“Oh my goodness. We did it!” All she could think about was that they had managed to get the information and Dennis hadn’t died in vain. Her excitement was short-lived when she saw Cruz’s unsmiling face.
“We have a tail,” he said.
“What?” Through the back window, Shanice saw a truck and a number of cars immediately behind them.
“Shit,” Raheem said.
“Turn around and buckle up,” Cruz said to Shanice.
Recalling how he had driven back in Miami, she did just that. Whatever he had planned, she needed to be ready for it. She snapped her seatbelt into place and gripped the handle on the car door.
She expected him to move quickly through the traffic, but instead he went with the flow, cruising along at a normal speed.
Shanice glanced at him. “Aren’t you going to try to outrun them?” she asked.
“Too much traffic, so we have to lose them another way,” Cruz explained. Tension radiated off his skin.
“Which car is it?”
“The blue Lincoln,” Cruz answered.
Shanice checked the side mirror and saw the car in question. There were two men inside.
“Do you think it was my fault? Did I do something wrong?” She’d never forgive herself if she jeopardized everything they’d worked for today.
Cruz shook his head. “Could have been any of us, to be honest. Security guards caught us when we were in the accounting office. They could have called someone before we left the building.”
He seemed calm, but she’d spent enough time with him to know his mind was going a million miles a second planning an escape route. Smooth and easy, he pulled onto the highway. The other car followed.
Minute after minute ticked by slowly, and the silence in the car shredded her nerves. She felt as if they were waiting for something but didn’t know what. She didn’t want to speak and break Cruz’s concentration, but at the same time, she desperately wanted to understand what he was doing and how he intended to handle these people.
He was headed away from the motel, and she figured that was on purpose. Several times he switched lanes, and each time he did, the other car followed. Not right away, but after a while. That’s when it dawned on her. He was checking their pace, determining how quickly they followed each time he moved.
She glanced over at him and he looked at her. His grim expression softened before he returned his gaze to the road ahead.
Accelerating slowly, Cruz pulled in front of an eighteen-wheeler. That kept them out of view of the blue Lincoln for several seconds, and then she saw them easing forward.
Cruz squeezed her knee, and the tension drained from her body. His unspoken message was simple—I’ve got this.
Suddenly, he took a hard left and swung the car onto the exit. Shanice braced her hand against the dashboard. Car tires squealed behind them, and she looked back to see the Lincoln had come to a halt in the middle of traffic. Horns blared at them and other car tires squealed as drivers fought not to hit each other.
One red Toyota was not so lucky. The car skidded and the owner swung the wheel to the right in an effort to avoid hitting the black sedan in front of him. He clipped the back fender of the sedan and a pickup crashed into him from behind.
During all of this commotion, a man jumped out of the Lincoln and ran to the railing. He pointed his gun at them and then dropped it in frustration, glaring as they followed the curve onto the road below.
Cruz floored the accelerator and weaved past traffic.
“We lost them,” Shanice said, breathing easier.
“Not for long,” Raheem said.
“He’s right. They know what the car looks like, and they know what we look like. We can ditch this vehicle, but the best thing is to ditch Houston now that we have what we need.”
The three of them remained quiet until Cruz pulled into the motel parking lot, and then they hurried up the stairs to their second-floor rooms.
Outside their door, Raheem handed Cruz a flash drive. “I copied the pertinent files. Here’s everything you need.”
He spoke with such finality, Shanice realized they were going to split up. The job was done. Although she’d only known Raheem for a short time, sadness came over her.
“As always, I appreciate your help.” Cruz clapped him on the arm.
“Anytime.” Raheem turned to Shanice and kissed the back of her hand. He flashed the same sexy grin he greeted her with the first time they met. “It was nice meeting you, Shanice. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.” He glanced at Cruz, as if sending a message to him.
“It was nice meeting you, Raheem, and by the way, I’m a hugger.”
She stepped into him and gave him a hug. He initially stiffened, but then he relaxed and hugged her back.
When they released each other, Raheem cleared his throat. “Take care.”
He went down the hall, and she and Cruz entered their room.
“Pack what you need. Only what you need. Right now,” Cruz said.
Shanice nodded and went to work.
While she stuffed items into her backpack, Cruz dialed Miles on his encrypted phone.
“Yes?”
“The job is done, and it’s more complicated than we initially thought. You’re not going to believe this. Cheng is going to want to know about it,” he said, referring to the head of Plan B.
“Your assignment was off the books,” Miles reminded him.
“And it should be on the books. A sitting senator of the United States is sending mercenaries after U.S. citizens, and he’s killing cops.” Cruz pulled across the heavy brown curtain and peered outside. He didn’t see any unusual activity in the parking lot.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“No, but I’m certain of one thing—his buddy Randall Logan is involved, bribing police officers to intimidate and harass tenants in apartment complexes in five different states. He pays them a hefty sum, anywhere from five to six figures.” He quickly went into the details they’d uncovered.
“So you have no proof Sandoval is involved, and even if you did, I’d have to kick this up the chain of command. We’re talking about a goddamn sitting senator and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Plan B is not going to want to touch those allegations without proof. He has a lot of influence on how the money in the budget is allocated.”
“Miles, my instincts tell me—”
“Cruz, I understand the gravity of what you’re saying, but your instincts don’t mean shit. You need proof. We can’t go on a fishing expedition with Sandoval. Any investigation has to be handled delicately, carefully, and from what you’ve told me so far, I don’t see the need for an investigation.”
Cruz ran a weary hand down his face. He hated to admit it, but Miles was right. “I get it. I have a flash drive and other information that will bury Logan. I need to get it to you.” Since this assignment was off the books, they hadn’t established a secure channel to expedite the information to Miles.
“Where are you and how soon can you get here?”
“Houston, and I’m flying out tonight. We already picked up a tail. I’m ready to leave.”
“Okay, by the time you land, I’ll have everything sorted out.”