Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(34)

"He's spotted us," Saskia says.

"He won't make a move here."

"Are you sure? He isn't tailing us anymore. He's nearly on top of us now."

"Fucking amateurs. How can I know what a wannabe badass will do when he probably doesn't know himself?"

"I'd lose him," Saskia mutters, messing with her weapon while pressing Darla's head down. "If he moves on us, we could get pinned in. Even outnumbering him, we put our client at risk."

Saskia hits the right button by mentioning Darla's safety. I look for space on my left then switch on my right turn signal.

"Tell Rafael and Manny to handle the f*cker. We're bailing on the shrink," I say before adding in a softer tone, "Hold on, Darla."

When the light turns green, I rev the SUV enough to get past the car at my left. The * tries to correct his path to follow us, but the traffic doesn't move enough for him to make the turn. Manny and Rafael will deal with the contractor. My only concern is keeping Darla safe.

"Manny says the guy made a left at the next light. Outrunning him won't work."

"I know."

"You need to find a place to hide the car."

"I know."

"Then do it."

Shooting an angry frown at Saskia, I dodge traffic and make turns the contractor won't expect.

"Damn one-way streets," I growl.

"Find a parking lot."

Saskia is dying to take control of the wheel. I ignore her and search for the contractor in the rearview mirror. I don't know how close he is to catching up. Stuck on another one-way street, I pull into the first parking lot accessible without a pass.

The Houston Downtown Aquarium covered parking garage allows us to remain unseen by anyone passing by on the road. I find a spot near large SUVs and turn off the engine.

"We're off the street," Saskia says into her phone. "You follow him. We'll keep our heads down."

"Where is he?" I ask.

"He's stuck on the one-way streets like us. He's on his way this direction."

"Should we worry?"

"Worrying is for amateurs, Troy," she mutters. "Manny says they're passing by now."

I look out the car window, but large concrete walls block the street view. If I can't see out, the * can't see in.

"They've passed," she says, leaving the SUV.

I hurry out of my seat and pull open the backdoor. Darla's shaking widely under the blanket and flinches when I touch her.

"Hey, it's me," I say, pulling back the blanket. "Are you okay?"

Darla sobs behind her hands, muffling the sound. She stares at me in terror but scoots over so I can sit next to her. Nearby, Saskia keeps an out for trouble.

"We lost him," I promise, wrapping her in my arms. "You're safe."

Her shaking lessens, and the crying slows. She looks at me in the strangest way.

"What?" I ask when she says nothing.

"Last night, I dreamed you died. I thought it was coming true. I don't want anyone dying to protect me especially not you."

"We're safe. Rafael and Manny are chasing the f*cker down. Locke won't hurt you, and he won't hurt me."

"He won't hurt me either," Saskia says, suddenly at the open door. "What is our plan?"

"I don't feel comfortable going to the therapist's now," I say, and Darla nods in relief.

"We don't really know how many contractors are in Houston. Going back to the apartment is what they'd expect."

"The cops will want to ask a lot of questions. Darla isn't ready for being interviewed."

"Neither am I," Saskia mutters. "I don't like cops."

"They don't like you either, darling."

Darla grins at my comment, but her body still shakes against mine.

"Why don't we stay at the aquarium?" I suggest. "It's open and looks pretty empty since it's a school day. Besides, no contractor will expect to find us here. We can relax while the team chases down leads and deals with cops."

I study Darla. "Want to look at fish?"

Her expression says no, but she remains silent.

"I like bears," Saskia announces.

"It's an aquarium, so I'm thinking no bears."

"I still like them."

"Is that a Russian thing?"

"I'm not Russian," she hisses.

"I'm from Virginia, Saskia. All Eastern Europeans sound the same to me."

"And all fat headed Americans sound the same to me."

We glare at each other until she gives up and smiles. "I have disguises in the trunk."

Saskia walks to the back of the SUV while I convince Darla to give my plan a chance.

"I want to go home," she whispers.

"We can. Or we can go to the aquarium. This place has a restaurant. I know that because a neighbor tried to get me to take her daughter on a date there. She said it's romantic. This could be our first real date."

"With Saskia," she mumbles.

"She doesn't talk much. We'll ignore her. Just think of us walking around and holding hands like normal people. A nice seafood lunch and learning about fish. The sign says there are sharks. Come on, who doesn't want to look at sharks?"