He drove the SUV out slowly again. The van was long gone. “I did look. There was no tag on the van.”
She hadn’t thought about that. She should have. This was why Coop warned her about jumping into something that was beyond her skill set. And to keep her emotions out of any mission.
Major fail on her part this time.
Leaning her arm against the window, she propped her head on her hand. “This was a bust.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because now we know your tech is picking up solid intel.”
She sat up and turned to him. “You’re right. I need to get my mind back in the game.”
“Your mind is fine. There are times our hearts overrule our minds and that’s okay. If not, it would mean you had no soul.” He looked over and winked at her. “And you, Hailey, have plenty of soul.”
She hadn’t realized how compromised she was by her emotions, but Leclair made her sound human instead of weak.
“Let’s get farther down the road and find some food, okay?” he asked.
“Sure.” She had to draw a couple deep breaths to calm down and think. “I’ve got a hotel in Fairfax, Virginia for tonight.”
He nodded and drove without asking her for anything new. She’d thought he was short-tempered when she showed up in Clercville, which he had every right to be, but she changed her mind. Leclair was patient. She could see him sitting on a target for days until the right moment to act.
She would never have that level of patience, but she had to find some now or risk putting them in jeopardy. She hated to give up control of anything. In hindsight, Leclair had been generous in not trying to rip control from her.
“I’m getting seriously hungry,” he announced, still a bit north of Baltimore.
She could eat and wanted out of this car for a break. “Looks like a restaurant at the next exit.”
Leclair took the exit then noted, “This looks like the ghetto. Might as well eat gas station food.”
“I bet you were fun on road trips,” she cracked at him.
“We didn’t do road trips.”
It hadn’t been the words, but the sadness in his voice that caused her to let it go.
In truth, this was a desolate area even for a small community. Older buildings peppered each side of the road, including a three-story rusting warehouse on the right. Probably the main employer at one time. But there were some active businesses. A local grocer, pawn shop, then a small shopping center that had been converted into an antique mall. She had seen the billboard for that a while back. Antique shops here were big draws.
As they neared the end of the city-block-long warehouse, a one-story restaurant advertising fried chicken and country vegetables sat in its shadow.
Two trucks were parked on the far side of the gravel lot.
Leclair pulled in next to those and climbed out.
She started to ask for the keys, but it felt ridiculous. He could have left her long before now. So many things had her looking at him differently, wondering how he could be so considerate and pleasant to her after she’d threatened Angela and Clercville.
Had he figured out the truth?
That she wouldn’t harm an innocent person.
She wanted to admit as much, but just couldn’t until they were done with this. Her only hope of getting Phoebe back alive was his skills and experience, which were way beyond hers.
She’d had to accept that after being captured in Venezuela and his wisdom in sitting still at the proof of life meeting. That still tore her heart apart.
Had Phoebe been sitting just inside the van gagged and tied up? Terrified?
