Nowhere to Run

She stared back at him. He didn’t flinch. His intense, unwavering concentration gave her the shivers from her nape to her toes.

Grabbing Patty’s hand, she half dragged the little girl as she hurried across the street. The sooner they were back on the road and heading for parts unknown, the happier she’d be.

The only question now was how she could either change cars or find another license plate that wouldn’t reveal her origin. If she’d been a thief like Roy, she’d have simply stolen one. Being an honest person could be difficult at times, couldn’t it?

She glanced Heavenward. “Father, how about leaving a discarded license plate along the road somewhere, huh? I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”

“Mama?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Are you praying?”

“Yes, Patty,” Marie said with a nod. “I sure am.”

“Good,” the little girl answered, hurrying to keep pace with her mother’s rapid strides, “’cause you lied and I don’t want God to be mad at you.”

TWO

Seth frowned. He had an uneasy feeling about that woman. Oh, she’d seemed innocent enough at first, but she’d definitely wanted to hide where she’d come from, so there was no telling what else about her story was false.

The real question was, why not tell the truth? Was she the stranded motorist she pretended to be, or was there a more sinister reason for her supposed breakdown? He hadn’t thought his enemies would use a child to get to him, but that woman looked enough like his late wife to be her younger sister. Same light reddish-brown hair, same few freckles, same long lashes and beautiful brown eyes.

That uncanny resemblance gave him pause. If someone was trying to send him a message or make sure his real identity was exposed, what better way to do it than through a pretty woman pretending to be in distress?

He turned back to the car. If she was a planted informant and he let her go, there was no telling how long it would be before someone else followed. Perhaps someone more lethal. If he kept her in town for a few more days and checked her background, however, he’d have a better idea whether or not his real identity had been discovered.

It made sense to know his foes up front, he told himself. And it looked as if it wasn’t going to be easy to repair the woman’s car without disassembling the fuel system, so that would give him overnight, at least.

He slipped into the passenger’s seat and popped open the glove box. The car was registered to a Marie Parnell. If the driver had actually borrowed this vehicle from a friend, that friend must be named Parnell. That, or the woman had fibbed about where she’d gotten the car.

Either way, it looked as if he’d offered to be a good Samaritan for a bald-faced liar. He just hoped he hadn’t made a big, big mistake. Then again, it wouldn’t be his first.

He huffed in self-disgust. One mistake had cost him dearly. He just wished he’d recognized the looming danger in time to have saved Alice’s life. Perhaps, if he hadn’t been so caught up in his work, he’d have realized that she was planning to file for divorce and he could have made the news public. Then, the men who were trying to frame him might have changed their minds about eliminating her.

Or, they might have gone ahead and killed her anyway so they’d have even more to blame him for, he argued. Corporate espionage could be just as dirty and just as deadly as covert government operations. In his case, he had been pegged as the fall guy because he’d been doing deep undercover work for Corp. Inc. and hadn’t been able to prove his innocence. If he hadn’t had friends who had warned him, he’d probably either be buried beside poor Alice or serving time for her murder, along with a conviction for corporate theft.

Seth shuddered at the thought, then turned back to the car he’d been working on. Reliving the past was counterproductive. As long as he kept his guard up and didn’t let a good-looking woman like this car’s driver get too close to him, he’d survive. At this point in his life, that was all he could ask for.

By the time Marie and Patty returned from their ice cream quest, Seth had put the compact car up on a rack in the garage and was poking around under it.

“What do you think?” Marie asked, holding tightly to her daughter’s hand.

He shrugged as he continued to work. “Beats me. I disconnected a plugged fuel line, and it looked as if somebody had dumped sawdust into your gas tank. Did you tick someone off?”

“No, I…” The memory of the incident in the fast-food restaurant parking lot flashed into her mind. If anyone had been tampering with her car, she couldn’t have seen the individual doing it because the van had blocked her view. And if that was where her gas tank had been fouled, that meant her instincts had been correct: she hadn’t shaken her pursuers after all. The conclusion made her shiver in spite of the warmth of the afternoon.

