Texas Lightning. Gerry Bartlett

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СКАЧАТЬ the program I’m working on is complex. Someone else might be able to finish it, but I doubt it. It’s my brainchild. And it still needs tweaking. The only way it will be worth anything is if I get it done and done right.” She lowered her makeup mirror and tried to see the traffic behind her. Was that silver car still there? It was hard to tell with the dozens of other vehicles on the road. Half of them seemed to be silver compacts.

      “Impressive. I know Ron paid a fortune for the rights to your company in Boston, mainly to get that program you’re working on. He said you’re the brains behind it.” King frowned. “I’m suspicious of that silver Toyota back there. Hold on, I’m doing a quick exit and it’s not going to be easy. But it’s the only way to lose them if they’re trying to follow us.” He jerked the steering wheel and she heard the squeal of brakes before they suddenly hit an off ramp at high speed.

      “Oh! This is why I have no desire to learn to drive. These highways. Did you see the cars swerve to keep from hitting us?” Anna gripped the armrest as she looked back. No one had been hit, but at least one driver was giving them a one-finger salute. No sign of the silver car at least.

      “You don’t even know how to drive?” King wheeled into the parking lot of a large shopping mall. He cruised up and down aisles and finally pulled into an empty slot but left the engine running.

      “No.” Anna looked longingly at the department store just a few feet away. She needed new underwear, a couple of shirts, and new jeans. Ordering online was fine but she couldn’t wait for delivery. She was desperate for a shower and would need something to change into after that besides the tight tee. “What now?”

      “I figured we could get you a couple of things to tide you over.” He glanced around. “It looks like we’re in the clear. No sign of a tail.”

      “What about YoYo? We can’t leave him in a hot car.” Anna also hated to go in alone. She was still spooked.

      “He’s coming with us. Anyone gives us a hard time, we’ll say he’s your emotional support dog.” King reached between the seats. “Hey, pup, wake up. Your mama needs you.”

      “I do. I’m still jumpy.” She was happy but hesitant when King placed YoYo in her lap. Claiming something like that was cheating. Real working dogs were highly trained, even though running her hands through YoYo’s soft fur soothed her and made her realize why little fluffy dogs made such good candidates for emotional support. She was having second thoughts about even going into the store when King jumped out of the truck and came around to open her door.

      “Come on. I doubt you’ll have to lie. I’ll keep him in my arms and we’ll be spending money. You really think anyone is going to try to stop us?” He held out his hand. “Give me the dog and grab your backpack. I know you don’t want to leave it here.”

      “You’ve got that right.” Anna handed over YoYo, who seemed to have adopted King, then climbed awkwardly out of the truck. Shrugging into her pack, she followed King into a store where she rarely shopped. She would have been happy with a discount big box store. But this guy was obviously used to the best. He was also right that no one seemed to care about the dog as long as YoYo stayed tucked in King’s arms.

      She made quick work of grabbing extra underwear and a sleepshirt. She pushed King toward the purses where he could still keep an eye on her. She was glad he didn’t want to let her out of his sight, but he didn’t need to see her bra size.

      “You sure I can’t help you pick out some nightgowns or something?” His wicked grin told her he had some experience in that department. He lifted a lacy confection that was pure sin. “Red. It’s a good color for you.”

      “You’re right. Do they have it in flannel?” She ignored his wink and set her pack on the floor to pull out her debit card. A woman bumped into her from behind, her hands full of panties.

      “Oh, sorry. Great sale.” She reached past her. “Do you mind? I need to set these down so I can go back and grab a few more.” She dumped the pile on the counter.

      Anna smiled but was busy scanning her receipt. No wonder she didn’t usually shop here. Two bras and six pairs of panties plus a nightshirt had cost more than she’d expected. She shook her head, then let it go. The quality was good and they were pretty.

      “Anna, are you done yet?” King walked up behind her. “This pup is getting antsy. I think we need to find a tree or some grass pretty quick.”

      “Yes.” She took the bag and reached down for her pack. Gone. She looked around. That woman… And she hadn’t even really looked at her. “My backpack. Did you see the woman who came up next to me?”

      “Older woman? Dark hair?” King looked around the department. “No sign of her. What the hell? She grabbed your pack?”

      “Obviously. I thought you were watching me.” Anna knew she was wrong to blame King but he had insisted…

      “I was. Then a fella came over, asking about YoYo. Not that the dog liked him. Growled something fierce. Which should have been a sign, now that I think about it. Son of a bitch!” King stalked around the underwear department and toward the exits. “They were probably working together. That silver car. There was a couple inside.”

      “Well, hell.” Anna held on to her debit card. It was the only thing she had left. That and the bag of underwear. Now whoever was after her program had her laptop too. It wouldn’t really help them but her notes were in there. Hopefully no one would be able to figure out her peculiar shorthand and crappy handwriting. Damn it! Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back. Crying wasn’t going to help. The clerk had come out from behind the counter.

      “Do you want me to call security to report this?” She was young, probably working part-time on weekends while she went to college. “I’m so sorry.”

      “Not your fault.” Anna dredged up a smile for her. “I’m having a bad day, and this just capped it off. Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll notify the authorities.” She looked around. “Do you have security cameras? We could use the footage if you have it.”

      “Everywhere else in the store, but not in underwear. Store policy.” She smiled apologetically. “But the security office on the second floor might be able to help you. Maybe you could spot them leaving the store.”

      “Do we want to take the time to do that now, King?” she asked him when he came back from checking the closest exit. “Go to security?”

      “We can get Ron’s people to follow up on that. They can get the footage and we can look at it later.” He took the bag from her and handed her the dog. “You look done in. Let’s get out of here.”

      Anna had to admit she was tired. Between the heat outside, which was ridiculous in January, the stress of being a target, and relying on a stranger, she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a nap. Maybe that seemed cowardly, but it was all she had the energy for at the moment.

      “There are other things I’ll need. Female things.” God, she hated to say that.

      “My twin stays at the house when she’s in town. I bet you can find whatever you need in her bedroom and bath.” King ushered her toward the truck, stopping first at a patch of grass for YoYo to do his business. “Karen’s taller than you are, and bigger in spots.” He glanced at Anna’s chest. “That just means the clothes she left will be loose, comfortable. She always leaves behind plenty of makeup and СКАЧАТЬ