“I’ve never laid a hand in anger on any woman I was dating. Never,” he stated in a deep tone.
“You’re a decent man. Otherwise, I never would’ve hired you, much less taken you to my bed. We had a good time together. Shouldn’t that be enough?”
“You’d think,” he said before he pivoted and walked into the kitchen.
Stella put a hand on her brow. Chuck had never spoken to her like that before, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She didn’t get a chance to think more about it as Stephanie came back into the room.
“It seems that you get your way,” Stephanie told her. “I’m leaving and will make sure Marlee is diverted elsewhere. That should give you time to get to the meeting tonight in Houston.”
Stella was aware that nothing else was offered. Even if she asked, she wouldn’t get it. She had to be happy with whatever the FBI gave her. It was too bad she hadn’t developed any relationships with the local authorities in Clearview, because that would have come in handy right about now. There hadn’t been a need before, but it was a mistake she would rectify as soon as she could.
“Thank you,” Stella said. “Looks like we all need to get busy. Time is of the essence.”
* * *
Time certainly is of the essence, Chuck thought to himself as he sent out the texts to the other groups. Everyone had their own escape routes wherever they were, and they never left together. It made it harder for the authorities to track them down.
Chuck watched Stephanie get into her car that was hidden in the garage and then drive away. He breathed easier with her gone. But a cloud still loomed over them. Marlee Frampton. If something wasn’t done about her, they might as well turn themselves in to the authorities.
Marlee knew their faces. She was smart. That’s why she had been out in the area today. As soon as she saw Stella, Marlee pieced it all together. The fact that the police weren’t here yet was only because Marlee didn’t have any substantial evidence—and she never would.
They were professionals. None of them left behind any DNA. Besides that, Stella had a system designed by the world’s leading hackers, just to make sure that no one could crack it. The files there were set to be wiped the moment an incorrect password was keyed in twice.
There wouldn’t be any evidence this go-round, but how much longer until Marlee had what she needed? Since she knew their faces—and Stella’s name—it was simply a matter of her following them wherever they went. They might get a month or more in a new city before Marlee showed up but show up the little bitch would.
Chuck looked over his shoulder to see Stella in her office. She’d always traveled light. The only things she had on her were her laptop and a planner, neither of which would give anything to the police to link them to the murders or kidnappings.
“It’s hours before your meeting,” Chuck said. “I’d advise against staying here.”
Stella dropped her cell phone into her purse before she turned to him. “No doubt Marlee has someone watching the house. They’ll know when or if any of us come and go.”
“Then why did you send Stephanie away?” he asked with a frown.
“Because I wanted her out of my hair and doing something useful.”
Chuck didn’t like the sound of any of this. “If you think Marlee and her gang will buy any of that, you’re wrong.”
“It’ll send them after Stephanie. If she doesn’t want to blow her cover, she won’t tell them she’s FBI if she’s stopped and questioned. Then she can—and will—do what’s been ordered and get Marlee to follow another lead. I’m not worried, Chuck, and neither should you be.”
“Marlee came to the house. I’m fairly certain every one of us should be fucking worried.”
Stella gave him a stern look. “You’re the one I count on the most. I need you to make sure everyone gets out of town. Maria will leave with me when I go to the meeting.”
“You won’t have time for that. Besides, the last thing you should do is stop for anything. I’ll take the women.”
“Thank you,” Stella said with a smile. “You always come through for me.”
Yes, he did. And he was going to do it again tonight. Stella might not like what he planned, but she’d get over it eventually.
Chapter 36
The sound of a phone pulled Marlee awake. Her eyes hurt from lack of sleep. She groaned as she reached over and blindly searched for her cell on the bedside table before she knocked it off.
“Want me to get it?” Cooper asked from beside her.
She opened her eyes and leaned over the side of the bed. “I got it.”
Everyone had stayed at the East Ranch last night. Most of that time, she and the others had stayed up going over several plans, none of which seemed to properly fit. It had been after three before she and Cooper finally found a bed.
But even then, they hadn’t slept.
The moment they were behind closed doors, they reached for each other. Their clothes came off quickly as they found pleasure in each other’s arms. Even after what she had told him yesterday, she didn’t regret spending the night with him. In fact, she was wondering if her words from yesterday had been said in haste.
Her thoughts ended there when she found the phone, just as the call went to voicemail. Marlee rolled onto her back and looked at the incoming caller ID. “Hmm. That’s odd.”
“What is?” Cooper asked as he turned toward her and threw an arm over her stomach.
“It’s Stephanie.”
Cooper’s eyes opened. In the next heartbeat, he rose up on his elbow. “Does she often call?”
Marlee shook her head. “Mostly it’s me calling her, though she has called me back if she has information.”
“Maybe she has information.”
“Or maybe she was in that house like I think, and she’s trying to divert my attention.”
They looked at the phone for a moment. It suddenly dinged, letting Marlee know there was a voicemail. With quick fingers, she unlocked her phone and pulled up the voicemail, putting it on speaker so Cooper could hear.
“Hey, Marlee,” Stephanie’s voice said. “It’s early, I know, but I had an all-nighter at work. You were right about that name you gave me yesterday. I couldn’t devote the time needed to it because I was working another case, but I dug into it some more. The woman’s real name is Karen Meader. She’s got friends in high places. Unfortunately, not high enough. She testified against some bad people, who are now looking for her. Those friends I spoke of, well, they got her a new identity, which was why you couldn’t find out anything about her. Wish I could’ve told you this yesterday. Hopefully, you didn’t spend too much time on her. On another note, I saw something come through regarding your particular cases. We’re looking into a couple near San Antonio.”
Marlee looked at Cooper after Stephanie rattled off an address and the message ended. “What do you think?”
“If you didn’t think you saw her yesterday, what would you think of the voicemail?”
“That she did exactly as she said.”
Cooper raised his brows as he turned onto his back. “If that was Stephanie in the house, wouldn’t she have made this call sooner?”