Exclusive

“I will.”

“Are you working a double?”

“No. I’ll be home around eight.”

“I’ll have breakfast for you.”

The man’s voice grew louder as he came closer to the pickup. “Sleep tight. ’Bye.”

They heard his footsteps on the concrete, then the metallic click as he opened the driver’s door. The camper rocked slightly when he got in. Gray noticed that Barrie was about to speak and laid his finger against his lips.

The motor sputtered a few times, then came to life. They felt a slight jolt when the parking brake was released. As soon as they were under way, country music started blaring from the truck’s souped-up speakers.

“The music’s a bonus,” Gray said. “Now we can talk freely without being overheard.”

“He works at Tabor House?”

“Judging from the overalls he wears, I would guess the engineering or janitorial department.”

“What’s it like?”

“The hospital? A converted mansion. Georgian design. Lush grounds surrounded by a high wall. Very secluded. It’s at least ten miles off the state highway. You’d have to be looking for it to find it. There’s a gated entrance with an armed guard. One road in. Same road out.”

“He’s going to drive us in,” Barrie said, catching on to Gray’s plan.

“That’s the idea.”

“What if the guard checks the camper?”

“There’s a decal on the windshield of every employee’s car.”

“Pretty ingenious.”

“Save that for when we make it out of there in one piece.”

The thought was so sobering, she changed the subject. “What happened with Armbruster?” After he’d recounted their conversation, she asked, “Do you trust him?”

“I can piss farther. But so far he’s held up his end of the bargain. I’m going to do m

y best to uphold mine.”

“I can’t believe they bought his story about incompetence on his staff.”

“Clete can twist anybody’s arm.”

“Even at that—”

“And when twisting it doesn’t work, he breaks it off. He talked to the right people and made himself understood, that’s all. He wants his daughter back, no matter what. So he was willing to make a bargain with the devil—namely, me—if I can save Vanessa’s life.”

Gray’s motivation was love. Barrie hadn’t allowed herself to think too much about that. Nor had she allowed herself to consider the depth of Vanessa’s gratitude, and what form it might take, once this was over.

Best case scenario: Vanessa would survive. Her marriage to David Merritt would not. She would be free to live happily ever after with the hero who’d rescued her from her murderous husband.

And Barrie would have what she wanted—the long-awaited exclusive that would finally launch her career and take it to heights that she’d never before thought possible. That was what she wanted more than anything, right?

Irritated by the thought, she said sullenly, “I don’t suppose you brought along a deck of cards, something to pass the time.”

“If you’re bored, you can change.” He nodded at the shopping bag. “That’s your costume for the evening.”