and get inside,” he said, once she’d opened the back hatch.
Lacy quickly scooted into the back seat. He closed the door behind Duchess, then hurried behind the wheel.
Twin headlights pierced the night, and he quickly started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. The headlights grew closer, and he couldn’t ignore a sliver of apprehension.
Should he call for backup? Or was he being paranoid? Probably the latter, so he headed away from the lights, in the opposite direction. At two in the morning, he didn’t expect there to be much traffic on the road.
The twin headlights followed.
He glanced in his rearview mirror at Lacy holding the baby and Duchess stretched out in the back. No way was he going to risk becoming involved in some sort of high-speed car chase.
Grabbing the radio, he quickly called it in. “Dispatch, this is Unit Twenty-one, requesting backup at my current location, about five miles away from the emergency veterinary clinic, heading westbound on interstate ninety-four.”
“Ten-four, what’s the problem?”
He wasn’t exactly sure how to phrase his concerns. “I appear to have picked up a tail, and my partner is temporarily out of commission.”
“Unit Five is only a few miles away. He should catch up with you shortly.”
“Thanks.” He disconnected from the radio, needing both hands on the wheel. The headlights grew brighter as the vehicle behind him began to close the gap.
Was it possible the guy dressed in black, David Williams, had come to finish what he’d started? Matt gave himself a mental kick. He shouldn’t have announced over the radio that he was taking Duchess to the emergency vet. As a cop, Williams likely had a radio in his vehicle. Process of elimination would have made finding him and Lacy way too easy. There were only two emergency veterinary hospitals offering services around the clock in the area.
Swallowing hard, Matt pushed the speed as high as he dared, considering his precious cargo. Even though Lacy was wearing her seat belt, she didn’t have the proper infant car seat for Rory, and he knew if they were hit hard enough, there was a chance she could lose her grip on the baby.
And Duchess wasn’t up to par, either, considering she’d been given antibiotics and pain meds.
The headlights grew impossibly brighter. Was Williams gaining ground?
Where was his backup?
The headlights abruptly shifted, going into the left lane, coming up on his driver’s side. Matt did his best not to panic. He decided to wait until the guy was almost upon him before he would abruptly slow down, hoping the guy would shoot past them.
“This is a good time to pray,” he told Lacy. She looked surprised by his comment. “I’m serious. I know God will watch over us, and we need all the help we can get.”
She gave a terse nod, then began reciting the “Our Father” prayer, which made him wonder if she wasn’t used to praying on the fly.
“Dear Lord, give me the strength to keep us all safe,” he murmured as the lights grew brighter and brighter.
Soon they were almost parallel to his rear bumper.
Now!
He took his foot off the gas and pressed gently on the brake. The vehicle flew past him, and he didn’t waste another moment. Wrenching the wheel to the left, he drove his SUV across the median, crossed the three lanes that were thankfully absent of traffic, and took the next exit he could find.
It was several miles before he could relax enough to breathe normally. But the close call bothered him.
At the moment, he didn’t feel confident enough to take Lacy and Rory to the police station. They would be far too vulnerable there. He didn’t want them anywhere near a place where the ex-husband who happened to be a cop could find them.
Nope. What he needed was a new plan.
There had to be some way to keep Lacy and Rory safe from harm while he tracked down the guy intent on killing them.
Lacy clutched Rory close, determined to hang on to him no matter what happened. She closed her eyes, the scenery flashing past the window making her dizzy. Duchess didn’t much like the rocky ride, either, whining a bit and scrambling to regain her balance.
“Sorry, Duchess,” Matt muttered.
Once again, she was oddly reassured by how much Matt cared about his dog. Not to mention that he’d told her now was a good time to pray. And most important, how he’d looked so concerned when he’d carried the animal in and out of the emergency vet clinic.
Surely, a guy who loved dogs couldn’t be all bad.
After what seemed like forever but was probably less than twenty minutes, Matt spoke up from the front seat. “Sorry about the bumpy ride. Are you and the baby okay?”
“F-fine.” Her breath hitched in her chest and she fought the urge to break down sobbing. When would this nightmare end? Why was David doing this?
Nothing made any sense.
“I’ve lost him for now,” Matt continued. “You’re safe.”
She shook her head, knowing she and Rory wouldn’t be safe until somehow the authorities found David and arrested him. “He won’t stop,” she said in a low voice. “Jill told me that David is a terrible control freak. Who knows what horrible things he’s capable of.”
“I’m getting a pretty good idea,” Matt said, his tone grim. “Apparently he doesn’t mind taking out a fellow officer in his quest to get at his son.”
“Not just his son, but me, too.” She tried to think of a way to make him understand. “Not just because I’m Jill’s sister, but he caught a glimpse of me taking off in my car. So he knows I’m a witness to her murder. My testimony could put him away for the rest of his life.”
“I know and I believe you. I totally get that the guy is a serious head case. I need to call my lieutenant, but can’t risk using the radio just yet.”
The thought of Matt calling his boss made her stomach clench. “Please don’t. Don’t turn me into the authorities.”
His gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. “I have to. When I explain what I know, my boss will call off the Amber Alert and put a BOLO—Be On the Lookout—on David Williams instead. Trust me, they’ll find him and arrest him. You and the baby will be safe.”
Having David locked up in jail was something she wanted more than anything, but she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew he’d been apprehended.
“It’s so late. Can’t you give me a little time?” She tried not to sound as if she were begging, even though she would if necessary. “Rory needs some rest. He’s been through a lot over the past few hours.”
“I
