The ice in Austin’s eyes melted when his focus shifted to Nina. “I don’t like this one bit, but I’ll abide by your decision. How do you want to proceed?”
On the heels of a heavy exhale, Nina reached for Austin’s hand and threaded his fingers with hers. “I hope this is over in three weeks, but I have a bad feeling it won’t. These aren’t the kind of people who will get bored and go away. Sooner or later, they’ll escalate their efforts, and I don’t want that blood on my hands. I’m not thrilled with the idea of using the premiere, but it sounds like a good opportunity to get the price off my head. If anyone can make it work, it’s you.”
Austin looked as if he might explode, but he managed to hold it inside. He gave her hand a light squeeze and turned his attention to the rest of the group. “All right, you heard the lady. We’ve got a lot of details to iron out. Let’s get to work.”
Chapter 13
Rush hour was infull swing by the time Jackson and Essie left Six Points. The red light at the intersection up ahead turned green, which meant they might actually start moving by the time it switched to yellow.
Jackson flipped through the channels on the radio until he found a song he loved but hadn’t heard in years. As it sparked pleasant memories, he looked to Essie and his whole body revved. “Remember this one?”
A hint of a smile warmed her lush lips. She’d removed the elastic band from her hair, and his fingers itched to stroke the dark, silky strands that hung around her shoulders. “How could I forget?”
They’d met up in Miami while he was on leave, and they spent some time in a hole-in-the-wall bar not far from Little Havana. After a few drinks, he’d coaxed her onto the dance floor. To this day, he had no idea why she’d been so reluctant. The woman had moves. He’d never forget the feel of her molded against him as they swayed to the sensual rhythm of that slow, bluesy song.
The blast of a car horn dragged him back to the present. The line of vehicles in front of his truck had finally started to move. Jackson eased his foot off the brake, but as expected, the light switched back to red well before they made it through the intersection.
He slanted a glance at Essie. On the outside, she seemed relaxed and indifferent, but he knew old habits kept her aware of every sight, sound, and smell around her. “You did a good job handling the Flints this afternoon. I wasn’t sure they were going to buy into your plan.”
She shrugged as if it were no big deal, but he knew better. Once the Flint brothers got an idea in their heads, it took a gallon of grease and a block of C-4 to knock it loose. “It’s not without risk, but we’ve got three weeks to plan for every contingency. Who knows; with luck, it’ll be over before then.”
“What are the odds of that happening?”
“Not good. I already talked to my boss about extending my leave of absence.” Essie shifted in her seat, her gaze fixed on the side-view mirror. It was the third time she’d done it in the last ten minutes, and it put his senses on alert.
“We got company?” he asked.
She nodded. “Do you recognize the brown Range Rover three cars back in the right lane?”
Jackson’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and then back to the road. “No, sure don’t. Any idea how long it’s been back there?”
“I noticed it when we turned onto Colonial. It’s been trading off with a dark-blue 4Runner.”
At last, the light turned green again, and this time they actually made it through the intersection. As if on cue, the 4Runner turned onto the road just ahead of them. An illegal window tint made it impossible to see inside the vehicle, but there was a parking decal for the local university on the rear bumper. Behind them, the Range Rover pulled into a Publix parking lot and disappeared from view.
The traffic situation made outrunning or outmaneuvering whoever was following them difficult at best. Not that he wanted to run. To the contrary, he’d much rather meet the problem head-on. But confrontations in urban settings required a high degree of caution. Things could go sideways in no time at all, and he’d rather avoid ending up in the back of a police cruiser. Because if he made the local news, his mama would bail him out just so she could smack him senseless.
Jackson hit the turn signal and eased his truck into the right lane. Another mile or so and they’d reach the expressway, where they’d hopefully have room to breathe. Then again, if there was an accident, which was always a strong possibility this time of day, they’d be in the exact same predicament.
“How do you want to play this?” Jackson asked Essie.
She slid on a pair of sunglasses. “I assume shooting them isn’t an option.”
“That would be correct.”
Her shoulders sagged on an exaggerated sigh. Sitting straight in her seat with one hand on the door handle, she surveyed their surroundings. “In that case, let’s see who we’re dealing with. Pull into that Wawa and park at the pumps.”
He followed her instructions, parking in a way that shielded the pump from the street. As he cut the engine, the 4Runner drove past and kept going.
“Do you want to go inside, or should I do it?” she asked.
With any other woman, he’d be worried about which role would be more dangerous. But Essie could handle damn near any situation as well as him, if not better. It was one of the many things about her that he found sexy as hell. “You go in while I top off the tank. They’ll assume you’re easier pickings.”
“Works for me.” Essie grinned as she opened the door. “It’s fun to be underestimated. Do you need anything while I’m in there?”
“No, I’m good. SIG’s under the seat if you need it.”
“Thanks, but I got this.”
