Hunted by Beverly Long Page B

HE FIRST THING they would do, Ethan figured, was track her name and car registration back to her house. “Do you live alone?” he asked.
    “Yes.”
    He felt an absurd sense of relief.
    “Well, the cops will probably talk to a couple of your neighbors. Do they know your father?”
    “Some of them do. After he retired, he used to come over and cut my grass for me. The woman next door was always inviting him in for lemonade.”
    “Well, then, I suspect it won’t take long for the news of your accident to get to your dad.”
    He heard her quick catch of breath and knew that her first instinct would be to call her father, to make sure that he didn’t worry about her. “Call your dad. Tell him what’s going on.”
    She shook her head. “I wasn’t happy about my father’s wedding. Dad and Claudia had had a whirlwind relationship. And I was worried that Dad was moving too fast. I did try to be happy for him but I don’t think I hid my concerns all that well.”
    It had been difficult getting used to the idea that Claudia, the CEO that rarely interacted with the employees of Linder Automation, was now her stepmother.
    And unfortunately, the more she got to know her, the less Chandler had liked her.
    “My dad and I had a big argument shortly after he and Claudia got married. He was upset because I didn’t attend an awards ceremony where Claudia was getting an award. I tried to tell him that she never invited me but she’d told him something different. I guess he believed her.”
    “So you can’t go to him with accusations that your stepmother is committing treason and tried to run you off the road unless you’re sure of it.”
    “Exactly. I just hate that he’ll be worried. Me missing and the cabin blown up. None of it will make any sense. He’s going to call Mack and it will drive Mack crazy, especially if he’s out of the country working.”
    If he knew anything about his best friend, Mack would plow through hell or high water to get back to the States.
    He’d protect his sister with his life.
    And he’d expect Ethan to do the same.

Chapter Five
    “This is a mess,” she said.
    It was hard to argue that. But it wasn’t necessarily her mess, and that was weighing on Ethan’s conscience. Maybe the explosion at the McCann cabin had nothing to do with Chandler and what she’d stumbled upon at work.
    Maybe it was because of him.
    But to explain that, he’d have to explain the whole crazy situation. And how safe would she feel with him if she suspected that even a portion of the charges the military had brought against him were true?
    How would she feel if she suspected that he’d sold out his buddies, causing eight to die?
    Might be enough to send her running off into the night. Without protection. Without a fully loaded gun and someone who knew how to use it.
    So he kept his mouth shut. And told himself that he was doing it for her. Certainly not because he was afraid of what he’d see in her pretty green eyes if she knew the truth.
    “You’re sure it’s safe to go back?” she asked.
    He regretted telling her that. But he was confident that they could go back in on foot which would allow them to approach quietly, from an unexpected direction. They could cut across the fields and it wouldn’t be much more than a mile.
    He wasn’t concerned about finding his way, even in the snow. He, Mack and Brody had walked this area every summer day for years. A few fences may have been put up since he was a teen but he doubted there was anything that he couldn’t navigate around, even in the dark.
    But even a mile could be a long way in several inches of snow. It was going to be a wet, slippery, difficult walk. He had on boots but she had just her loafers. And she had an injured shoulder. But he didn’t think there was a chance in hell that she was going to let him go in alone. And he wanted to see it. Wanted to know whether he’d been the target. Wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for that would