to enter through the side door of the barn. If anyone asks, you were out taking a leak. Find a spot to wait out the night. I’ll follow in five minutes and use the same excuse. I’m Bill Harkins and you’re my son, Bobby. We’re from up state. Got it?”

She nodded. “Be careful.”

When the coast cleared, she sprinted for the door. A boulder lodged in Liam’s throat. He didn’t like her out of his sight for even a minute and this was the second time that night. But she was a good detective. She could handle herself.

After five minutes, he strolled to the side door and pushed it open. Inside, he peered through the dimness in search of Harper.

She waved at him from a far stall. He headed that way. A man stepped in front of him.

“I ain’t seen you around here before.”

“Just arrived today.” Liam thrust out his hand. Bill Harkins. “That’s my boy, Bobby.” He did his best to lose the Irish accent and sound Southern.