Out of Uniform (Wingmen Warriors 14)

Dee’s face turned paler. “He’s not logical anymore. Or rather, he’s even more unbalanced than before, especially if he somehow found out I didn’t die that night.”

Jacob leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. “Maybe he’s buying time while he sets up a new identity. He wouldn’t have had much warning that Dee was on to him.”

Dee’s eyes widened before blinking faster, darting from side to side. He couldn’t imagine what it must be costing her to climb inside the mind of her crooked, cruel ex-husband.

Basically all the options here stunk.

Her ex and son could be dead. Or the criminal was on the road somewhere far away with her child.

Or Lambert was close by, determined to succeed in killing Dee this time.

Dee fidgeted with her seat belt as she watched Jacob charge up the steps back into the Lodge. He was closing the place—indefinitely. He planned to hide out with Dee in visitor’s quarters on base, while sending Emily and Madison to stay with Grace and her family. Grace was already inside Emily’s room helping her pack for the baby before they would leave together.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Keagan was still working his secret ops magic to pick up her ex-husband’s trail.

She refused to consider the body in the river was Blane’s. He’d simply ditched the vehicle. He was trying to cover his tracks.

And the dead body? She said a prayer for whoever had died, because she had to believe dental records would prove it wasn’t Blane.

Everything was happening so fast. She’d known Jacob to be a man of action, yet his lightning-fast preparations left her head spinning. In his typical Jacob manner, he never seemed to hurry, yet arrangements had been made before she could blink.

Dee tucked her toes under the dash and soaked up the heater’s blast, anything to keep her occupied. She’d already packed her meager gear earlier and brought it with her to the police station so she could be mobile if they found Evan. Now Jacob insisted she wait here for him while he finished a couple of last-minute details.

Damn, she was restless. After waiting so long, a few more hours shouldn’t matter. But they did.

Her life had changed too much, too fast. She and Jacob had slept together, a new memory that needed to be analyzed, pondered, savored. Except fear for Evan left her nearly breathless.

As Jacob posted a Closed sign on the front entrance of the hotel, a room door swung wide. Emily stepped out, saw Jacob and stopped. He opened his mouth, and his sister shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. Emily’s shoulders rose as her eyes turned sulky. Jacob’s mouth closed. He nodded and turned away, disappearing inside.

Dee could hardly believe what she’d just seen. Emily couldn’t actually be angry with Jacob. Chase had been the one in the wrong.

Except logic didn’t always come into play with adolescent emotions.

Dee wanted to leap from the truck and shake Emily by her two layers of oversize sweaters. Instead Dee rolled down the window. The teacher in her wouldn’t let the teen skulk away. “Emily? Over here.”

Emily jerked and nearly slipped on a patch of ice, her heavy eye makeup smeared from tears. She glanced over her shoulder before turning back. Her feet skated along the ice as she warily approached.

The moody teen scratched her boot heel through the sludge, the baby monitor in hand as she hugged herself. “You doing okay?”

“Much better than last night.” Of course, that didn’t say much since she’d been mighty damn low.

“Good.” She kicked a chunk of ice. “I’m sorry about your kid.”

The ache with Evan’s name on it threatened to overwhelm her, but she wouldn’t let herself fall into a hole of forgetfulness again. She was stronger now. “Thank you, Emily. It’s a scary time for me.”

Emily swiped at the sludge with her boot again before backing away. “Guess I should go.”

Dee reached through the window to grab Emily’s elbow. Helping her would help Jacob, and he offered so few opportunities for anyone to give back to him. “No school today?”

Emily eased her arm free. “It’s Saturday.”

“Oh, right.” Her life was such a mess she couldn’t keep the days of the week straight. Some candidate for straightening out a sullen teen. “Where’s Chase?”

Emily studied a snowdrift. “Home, released to his parents who’ve locked him in his room for the rest of his life.”

So much for pointing out Chase’s brush with the police. Maybe a direct approach might be best. “I know it seems like your brother was rough on Chase last night, but Jacob would have been within his rights to do a lot worse.”

What a mixed blessing to have regained her memory at such a horrible cost to Jacob and his sister.