His grin was a flash of white in the shifting shadows. “Mostly?”
“There have been a couple of times when I understood why the embezzler targeted that company. That’s all I’m saying.”
“No wonder you’re so good at catching thieves. You know how they think.”
“I’ve always found it hypocritical, but I tell myself I’m not putting people away for stealing; I’m punishing them for being bad at it.”
Søren laughed softly. “You, Mia Sauter, are not the good girl I took you for.”
There was real relief in having someone know her like this, dirty splotches and all. “No, I’m not.”
Silence settled between them, but it was comfortable.
By the time dawn broke, he was flagging, but they couldn’t stop yet. “We need to get rid of this car.”
“Agreed. Breakfast and then swap?”
“I’ll look for a truck stop.”
Ten miles down the road, they found an all-night place that offered a $2.99 breakfast speciaclass="underline" fried eggs, sausage, grits, bacon, and biscuits with gravy. To her astonishment, he stated his intent to order it with no hesitation and every appearance of delight.
“Are you trying to kill yourself? Why not just get a gun?”
Søren paused in mixing an insane amount of sugar into his coffee. “I have to eat like this. My metabolism is fucked up.”
“So your engine thrives on grease and sugar?”
“Yes.”
“Lucky bastard,” Mia muttered. “I bet you inhale chocolate and think nothing of it.”
There was a faint apology in his tone when he answered, “Well, I could, but I don’t much care for it.”
“That is beyond wrong.”
“I like ice cream. Pistachio. What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Mocha. My favorite indulgence, which I should never, ever eat is Reese’s peanut butter pie.”
“What the hell is that?” His tone implied, It sounds disgusting.
“Not sure how it’s made, but it starts with a chocolate cookie crust, and I think it has chocolate and peanut butter chips in the filling. It’s topped with crushed Reese’s.”
“Even I wouldn’t eat that.”
“Funny.”
Thinking about desserts made her realize how damn hungry she was. Well, what the hell. She might not live long enough to care about the state of her arteries anyway. When the waitress came to ask what they were having, she got the same thing. Once the waitress had gone, Søren dumped another creamer in his coffee and smiled.
“Don’t worry, if you can’t eat it, I’ll help you out.”
As it turned out, she ate most of it.
Once they reached the next town, Søren drove to the nearest rental agency drop-off. If the Foundation hacked into Mia’s credit records, they’d find out where they’d returned the car. He had to assume that would occur and plan accordingly.
“Where the hell are we?” she asked, stumbling from the car.
Since they’d driven across two states during the night, she could be forgiven for not knowing. “Kentucky.”
She watched him drop the keys in the after-hours box. “I see. And we’re staying here, I take it?”
He wouldn’t mind. Frankfort was a beautiful city, lush with trees and graceful buildings. Most of the weathered bricks along this street had been whitewashed, giving it a fresh, clean look. From the rental agency, Søren led the way down the sidewalk to a used car dealership he’d scouted on the way in.
Belatedly, he realized Mia was still waiting for an answer, when she gave a little huff. “We’re going to change cars and drive on.”
“Don’t you need sleep?” she demanded.
“Insomnia, remember? It takes extreme exertion… or vigorous sex to knock me out completely.” He waited a beat. “Are you volunteering?”
“I’d doze off,” she said with brutal honesty. “Which wouldn’t be very good for your self-esteem.”
He laughed softly. It occurred to him then that Mia had made him smile more in the past few weeks than he had in the past six years. Given their circumstances, he shouldn’t be thinking about anything but keeping one step ahead of their pursuers, but he felt strange and light, as if he’d slipped his own skin during the long night. For the longest time, even his soul felt too tight, weighted with too much loss. Everything seemed different now, and he didn’t know why.
“I guess I’ll be driving on the next leg of the trip, too, then.”
She sighed. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I don’t mind.” In fact, it felt good to have her rely on him.
The lot was small, with a tiny white block building at the far end. A plate glass window had white letters painted on it: “STUCKER AUTO SALES.” Søren had to wonder whether that was the owner’s name, or if some wise guy had put the “T” in sucker. Overhead, plastic flags waved in the wind, creating the illusion of applause.
There was a pay phone around the corner of the building. Mia followed with silent curiosity. Mindful of his promise, he dug into his pocket for a handful of change. The operator connected him to the hospital in Virginia, and within seconds, he was talking to the day guy. Just as well-there was some chance the night clerk, Jeremy, might recognize his voice.
“You can come in anytime,” the guy said, as if anticipating a question. “But not field trips, unless you’re a professor teaching an anatomy course at a local university.”
“I wanted to know if you’d identified that Jane Doe yet.”
“Are you a reporter?” Suspicion edged the clerk’s voice.
“No, sir. But I think I might have a lead for you.”
The other man sighed. “Great.” Another crackpot, his tone said.
Comprehension lit Mia’s dark eyes, and he thought he’d do damn near anything to earn another smile like that. See, he told her silently. You can trust me. I’ll keep my promises this time.
She inclined her head as if to say, I know.
“Well,” the clerk demanded, “let’s have it.”
“A girl named Noreen Daniels, who worked at Micor Technologies in their lab, went missing a while back. Check her dental records.”
“Do you have any other information?” The clerk seemed reassured that Søren’s theories didn’t involve aliens or nuclear radiation.
If he only knew.
“I’m sorry, no. But Glenna in Human Resources could get you all the data you could possibly need, including the name of Noreen’s dentist.”
A smile built; he loved when seemingly disparate parts came together to form a diabolically clever whole.
“That’s Micor Technologies,” the man repeated. It sounded as if he was writing the name down.
“Yes. Thank you for taking me seriously. Her family deserves to know what became of her.”
“They do indeed,” the other man agreed.
When he terminated the call, Mia kissed him. As they came up for air, he asked, “What was that for?”
“Doing the right thing.”
Søren regarded her in bemusement. “If reform comes with your kisses, then I suspect I could change my ways.”
“Sweet-talker.”
Smiling, he led the way back around to the car lot. He skimmed the cars out front, but none of them were new enough-or flashy enough-to be expensive. That was exactly what they needed. The business office wasn’t open yet, but according to the sign, it would be in five minutes, so he contented himself with looking around. Mia did the same.
“This place is a dump,” she concluded.
“Nothing catches your eye?”
She shot him an are you kidding look. But she studied the somewhat disconsolate looking vehicles with renewed intensity. “The Corolla looks decent, and it has only minimal body damage. Those are typically good, reliable cars, and-”
“There are a lot of them on the road,” he finished. “You’re learning.”
“The color is also nondescript.”
Gray. One could hardly find anything less memorable. There were a couple other possibilities, but he liked the Toyota himself. Søren could tell they were being watched, so he touched Mia gently and often, molding the salesman’s expectations. Altering his body language-making it stiff and slow-created the perception of age, so if anyone came along behind them, this man would tell them his only customer had been some old coot and his sexy young thing.