Seth turned to look at her as he pushed a button that lowered the car to the ground. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Nothing. I have no idea who might have done such a thing.”

“Well, it won’t be an easy fix. The fuel filter is inside your gas tank. That means I’ll have to drain the gas and drop the tank in order to flush it out, clean the lines and change filters.”

“How long will that take?” She noted the lack of his usually warm smile.

“Depends. If I can pick up a new filter here in town, probably a day or two. If I have to wait for parts, maybe a week or more.”

“No. That’s impossible. I can’t stay here that long.”

“You don’t really have much choice,” he said. “I’m good at my job, but if you don’t let me replace the filter, I can’t guarantee that you’ll get very far.”

She peered past him at the quaint little town. “I don’t even know where I am. Is this Missouri?”

“Not yet. You’re about twenty miles shy of the border.” He pointed north. “Missouri’s that way. This is Serenity, Arkansas.”

“Where can I rent a car?”

Seth laughed. “Here? Lady, you’re lucky there’s any place that can even repair your car, let alone rent you another one. I suppose if you’ve got enough money, you might be able to trade for a different vehicle down at Tony’s sales lot.”

“I’d love to,” Marie replied. “Unfortunately, I’m not rich.” She gave a wry chuckle. “But I guess you figured that out from the car I’m driving.”

“Never can tell about folks around here,” Seth said. “Some of the people who look as if they can’t even afford their next meal could buy and sell this garage and have change left over.”

“Are you the owner?”

“Nope. I just work here. You’ll need a place to stay. We have a nice family motel close by. Maybe you noticed it when you drove past.”

“I’m afraid not. I was too concerned about the way my car was running. Or I should say, not running.”

“That makes sense. Look, I’ll be glad to give you and your daughter a lift to the motel, as long as you have no objection to sharing the truck seat with a friendly dog.”

“A dog?”

Seth pointed toward the corner of the service bay where his black-and-white border collie was napping on an old blanket. “That’s Babe. She never lets me out of her sight, and I wouldn’t want her to get hurt trying to follow us on foot.” He smiled benevolently, easing Marie’s mind.

She looked down and saw an eager expression on the little girl’s face. “Patty loves animals. She’s always asking for a pet. I’m sure she’d love to meet Babe. Wouldn’t you, honey?”

“Yeah!”

“I thought so. All right. We’ll accept a ride that far. And thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Just give me a sec to tell the boss where I’m going. I’ll be right back.”

Marie reached her free hand toward him, barely touching his sleeve to stop him. “One more thing,” she said soberly, quietly. “I need to ask a favor.”

“Sure. What?”

“If anyone should come by looking for us, promise me you won’t tell them where we are?”

“Why not? What’d you do, rob a bank?”

She frowned. “That’s not funny. Will you do as I ask, or not?”

“Of course,” Seth said with a casual shrug. “I don’t even know your name so I can hardly blab all your secrets, can I?”

“It’s Marie. Marie Smith. And this is Patty.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am. Pick out whatever luggage you’ll need from your car and go wait by that green pickup truck over there. Babe and I’ll join you in a minute.”

As he hurried away, Marie felt Patty’s tug on her hand. When she looked down, she saw the child’s lips pressed into a thin, thoughtful line. “What, honey?”

“You did it again, Mama.”

“I know I did. And I’m sorry to be setting such a bad example for you, but sometimes grown-ups have to make up stories.”

“Why?”

“To keep our wonderful children safe,” Marie said. “Someday, when you’re older, I’ll explain everything. I promise.”

“’Cause that man’s a stranger?” Patty asked.

“That’s right. He is a stranger. And you know how I’ve warned you not to talk to strangers.”

“But you talked to him.”

“Only because I had no other choice,” Marie said.

“I think he’s nice. And his dog is real pretty,” the child said with a smile. “Maybe if I’m good, he’ll let me play with her.”

“Don’t count on it. We aren’t going to stay here one minute longer than we absolutely have to. As soon as our car is running again, we’re leaving.”

“Aw, Mama. I like it here.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. ’Cause everybody’s friendly?”

