Chirp(66)
“So you don’t know her?”
“No.”
“Never even heard of her?”
“No.”
“She’s heir to Montgomery Steel. Familiar with them?”
“Sure.”
“Aren’t you curious why your place landed on my radar?”
“Not really.”
Tom shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Someone at this IP address visited the data site for Miss Montgomery. That tells me you know who she is and where she is.”
Rance kept his poker face. “Like I said, can’t help you.”
Tom screwed his mouth around, and Rance decided the PI was arrogant enough to be military police, or worse—FBI.
Tom closed the distance between them. “Look, Mr. Keller. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t like my client much, but I’ve committed to the job and won’t stop until I find the girl. Pretty sure I have. She may not be here on your property, but I’d be willing to bet my left nut she’s in this town. So two days from now, I plan to report what I believe to be the kid’s location. When that happens, somebody’ll show up to get her.”
Rance smirked. “You’ll be able to live just fine with one nut.”
Tom smiled, turned to go, but stopped and faced Rance again. “Too bad the girl’s not married, because then nobody could touch her. Any decisions about her mental health would fall to her husband.”
As Rance watched the man drive away, his stomach twisted. Chirp had heard every word. Two days. Two fucking days to decide her next move. He waited until the car disappeared, then opened the door to find her plastered against the wall. Big eyes filled with expectation. An answer he couldn’t provide.
She took a shallow breath. “Say something.”
He wanted to speak, but his throat closed off. This was his fault. If he hadn’t done the fucking search. But he hadn’t known who she was, or that anyone was looking for her. Hell, if she’d told him the truth from the beginning—damn.
Her bottom lip quivered. “Please. Say something.”
His head pounded. There was plenty he should say, but he needed to think the situation over before he came up with a way to fix it. “I . . . I’m . . . I need a drink.” He grabbed his keys and rushed to his truck.
30
Blaze
Paralyzed with fear, Blaze pressed against the wall like a cat burglar. So much for Rance doing everything he could to protect her. What a lie. It’d all been lies. He’d known who she was because he’d looked on the Internet, and now they’d found her. Eight more months. That’s all she’d needed to be home free, and she’d been stupid enough to think she’d make it. Even a bigger fool to trust him.
Shaking her head to clear it, she pulled her wits together. She’d disappeared once. She could do it again. Had to. She found her feet, rushed down the hall, grabbed her bag from the closet, and stuffed everything into it. After that she took a pen and paper, wrote a note, stuck it in her pocket, and returned to the kitchen for food items. The PI was probably watching the house, so she escaped through the back door. Within a few minutes, she was in Hanna’s workshop, heaving out the words, “I have to leave. I need your car.”
“Oh my God. What’s wrong?”
She gulped air. “No time to explain. Give this note to Rance. He’ll tell you everything and give you my car. Even trade.”
“What are you talking about? Your car is worth twice as much as mine. I don’t understand.”
“Please, give me the key.”
Hanna scrounged in her purse, handed it over, and followed Blaze outside. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll be okay.”
“Please, Blaze. Don’t go. Whatever it is, I’ll help you. Seth will, too.”
“Nothing you can do unless you’ll let Seth marry me.”
“What? Marry you? Why do you need to get married?”
“Joking. I should be good at that since the joke has been on me. Thank you, Hanna, for being my friend.” Blaze climbed into the Toyota and started the engine. “I’ll call to let you know I’m okay. I promise.”
She shoved the car into gear and sped away with Hanna calling after her. When Blaze reached the city limits sign, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Goodbye Bluebird. Then she pushed Rance from her mind and concentrated on a plan. Drive to Dallas, ditch the car in a bad part of town, and leave the key in it. Take a cab to the bus station and buy a ticket to Waco, where she’d spend the night. That would give her a chance to dye her hair and get new clothes. Time to lose the Goth image. The next morning, another bus trip to Austin, and if the apartment she’d found online was still available, she’d rent it. Guess the searches she’d done while taking care of the goats had paid off.
She glanced at the speedometer and eased off the pedal. Wouldn’t want to get a ticket. Needed to avoid anything traceable. Thank goodness Hanna’s car didn’t have GPS. Blaze added a new phone to the list because Rance had her number, and if he called, she might answer in a weak moment. She was taking a lot for granted. He wouldn’t call. Not after the detective had shown up. That was the sort of attention Rance didn’t want or need. Now, with her gone, he’d go right back to the lifestyle he loved. Drinking, smoking, and screwing strangers.