First Responders on Deadly Ground by Colleen Thompson

Author:Colleen Thompson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-06-07T19:59:25+00:00

Chapter 10

Determined to give Kingston’s security goons the slip and lie low somewhere out of sight, Jude headed south as Callie sat staring at her phone beside him. When she made it clear she didn’t want to talk, he left her to her thoughts, eventually stopping at an intersection where a road sign pointed southward toward the bustling border city of Brownsville, Texas. The rain clouds had by now burned off, leaving little more than a thin haze that dulled the golden-brown scrubland. A dust devil spun sand into the air when a single semi sped by, passing the same road sign.

“That’s our destination, too. Brownsville,” he told Callie, though it would take them nearly two hours to get there.

She looked at him, eyes coming to life again, and broke her silence. “Why all the way out there? You have a contact?”

“I don’t know a soul there,” he admitted, “but I do know it’s big enough that we shouldn’t have much trouble disappearing, and there’s enough international business, I should be able to find a same-day courier service to transport these DNA samples to the lab without much trouble.”

“Seems like a lot of miles to drive out of our way,” Callie countered, “and it’s pretty desolate country, too, isn’t it, between here and there? All out in the open?”

“They’ll be expecting us to run back toward Corpus Christi, definitely not toward the border,” he said. “This is the safest option I can think of.”

She nodded. “Let’s do it, then.”

As they sped along a lonely state highway, he nervously watched the rearview mirror for any sign of pursuit. His heart raced when they spotted flashing lights ahead.

“What’s that?” Callie asked, her words clipped with fear. “Should we turn around and go back?”

“If we do that, we’ll only make things worse,” he said, his legs feeling like jelly until they drew nearer and he recognized the markings on the vehicles. “Just get out your driver’s license. I think we’ll be okay.”

They pulled up to what appeared to be a routine border patrol checkpoint, where a uniformed agent motioned for Jude to lower his window. After asking if they were US citizens and their destination, he told them to have a nice day, while his partner, the one handling the dog, waved them through.

They both released huge sighs once they were on their way.

“I thought we were toast,” Callie said.

“We’re both going to end up locked up if we can’t get our acts together and quit getting so nervous around anyone in uniform,” he warned.

“Thanks for that brilliant insight, Rookie. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, you know, while we’re dodging guys who want to kill us while driving a stolen vehicle.” She slanted an annoyed look his way. “What are you grinning at? What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, Red. I was just thinking that if we really get backed in a corner, you can always whip out your charm offensive and I’m sure they’ll let us off the hook.”

She snorted. “One thing’s for sure.

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