As Marie scanned the almost deserted street, looking for evidence of another nemesis, she saw nothing but a peaceful place of safety. It was future hidden dangers that she knew she must fear. If she allowed herself to be lulled into unquestioning acceptance of the rural Ozark town and didn’t remain alert, she’d be an easy target. And so would Patty. That must never happen.

The white truck cruised slowly along the stretch of highway that passed through Serenity. Its driver peered out the windshield. He didn’t know what could have happened to the Parnell woman. He’d been so sure he’d find her car broken down along the road because of the way he’d doctored her fuel tank that he hadn’t felt it was necessary to actually keep her in sight. Now it looked as if he’d miscalculated.

Not that he wouldn’t eventually pick up her trail again, he told himself. He’d better. His partners did not take kindly to failure.

There was a lot more at stake here than just lives, too, he added. Roy had made off with enough money to make anybody drool. Even if he hadn’t passed the cash to his old girlfriend for safekeeping, they figured to use the kid as a bargaining tool. Old Roy didn’t have much that he cared about except his little girl. Once they got their hands on her, they knew he’d reveal where he’d hidden the ransom money.

The driver smiled to himself. And then they’d kill him. With pleasure.

Seth delivered his passengers to the redbrick, Hilltop Motel, followed them into the small, sparsely furnished lobby and lingered near the front desk to see if the woman produced a credit card. She didn’t.

The clerk looked concerned. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We prefer you pay by charge card.”

“All I have is cash,” Marie said. “Surely, you don’t mind taking real money.”

“Well, I don’t know. Most people…”

Seth spoke up. “It’s okay, Clarence. We have her car down at the station. She’s not going anywhere till it’s fixed. And I promise to give you time to count the towels before I let her leave town.”

“If you say so, that’s good enough for me,” the clerk replied with a smile. He programmed a key card and handed it to Marie. “Your room is around back, by the pool. Ground floor. I trust that’s satisfactory.”

She nodded and managed to return his grin. “That will be fine, thanks.”

“Can I hug the dog goodbye?” Patty asked her.

“That’s up to Mr. Whitfield.”

“How about we both walk you to your door?” Seth suggested. “I need to deliver your suitcases for you, anyway.”

He could tell by the reluctance in the woman’s movements that she wasn’t keen on letting him help, so he gave her no options. As soon as they left the office, he whistled to his dog and swung the heavy bags out of the back of the truck.

Marie was crouching to join her daughter in petting the joyful border collie when she suddenly froze in that position.

Seth followed her line of sight to the street. There was nothing about the passing traffic that he saw as threatening, but the woman sure seemed to.

He paused. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Fine,” she answered, grabbing the child’s hand and hurrying her around the side of the motel building.

Babe bounded along beside her new playmate and Seth followed. As soon as Marie had unlocked the door, the dog ran into the room ahead of everyone, much to Patty’s delight.

“Look, Mama! She wants to stay and play with me.”

“Well, she can’t.” Marie practically yanked her bag from Seth’s grip. “Thank you for your help.”

He bowed slightly and smiled, placing Patty’s smaller suitcase at the foot of the closest bed before backing toward the open door. “My pleasure. C’mon, Babe. I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

When the door slammed behind him, he was certain he heard the deadbolt click into place, too. Something had sure spooked Marie, although he had no idea what.

Sauntering back to his truck, he motioned to the dog to jump in ahead of him, then scanned the street as he pulled out of the driveway. There were more pickups passing than there were cars, which was normal for a place like Serenity. A slow delivery van was partially blocking traffic halfway up the block. The driver was probably lost, which was not unusual either, since so many of the outlying streets were unmarked, dirt roads.

When Seth had eased up even with the idling van, he leaned across his truck seat, past Babe, to peer at the driver. “Can I help you?”

The man’s “No” was followed by a curse that caused Seth to recoil. Folks in the South were so well known for their amiability that this kind of response stood out like a red flag. If the stranger truly was an innocent delivery man, there was no earthly reason why he should act so inhospitably.

