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,
