Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [108]
"You're not doing it alone."
He patted her thigh. "I know, and I appreciate that fact."
She smiled at him. "I'm really glad you didn't leave, Alex. It means a lot to me that you came back last night." She saw his face stiffen and realized she was treading into dangerous territory regarding their personal relationship. "Don't worry. I'm not asking you for anything," she said quickly.
"Dammit," he swore.
"What? Jeez, don't you think you're overreacting a little?"
"There's someone following us." He tipped his head toward the rearview mirror. "Since we left the city, a black Explorer has been on our tail. I'm going to change lanes. Take a look through the side mirror and tell me what you see."
Julia saw the car immediately and her pulse quickened. "I see two men. I don't recognize them." The Explorer moved behind them, staying three cars back.
"Let's see if they're serious," Alex said.
She didn't like the sound of that, but she didn't have a chance to voice her concern.
Alex waited until the last second to take the next exit, veering across, four lanes to do so. The black Explorer attempted to move over but was cut off by a truck and a loud booming horn. Once off the freeway, Alex drove under the overpass, making several twists and turns until they were a few miles from the freeway in some part of Napa that Julia had never seen before. Alex pulled the car into the parking lot of a supermarket, ducking in between a minivan and a truck, then turned off the engine.
They had a good view of the only entrance into the parking lot, and they sat for several minutes without speaking, waiting to see if the Explorer had managed to catch up with them.
"You must have lost them." Julia finally released the breath she'd been holding. "Who do you think they were?"
"I have no idea, but they were definitely following us."
"One of them could have been the guy you chased down Union Street. Although I didn't see a baseball cap on anyone's head. What do we do now?"
Alex thought for a moment, then reached behind him to grab the map. "Let's see if we can find a back way to St. Helena that doesn't take us on the freeway."
After reviewing the map, Alex drove back roads to their destination. It was slower going, but they arrived at Caribbean Court without any sign of the black Explorer.
"I wonder if anyone followed us here yesterday," Julia mused.
"I was just thinking the same thing."
"I hope we didn't put your father in any danger."
Alex pulled up in front of his father's house. He threw the car into park so fast, Julia almost hit the windshield. She put out a hand to brace herself. "What's wrong?"
"Look," he said.
She wasn't sure she wanted to look. Slowly, she turned her head, licking her lips, praying she wasn't going to see the men they'd just tried to outrun, or something even more horrible.
It was a sign that had caught Alex's attention. The for rent sign planted on the front lawn hadn't been there yesterday. Her gaze darted to the driveway. The beat-up Chevy was gone. The garage door was closed; the only sign that a car had ever been there was a puddle of black oil on the driveway. She glanced back at the house. The curtains and windows were closed up as if someone had left and was never coming back.
She swallowed hard. What had happened here after they'd left yesterday? Had someone gone after Charles?
"God, Alex," she murmured. "What if they…?" She couldn't say it. She didn't even want to think it. She reminded herself that their apartments had been broken into when they weren't home. No one had been hurt-yet.
"Let's go," Alex said decisively.
She shot him a quick look, but he was already moving out of the car. She caught up to him on the front porch. The screen door was slightly ajar and crooked. Had it been like that yesterday? Or was it evidence of violence? She wasn't sure she wanted to go with him, but Alex was already ringing the bell, pounding on the door, shouting his father's name.
No one answered. She could feel Alex's tension, his fear. She grabbed his arm when he reached for