Pulling ahead and back into the line of traffic, Seth raced for the service station. He wasn’t sure that any of this pertained to Marie, but he wasn’t about to take the chance that it might. Something had frightened her when she’d stared at the street a few minutes ago, and as far as he could tell, there were no strangers in the area except the foul-mouthed guy in the delivery truck.

Therefore, Seth was going to do all he could to hide her car from prying eyes until he found out exactly what was going on.

And he was going to find out.

One way or another.

Marie was beside herself. She immediately drew the heavy, maroon drapes together and peeked through a thin slit where they met in the center of the motel room window.

Had the van’s driver spied her? She didn’t think so. But what about her car? Although it was parked inside the repair shop for the present, Seth would probably move it out of the way until he was able to get the necessary replacement parts. If he did so, the man in the white van would surely spot it. And then it would only be a matter of time before Roy’s enemies were able to track her down.

Hands trembling, she picked up the thin local phone book and looked up the number of the garage. She didn’t want to involve Seth in her problems but saw no alternative.

The pleasant-sounding man who answered the telephone quickly put the mechanic on the line when Marie requested to speak with him.

“Where is my car?” she blurted.

“Marie? I mean, Mrs. Smith?”

“Yes. Where did you put my car?”

“I left it inside,” he answered calmly. “Where nobody can see it if they drive by.”

She was taken aback. “You did? Why?”

“Beats me. It just seemed like the best thing to do. Would you care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Not really.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Is it? That remains to be seen. How can I help you if you won’t confide in me?”

“All you have to do is keep my car out of sight, like you already have, and everything will be fine,” she said.

“What are you afraid of?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t you know it’s a sin to lie?” he asked.

“That’s what Patty keeps telling me.”

She heard him chuckle before he said, “Smart kid. What was your response to that?”

“I told her it was probably okay if it was absolutely necessary.”

“Can’t argue with you there, although I imagine my pastor would,” Seth said. “Look, I’ll be off duty in a couple of hours. How about if I stop by and pick you both up for supper? I know a couple of great little places to eat. Patty likes pizza, right?”

“We aren’t going anywhere with you,” Marie said flatly. “We don’t even know you.”

“Do you want your car left in the garage or shall I move it outside, tonight?”

“That’s blackmail.” She didn’t want to give in to his demands but saw no easy way to avoid capitulating.

“Not exactly. Let’s just call it Southern hospitality in an extreme form. Be ready at seven. I’ll pull around back, and you won’t have to show your face until we’re out of town if you don’t want to.”

“We’re leaving town?”

“Just as far as Gumption. It’s about five miles away.”

“All right,” she said, although every instinct told her to stand her ground. “But the dog comes, too. I want an impartial chaperone.”

Seth’s resulting laugh sounded warm and not at all threatening. “It’s a deal. Babe loves pizza almost as much as I do. And it’s going to be a warm evening. We can make it a picnic in the park—totally public—if you’re worried about being alone with me.”

“I’m a lot more worried about being out in public, with or without you,” Marie admitted ruefully. “We’ll be waiting.”

THREE

Marie had showered, washed and dried her hair and changed into lightweight slacks and a casual top long before it was time for Seth to pick them up. It had occurred to her that perhaps it would be wise for both her and Patty to dye or bleach their hair, but she couldn’t bring herself to alter the child’s beautiful, natural coloring.

Besides, the way she saw it, as long as they were driving that old blue car of hers, there was no way a changed physical appearance was going to help much. What she needed to do was ditch the car, the way pursued victims always did in the movies. Unfortunately, she had barely enough cash to continue running away, let alone buy a different vehicle.

Another problem was Patty’s insistence that her mother always tell the absolute truth in spite of the danger of doing so. Smiling, Marie recalled being the same kind of stubborn, exasperating child she was now raising. Except in her case, her mother had simply given up. And her father? He had been gone so much that, although Marie had an overall impression of his being rather handsome and suave, she could barely envision his face.

Marie promised herself that she was not going to make that kind of mistake in regard to Patty. With the blessing of having a child came serious responsibility, not only for that child’s physical needs but for the spiritual, as well.

