Pure Dynamite (19 page)

Tough? Renata remembered living in their car after they lost their Chicago home. From there they moved to a one-room apartment in a neighborhood so bad she wasn't allowed outside.

"So was it your father's untimely death that prompted you to become a doctor?" he asked.

"My best friend died from an asthma attack when we were in junior high. By the time they got her to a hospital it was too late." While she didn't remember her father, she did recall the pain of losing her friend and the helpless feeling of not knowing what to do.

She glanced at Adam, wanting to change the subject. "What about you?"

"Me?" He checked the road behind them. "As in, what did my father do? Or why did I decide to pursue a life in crime?"

"Both."

"My father was a world-class bastard. He ran my mother off when I was eight. I never forgave her for leaving me behind."

Renata detected a chilling change in his voice. "Your father was abusive?"

"And alcoholic. I grew up in the slums. A perfect childhood for a prospective criminal, wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps. It's also an overused cop-out for not taking responsibility as an adult, for your actions. Few people are truly unable to distinguish wrong from right, regardless of their upbringing. And nothing negates the ability to choose a better life."

"You are right."

Once again he surprised her. "It's not too late for you," she rushed on. "You could change. It's apparent you're well educated, if not formally, then self- taught—"

"None of which matters if I go back to prison." He pointed to a road sign. "And we'll have to continue the pop psychology quiz later. Highway 96 is two miles ahead. Tell me again where we go from there."

* * *

They didn't talk anymore as the weather grew worse, the rain blinding. Twice they were forced to find new routes because of flooded roads. Lyle remained asleep.

The sky was starting to lighten in the east when Adam finally stopped at a gated road leading onto private property. The road was muddy, barely passable, and it ended abruptly at the crest of a hill amid a stand of pine trees.

He grabbed the flashlight. "There's supposed to be a cabin here. I'll be right back." Tugging his collar up, he climbed out.

From the back seat, Lyle stirred. "Is he gone?"

She turned, cautiously watching over her shoulder. "He'll be right back."

Lyle groaned coughed. "Christ! Don't tell me you're feeling sorry for him because he had a rough childhood. Well, I did too, you know. How about some pity for me?"

Renata didn't respond, uncertain of his mood. The last time he'd grabbed her, he'd been too weak to do more than pull her hair. This time though, she knew to stay out of his reach.

"I kept waiting for him to tell you what happened to his last girlfriend," Lyle continued. "She disappeared you know. They're calling her number seven. Want to know why? Huh? Do you?"

"No. I don't."

"Aww, come on. Surely you've wondered about those six scars on his chest?"

"I haven't seen his chest or his scars!"

"Yeah, right," Lyle sneered. "Actually, they're notches. One for each person he's killed."

Killed?
She thought back to the newscast she'd watched at the clinic. "I thought he was serving time for stolen property."

"I know. Ain't it cool? He's good."

Bile burned the back of her throat as she thought of the times she'd been alone with Adam. Times he could
have...

Lyle gave a weak laugh. "So if a seventh notch appears, that means they found his girlfriend's body. Hell, you may end up as number eight."

Outside, Adam was having trouble locating the cabin. The downpour didn't help. He swept the flashlight around several times before spotting a structure. He approached it cautiously. In the darkness and with all the rain, they might have taken a wrong turn.

When he got a better look at the place, he hoped that was the case. More shed than cabin, the structure was maybe twelve feet square with a door that hung by one hinge. He swept the light inside.

One wall had a broken window, letting water blow in. Part of the dirt floor had already turned to mud. This couldn't be right.

He started to turn, then spied a box covered with a blue plastic tarp. Swearing, he uncovered it. The box held bottled water and more peanut butter crackers, along with canned sardines, three apples, and a lone blanket folded at the bottom. A cryptic note indicated they should leave the Buick at the gate before five- thirty. That was barely twenty minutes from now. A different car would be left later, with more instructions.

How much later? Adam wanted to crumple the paper. Instead he lit the kerosene lantern hanging on a nail. The additional light made the interior look worse.

This place could barely be classified as shelter. By comparison, the barn they had stayed in looked like a palace. They'd be more comfortable inside the car than here.

