No Place to Hide Read Online Free Page B

the end, and shot the man in the forehead.
    The other two gaped, backing away in terror.
    Victor shoved the weapon into the back of his waistband. “Where are you going?” They froze. “Get in the car.” They scrambled to obey. Victor climbed in the back. “Now what have you learned tonight, boys?” Neither man volunteered an answer. “I’m waiting.”
    “I’ll tell you what I learned, boss,” Hector said, his voice not quite steady.
    “What’s that, son?”
    “Don’t ask stupid questions.”
    Victor smiled.

4
    10:30 P.M.
    Jackie walked over to Ian, who stood in line to order. “I’ll be right back.”
    His gaze bored into hers. “Where are you going?”
    “The ladies’ room.” She handed him the phone still in the package. “While I’m there, could you get this thing working and charging? There’s a plug right near the table.”
    “Okay.”
    “But don’t make any calls yet, all right?”
    Confusion knit his brows together. She could see the protest hovering on his lips.
    “Just please? You’re asking an awful lot of me by not going to the cops and telling them what’s going on, so humor me, okay?”
    He gave her a long stare. She shifted, but didn’t look away. Finally he nodded and lowered his voice. “You’re not going to turn me in?”
    “Ian, if I was going to do that, we wouldn’t be here right now.” But she didn’t want him making any calls until she had a plan. And while one was in the process of forming, it wasn’t fully developed yet.
    He sighed. “All right.”
    “Just don’t sit where someone looking in can see you.”
    “Right.”
    She pulled her gaze away from him and took note of the layout of the store as she made her way to the ladies’ room. Once inside, she kept her eyes down and head averted. One other person stood at the sink washing her hands. Jackie slipped into the nearest stall and hung the backpack on a hook. She took the baseball cap from her head and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, then threaded the mass through the opening of the ball cap.
    She heard the other occupant leave. After finishing her business, she stepped out of the stall, washed her hands, then exited the restroom. With a glance around to make sure no one was watching her with any real interest, she strolled down the aisle and slipped into position near the Employees Only door. With careful deliberation, she perused the books on the nearby shelf.
    It cost her about a ten-minute wait, but her patience finally paid off. She just hoped Ian was still waiting on her and hadn’t decided she’d turned him in. She got the information she needed and made her way back to the booth, pulling off the backpack and sliding in opposite Ian, where he had two cups of coffee and two pizzas waiting. “Okay, I know you want to call your brother, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    He stiffened. “Why not?”
    “Think about it. The first people law enforcement are going to contact are your relatives, checking anyone who’d be willing to harbor a fugitive.”
    He went quiet and shoved his wallet back into his pocket, picked up one of the two cups of coffee he’d placed on the table, and took a sip. Jackie took note of the phone charging just like she’d asked.
    She reached for the coffee. “Thanks.”
    “Sure.”
    After a big sip that burned all the way down, she placed her cup on the table and reached for one of the pizzas. “Smart.”
    “What?”
    “Getting food while we can.”
    “Oh. I was just hungry and didn’t want to eat in front of you.”
    She nodded to his pizza box. “Didn’t want to share either, I take it.”
    He finished off his second piece in just about as many seconds. “No way.”
    “You always were stingy when it came to your food.”
    He snickered, but his mirth didn’t reach his eyes. “And you were always a mooch. I learned my lesson early on to get you your own food.”
    Jackie finished half the pizza and pushed the box away from her. He looked at the