A knock on the door brought her back to the present and made her heart leap. Instead of answering verbally, she hurried to peer out the peephole.

It was Seth. He had picked up Babe and was moving the dog’s foreleg so that it looked as if she was waving hello.

Relieved, Marie opened the door. “Hi. You’re early.”

“I figured you two might be hungry, so I hurried,” he said with a smile. The minute he released the dog, she bounded through the door and jumped onto the bed, trying to kiss her new buddy.

Giggling, Patty pushed her away and ran back to the door, with Babe in pursuit.

Marie gathered up her purse and jackets for her and Patty in case the evening turned chilly, made sure she had her key card and closed the door behind them before remarking, “You clean up pretty nicely, mister.”

“Thanks. These are my best jeans and a new shirt. Are you surprised?”

“I wasn’t referring to your clothes,” she explained, feeling her cheeks warming. “I just didn’t think you’d ever be able to get all that grease off your hands.”

“Sandpaper does it every time,” he quipped.

She arched an eyebrow and played along. “Must be painful.”

“Not if I use a fine-enough grain.”

The deadpan way he delivered the silly explanation made Marie laugh. She’d had serious misgivings about going anywhere with Seth—or with anyone else—and it helped to find humor in the situation. There had certainly been little to laugh about in the past few days.

“How about if I hold Patty on my lap and we let Babe have the window seat?” she suggested as Seth opened the truck door for her.

“Sorry. Seat belts for everybody. It’s a rule of mine.”

“We didn’t use belts when you drove us up here,” Marie argued.

“No, and we should have.” He pointed into the truck. “I took the liberty of pulling Patty’s booster seat out of your car. She can sit in the middle.” He began to grin. “I suppose you could hold Babe on your lap if you want, but you’re liable to get covered with dog hair if you try it.”

“Then I guess I should have worn something black and white instead of light blue,” Marie said, making a face. “All right. You win. I’ll sit by the door and use my seat belt.”

“Good decision. We don’t want to set a bad example for your little girl.” He was grinning. “I’ll fasten Babe in the truck bed so she won’t fall out and we’ll have more room up front for people.”

“Really, I…”

“I know. You want to hide behind the dog.”

Marie was astounded that he’d deduced the truth so easily. “Well…”

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me, whatever it is. Here.” He held out a dark blue ball cap similar to the one he’d been wearing when she’d first seen him. “It’s brand-new. No grease or anything on it, honest. Tuck your hair underneath, pull down the brim to shade your face, and your own mother wouldn’t recognize you.”

“That’s the truth,” Marie replied, accepting the cap and doing as he’d suggested. “The color almost matches my jacket.”

“I suppose I should say I did that on purpose, but to be perfectly honest it was accidental.”

As Patty crawled into the booster seat, Marie held her side of the seat belt while Seth pulled the opposite end into place.

When their hands brushed, she jerked away. His fingers had felt a bit calloused, yet warm and gentle at the same time. The mystery was, why had she noticed? After all, she had sworn off men for good, thanks to Roy, and nothing had happened since then to make her change her mind. Perhaps someday she’d feel free to seek happiness other than in her role as Patty’s mother, but right now she had plenty of problems without inviting more.

She took her place beside the little girl, drew her own belt over her shoulder and snapped it shut. It would pay her to remember that this trip to the pizza parlor was not her idea. She had been coerced into going, and she was not, repeat not, going to enjoy herself.

Glancing sidelong at Seth, she was able to observe him without being too obvious. He looked awfully pleased, didn’t he? That was off-putting. Distressing. When he had first insisted on this trip, she had assumed he was simply playing a macho role. Now that she’d had a chance to judge his reactions more closely, however, she was beginning to wonder if there was a deeper reason behind his behavior.

Of course, he might just be a nice, friendly guy who felt sorry for a stranded mother and daughter, Marie thought.

She huffed quietly. Yeah, right. And Roy Jenkins was just a misunderstood bad boy who had accidentally gone afoul of the law. If she had learned anything from her lonely childhood and disastrous time with Roy, it was that men could not be trusted or relied upon. Especially not good-looking, seemingly nice ones.