He reread the note, not liking any of it. Especially the idea of being without wheels, without a means for escape. With Lyle injured they were sitting ducks. And what if Lyle took a turn for the worse, became sicker? How would Adam get him to a hospital?

To his surprise, Lyle was awake when he returned to the car.

"I heard we had a close call," Lyle said. "What happened?"

Adam told him about outrunning the cop. "And now we're supposed to leave this car back at the front gate. Which doesn't seem too smart since they probably have an APB out for it."

"If Nevin said leave it, it'll be fine. Trust me, no one will bother us here."

"I wouldn't bother us here. This place is a dump."

"Then I'm sure we won't be here long, but I'll try reaching my brother anyway"

Adam helped Lyle, then carried their supplies in before returning for Renata. While the distance from car to shed was minimal, they both got soaked.

The wind picked up, rattling the shed.

Looking around, she shook her head in disgust. "Lyle shouldn't stay here."

"None of us should. But we need a different car."

She lifted her wrists for him to unfasten her handcuffs.

Adam pointed to the tarp he'd spread on the ground. "Sit first."

When she complied, he knelt down, but instead of
freeing her hands he bound her ankles with a piece of rope.

She tried to wrestle away but couldn't. "Damn you! Don't!"

"I'll untie you when I return."

"When will that be?"

"Soon."

"Don't worry. I'll watch her," Lyle said.

"No! Take me with you," Renata pleaded.

Her distress bothered Adam. He ran a hand under her jaw. She recoiled as if he'd struck her, repugnance etched in her features. He noticed Lyle paying close attention. Too close. Had the little prick been terrorizing her? Probably. And who knew what he'd said. Or done.

Adam shot Lyle a warning look. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he returned to the car, he pulled Renata's cell phone from his pocket. Unfortunately, Stan still didn't have it reprogrammed. He turned it off. In a true emergency, he could use the other cell phone.

He wondered briefly how close Ethan's men were, and whether they were the only two following. While exact details of the bust had yet to be finalized once Adam connected with the McEdwins, Ethan would lead a team to make the arrests. Which might get hairy considering the McEdwins had sworn not to be taken alive. Ethan would definitely need more than two men.

Adam reached the gate and climbed out of the car. Just in time. Headlights appeared on the road. He dropped back behind some brush to watch the approach of a boxy SUV The vehicle stopped at the gate.

Adam's hopes rose. If they left the SUV, he'd drive it back to the cabin. Sleeping in a car beat the hell out of the tumbledown shack.

But the SUV's stop was temporary. A man jumped out of the passenger side and ran to the Buick. Not even bothering to look over his shoulder, the man cranked the engine and pulled forward, disappearing down the road behind the SUV

Disappointed, Adam memorized the tag number. He'd been unable to get a clear look at the men, wondered if they'd return soon with another car.

By the time he jogged back to the cabin, his clothes were waterlogged, his shoes muddy. Inside he found Lyle curled on the tarp. He was pale, his clothes and hair soaked. A dark stain spotted his pants where blood seeped through.

"What happened?" Adam asked.

"I needed to take a
leak ...
got dizzy," Lyle said.

"He almost passed out," Renata said. "Uncuff me."

Adam quickly released her then watched as she checked Lyle. While he wasn't running a fever, he was shivering. They all were, but Lyle's reserves had to be dangerously low.

"Those wet clothes will leach his body heat. Get him undressed and wrap him in that blanket while I get another IV started and change his bandage." She looked sharply at Lyle before continuing. "It's important that these dressings stay dry and—"

Lyle cut her off. "Yeah, well, your advice would be easier to follow if we weren't on the run, in the rain."

As soon as she finished, Adam helped her to her feet. "The storm's getting worse, so I suggest we go outside now if you need to."

Renata was almost too tired to care about basic body functions. She'd had little sleep in the last forty-eight hours, with maximum stress. The combination left her exhausted. And punchy.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Lyle told her earlier. She prided herself on being a good judge of people, and she honestly couldn't see Adam as a coldblooded murderer. Had he truly killed six people and gotten away with it? Or was Lyle simply tormenting her? And why did it matter?