No Place to Hide Read Online Free

behind the gas station. Rocky but wooded. Think, think.
    “They’ll find the car and think we took off through the woods,” he murmured. His fingers crunched the bag.
    “Yeah.” She pulled up the edge of her black sweatshirt and jabbed the key through the material of the thin white camisole she wore underneath. The shirt gave way and she ripped off a large chunk. “Come on.”
    “You’ve got a plan?”
    “For whatever it’s worth.” They slipped a little ways into thetrees, going the opposite direction he thought they should go. “Do you see them?” she asked.
    “Not ye—uh, yeah.” The car that had been following them pulled into the spot next to the beat-up sedan. She, Ian, and Gus moved further back into the trees until she could no longer see the parking area.
    Car doors slammed and a voice rose. “Find them. Fan out.”
    Jackie hung the white cloth on the tree about waist high. “Now move left,” she whispered. “Stay parallel to the parking lot.” He must have understood what she had in mind. He started moving. She stayed beside him. “Go slow, as quiet as you can.”
    Thankfully, their pursuers weren’t trying to be very quiet. “Where are they?” She heard one curse. “Hey! Victor, look here.”
    Victor. She made a mental note of the name. One of the others must have found the piece of cloth. She tried to listen and figure out how many of them there were, but the voices mingled. She thought three, maybe four.
    “Go, go, go,” another ordered. “Don’t lose them.”
    She and Ian kept moving. If the men had been thinking, they would have realized she hadn’t been wearing white when they saw her. Hopefully they wouldn’t remember.
    Finally, she and Ian reached the edge of the trees that ran along the side of the parking lot. The voices faded. Ian stepped out onto the asphalt and Jackie followed him. Gus stayed right next to Ian, his superb training and absolute trust in Ian clear. She looked back over her shoulder and down toward where the cars were parked. “We need a vehicle.”
    “Yeah. One they can’t track this time.”
    “I’d have one within minutes if you’d let me call my friends.”
    “I’d rather not. I’m sorry, I just don’t know who I can trust at this point.”
    “Even trusting me is a stretch, huh?”
    He shrugged, regret stamped on his features.
    “Right.” She nodded toward the next building. “Let’s get out of here before they figure out we’ve doubled back. Stay in the shadows.”
    He nodded, signaled Gus to follow, and led the way. Together they made their way along the back of the buildings parallel to the road. Gravel, broken glass, and other debris littered the area. Ian knelt and tapped behind his right shoulder.
    The dog leapt onto his back and Ian rose with a grunt to carry his four-legged friend. His gentle consideration of the animal grabbed at her heart. There was no way he could be guilty of anything related to a terrorist act, could he? She grimaced. Just because he liked animals didn’t mean he wasn’t a terrorist.
    They stepped gingerly, careful not to make any noise that might draw curiosity from anyone within hearing distance. “Any sign of them?” he asked, his voice low.
    “No, I don’t think so.”
    “I think I know where we can get a car.”
    She glanced at him. “Where?”
    “My brother.”
    “That’s not a good idea. They’ll be watching him.”
    “Do you have a better suggestion?”
    “Not at the moment.” She looked around and shivered. “Does he live near here?”
    “About ten miles away.” He paused. “If you don’t want me to call him, what about catching a cab?”
    Jackie thought about that. “That’s a pretty big risk. The cab driver might recognize you.”
    He looked around. “Let’s find a place to hole up and get that cell phone working, then we can decide.” He set Gus back onthe ground and the dog shook himself, then sat, waiting for his next order.
    Jackie shivered again. It was already below