“And what does ‘take out’ mean, exactly?”
“It means just that. Taking them out of the picture and making sure they can never hurt you—or anyone else—ever again.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was bad enough that I had blood on my hands, but now he did, too.
“But if the bodies are found here—”
“They won’t be,” he cut in. “I flew them out to sea. And I seriously doubt anyone is going to report them missing. Not if what you’re saying about Marsten is true. He wouldn’t want any investigation happening that could shed serious light on what he’s doing.”
That was true. I glanced back at the man I’d knocked out. “And what about him?”
He hesitated. “What do you want me to do about him?”
“Leave him.”
“That could be a decision that comes back and bites you in the ass. We don’t know how many more are out there, remember.”
“I know, but killing in cold blood is different than killing in a fight. I just can’t—”
“Then we won’t.”
Relief slithered through me. “What about their car?”
“I drove it off the property and abandoned it several miles up the road. It’s wiped clean of prints.”
“Good.” I bent to pick up the scattered groceries. “At least we should be safe from them for a while.”
“Unless they’ve got another way of tracking you.”
I glanced at him sharply. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “You said yourself that you underwent a lot of examinations and operations. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that they’ve got another way of finding you.” He must have sensed the panic that was surging through me, because he smiled and added, “It’s unlikely, but we’ve still got to be aware of the possibility. We can’t afford to relax just yet, that’s all I’m saying.”
I blew out a breath, then nodded. He slammed the trunk back down, then walked around me and opened the passenger door. “Let’s get moving before that man awakens.”
“Good idea, Ninety-nine.”
He snorted. “Do I have breasts and dark hair?”
“No, but Ninety-nine was the smart one, remember? Although it probably wasn’t hard to be smarter than Maxwell Smart, if the show had been anything to go by.”
He laughed, slammed the door shut, then ran around to the driver’s side. The sudden brightness of the head-lights as the car started up had me blinking.
He drove cautiously through the trees, edged the car through a smashed section of fence, then we bumped our way along a barely-there track, moving through the dunes and grasses for what seemed like ages.
When we finally hit the road, Trae turned right and gunned the engine.
“Feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere,” I said.
“Basically, we are.” He didn’t offer up other information, though, asking instead, “How were you planning to get to Maine?”
“I haven’t even thought about it yet.”
“You haven’t got ID, so we won’t be able to take a flight.” He glanced at me. “I could fly you there. It would be quicker than driving.”
I shifted in the seat a little, my heart racing at the thought of being carried high and free. “Can an air dragon carry a full-grown human in flight?”
“Depends on the wingspan of the dragon, and the size of the human.” He glanced at me, devilment in his eyes. “You’re just lucky I happen to be one of the bigger ones.”
“So you keep boasting,” I said dryly. “But I’ve seen very little evidence of it so far.”
“Just waiting for the right time, sweetheart.”
I rolled my eyes at the endearment. “It’s a long flight from here to Maine. Even if you are one of the larger dragons, can you carry me for that long?”
“I honestly don’t know. If your weight does prove to be a problem, we’ll fly in short bursts.”
I wrinkled my nose. “It’s probably better if I swim. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being dropped from a great height.”
“It’ll take longer to swim.”
I knew that. And a sea dragon going through the Panama Canal—the only shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans—would be more than a little noticeable, so that was out, too.
“It’s still a better option.”
“You really think I’d drop you?” He looked offended that I’d even think that.
I grinned. “It’s more a matter of not wanting to tire you out before that ‘right moment’ gets here.”
“Ah, well, I guess I’ll have to accept that excuse, won’t I?” He glanced at me, and there was concern mixed with the amusement in his bright eyes. “Why don’t you catch some sleep? You’ve had a rough few days, and it’ll be at least an hour before we get to Florence.”
“I doubt that I’ll be able to.”
“Try.”
I tried. And surprisingly, I did.
The car door slamming closed woke me some time later. I stretched like a cat, then peered through the windshield. Trae had said he was getting a cheap motel, but the one sitting in front of us, with its white painted walls and slate gray roof, was surprisingly pretty. Especially with all the potted red and yellow flowers near each of the rooms. There weren’t many cars around, but given the chill that suggested winter was coming around fast, that wasn’t really surprising.
I glanced around as Trae came back, simply enjoying watching him walk. God, the confident—even arrogant—way that man moved was decidedly sexy.
He climbed into the car and tossed me a set of keys. “Room three,” he said, as he started the car.
“Are we staying here the whole night?”
“We got rid of the bug, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Unless, as he’d suggested, they had another means of tracking me. But if that were the case, then we wouldn’t be safe anywhere.
And I guess the only way we were going to find out one way or the other was to stop, giving them time to regroup and find us again. If they did, then we’d know.
He drove across the courtyard to a parking spot in front of one of the rooms. The headlights illuminated the large golden number sitting in the middle of the white painted door. We were close to the office and the entrance, meaning the headlights of any cars that drove in would shine directly through the window into our room. A good warning system, if we needed one.
He climbed out of the car, then walked around and opened my door. I couldn’t help grinning as I climbed out. “The thief is being a gentleman.”
He slid his hand under my elbow and guided me to the door. “Don’t mock it, or it won’t happen again.”
“Oh, I’m not mocking. Just surprised you’d bother.”
“Maybe I’m still worried about you.” He opened the door and ushered me through, then tossed the keys on the flowery spread covering the queen bed. “You want to make some coffee while I get the gear out of the car?”
I nodded and hunted around until I found the coffeemaker, and then the coffee. As it began to burble and spurt, Trae dumped the last of the bags and his laptop on the chair near the bed, then said, “I think I’ll get rid of this car and get a new one. That scientist you knocked out could remember the plate number. And the original owners would probably have noticed it missing by now.”
“Most people would notice the car is not where they parked it the night before,” I agreed dryly.
“It makes the life of a thief more hazardous, I tell you. And cops tend to get antsy when they discover you’re driving a stolen car.”
“Well, maybe that’s because it is against the law.”
“And yet it’s practically a national pastime.”
“Doesn’t make it right, my friend.”
“Depends on your definition of right, doesn’t it?” Amusement played about his mouth. “I should be back before dawn. You stay here and get some more rest.”
“You really have a thing about me being rested, don’t you?”
His sudden grin made my pulse jump about like a crazy thing. “Maybe I have an ulterior motive.”